Page 27 of A Bright Winter Season

The tips of Dean’s ears turned pink. “Well, I don’t know that we can consider her to be family yet,” he mumbled, and then coughed.

“I like that you said ‘yet,’” Alexis said, grinning.

“She’s welcome here anytime,” Vivian said, smiling. “After all, Cooper comes sometimes and he and Julia aren’t engaged yet.”

“So many good ‘yets’ this morning,” Hazel said, laughing as she and Alexis made gleeful eye contact.

“Speaking of Cooper,” Dean said, clearly trying to change the subject, “how is he, Julia?”

“Great. He’s doing such good work at Greener Pastures that they gave him a raise.” Julia got a dreamy look in her eyes as soon as she started to talk about her boyfriend. “And Macey is as darling as ever. I can’t believe how fast she’s growing up.”

“You two are inseparable now,” Alexis said, smiling and shaking her head. “Remember when you first started dating Cooper, and you weren’t sure how it was going to be to date a man with a little girl? And now you and Macey are practically attached at the hip.”

Julia laughed. “Well, I didn’t have any experience with kids, at least not really. I was worried I wouldn’t know how to handle being around her. But she stole my heart, that’s for sure.”

“And you take such great care of her,” Hazel said. “You’re always making her special snacks. You’re going to be a great mother someday.”

Julia reached out to squeeze Hazel’s hand in thanks, and Vivian and Alexis shared a glance. Vivian wanted to assure Alexis that she too was going to be a wonderful mother too, but she knew she had to hold her tongue in that moment.

I’ll be able to talk about it as much as I want to once she shares her news with Grayson,she thought.I hope she tells him soon!

At that moment, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Ordinarily, she would ignore notifications during a family meal, but she’d been on the alert for an email from Terrence Rawlins. She was determined not to miss it like she had the last time.

She pulled out her phone and checked the notification. She pressed her lips together when she saw that it was a text from Allison, one of The Lighthouse Grill’s cooks. Allison had shared a social media post with her, from the McCormick Brewery’s Instagram page. The post stated that in honor of Christmas, the McCormick Brewery was hosting a free beer day.

“What is it, Mom?” Hazel asked, sounding concerned.

Vivian looked up, realizing that she must have been frowning as she looked at the article. “Oh, it’s nothing really. Allison just sent me the news that the McCormicks are hosting a free beer day to celebrate Christmas.”

“What?” Hazel cried indignantly. “Show me.”

Vivian handed her the phone, and Hazel huffed in frustration when she saw the post.

“Can I see it?” Alexis asked, and Hazel handed her the phone from across the table. One by one, the Owens siblings looked at the post. Dean shook his head as he handed the phone back to Vivian.

“Honestly, the nerve of that guy.”

“It’s a good idea.” Vivian sighed. “It will make the brewery popular, and people are more likely to buy something when they’ve had a chance to sample it first. It’s smart marketing.”

“Sure, but he’s only doing it because he heard about our community event.” Hazel’s eyes glinted with feistiness. “He’s got to compete with us. I’m pretty sure he would never give away free stuff unless he was trying to look as generous as us. There’s no reason to be impressed with him over this. We shouldn’t pay it any mind.”

“I agree,” Julia said. “They’ve never done anything like this before. I think it’s more than a coincidence that they’re doing it for the first time the same year that we’re having a big Christmas event. I think Judd McCormick is doing this to be competitive.”

“And he’s missing the whole point.” Alexis shook her head. “Our event is more than trying to one-up a rival business. It’s the heart behind it that matters.”

“I hope you’re right.” Vivian sighed. “I feel frustrated—like he’s never going to let us be. He’s always going to come along and try to make the pub look bad.”

“We won’t let him,” Dean said firmly. “Besides, we’re the most popular place in town, and for good reason. He can’t hurt us even if he tries. Sales haven’t gone down at all since that article came out, have they? The one where he implied that we’re not as professional as they are?”

“Not at all.” Julia grinned. “Sales have gone up, actually.”

“See?” Dean turned to his mother with a smile. “They can’t touch us.”

“Thanks, kids.” Vivian smiled, feeling a bit better. “I hope you’re right, and I hope this event is as meaningful to the community as we want it to be. Seeing it make a difference would certainly bolster my confidence that we’re doing more than just meeting the McCormicks where they’re at money-making wise. I want to feel as though we’re more than just a business for profit. I want the pub to be about community more than anything.”

“Don’t worry, it’s definitely a center of our community.” Julia smiled at her. “Even the tourists love us and want to come back. We’re like a second home to a lot of people in Rosewood Beach. A lot of our customers come to eat there at the same time every week. We’re part of their routine.”

“Some of them even try to eat at the same table every week.” Alexis laughed. “They love coming to the pub. Sometimes it’s just a couple, but a lot of the time it’s a whole family.”

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