Page 61 of Love Is Brewing

“I’d showered and changed after work yesterday. No one would know other than I normally wear a shirt that has my business on it and not a dressier shirt, but they wouldn’t think much of it either.”

“I’m sure my employees are going to comment on my hair,” she said.

He laughed. “What are you going to tell them?”

“That I decided to be lazy today,” she said. “I’m sure the hell not saying the hot guy in my bed told me I look better this way.”

He burst out laughing. “I didn’t use those words. I’m smarter than to tellanywoman they look better one way or another. It’s not my decision how a woman wants to present herself.”

He didn’t have a death wish if his sisters or mother ever found out.

“That’s right,” she said. “It’s not. It’s refreshing to hear a man say that. But I do appreciate you making me feel better about the curly hair. I do love it, just always had this opinion of myself.”

“Which is your right,” he said, taking his last bite, then standing up to put his plate in the dishwasher. “And I need to run. No pressure on either of us. If I don’t hear from you or you don’t hear from me today, don’t panic and I won’t. We’ll be in touch tomorrow. There is no reason for either of us to overthink anything.”

She almost spit the coffee she was sipping out of her mouth. “How the hell can you read my mind?”

“I can’t,” he said, kissing her. “It’s what I was thinking too.”

She rolled her eyes. “Thank you for sharing that. Have a good day.”

He left and went to his truck, hopped in, started it up, and drove away. Someone was looking out their window while he did it and he’d have to let her know that she might have some nosy neighbors.

She was probably already aware.

An hour later he was at the brewery and walking around with a large coffee in his hands.

He had to wake the hell up since he didn’t sleep nearly as well as Phoebe had.

Maybe he would have if he didn’t have a bunch of shit running through his mind.

Stuff like he’d said to her.

Not to get worked up if he didn’t hear from her.

Or for her to do the same.

He had too much going on with work and too many people relying on him for this collaboration to go wrong.

When he was here, his attention had to stay on the business.

“There you are,” Kyle said to him. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“What’s going on?” he asked. “I’m not late.”

He was earlier than normal but not by more than twenty minutes.

Since he’d already eaten, he went home, checked his house, showered, dressed, and left again.

“I saw your truck when I pulled in,” Kyle said. “You weren’t in your office. Tony stopped me, said one of the brews doesn’t taste right.”

He frowned. “What?” he asked. “Why is he tasting one this early?”

Tony was one of his other brewmasters. He had several. Tony was reliable and he trusted him. He was on at night overseeing things.

“He said he noticed one ingredient didn’t smell right. It’s a different brand. He hadn’t been aware you changed anything. I wasn’t either. He got nervous and tapped a new brew early in the first stage. It’s not right.”

“I haven’t changed any ingredients. You know how I am about that.”

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