Chapter 11
“Rome can’t be built in a day? Watch me.” ~ Paisley
Paisley
Dakota meets me at the entrance to the distillery. She dangles a set of keys from her fingers. “These are yours.”
“Thank you.” I try to sound grateful but jealousy is clouding my vision and causing the words to get stuck in my throat. Eli obviously cares for Dakota in a way he will never care for me.
She tilts her head to study me. “You don’t have to worry you know.”
I don’t have to worry? She’s wrong. I’ve drafted a comprehensive list of things I need to worry about.
Will the mash and lauter tuns I ordered arrive today as agreed? Is the water filtration system at the distillery sufficient? Is there proper drainage, ventilation, and space for my equipment? Is there adequate electrical supply to power equipment? And what about—
“I mean about Eli.”
I stop scrolling through my mental list and force my attention to Dakota. “Eli? What about Eli? ”
“There’s nothing happening between us.”
I feel my cheeks heat but I pretend I’m not embarrassed. “I don’t understand why you’re telling me this.”
“Eli and I banter but I have no interest in him. And he has no interest in me. I think I know why now.”
My brow furrows. Is she inferring Eli is interested in me? The only interest Eli has in me is waving his success in my face. It’s of no consequence. Eli is not on the list of topics I wish to discuss with a virtual stranger.
I need to extricate myself from this conversation but I don’t know how. Usually, I’d walk away but she’s standing in front of the door holding my set of keys.
“Thank you for being frank.”
I hold out my hand and she drops the keys in them. “Have fun.”
She strolls away toward the offices of the distillery. When she’s out of sight, I turn to the door and unlock it. I step inside and switch on the light.
I gasp. The distillery facility is no longer one massive room. A wall now separates the facility into two distinct areas. I discussed the need to separate the brewing and distilling areas into two zones, but I didn’t think Jaxon would have walls built.
How did he manage to have walls built in the week since I accepted Eli’s offer to use his facilities? Sophia’s fiancé, Flynn, is the main contractor on the island but he never mentioned anything to me.
“Does the setup meet your requirements?” Eli asks from behind me and I startle .
I wait until my heart calms down before facing him. “Yes. Thank you. Please thank Jaxon for me.”
“Why would I thank Jaxon?”
I motion behind me. “Because he set this up for me.”
“No, he didn’t.”
“But Jaxon is the master distiller in charge of the facility.”
“He is but he’s not the one who made sure your incredibly detailed list of requirements was met.”
I’m confused. Is there a facility manager I don’t know about? “He wasn’t?”
“I handled everything personally.”
I’m surprised. I assumed he didn’t have time. I assumed he delegated most of his work. And…I need to stop assuming.
“Thank you. How did you get the walls built within a week?”
He smirks. “I know a contractor on the island.”
I frown. “Flynn didn’t tell me.”
“I asked him not to.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“Mission accomplished. I’m surprised.”
“Good. Now.” He rubs his hands together. “How can I help?”
My brow furrows. “You’re going to help me set up the equipment?”
He opens his arms wide. “I’m dressed to help. ”
For the first time, I notice what he’s wearing. Worn jeans and a t-shirt with the logo of Buccaneer’s Whiskey on it. Huh. He has jeans he’s worn often enough for them to have faded?
He should wear these clothes more often. Don’t get me wrong. Eli in a suit is a thing of beauty but in jeans? He looks good enough to eat. Which I won’t be doing.
He checks his watch. “Shall I open up the garage doors? Your first delivery should arrive soon.”
The rest of the day flies by as delivery after delivery arrives. I direct everyone where to place the mash and lauter tuns, the brew kettle, the fermenters, the beer tanks… The list goes on and on.
When we founded Five Fathoms Brewing, we didn’t set up all the equipment in one day. It was a gradual growth as we went from brewing in my garage to opening the restaurant to building the brewery.
“I’m calling it a day,” Eli says as he walks into the storeroom where I’m putting away the brewing ingredients.
“Thanks for your help,” I say without bothering to look up from my work.
“No, Paisley. I’m calling it a day for everyone.”
My hands freeze, and I glance over my shoulder at him. “Are you kicking me out?”
He runs a hand down his face. “No, I’m trying to make sure you don’t fall over from exhaustion.”
