21. Chain Of Events
CHAIN OF EVENTS
“ W e’ve got most of the preliminary work on the contract done,” Braylon said when Elias answered the phone.
“Don’t you even say hi anymore? That’s rude. Mom will kick your butt.”
“Ha, funny,” Braylon said. “You’ve always been the one to suck up the most. But I was talking to West. He just walked in when I hit the button to answer.”
“Oh,” he said. “I didn’t know you were joining my call.”
“I thought I’d stop in,” West said. “Then Abby and I are leaving for a fundraiser tonight.”
He knew his brother’s wife didn’t care to stay in Manhattan much, preferring to spend more of her time working remotely in the Hamptons.
“Sounds like something I wouldn’t want to do,” Elias said, laughing.
“You do that shit all the time,” Braylon said.
“My fundraisers here are nothing like what you guys do. I wear jeans and bring beer.”
“I’d rather be at yours any day,” West said. “Bring me up to date on what is going on.”
“Braylon just said the contract is almost ready. Are you going to send it to me?”
“I’ll send it over this weekend. Cade and I have been exchanging it, and I think we’re ready, but I’ll have you review the final draft and tell me if you want anything changed. Fiscal has put their stamp on it too.”
“Got it,” he said. He left a lot of those things to West.
“Everything is going well there?” West said. “No problems?”
He frowned. “Why do you ask that?”
“What’s going on?” West asked. “Normally you say no and instead you asked us why, so something happened.”
There seemed to be no secrets even when his siblings were far enough away.
He didn’t think Talia would have said something to their mother that he was on a tear last week giving people shit over accepting a shipment of the wrong product.
If heads could have rolled he would have been swinging axes left and right.
At least in his mind, he was.
But he didn’t raise his voice as much as he would have liked.
Accidents happened and someone made a mistake.
It still pissed him off.
“Not a big deal. Had to get rid of a few batches of brew.”
“A few batches with the way you make things and the size means a few days’ worth of sales,” West said. “Did something get contaminated?”
“No,” he said. “Not like you might think or worry. We got a large shipment of the wrong barley. Someone signed for it without checking or verifying the change.”
“Who authorized the change?” Braylon asked. “Or did the vendor substitute it?”
“I’m still trying to figure out how it all happened. It seems innocent enough.”
Though he still didn’t understand it.
“Just carelessness?” Braylon asked.
“I guess. When the order went in, someone hit the wrong brand. When it was delivered the person checking it in didn’t do what they should.
They were so used to just signing and getting to work they didn’t check the crates carefully.
When the batches were being made, the guys thought nothing of it because they figured it’d already gotten past two or three other people. ”
It still annoyed him that not one person thought to ask when they knew how particular he was about everything.
“That’s a lot of innocent pieces falling into place,” West said suspiciously.
“I know,” he said. “Tony caught it during the fermentation stage. It smelled bitter and he tried it. I don’t need my base tasting different.”
“No,” Braylon said. “Not at all.”
“If I had to change supplies I would or I’d alter my product to get it right. Anyway, we dumped a lot.”
“Did you feel as if you were bleeding out?” West asked.
Normally West didn’t crack too many jokes.
“Yes,” he said. “The good news is we were developing something new, and we used most of it for that. Since it hasn’t hit the shelves yet, there was no worry we changed a product.”
“Smart,” Braylon said.
“I’ve been known to be. So we don’t have to ship it back. I can use it on a few other new ones or a limited edition one and we got more of our normal barley sent fast.”
“Glad it worked out,” West said. “Nothing else going on?”
He rolled his eyes. “Who told you?”
“Told us what?” Braylon asked.
“Nothing,” he said.
“Don’t even go there,” West said, laughing. “You always tried to do that and it doesn’t work now any more than it did fifteen years ago.”
“Fine,” he said. “I’m dating someone.” Must have been the guilt that he was keeping this from them that had him thinking they figured it out.
“Oh,” Braylon said. “This is getting interesting. You don’t normally say anything. No one knows?”
“Foster knows,” he said. “Talia too.”
“And Talia didn’t tell Mom?” Braylon asked. “What the hell? She’s blackmailing you, isn’t she?”
“No,” he said. “She kept it quiet, but she’s only been in the office a few days a week. Last week she was busy and this week too.”
“Glad she’s doing something,” Braylon said.
“She’s got something she’s enjoying,” he said. “You’ll hear more about it I’m sure.”
“Tell us about this woman,” West said. “Then I’ve got to go. I’m just shocked Mom hasn’t figured it out with her being so close.”
“Her name is Phoebe Kelly. Coincidentally her brother is Ben Kelly, the head brewmaster for Fierce.”
“Is that how you met?” West asked.
“No,” he said. “That’s a funny story.”
“Let’s hear it,” Braylon said.
“I thought West was in a rush.”
“Not yet,” West said. “How did you meet?”
He appreciated West gave them all the time they needed.
Prior to Abby, they were lucky if they talked to West once every few months.
Elias told them the chain of events and had them laughing on the other line.
“I’m not sure I could handle living in such a small town,” Braylon said.
“Because you like people more than the rest of us,” he said. “Anyway, there you go.”
“Bring her to Laken’s wedding,” West said.
“What?” he asked.
“Bring her,” West said. “Don’t tell Mom either. Just show up with a date.”
Braylon burst out laughing, followed by West.
“Very funny. You guys just want me to be in the shit house because of how close I am to Mom.”
“Yep,” Braylon said. “Are you going to tell Mom?”
“At some point,” he said.
“Better make it soon if you’re going to bring Phoebe to the wedding,” West said. “I’m out of here.”
“Is he gone?” he asked Braylon.
“Yep,” Braylon said. “You know you have to bring her now, right? That was pretty much an order, not a request.”
“Heard,” he said.
And when his brother did those things, no one ever said no.