Chapter 4
Beck
I'd felt off all day, ever since I'd woken up and realized the woman had slipped out sometime during the night. I should have expected it, but for the first time, I wanted a woman to stick around. She intrigued me.
Feeling restless, I accepted Mac's invitation to dinner with his family. If I was going to be helping him with the business, I should meet everyone who was involved.
"This is Beck Rivers, my friend from college.
I asked him to consult with us on Rowan's brewery expansion.
Beck, this is my mother, Judy, and my father, Raymond, and my siblings.
Callum works in the restaurant with me. Hunter is the adventure guide, and Rowan is the one I was telling you about.
He wants to open a brewery on the property.
Boone is a woodworker, and Clara runs our grandmother's Christmas shop. "
"It's my shop now," Clara said crisply.
My attention swung in the direction of the woman's voice. It was the one from last night. I thought I'd imagined the whole thing. But she was sitting at my friend's table.
She was his sister. I'd slept with my friend's sister.
I couldn't even process the impact of what I'd done. Because everyone was staring expectantly at me. They wanted me to say something. "It's nice to meet you. Thank you for inviting me for dinner."
Malcolm indicated an empty chair. "You can have a seat.
"We're so happy you could make it." Judy went into the kitchen to grab an extra plate and silverware.
Malcolm sat next to me and said softly, "Sorry, I forgot to tell them you might be coming."
"No worries. I wasn't sure if I was coming."
"Any friend of Malcolm's is a friend of ours," Raymond said.
Malcolm had said that too, but it wasn't something I was used to. I wouldn't have wanted to invite anyone to my family's dinner table, not that we ever had formal meals.
I felt Clara's gaze on me. What had Malcolm said? She ran her grandmother's shop, but she'd corrected him.
His mother set the plate and silverware in front of me. "What are you waiting for? Pass the food around."
Everyone jumped at her order.
I was afraid to look in Clara's direction. I remembered vaguely that Malcolm had a lot of brothers and one sister.
"Why are you here again?" Raymond asked when everyone's plates were full.
"Malcolm asked me to take a look at the business to see if adding a brewery would be a good idea.
" He referenced investing, but I didn't think that was something I should mention over dinner.
Especially if he hadn't talked to them about it yet. I had a feeling this was something Malcolm was just feeling out, and hadn’t made a decision.
"You're a consultant?" Raymond asked.
"I consult, invest, buy and sell. A little bit of everything." I felt a little uncomfortable talking myself up when Clara was listening. Usually, I had no problem citing my credentials when I was in a business meeting.
Raymond nodded. "That's an impressive resume."
I hadn't grown up with a lot, so I'd worked hard to get where I was. "I enjoy what I do."
"And he's good at it," Malcolm said.
"You went to college with Malcolm?" Clara asked, and I looked at her for the first time since last night.
Today she wore a sweater, and her hair was down. She was beautiful, but I preferred her hair looking mussed from my fingers. Unfortunately, there wouldn't be any more of what happened last night. Not when she was my friend's sister.
I couldn't believe I'd made such a huge mistake.
I should have asked her for her name last night.
But at the same time, I didn't regret the evening.
It was the best I'd had in a long time. And it wasn't just our time spent in bed.
It could have ended after the sightseeing, and it would have impacted me just the same.
It was too bad she was off-limits now. There wouldn't be any repeats.
"We were roommates freshman year."
"Everyone says you don't get along with your first roommate—" Malcolm began.
"If I recall, it was a little rough in the beginning." Mainly because I didn't trust anyone back then, and Malcolm was no different. Thankfully, he was patient and gave me space to figure out that he wasn't going to take advantage of me.
The fact that we became friends always boggled my mind.
His parents paid his way, and I was there on a scholarship that was mine to lose.
But he never treated me differently, and even though he always invited me home with him, I preferred to stay in the dorms. He never pressed me for information on my home life, and I was content not to share that part of my life with him.
I wanted to start over and be seen as a different person. Thankfully, the college kids didn't ask too many questions about where I came from. But now, I was meeting his family, and that changed everything. They'd want to know more about me, and I'd have to decide how much I wanted to share.
I should tell Malcolm I'm not the right guy to give him advice. Then I wouldn't have to deal with this mess I made for myself. The only problem was that he wouldn't take no for an answer.
