Page 13 of Trusting You
8
Liam
“You ready to train, Leary?”She looked ready. All fresh-faced and cute. She was carrying a notebook and pen, which made me like her even more.
“Yes, sir. I can handle anything you throw at me.”
“Okay, because we have a ton of work to do.”
She smiled at me. “Awesome. I hate being bored.”
And we were not bored. Fridays are usually crazy at the brewery because we have to prep for the taproom being open on the weekend and make last-minute deliveries to local bars and restaurants. We also have to test and catalogue ongoing batches and wrap up our brewing activities for the week. It’s a lot.
Cece kept up with me all day, asking insightful questions and jotting down notes in her notebook. She was sharp and smart and clearly invested in learning about the brewery. To keep her on her toes, I kept quizzing her on the names of various pieces of equipment, and she actually got some right. Brewing was a complex science, and I was impressed by how much she absorbed on her first day.
She was especially interested in the canning and distribution processes. “So why do you can your beer and not bottle it?” she asked. “Isn’t bottling classier?”
I laughed and scratched my beard. It was getting a bit shaggy, and I should probably start paying more attention to my appearance. “Well first, cans are more popular and sell better. We want to give the customers what they want. Craft beer of this type is normally sold in canned four packs.”
She scribbled some notes in her notebook.
“And,” I continued, “because cans limit exposure to both light and oxygen, the beer stays fresher and flavorful longer. Aluminum cans don’t impact the taste of the beer and are better for the environment because they are more easily recycled. It’s also far easier to get recycled aluminum or partially recycled aluminum than glass.”
“Yeah. That makes sense. Everyone recycles cans, probably more so than bottles.”
“Yes. And sustainability is one of our core values here. We recycle our water and have solar panels on our roof. We’re not perfect, but we are trying.”
She stuck her pencil back in her wild, messy bun. “I can respect that.”
* * *
“So,” I said, carrying the tiny tray with a freshly poured tasting flight on it, “you survived your first day.”
Cece let out a sigh and smiled at me. “I did.”
“And you listened to me drone on about beer all day. So now we finally get to drink some.”
“Yay. I’ve been waiting all day for this.” She rubbed her hands together enthusiastically and shimmied her shoulders. “Now mama needs a drink.”
She was adorable. I had spent the entire day with her, and she had proved to be a major distraction. I kept getting whiffs of her lavender-scented shampoo every time she bent her head down to scribble in her notebook. She was conscientious and detail oriented. I liked it. I also liked her smile, her eyes, and her luscious ass.Employee! Employee! Stop it, Liam.
Good thing I wasn’t interested. Especially because she showed up to work looking like a completely different person. Her wild hair was pulled back with curls escaping around her face and she wasn’t wearing heels or ten tons of makeup. I could see a healthy dusting of freckles across her nose, I was such a sucker for freckles.
I also spent the day trying not to check out her body. She was wearing tight jeans, Chuck Taylors, and a tiny Boston Red Sox T-shirt that left very little to the imagination. She was a girl-next-door fantasy come to life. All hair and hips and curves and freckles.Stop looking and focus. She is an employee.
She was easy to talk to and smart as a whip. But as much as I would love to get her naked, I couldn’t do that. She was my employee, and I had to keep it professional. And she was clearly not a one-night girl. She was the type you take home to mom and marry. And I couldn’t handle a relationship right now. I couldn’t disappoint another woman by not giving her the attention she deserved. I couldn’t commit to anything beyond this brewery. I couldn’t lose focus.
“Oh my God,” she squealed. “These tiny glasses are so cute.”
I rolled my eyes. “This is a tasting flight. It is a small sample of several of our beers so you can compare and contrast. So the golden rule of beer flights is that you start with the lightest and end with the darkest.” I placed the trays down on the large table and took a seat.
We started to sample and talk about each beer.
“This next one is All Hops on Deck. It’s our signature New England style IPA.”
“What does that mean?”
“IPA stands for India Pale Ale. At the height of the British Empire, there were British ships, sailors, and soldiers all over the world. All of whom wanted to drink beer. It was too hot in India to brew, so brewers in England brewed a beer with more hops and a higher alcohol content than regular ale. The extra hops and alcohol acted as preservatives for the long voyages from London to India so the beer wouldn’t spoil by the time arrived. Thus, India Pale Ale was born.”
