Page 48 of Where Sea Meets Sky

“Mm, my family isn’t really the dinner night type. But they do all work at the brewery here in town. They serve food there. Are you hungry?”

“Why, as a matter of fact, I am.” She laughed lightly. “I would love to go there with you.”

“It’s not the best food in town, but it has a kind of fun atmosphere,” he said, standing up and pulling her to her feet. “Plus, I can buy a pretty lady a glass of locally brewed beer there. Do you like beer?”

“Absolutely. I do prefer the more flavored types, but I’ve got enough German in me to appreciate any kind of beer.”

He took her hand and they started to walk toward the McCormick Brewery. It was a longer walk, but the evening was beautiful, and they both agreed they wanted to stroll together for a while. They talked about Faith’s new place, and about Ryan finding an apartment of his own soon as well, so that he didn’t have to keep crashing at his father’s place.

“It’s not that I don’t love my dad,” Ryan said, kicking a stray pebble as they walked. “It’s just that he’s so caught up inhis brewery, and sometimes he puts business over people, you know?”

She nodded. “I knew a lot of people like that in the city.”

“Yeah, I think it’s pretty common to be cutthroat in the business world. But my dad’s really the only one in town who thinks that way, and it’s gotten him a bit of a bad reputation around here.”

“Mm.” She felt thoughtful, but not troubled. “Well, if he brought someone as nice as you into the world, he can’t be all bad.”

Ryan laughed and gave her a sideways hug as they walked. “That’s sweet of you to say. The truth is I’m kind of the black sheep in my family. They’re all set on business success and putting the company first, and I was the one who decided to step away from that world and do something else with my life.”

“Well, I think you’re doing great, and I bet your family is proud of you as well.” She smiled at him. He seemed to be slightly ill at ease, and she wanted him to feel more relaxed about the whole thing. “I’m excited to meet them. They’ll all be at the brewery right now?”

“Most likely. And if not, one of them will text the others and tell them that I’m there on a date.” He grinned. “I know they’re going to make a big deal out of me bringing you there, so I figure starting our date out in a laid-back manner is the best way to keep them from getting too, uh, jocular about the whole thing.”

“Yeah? They’re going to tease you, huh?” She couldn’t help feeling amused.

“My brothers definitely will.”

They reached the brewery a few minutes later. Faith was impressed by its sleek modern architecture, but she had to admit to herself that it didn’t really match the vibes of Rosewood Beach. It looked as though it belonged somewhere else, not the cozy, old-fashioned little seaside town.

“Well, here it is,” Ryan said, gesturing to the building with a smile. “We’ve got burgers and fries, or there’s a Reuben option, or more burgers and fries.”

She laughed. “I love burgers. Sounds great to me.”

They stepped inside the brewery, which had a sprinkling of customers. At first, she thought that there weren’t very many people there for a restaurant, but then she reminded herself that the brewery was more of a factory than anything else, and a bar after that. It wasn’t really a restaurant at all, so it made sense that most of the customers would come later, after dinner hours.

They sat down at a table near the bar, where there were a couple of small menus. Faith told Ryan what she wanted, and he went up to the bartender to put in their order. While he was gone, she looked around the place curiously.

It’s got a lot of personality,she thought, not disliking it but not feeling particularly charmed by it either.It’s so… what’s the word… arrogant!

She let out a chuckle as she realized it. The brewery seemed to drip with pretentiousness and self-importance.

Ryan came back a moment later, carrying beers for both of them. “There you are,” he said sweetly, placing one down in front of her. “A lime and grapefruit beer for my lady. If it’s too sour, let me know and I’ll get you a sugar cube.”

She laughed, thrilled that he’d called her “my lady.” She took a sip of the beer and found the flavor to be light and refreshing. “Not too sour at all,” she said. “This is excellent. Are all the beers made by your family?”

“Yep.” Ryan took a sip of his beer, which was a darker color. “They’ve come up with a whole bunch of beers. The McCormicks have been brewing beer for generations.”

She nodded, feeling impressed. She was just about to ask Ryan what his beer was when she heard a shout.

“Squirt!” A broad-shouldered man lumbered up to their table, grinning impishly. He clapped Ryan on the back. “You’ve got a girlfriend now, huh?”

Ryan and Faith shared a sheepish grin. They hadn’t talked about making their relationship official yet, and Ryan’s eyes seemed to say, “Maybe we shouldn’t have come here to meet them yet.”

“This is our second date,” Faith said, feeling at ease in front of Ryan’s brother. He reminded her of some of the more brash clients that she’d had in the city. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Brady,” he said. “One of Ryan’s older brothers. He’s never brought a girl to the brewery before.”

“Oh yeah?” Faith turned to Ryan with a grin. “Wow. That makes me feel pretty special.”

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