He wanted to take his family's business to the next level, and he was convinced I was the one who could help him. He was skeptical that Rowan's idea was a good one.
I dug into the food, hoping the messiness of the barbecue chicken would keep people from asking too many questions or studying me closely.
Unfortunately, I felt the weight of Clara's stare and the swirl of her thoughts from time to time. She wanted answers, and I couldn't give them to her.
"You should see some sights while you're in town," Judy said. "We have our very own Christmas-themed town where Clara runs her store. Clara, why don't you show him around? I'm sure he'd enjoy that."
Clara's eyes widened. "Oh, I doubt he'd be interested in a Christmas Town, Mom. I'm sure he has better things to do."
I detected a snide tone in her voice, but I wasn't sure her mother did.
"Oh, nonsense. It's a must-see, something out of a fairy tale. There are cobblestone streets, holiday music playing, and holiday decorations hung year-round. And you just so happen to be here during the holiday season. You can buy a souvenir to take home to whoever you're dating."
I cleared my throat. I couldn't let Clara think I'd cheated on someone with her. "I'm not dating anyone."
Clara waved a dismissive hand. "See? He has no one to shop for."
"Clara, Beck is here to help us with the business—" Malcolm began, and I didn't like the way her eyes flashed with irritation.
Was this something her family asked from her a lot?
Was she supposed to do things for the good of the family?
I didn't like it, but I wanted to see her again, and they were practically throwing us together.
My brain was telling me to stay far away from her, but my baser instincts urged me to take advantage of this situation.
I'd at least have an opportunity to explain myself, if she'd listen to anything I had to say. The mystery of our night together was over. She wasn't a stranger after all. I wanted more than anything to go back to that night and pretend I didn't know the truth.
Clara pursed her lips. "Fine. I'll show you around."
But her tone implied that was all she'd do. There wouldn't be any other shenanigans. Not if she could help it. I had a feeling she'd have a hard time resisting me if I ever got her alone again. But that would be a bad idea now that I knew who she was.
If we hooked up again, I'd be doing it with the knowledge that I'd be betraying my friend and his family. That wasn't something I was willing to do. I'd have to be on my best behavior.
Thankfully, conversation shifted away from me, and I was able to finish my meal without any more interruptions.
The family joked and laughed and talked about stories from their childhood.
Apparently, they had the run of the property, playing tag, going on adventures by hiking, and building forts in the woods.
I gleaned that Malcolm was the oldest and the most responsible, and his brothers enjoyed teasing him for it.
After dinner, I helped clear the dishes and offered to wash and dry, but Judy waved me off. "Talk to Malcolm. That's why you're here."
"Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Hart."
She flashed me a smile. "You can call me Judy."
As I moved out of the room, I brushed past Clara, the touch sending tingles down my spine.
"Excuse me," she murmured softly.
My heart rate increased as I went to find Malcolm. How was I going to look him in the eye after I'd fucked his sister? I had a feeling he wouldn't care that I didn't know her name. I was fairly sure that would make it worse.
I definitely wasn't going to tell him, and I doubted Clara would either. So it was just my guilty conscious I'd have to deal with.
Malcolm stood next to Callum and Rowan in the living room. When I approached, he threw a thumb over his shoulder. "Want to talk downstairs?"
"Sure." I wanted to put as much space as possible between Clara and me.
We all headed downstairs where there was a bar that ran the length of one wall. A huge flat screen and movie-theater-style chairs were on the other side.
"Is this your man cave?" I asked them.
Malcolm went behind the bar and pulled out a bottle of liquor, pouring the contents into four shot glasses. "We hardly need a man cave. In case you haven't noticed, we outnumber the women in this house."
Callum shook his head. "Mom prefers that we come down here to discuss business."
Malcolm slid the shot glasses across the counter to us. "We're going to toast to you finally visiting Hart’s Inn."
I lifted the glass and raised a brow. "Is that all?"
He raised his glass. Callum and Rowan followed suit. "And to a successful business partnership."
I held my glass steady. "Shouldn't I see the details first?"
Malcolm's eyes flashed with confidence. “The brewery is a solid idea. You're not going to be able to say no."