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  She gestured down to the puffball still gnawing away at his shoelace. “Now, how would you like to foster a puppy? I daresay you’ve been chosen.”

  Chapter Nine

  Georgie was nervous. A lot hinged on this breakfast. Lee was pissed and Adalia was being standoffish. She didn’t need their permission or their blessing to keep the brewery—the will had said they could only sell if all four of them decided to do so by the noon deadline—but she still wanted their approval. She also wanted their help, although she knew that was beyond a long shot.

  She was the first to admit she’d drunk too much beer before making her official decision—in fact, she’d had to get an Uber back to her hotel—but in the light of day, she stood by it. She was sure she and Jack could make a go of this, especially with River making the beer.

  River.

  While she was utterly sure about keeping the business, she was having second thoughts about offering him a job. Not that she didn’t think he was capable. Her gut told her he was the linchpin to making Buchanan Brewery successful—no, more than successful—great. She’d learned to listen to her gut. It was what had made her previous business, Moon Goddess, such a success. But in this instance her gut and her heart were at war. The spark she’d felt with River was instantaneous and strong, but she couldn’t let that matter. Every man who’d wandered into Georgie’s life had proven to be unreliable and temporary, her father included, but a solid business offered security and fulfillment. It created the kind of satisfaction that lasted. Part of her suspected that River was different, but she couldn’t make a hasty decision based on one night of attraction that had involved a possessed cat and multiple samples of beer…and one almost kiss.

  She hadn’t imagined that, right? They’d almost kissed.

  In hindsight, it was a good thing they hadn’t. It would have complicated everything. Hiring River Reeves meant there could never be anything romantic between them.

  Why did that thought cause her heart to ache so much?

  Standing in front of the full-length mirror in her hotel room, she appraised her appearance. She was wearing a gray dress with flats, but she’d left her hair down in loose blond waves rather than securing it in her usual bun. Asheville had a more casual vibe, she told herself. Even her dress was probably too fancy, but she knew deep down that wasn’t why she’d chosen to wear her hair down. River had mentioned that he liked it loose around her face.

  You’re playing with fire.

  Was it wrong that she felt gratified by a handsome man appreciating her appearance?

  It is if he’s your employee.

  With a heavy sigh, Georgie grabbed her purse and headed out the door to the stairwell. She was on the fourth floor, but she was too antsy to wait for the elevator, not to mention she needed to expend some nervous energy.

  Once she was outside the building, she put on her expensive sunglasses to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight, then started walking toward the hip organic restaurant the hotel concierge had recommended. In hindsight, she realized it would drive the meat-and-potatoes Lee crazy, but it was likely to win her some points with Adalia.

  Georgie needed all the help she could get, but perhaps she’d pandered to the wrong sibling. Too late to change it now.

  She was a few minutes early, but she spotted Lee as soon as she entered the restaurant lobby. To be fair, he was hard to miss. At six foot two, he stood half a head over almost everyone else, and his short, stylish blond hair and bright green eyes had always garnered attention from women. It wasn’t until Georgie was within a few feet of him that she noticed Adalia next to him. If she’d shared that thought—something she couldn’t imagine doing—she could anticipate her sister’s response. That’s because I’m always overlooked. It’s what happens when you’re the afterthought kid.

  “Good morning, Lee, Addy,” she said, keeping her voice light and cheery as she took off her glasses. “I hope you both slept well.”

  Adalia simply frowned, but Lee looked irritated. “Maybe it would have been better if you’d actually called me back last night.”

  “Sorry,” she said, genuinely meaning it. “I needed some time to process everything.”

  “Thank God,” Lee said in a breath of relief. “I knew you were logical enough to come to your senses.”

  His comment pissed her off, but she needed to keep him relatively happy, so she let it roll off her back as she walked up to the hostess and checked in for her reservation.

  The hostess led them to their booth, and Georgie gestured for Lee and Adalia to slide in first. She didn’t want to risk being flanked by them; she needed to see them face-to-face.

