She smiled at him. “I bet he would. Now, about Lola. Finn’s not the only one who’d benefit from having his cards read. You’re at a crossroads too.”
“No thanks, Aunt Dottie. I’ll find out what happens when it does.”
Which was how he always responded, but she still hadn’t given up. Part of him liked that. He liked knowing he could count on things—because for much too long he hadn’t been able to count on anything.
But could he count on Georgie Buchanan?
Chapter Eleven
Georgie walked into the law offices of Gramble and Manning at 11:57, ready to start the next phase of her life. After she and Jack finished with the paperwork, they were meeting River at the brewery at one. While Georgie had toured the space with her grandfather, she needed to see it again from an owner’s perspective, not to mention Jack hadn’t seen it at all. River had spent plenty of time at Buchanan Brewery, so he would make the perfect tour guide.
Sure, and that’s the only reason you want to see him.
Mr. Manning’s assistant met her as she walked through the door. “Jack is already in the conference room and Mr. Manning is readying the documents for you to sign.” She gestured down the hall to the room, then said, “Can I get you coffee or water while you wait?”
“This should only take a moment, right?” Georgie asked. “I won’t need anything.”
The assistant didn’t answer, just gestured for her to enter the room where everything had gone down the day before. “He’ll be here in a moment.”
Jack was standing next to the wall of windows overlooking a parking lot, wearing a pair of khakis and a short-sleeved button-down shirt. He turned when she entered the room, and she gave him a soft smile.
“Hey,” he said, appearing unsure of his standing with her. Georgie understood. They’d both been drinking last night, which called the decisions they’d made into question. Georgie had no regrets… Did Jack?
“How was breakfast with your siblings?” he asked, his body tense.
She stopped herself from saying they were his siblings too. “Good.” She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Actually, great. Lee’s on board and plans to be hands-off, which means we can run it how we see fit.”
“And Adalia?”
She made a face. “Not so eager, but I think she’ll come around once it starts doing well and making a profit.”
He nodded, then turned back to the view.
Georgie eyed the table, reluctant to sit down. The emotions of the previous day still hung in the air, but she was also antsy. She wanted to get this done so she could head to the brewery and get down to business, not because she was eager to see River again. Okay, a partial lie. She was eager for both.
“Ah, Georgie,” Mr. Manning said as he walked into the room, holding a stack of papers. “And Jack. Thank you for coming in.”
“Of course,” she said with a smile. “Lee said it was okay for me to sign for him and Adalia.”
“Only one of you has to sign that you want to keep it,” the attorney said. “So the two of you signing is more of a sign of solidarity and not a legal necessity.” He set the stack of papers on the table and Georgie took a seat. Jack sat next to her, resting both his hands on the table.
It looked like Mr. Manning had more than one document for them to sign. He flipped the pages until he reached one with two signature tabs.
“Let’s start with the reason you’re here. This document says that you both agree to keep the brewery. Sign next to the tabs.”
Georgie grabbed a pen from a cup in the center of the table but stopped with the pen hovering over the signature line. “Lee said you had a buyer lined up for the property?”
Jack’s body jolted.
The attorney’s smile wavered. “That’s right. Bev Corp, a national company, is very interested.”
“How much did they offer?”
“Four-point-two million for the brand, the recipes, and the facility.”
Georgie couldn’t help wondering if Adalia needed the money. A quarter of the sale price would be enough to completely change her sister’s life. Was she being selfish? But then she thought of the determination in Jack’s eyes. He deserved to be part of the Buchanan legacy. And Lee believed in her, for once, something she’d always wanted. And then there was River. He’d been important to Beau, and he wanted—needed—to make this work as much as she did.
Jack shot her a questioning look. Even if Georgie decided at the last minute to sell, she knew he would never agree to it.
Ultimately, she trusted her gut, and it told her this was the right decision. She leaned over and signed her name, then passed the form to Jack. The attorney produced several other papers for them to sign, one naming Georgie the executor of her grandfather’s trust—which included the brewery and the house—and giving her control over Beau’s business and personal bank accounts. “Grandpa Beau named me as executor? How did he know I’d agree to do this?”
“As you’ve likely guessed, he changed his will after your visit. Originally, the house went to your father, and the brewery went to someone else.”
“Who was it supposed to go to?” Jack asked.
Instead of answering, Mr. Manning pursed his lips and handed Georgie the bank account statements.
Had Beau originally planned to give the brewery to Dottie? He hadn’t left her anything in the will, although Georgie had assumed that was because he’d passed along everything he’d wanted to her before dying.
She considered pressing Mr. Manning, but she was more interested in the financial state of the brewery. She slid the papers between her and Jack, and they quickly scanned the business account documents, which proved the business was indeed in trouble.
When they both finished signing nearly everything in the stack, Mr. Manning gave them an apologetic smile. “Now that you’ve finished most of the official paperwork for keeping the brewery, I need to tell you both about the strings.”
She gaped at the attorney, sure she’d heard him wrong. “Strings? What strings?”
“Beau wanted to make sure that you and your siblings didn’t make this a side project. He was worried the others might be uninterested.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she waited for what she was sure would be terrible news. “Excuse my language, Mr. Manning, but I have no intention of half-assing this.”
“And neither do I,” Jack said with a firm resolve.
Perspiration began to dot the attorney’s forehead. “They aren’t my rules. Trust me, I tried to talk Beau out of it.”
Her stomach turned to a dead weight. “What did Grandpa Beau do?”
Mr. Manning handed her an envelope. “Perhaps you should read this first.”
She broke the seal, pulled out the page, and read the shaky handwriting.
Dear Georgie,
You have no idea how much I loved your visit. You have your father’s drive for success, but you also have something he never possessed. Sure, he has ambition, but he doesn’t have heart. You, my girl, have it in spades.
I knew after our visit that you wouldn’t sell Buchanan Brewery. I could see the fire in your eyes—the same fire that led me to found my business so many years ago. I’m ashamed to admit that I got tired. I lost my drive and I let things slide. I considered passing BB on several years ago, but the successor I’d named wasn’t ready. He had to pay his dues, just like you and your siblings will have to pay yours if you fail to meet the challenge I’ve set for you.