Was it obvious to everyone that Georgie had experienced the best sex of her life only hours earlier?
It was hard seeing River in the office, where the current employee manual insisted they could not engage in any fraternization, when all she wanted to do was kiss him. He showed up in her doorway around noon, leaning his shoulder into the doorframe.
“I think we should take a field trip for lunch,” he said with a sexy smile.
Her stomach fluttered at the thought of eating lunch with him, but they’d agreed to keep their relationship on the down-low for the moment. She needed to find a way to tell her siblings, and she figured she’d start with Adalia first. But she hadn’t told her yet—it was a conversation best had in person, and her sister had just been released from jail, after all.
“This is work-related,” River said with a glimmer in his eyes. “I thought we’d drop by Eye of the Tiger Brewery so you could try their porters. They make some of the best in Asheville. We might consider adding one to the winter line.”
“Yeah,” she said, smiling at him, relieved that she wouldn’t have to turn him down. “Testing some out would be the responsible thing to do.”
“How soon will you be able to leave?”
She glanced at her computer, then back at River…
It felt so good to be able to let her eyes linger, to know she had a right to look at him, even if she couldn’t make it obvious until their relationship went public.
“I can go now,” she said.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
They were the same words he’d said to her that first night in his apartment, before their shower. Which made her think about showering with him, their bodies slick against each other. He’d promised to learn every inch of her, and he had. He’d insisted on swiping the cloth over her from head to toe, slowly enough to drive her mad, and then…
She was at the office, where she should absolutely not be thinking about any of this. She felt her face grow hot. The grin on his face told her he’d done it on purpose, and she scowled at him a little as she gathered her things.
They left together, acting like it was no big deal, but as soon as River pulled his car into a parking space at Eye of the Tiger, he leaned over and kissed her.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for hours,” he murmured against her lips.
“I guess good things come to those who wait,” she said, and kissed him again, letting it linger a little before she pulled away. “Are we really here to taste porters?”
“No reason we can’t mix business and pleasure.”
“I like the way you think,” she said, looking into his eyes. She liked what she saw there too. They were alight with pleasure, with happiness, something that had largely been missing the last couple of weeks, and she felt no small amount of wonder that he was happy because of her.
Once inside, they ordered a flight along with some appetizers. They discussed what they liked and didn’t like about each of the beers, and what qualities they should reach for with their own version, River taking notes on his phone. She glanced at his screen, smiling at what she saw: Georgie plus chocolate=happy, in beer and in general; Georgie plus bitterness=only if balanced; Georgie plus coffee=not too heavy.
“I’m okay with coffee in the morning,” she said in an undertone. “Plenty of coffee. Maybe you should add that to your list.”
“Maybe I will,” he said, looking up at her. “I like to make my boss woman happy. Now, about that porter…”
She was still such a beer novice, but he took her feedback and advice so seriously, as if it were as important as his own. She loved that, loved how excited he got over the whole process. It made work feel fun, which it never really had before, she realized. Fulfilling and rewarding, yes, but never fun.
At the end of their lunch, a big burly man with a beard came out of the back to greet them, heading straight for River. He pumped his hand almost aggressively and thanked him for coming in. He was the owner, it turned out, and River introduced Georgie as one of the new owners of Buchanan Brewery.
“She has great things planned for Buchanan’s future,” River said, beaming. “I’m excited to be part of it.”
“I heard about Big Catch,” the owner said. “You did the right thing, jumping ship. Finn let us all down, inviting those sharks into town.”
River looked a little conflicted about that, like maybe he thought he should defend Finn, but he just shrugged. “I was lucky the opportunity at Buchanan opened up when it did.”
“Truth be told,” the owner said, running a hand over his beard, “I always figured you’d be the one to inherit Buchanan.” As if realizing what he’d said, or rather whom he’d said it in front of, he turned to Georgie. “No offense, it’s just common knowledge that Beau taught River the ropes about brewing—it’s kind of a local legend—and Beau never talked about his family much.”
Georgie felt like she was going to throw up. She’d almost forgotten about the will, or maybe she’d let herself forget. River still didn’t know, but she’d have to tell him now. The sooner she did it, the less of a betrayal it would be.
Not yet, she told herself. Not until you sort everything out with Adalia, Jack, and Lee.
She forced a smile. “Grandpa Beau was full of surprises. All I know is we’re very lucky to have River.”
“It was great seeing you, River,” the man said, clapping him on the back. “Glad to hear you’re staying in Asheville.”
“Me too, man. I wouldn’t leave for the world.”
Georgie’s guilt amplified. What if her brothers tried to enforce the no-fraternizing policy and the noncompete?
But she was being weak, thinking like that. It was time for her to show her brothers that she was in charge of things.
Georgie left the brewery at five to meet the contractor for her walk-through. Adalia would arrive at the airport at seven thirty, so she had a little time to move in and get settled before her new roommate arrived.
It looked like a different house than the one she’d walked into two weeks prior. The living room had been fastidiously cleaned and freshly painted, and it looked great despite being completely empty. And the new granite counters, appliances, and freshly painted cabinets in the kitchen gave the house an updated look.
After the contractor left, Georgie went upstairs to prep her sister’s room. She’d just started changing the bedding when she heard a knock on the front door. Jezebel was still missing, so she knew there was a possibility it could be one of the neighbors. She went down to answer the door with no small amount of trepidation.
But it was River, standing there with a pizza box in hand, a bottle of wine under one arm and Hops squirming under the other. “Thought you might like some help putting the house back together.”
With a grin, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him through the door. She’d told him her plans for the evening, so she hadn’t expected to see him until tomorrow. Was it crazy that she’d missed him?
She took the pizza box from him, mostly because she wanted to kiss him, and she didn’t see it happening without something falling from his hands or out from under his arms. River was skilled in a lot of things, but as far as she knew, he didn’t know how to juggle. Pizza in hand, she leaned in and kissed him, inasmuch as they could manage with the box between them.