17. Chapter 17 - Paxton
Saturday was such a whirlwind that I didn’t realize until Callum was saying goodbye that I was going to miss the family movie marathon.
In fact, he had probably missed most of it, too, just spending the day enjoying the crowd in the taproom.
Sunday was more of the same, the taproom bustling nonstop and no time with Callum.
By the time we closed the taproom Sunday evening, I was completely wiped out, and I could see my exhaustion reflected on Matty’s and Tommy’s faces, too.
“Well, we made it,” I murmured as I locked the door behind the last customers to leave.
Tommy nodded, pulling the bar rag from his shoulder and proceeding to wipe down the counters while Matty made his way around the taproom and bussed tables. “We sure did,” Tommy said. “That was something else.”
“Tomorrow should be better. It’s a weekday. How busy can we be?”
Matty chuckled and shook his head as he scooped up the last of the glassware on one table. “Don’t jinx us.”
I yawned and scrubbed one hand over my face. “You’re right. Let’s get cleaned up as quickly as possible so we can all go home and rest up to do this shit again tomorrow.”
When I walked in the front door of my house almost two hours later, I finally took the time to pull out my phone and check my messages and emails.
A handful of texts, mostly from Callum, which warmed me to my core.
He’d sent a few photos of him and the kids being silly in the yard, a couple of messages checking in, and one just to let me know he was thinking about me.
My heart thudded in my chest. Even as a fake boyfriend, he was probably the most thoughtful guy I’d been with.
That thought shored me up. Fake boyfriend. I needed to keep that in mind. We’d shared a few sweet moments and we’d even fooled around a little the previous weekend, but he was leaving soon and I didn’t have any right to start thinking about him like I wanted him any way other than casually.
As I collapsed onto the couch, shoes off, I let out a low groan of relief. My feet ached and I was glad to sit down. I opened my email to see dozens of new messages in my inbox and I sighed. I scrolled to see if there was anything urgent, and sure enough, I found something that looked important.
The subject line read “Development Proposal” and there was a document attached. I opened the email, even though the sender wasn’t a name I was familiar with, and scanned the body of the message quickly.
Mr. Lowell,
My name is Jade Holloman and I am reaching out from The Carson Group, an investment firm based in Santa Clara, California.
We primarily work with businesses in the adult beverage space and have been recently made aware of your property, Celestial Cask.
There is significant interest here at The Carson Group in discussing the future of Celestial Cask and whether we can find a fit for our investors to participate in that future.
We are attaching several documents, including a business proposal and document that includes a timeline with next steps.
We would very much like to have a conversation with you about this exciting possibility and potentially schedule a visit to your site.
Please reach out at your earliest convenience.
If we are to move forward, please be aware that a non-disclosure agreement will need to be signed by both parties.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Jade Holloman
My stomach did a somersault as I read the email, and another as I read it again.
Someone wanted to invest in me? In my business?
Maybe it was possible that I didn’t need to win a grant after all.
Maybe I wouldn’t lose the chance to buy the property next door.
Maybe… There were a lot of maybes, but maybe this was a good thing.
I decided that I’d definitely call Ms. Holloman the next morning.
Before I went to bed, I sent Callum a text, including a selfie in my sweatpants once I was ready to get into bed.
Paxton: It’s been a long day. Talk tomorrow, I hope.
With that, I went to bed, fell asleep quickly, and dreamed of honey. The next morning, I woke before my alarm went off, which meant it was far too early to be awake. I groaned and rubbed my face before picking up my phone. There were no new texts, so I took a chance and sent Cal another.
Paxton: Good morning.
He replied almost instantly, bringing a smile to my face. I wondered if he’d been thinking about me, too.
Callum: Good morning yourself. How’s business?
Paxton: You have no idea. This weekend was… a lot.
Callum: In a good way, I hope.
Paxton: A little of both, I think. Do you have time today?
Callum: For you? Of course.
The response sent warmth rushing through me. We made a quick plan to meet and I wasted no time in getting myself up and ready for the day. Around an hour later, a knock at my front door summoned me. Callum. My heart fluttered as I went to answer the door.
“Hey,” I murmured as I pulled it open to see him standing there, a bright smile on his face.
“Hey,” he echoed shyly.
“Come on in.” I stepped aside to let him enter. Just as I did, my phone chimed with an incoming message. I glanced at it and shook my head. “You’ll never believe all the emails I’ve gotten.”
“Really? About the taproom?”
I nodded. “Lots of questions from tourists reaching out from the contact page. Some were people looking to book the space for events or have us come to their event and serve, a few were writers looking to do a piece, a couple were news outlets. But… sit down, I want to show you this one.” When he sat, I passed him my phone, the screen pulled up to display the email from Ms. Holloman from the day before.
I watched anxiously as his gaze darted back and forth over the screen as he read, sitting next to him on the couch.
When he passed my phone back, my stomach fluttered. “Well?”
He was grinning. “That’s incredible. What do you know about The Carson Group?”
I shook my head. “Not much. I started doing a little research, but I don’t even know where to look. I feel like I should be asking a lot of questions or getting an attorney or something.”
“You probably should.”
“I don’t know what I should be looking for in an attorney though, or what I should ask them.”
“Maybe start with finding out more about the exact arrangement they’re proposing.
Do they want to just give you money, or are they looking for something where they have decision-making power?
And how do you feel about those choices?
Can they bring anything to the table besides cash?
Maybe they own other property or have ins with suppliers or a builder.
” He shook his head and let out a slow breath. “Whew.”
“Yeah.” I chuckled softly. “I feel a little…”
“Overwhelmed?”
I nodded. “Overwhelmed. I keep thinking of all the things I’m going to need if I do expand. If I score grant money, I mean. It would involve coordinating the whole construction project to expand the building and parking lot, finding new honey suppliers, hiring more staff… It feels like a lot.”
He put a hand on my forearm. “That’s okay. You knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It is a lot but you can do it. It’ll be worth it, right? This is your dream.”
“If I get any grant money. But if I don’t… maybe working with an investor is the way to go. You know?”
“I’m sure you’ll do what’s best for Celestial Cask, no matter what you decide.”
I put my hand on his and squeezed. “Thank you.” A moment passed. “What would you like to do with our time today? Tommy and Matty agreed to open, so I have a while before I have to go in.”
Callum grinned at me mischievously. “I’m sure we can think of some kind of trouble to get into.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, even though the overwhelm had started to creep in. “Oh?”
He nodded. “I have an idea. I read about this place in an article about things to do in Foggy Basin. Have you ever been to Lover’s Butte?”