  Adalia scooted in first and Lee sat next to her, leaving Georgie the side opposite them, and she felt a sense of relief that things were already going well.

  She was truly desperate if she was calling the seating arrangement a win.

  “What did you both do last night?” she asked as she picked up a menu.

  “Are you really resorting to chitchat?” Lee asked in a snide tone. He’d always been a touch bossy, but this seemed over the top, bordering on their father’s level of high-handedness.

  “Don’t mind him,” Adalia said as she opened her menu. She beamed when she saw the choices. “Victoria left with Dad last night, and it wasn’t pretty.”

  Lee frowned and picked up his menu.

  Adalia leaned over the table a few inches and mouthed: She was pissed.

  Georgie could only imagine, and she had to wonder if Lee partially blamed her for his almost fiancée abandoning him. Georgie wasn’t sorry she’d voted for Victoria to leave the meeting. That woman held far too much sway over Lee and their father, particularly considering she’d known neither of them a year ago—or maybe that was her own bitterness speaking. After all, neither man ever seemed to listen to her.

  “My flight is early this afternoon, so I won’t be able to sign the papers at the attorney’s office,” Lee said. “The attorney says you can sign for all of us. Addy got her flight changed so we can go back to New York together.”

  Georgie couldn’t hide her surprise. Lee and Adalia had never been particularly close. She was usually the bridge between them, although she’d be the first to admit it was a shaky wood bridge with a few loose planks. Was this his attempt to sway their sister to his side?

  “That’s fine,” Georgie said, pulling herself together. Once her business got off the ground, she’d gotten herself a present: a good therapist. The doctor had helped her understand that she’d shifted from trying to gain her father’s approval to seeking her brother’s, an equally impossible task. Logically, she knew she only needed one person’s approval—her own—but knowing it and living it weren’t always the same thing. “The business side of things won’t take long, but we haven’t all been together in at least a couple of years. I thought it might be nice to share a meal, just the three of us.”

  The way Lee pursed his lips as he studied the menu suggested he didn’t feel the same, and Adalia seemed unsure of how to react.

  “Addy,” Georgie said enthusiastically. “What are you working on right now?”

  A war played out on Adalia’s face, but excitement won out. “A gallery wants to display some of my work next month, so I’ve been busy prepping for that.” She held up her stained hands. “Hence the reason I look like I have the nail beds of a mechanic.”

  “You’re working with ink now?” Georgie asked in surprise. The last she’d heard, her sister had been working on mixed media sculptures.

  “I’ve been dabbling with screen printing,” Addy said, becoming even more animated. “The gallery owner saw one of my prints hanging in someone’s home and reached out.”

  “You should see her pieces,” Lee said, his gaze still on the menu. “They’re amazing.”

  Lee had seen her screen prints? Her siblings only ever saw each other at family events—like funerals—or when Georgie arranged it. What had happened to draw them together? And why hadn’t they included her
?

  But she shook off her hurt feelings, telling herself that she should be happy Lee and Adalia were making an effort. Even if they weren’t making an effort to spend time with her.

  “That’s so exciting!” Georgie said, truly meaning it. She’d be the first to admit that her younger sister’s waywardness had worried her. She had no doubt that Adalia was talented—she’d seen plenty of her work—but she also had a tendency to float from one art medium to the next. And while Georgie hated to agree with their father about anything, one of his favorite sayings about Adalia made a sad sort of sense: talent didn’t pay the bills, and a successful career in the art world was just as difficult as an actor making it on Broadway. There were plenty of uber-talented actors waiting tables across the city. “Does the exhibit have a theme?”

  Addy’s smile wavered for a moment, then became more serious, but now pride filled her eyes. “Yeah. Isolation.”

  The theme hit Georgie in the face. Art was an expression of the artist’s psyche. Adalia always seemed so happy with her life and her friends. Had things changed? Regardless, it sounded like she was doing well professionally, which probably meant she wouldn’t want to move to Asheville. Adalia and Lee would probably remain remote partners.