Fall over from exhaustion? What is he talking about?
“It’s after nine. You’ve been here since seven. ”
I motion to the other areas of what is now our brewing facilities. “So has everyone else.”
“Everyone else went home more than an hour ago.”
My brow wrinkles. “They did?”
He chuckles. “Chloe came in here to say goodbye to you.”
“I must have been distracted.”
“Understandable. You’re trying to build the brewing facilities in one day.”
“I don’t have much of a choice. Between the loss of production over the past two weeks and the cost of the new equipment – not to mention the cost to rebuild our old brewery – we need to begin production again as fast as possible. Oh, and I almost forgot whatever you charge us for rent.”
I’m nearly hyperventilating when I finish. The pressure to begin brewing to ensure we are earning money again sits heavy on my shoulders.
“Hey.” Eli steps close to grasp my hand. “Everything will work out.”
I yank my hand from his. “Easy for you to say. You have money and a family to fall back on. I have me.”
“I understand. I didn’t always have money and my family.”
“You might not have always been a billionaire, but you’ve always had your brothers.”
“True. But I’m the oldest. When we were growing up, I was the one they relied on.”
I knew Eli was the oldest but, “Why would they need to rely on you?”
He glances away. “My dad wasn’t around. ”
Oh, right. His dad left when he was in high school. “What about your mom?”
“Mom worked two jobs to get food on the table.”
“Your dad didn’t pay child support?”
He snorts. “My dad disappeared.”
I squeeze his hand but release it before I can enjoy the feel of his skin on mine. “I’m sorry.”
“I wasn’t trying to make this about me. I was merely trying to show you I understand how it feels to have the pressure on your shoulders.”
I study him. I never thought of Eli as someone who felt pressure. Maybe I need to view him in a new light. Maybe I need to let go of what happened in high school.
I wasn’t exactly the most mature individual in my teen years either. Case in point? I may have enjoyed it a bit too much when my stepsisters were forced to go to school with green teeth after I put food coloring in their toothpaste.
“Anyway.” Eli dangles two beers in front of me. “I brought us supplies.”
I swipe a beer from him. “This better be a Five Fathoms beer.”
“I wouldn’t dare offer any other beer.”
“Come on.” He ushers me out of the storage room to the office where we sit facing each other.
“I can’t believe you gave me an office.” And what an office it is. It’s much nicer than the one I have… er… had at Five Fathoms.
“You need somewhere to work. You can’t be on the floor all the time. ”
He sips from his beer and I watch as he swallows. The sight of his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows has me thinking of other things he could taste and swallow.
I drink my beer before I say anything inappropriate such as ask him to remove his clothes. Bad idea.
“Are you happy with what you accomplished today?”
I blow out a breath. “I wanted to get more done.”
He scowls. “You’ve literally worked your fingers to the bone.”
I hold up my hand. “I still see skin and muscles over the bone.”
He chuckles. “You know what I mean. There’s only so much you can do in a day.”
“I don’t know. I prefer to think of myself as a superwoman who can do anything.”
“Superwoman? Do you have a costume?”
I wave a hand over my jeans and t-shirt. “Do you not approve of my outfit?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it but I wouldn’t mind a chance to see you in a bustier with a little skirt.”
I laugh but sober when I realize he isn’t joking. Those striking blue eyes are full of heat as he stares at me.
No, no, no. I’m imagining things. Eli made himself perfectly clear in high school. He wants nothing to do with me.
“Bras are uncomfortable enough. A bustier would be torture.”
His gaze drops to my breasts and I tighten my hold on my beer to stop myself from covering my chest with my hands .
Why, oh why, did I say anything about bras and bustiers?
“Plus, bare legs aren’t safe in a production facility.”
His gaze snaps back to my face and he smirks. “Wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to those legs.”
Those legs? I’m confused. Why is he being nice? Why is he joking with me? Why isn’t he being an asshole?
Was I wrong about him? Is Eli not an asshole? Maybe I overreacted about what happened in high school? Maybe he doesn’t want me the way I wanted him back then but does his past behavior make him an asshole in the present?
Rotten rum. I need to stop considering Eli Enemy Number One and open myself to the possibility I was wrong.
And if there’s one thing I hate more than Eli Raider, it’s being wrong.