Page 64 of Hoax and Kisses
Well, one of us needs to respond to Cooper, and my gut is telling me Matt isn’t keen on making the decision for me. That thought triggers entirely different emotions that bubble up inside me, but I push them aside for now.
Clearing my throat, I paste on a smile. “Thanks, Cooper. That would be amazing.”
Matt’s swallow is audible, but he nods and holds out his hand to me. “Come on, we don’t want to be late.”
Chapter Sixteen
MATT
I’m walking straight into my own personal hell.
We drift through the microbrewery, weaving between the fermentation and brewing tanks, Zoey’s hand firmly tucked in mine.
Touching her is ridiculously easy. Soothing and invigorating at the same time. Her skin is soft against my callused fingers, her body delicate when I bring her to my side.
Which is why being alone in confined spaces with her is such a bad idea. I remember all too well what happened the last time I saw her in nothing but a towel.
But we’re “dating,” so how could we have said no?
“Crossing through the microbrewery is faster than going around,” Cooper tells Zoey.
Her fingers flex against mine. I brush my thumb along her skin in small circles, trying with each stroke to sweep her nervousness away.
“Have you ever thought of offering tours?” she asks as she surveys the tanks on either side of us.
“I have,” Cooper says. “But I haven’t had time to look into it too deeply. I’m not sure I have the capacity to operate a microbrewery while also spending several hours a day doing tours and handling all the logistics.”
“I could help with that,” she says. “If we build the hotel, I mean. Our staff could organize them and keep a schedule that’d work for you. It’d be a nice additional stream of revenue.”
I peer down at Zoey, impressed.
It’s becoming a trend. It’s only been a couple of days, but at every turn, she surprises me.
She thinks of everything, plans every detail. I have no doubt that she’s spent hours working on this proposal.
She’s so different from her father. She cares.
Even if she doesn’t want me to see it. Even if she hides behind a professional façade. This morning is a perfect example. I know very well that she went out of her way to drop off breakfast for Daph and me.
And her interaction with my sister?
God, I spent hours afterward replaying that moment. How she casually brushed over my sister being autistic. Like it was just…I don’t know, just a fact. Not a big deal. I’m not used to that. When Daph blurts things out like she did this morning, I always rush to apologize, explain, justify.
But not with Zoey. Zoey looked at Daph like she was nothing less and nothing more, and the anxiety that had been coiling in my chest eased and bloomed into relief when I realized that my sister could be herself around her.
Plus, she got our order exactly right.
She doesn’t strike me as the type to make small gestures like that. It threw me more than it should have—the breakfast, her casual attitude with Daph—and I haven’t stopped turning it over since.
What went so wrong in her life that she’s putting on this rigid, closed-off mask?
Though in only a matter of days, that mask is already beginning to crumble under the influence of our little town and its people. With any luck, she’ll shed it completely before she leaves.
This hotel project is becoming so much more than what it was supposed to be. And I like it more than I’m willing to admit.
“That could be an idea, yeah,” Cooper says, interrupting my thoughts. “Could be nice to show visitors how we make our famous sourdough beer.”
He pushes the back door open, and we walk across the field toward his house. Once inside, he retrieves two towels from a closet and sets them on his bed.