  The waitress appeared with a carafe of coffee and a small creamer container. “Coffee? It’s our special organic Bolivian blend.”

  Lee turned his cup over as though it was a race to see who could get coffee first. “Bolivian. Columbian, North Carolinian…I don’t care where it’s from. As long as it has caffeine, I’ll take it.” Then his eyes narrowed as he scanned the menu. “I think I have the wrong menu. Where are the breakfast items?”

  “Oh, they’re on there,” the perky waitress said, pointing to one side of his menu. “See?”

  “That says bean sprout toast,” Lee said in a deadpan voice.

  “It’s one of our most popular dishes,” the waitress said.

  “Where’s the bacon?” Lee asked. “And the eggs?”

  “We have tofu bacon and egg substitute,” she said. “We’re vegan.”

  Lee looked up at Georgie, his mouth gaping.

  Oh dear.

  Adalia leaned forward and held the waitress’s gaze. “We’re gonna need a moment to look over the menu, but we’ll take coffee while we’re looking.”

  “No problem,” the waitress said, setting the creamer dish on the table as she poured coffee into Adalia and Georgie’s cups.

  “Is that half-and-half or heavy cream?” Lee asked.

  The waitress laughed as if he’d made a hilarious joke. “It’s almond milk.”

  Then she left to check on the next table.

  “Vegan?” Lee asked, staring at Georgie in disbelief.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I knew it was organic, but not vegan. We can go if you want.”

  “No way,” Adalia said, pouring almond milk into her coffee. “I’ve heard this place is great.”

  “You’ve been in Asheville less than forty-eight hours,” Lee said in disgust. “How in the hell did you hear this restaurant was great?”

  “Everyone’s talking about it,” Adalia said with a mischievous grin. “We’re staying.”

  “We can pick up a muffin from a coffee shop after we finish,” Georgie told her brother.

  “They have muffins here,” Adalia said.

  Lee made a face. “Chia rhubarb agave muffins.”

  “And blueberry,” Adalia said. “And also pancakes. Try them. I’m sure you won’t even notice the difference.”

  Lee shuddered.

  Georgie couldn’t stifle a laugh. “Okay, I’ll not only get you a muffin but also an Egg McMuffin.”

  “Deal.” He grinned, and some of the tightness eased from her chest. She liked it when he let himself lighten up. It reminded her of how things used to be, before Lee followed in their dad’s footsteps and became his clone in training.

  When the waitress returned, Georgie ordered a fruit plate and Adalia ordered strawberry pancakes. Lee stared up at the waitress, looking hopelessly lost. “What’s the tofu bacon taste like?”

  She made a face. “I can recommend the egg substitute.” When he didn’t seem impressed, she said, “Or the banana almond pancakes. They’re my favorite. With the egg substitute scrambled on the side.”

  Lee handed her the menu. “Yeah. Okay,” he said, but he sounded like he’d just committed himself to a three-day fast.

  Then again, Georgie supposed it did feel like that to her brother, whose favorite breakfast had always been eggs over easy and multiple pieces of bacon.

  “I’m sorry, Lee,” Georgie said after the waitress walked off with their order. “We really can go someplace else if you like.” She needed him in a good mood for the conversation they were about to have.

  “No, it’s okay.” He sucked in a breath, then let it out. “Sorry I’m being such an asshole. It’s just that when Victoria and I fight…” He shook his head, offering her a puppy dog smile. “Congratulations on the sale of your business, by the way. After the mess at the attorney’s office, I realized I’d never touched base with you after you emailed and told us all about the deal…” He grimaced. “I’m sorry, Georgie. I really was—and still am—proud of you. I just got busy.”

  “Yeah, Georgie,” Adalia said less enthusiastically. “Congrats.”

  “Thanks,” she said, feeling a little hurt over Adalia’s response, and more thrilled than she should be by Lee’s acknowledgment. “I keep wondering what Mom would have thought.”

  “She would have been so proud,” Lee said, his smile wavering, but Georgie knew it wasn’t because of her. Their mother had been gone for more than fifteen years, but the pain of losing her sometimes felt like a fresh wound.

