Buchanan Brewery belonged to River more than it belonged to Georgie and her siblings, and she was going to find a way to give it all to him, no strings attached. Consequences be damned.
To hell with what her family thought. Georgie was done with trying to make everyone else happy. She should have defaulted the brewery to River as soon as she found out he was supposed to have originally inherited it. It would have been the right thing to do.
It was too late to change what she’d done, but it wasn’t too late to make things right.
Of course, the brewery legally belonged to her siblings too, but she was sure none of them would want to step forward to run it. If she forfeited her share, they’d likely default too since there would be no one to manage the business. Yeah, Jack claimed he wanted to be a part of it, but he still refused to come back, he couldn’t manage it remotely, and she couldn’t imagine him willingly sharing the leadership with River after everything that had gone down. If he forced the issue, Georgie could insist he pay her back the hundreds of thousands of dollars she’d invested within thirty days. It was an asshole move, but River deserved it more than Jack. She’d find another way to form a bond with her half-brother. If he ever forgave her.
As for the money? It was just money. She’d put this down as a lesson well learned.
After the last drink was served, the energy in the room seemed to evaporate, as if they really were burying the brewery. The atmosphere turned melancholy, and the remaining guests soon left, hugging Dottie and the other staff, wishing Georgie and Adalia well with the reopening come fall. And soon it was just the sisters and the staff…and no River.
A couple of the tasting workers came out of a back room, passing around the last of the reserve in small Dixie cups—Beau Brown, which River and Georgie had thought would be fitting. The plan had been for Georgie to address the staff, thanking them for their support and hard work, for embracing the future with her, but she couldn’t do it, because it was a lie.
She would have no part in Buchanan Brewery’s future, and that broke her more than she’d expected. Turned out she’d fallen in love with her grandfather’s legacy too.
Dottie seemed to sense that Georgie was too distraught to follow through as planned, so she took charge, which felt more fitting anyway.
“Beau would have loved this evening,” Dottie said with a bright smile but with tears in her eyes. “He would have loved the energy. He would have loved the stories.” A chuckle ran through the room. “He would have loved the community.” Dottie turned and held Georgie’s gaze. “And he would have loved the sense of family. He always said the employees at Buchanan Brewery were family, and Georgie Buchanan is keeping that same philosophy alive and well. She’s embracing Buchanan’s past and bringing it into the future, all while keeping the employees in the fold with her generosity and enthusiasm. Buchanan Brewery needs Georgie Buchanan, and she will lead us into the future.” She lifted her Dixie cup into the air. “To Georgie.”
The employees enthusiastically shouted, “To Georgie!”
It was too much.
Georgie fought to keep from breaking down, while Adalia wrapped her arm around her sister’s back and whispered in her ear, “Don’t despair. True love always wins, Georgie.”
Not always. A fact Georgie had on some level known since she was a little girl, even if she hadn’t understood her parents’ relationship yet.
Adalia excused herself to help the tasting room staff clean up, but Dottie rushed over and pulled Georgie into a tight embrace before leaning back and staring into her face. “I know what you’re planning to do, but it’s not what Beau wanted. He knew what he was doing, Georgie. Trust in that. Buchanan Brewery really does need you.”
How could Dottie know what she was planning? She couldn’t, which meant the older woman probably had some other crazy idea in her head. “Thanks, Dottie, but I intend to set things right.”
Dottie gave her a long look. “Don’t make any decisions yet. Just come to the after-party and then sleep on it, okay?”
Georgie shook her head. “I think I should just go home, Dottie. Besides, it’s for the employees, people who knew Beau, and I’m just the estranged granddaughter who came in and stole everything.”
Tears swam in Dottie’s eyes. “You are so much more than that, Georgie, so much more. Just give him a bit of time, okay? Because not only are you exactly what Buchanan Brewery needs, you’re what my nephew needs too.”
Georgie shook her head more vehemently. “No. He needs someone he can trust. Someone who won’t lie to him and take advantage of him. He needs someone who won’t let him down.”
“Oh, Georgie,” Dottie said, cupping Georgie’s cheek. “That person doesn’t exist. No matter how much we try, we will always let down the people we love. It’s human nature. But it’s how you come back from it that matters.” She leaned closer and whispered, “Just give him more time.” She pressed something into Georgie’s hand and then walked away, calling over her shoulder, “And you will come to the after-party. Not a single one of us will take no for an answer.”
Georgie opened her hand to see a two-inch, smooth, bright blue, striated stone with a small slip of paper. Dottie had written:
Blue Lace Agate—good for communication and purification. Just rub your fingers over the stone. All will work out in the end, Georgie. Have faith.
Love, Dottie
Georgie only hoped Dottie was psychic too.
With a sigh, she helped the staff shut everything down. Turned out she was going to the party after all.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
All of that, and he wasn’t going to make it.
River had spent an uncommonly long time getting ready for the closing party, especially since he’d ended up choosing exactly the sort of outfit he always wore, a short-sleeved button-down and khakis, Beau’s watch tucked into the pocket of the pants. Georgie had encouraged him to be himself, and he couldn’t be himself and also wear a suit. But he’d walked out of the room to find Hops with melted chocolate all over his fur. For a moment, he’d thought the dog had had a massive accident that he’d maybe rolled in, but then he’d found the chocolate wrapper by the couch. Turned out his aunt had hidden a dark chocolate bar for him at Easter—Easter—without telling him. Which might have been a nice surprise if he’d found it in April.
He’d panicked and immediately called Maisie, who’d walked him through what to do, which had involved giving Hops hydrogen peroxide to throw up. He’d needed to repeat it a couple of times before Hops actually vomited out the chocolate, and by then both of them were a mess, and slightly hysterical too. He’d changed his clothes and dropped Hops off with Maisie, who was at the shelter, not wanting to leave him alone after what had surely been a traumatizing experience. (Or at least it had been traumatizing for River.)
As a nice bonus, one of Hops’s sisters had been back at the shelter. She hadn’t worked out with her foster family owing to some antagonism from a cat who sounded a bit like Jezebel, so she was temporarily staying with Maisie. But he hadn’t stuck around to watch the big reunion. One glance at Beau’s watch told him all he needed to know—he wasn’t going to make it. Or if he did, it would be too late for him to pull Georgie aside so they could talk privately.