Page 16 of Finding You
I couldn’t believe him. It was bad enough that my mother was perpetually up my ass about dating. But getting some bullshit lineage guilt trip from my father? “I don’t see why having kids should have anything to do with it. You are deflecting. It’s time to take your hands off the wheel. It’s my turn to lead. You did things your way—aggressive expansion—but now it’s time to take a look, streamline the operation, and optimize. Things have changed and you need to understand that.”
He stood, drawing himself up to his full height. Even past sixty and recovering from a heart attack, he was still an imposing figure. “I understand. Just so much has happened recently. Just give me some time, okay? I have to adjust to this. Adjust my expectations.”
“Wait a second. Do you mean to tell me you were hoping Callum or Liam would show interest in the business? Would you really give it away, after I’ve worked here nearly ten years, to them just because they want kids? Newsflash. None of us have any kids. There are no guarantees in life. I am doing a damn good job and you know it. Don’t toy with me because I’m not the family man type.” Now I was pissed. I was always the third choice, never as good as golden boy Callum or pampered baby Liam. Despite growing up in the boat yard, neither of my brothers had ever displayed any interest in the family business. I had been preparing for this my entire life. Hell, I even did my time in the navy first.
“It’s not about offspring. It’s just about stability in the future. You’re just not the settling down type. I need a steady hand to guide this business.” I got up and paced around my office. Was he serious? I wanted to scream, to punch something. Did he really not trust me?
“Steady? How much steadier could I be, Dad? I have been by your side working for nearly a decade. I built a house in this town. I own a dog. I’m hardly a flake or a rolling stone.
He sat quietly, watching me pace. “That is not it, Declan. Not at all.”
I felt pissed. I felt betrayed. He knew how much this place meant to me. How could I prove to my father that I was good enough to take over the business? How could I show him I was responsible, steady, and that I wouldn’t destroy the family legacy?
8
DECLAN
I was still reelingfrom my conversation with the Captain when I realized I needed to head to the brewery. Our Tuesday night crew at Liam’s brewery had expanded over the past few months. I sometimes missed the days when it was just me and my brothers, but the newcomers fit in well. The more people there were, the less I had to talk, so that was a win.
Ginger and I had arrived at six to meet with Liam and Callum about our plans for building a beverage distribution company. After years of rejecting our financial help with the brewery, Liam had approached us recently wanting to expand his business to include distribution of his own products as well as those of other microbreweries around New England. The idea was just taking shape, but each of us brought our own skills to the table. I would never admit this, but I felt proud to be working on something of my own with my brothers. They were the entrepreneurs in the family. I was just a fisherman who worked for my dad. But distributing beer, or other types of alcohol, was in my wheelhouse. Quinn Fisheries delivered thousands of pounds of fresh-caught fish to restaurants and supermarkets around New England every single week. Cold storage, transport, and logistics were a huge part of my skill set. They respected me and my ideas. It was going to take some time, some strategy, and some capital, but we were going to build this together.
After the meeting, the three of us walked to the taproom where everyone was laughing at some story Nora was telling about a date she went on last week.
In addition to my two brothers, Trent, Liam’s best friend and assistant brewer, was there along with Cece, my future sister-in-law. Her friend Nora had stopped by as well. She was a bit of a wildcard, way too loud for my taste, but a really genuine person nonetheless. She loved Cece fiercely and helped my idiot brother get it together when they hit a rough patch. She had proven herself to be a good person many times over, so I tolerated her always loud and sometimes shrill presence in our lives.
Nora eyed me sharply when I walked in and took a seat at the bar. Trent immediately poured me my favorite beer, the double IPA, and slid it over to me wordlessly. I really liked that guy.
I took a sip of beer and grabbed a handful of pretzels that Cece offered me. Before I could shove them in my mouth, Nora started up. “Hey, Declan, I met your friend this morning.”
All eyes immediately locked on my face. Friend? What was she talking about?
“Astrid? Your neighbor? She came by my store.”
“Oh, right.” I tried to feign indifference but ended up scowling instead.
I took another sip of beer and tried to ignore the five sets of eyeballs that were staring at me in awe.
Callum broke the silence. “That can’t be right, Nora. Declan doesn’t have friends.”
Nora rolled her eyes at Cal. “Nope. She told me she was Dec’s neighbor. We hung out for a while. She’s a really cool girl.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. “That’s interesting,” Cecelia said. “Because Emily texted me that you invited her hot cousin over for a romantic dinner last weekend.”
“That’s definitely her,” Nora said. “She is super hot.”
I couldn’t argue there. I grunted. Just thinking about her made me smile. I had to suppress it with a frown so my nosy brothers didn’t notice anything. But there was no denying I liked her. I liked her curious green eyes, her quick wit, and her sassy mouth. I liked the way she carried herself. Her confidence was incredibly sexy. And I would be lying if I wasn’t intrigued by her body. Granted I had only seen it hidden under winter clothes, but she was sexy as hell and I wanted to see so much more.
“Use your words, bro.” Liam giggled. I liked it better when he was afraid of me. Now that he was engaged, he was a lot more comfortable busting my balls.
I shrugged. “There is nothing to say. Astrid is staying at the cottage across the street from my house. We have become friends. Even Ginger likes her.”
“Ginger doesn’t like anyone.”
“She likes her.”
“What is she like? Are you dating?”
“She’s fine. A perfectly fine person.”