  Adalia nodded, swiping a tear from her cheek. “So proud.”

  “I miss us,” Georgie said before she realized what she was saying, but now that she’d opened the door, she decided to walk right through it. “We used to be close. What happened?”

  “We were kids,” Lee said. “We grew up.” She could always count on Lee to be the voice of reason, but the look in his eyes told her he didn’t totally buy his own words.

  “But we’re still siblings,” Georgie said, and when defensiveness tightened his jaw, she held up a hand. “I’m not laying fault on anyone. I’m just as capable of picking up a phone or hopping on a train. It’s just…I can’t help but think how disappointed Mom would be.” She took a breath and pushed it out past the lump in her throat. “Remember what she always told us?”

  “Friends come and go, but family is forever,” Adalia whispered, looking close to tears.

  “We let that go,” Georgie said. “We’re practically strangers.”

  “We have lives of our own,” Lee said, defensively. “We live in different cities. Running a business”—he gestured to Adalia—“or working on art takes time and dedication. That time has to come from someplace. We know we’re always there for each other when it counts.” He gave Adalia a warm smile. “Right, Addy?”

  Adalia smiled back. “Yeah.”

  Georgie swallowed the prick of jealousy she felt for her sister. Although Adalia had picked on Lee in front of their father, they’d clearly become closer, and they’d left her out. But Lee was right, they’d all been focused on their projects, be it business or art, leaving little time for each other. They needed something to work on together.

  Maybe Grandpa Beau had known what he was doing after all.

  “Is everything okay, Adalia?” Georgie asked.

  “Yeah. Things are good.” But her hand encircled her cup and she stared into the light brown coffee.

  “So, about the brewery,” Lee said, taking a sip of his almond-milk-doctored coffee, then grimacing. He traded his cup for Georgie’s currently untouched mug of black coffee, and she shrugged her acceptance. “Mr. Manning says it’s just a matter of signing the document. In fact, he already has a buyer lined up. Someone called Bev Corp. We’ll need to talk Jack around, but I’m sure h
e’ll see sense.”

  Horror raced through Georgie. River had called them the devil. He’d be so upset if Buchanan Brewery sold out to them too. It would be like a double betrayal. Steeling her back, she said, “I know you and Adalia want to sell, but I spent some time at Grandpa Beau’s house last night, talking to River, and I’ve decided I definitely want to keep it.”

  Lee stared at her in disbelief. “You can’t be serious, Georgie.”

  Georgie tilted her head and held her brother’s gaze, almost as though in a dare. “Why is that so inconceivable, Lee?”

  “You know nothing about running a brewery, Georgie. You don’t even like beer.”

  “I do so,” she said, feeling like a teenager as soon as the words left her mouth. She cleared her throat, then said, “I didn’t know the first thing about new-age feminine hygiene products when I started Moon Goddess, but I’ll do the same thing now that I did then. I’ll learn.” Then, because she wanted to put it all on the table, she added, “And Jack’s going to help me.”

  Adalia blinked. “You’ve been planning this with our father’s illegitimate son?”

  She put particular emphasis on those words, and a few people turned to look at them. Georgie shot her sister a glare. “Our brother, Adalia.”

  “He is not my brother,” Adalia spat out in contempt.

  Her attitude toward Jack hurt Georgie, but she’d deal with Adalia’s feelings about him later. Right now she wanted them on board with her plan. And if she couldn’t manage that, well, at least they’d be informed.

  “Does Jack know anything about running a brewery?” Lee asked.

  “No,” Georgie said, “but he’s the manager of a bar—”

  “Running a bar and managing a brewery are two different things. This is harebrained,” he said in disgust, “not to mention Dad wants us to sell it. He already has plans for the money.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Georgie demanded. “Grandpa Beau gave us the brewery and his house, not Dad.” When Lee looked away, Georgie narrowed her eyes. “I suspect he’d want all four shares of the money, or at least the three from us.”