Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Anna
The Rusty Anchor’s second annual Ode to Love and Beer event was starting in twenty-two minutes.
Kemp, my beloved brewmaster and the star of the show, was still taking an exam for his online leadership class, tucked away at the desk he’d moved from the office into his bedroom—which had unofficially become our bedroom.
“I’m going to check on Kemp,” I said to Kinsley, our teenage babysitter for the evening. We were in the office that masqueraded as a nursery, and I’d just shown her where everything was.
“Oliver and I are going to read a book, and then we’ll do bath time, won’t we, big guy?” red-haired Kinsley said as she joined the baby on the carpet.
I’d suggested we move the other office furniture out and decorate the room as a nursery, but so far, we’d had zero time for that ambitious idea.
As I hurried out of the room, Kinsley continued her one-sided dialogue with Oliver. I stopped outside our bedroom door and listened for movement inside, hesitant to interrupt Kemp and break his concentration.
When I didn’t hear anything, I tapped lightly on the door.
“Yeah,” Kemp said, sounding resigned and stressed.
I found him sitting at his desk, his left elbow propped on the surface, his fingers embedded in his hair, hand supporting his head.
With his right hand, he clicked the mouse on something, then slouched back in the chair as if the exam had sucked every bit of energy out of him.
That wasn’t hard to believe, considering he’d been running on fumes before he started more than two hours ago.
“Done?” I asked, trying to keep my concern out of my voice.
He scoffed. “Maybe in more ways than one. That was longer and harder than I expected.”
“I bet you did better than you think.”
“It was a lot of essay answers. Example scenarios and how would I handle them. Guess we’ll find out when the instructor grades it.” He sounded worried instead of relieved to be done.
He was still slumped in the chair, facing the computer, as if performing an internal debriefing. I walked up behind him and massaged his shoulders.
“We need to get going,” I told him. “You’re about to be late to your own party.”
“I don’t suppose skipping it’s an option.”
I frowned, my ever-present concern deepening.
Kemp looked at his watch and stood. He wore a Stout of Your League T-shirt, showing off one of tonight’s featured beers, and khakis. He absently pressed a kiss to my lips, then turned and plucked his blazer off the bed, sliding it over the tee.
“This is the fun part, remember?” I said.
Normally he loved these fancy events at the brewery, and he should. They provided him and Holden the chance to soak up the town’s appreciation and love for their beer creations and the brewery itself.
This exhausted, mopey version of the man was not my Kemp.
“The jacket looks okay?” he asked tiredly.
“The jacket looks sharp,” I told him, brushing a piece of fuzz off his lapel. What I didn’t mention were the shadows under his eyes, the dullness in his gaze, and his drooping shoulders.
“Thanks, Anna Bobana.” He stuck his wallet in his pants pocket and grabbed his keys from the dresser.
I ached to hug him, comfort him, take care of him, but we needed to get to the brewery like half an hour ago.
“You ready?” he asked, looking me up and down for the first time since I’d come in the room. “Damn, Anna. You look hot. That dress was made for you.”
I did a little pose, smiling. It was midnight blue, short, with a deep V-neck.
Nothing outrageously sexy because that wasn’t my style, but the way he looked at me made me feel like a supermodel My hair was up, fancier than usual, and I’d taken extra time with my makeup.
“Thanks. I’m sleeping with the brewmaster now.
I figured I should try to look amazing.”
He grabbed me by my waist with his large hand, pulled me into him, and kissed me intently. “You nailed amazing.”
“You should see what I’m wearing underneath.”
His gaze became heated with interest in a millisecond. He raked his eyes down to the dress as if he had X-ray vision. “I can’t wait till later.”
I instantly realized my mistake in teasing him when he was so worn out and in need of a few solid hours of sleep. “Maybe I’ll just massage you to sleep instead. You need it.”
“Sleep and oxygen figure in somewhere below fooling around with you.”
I laughed quietly as my body reacted deep inside to his words. “You know I’m game if you can stay awake.”
He let out a low, sexy growl. “Start the countdown.” He pressed another kiss to my lips. “I’ll be the luckiest guy there tonight.”
“You’re about to be the latest guy. Kinsley’s with Oliver. I filled her in on everything and made sure she has both our numbers.”
“Thank you. You’re the best.”
Once we were out of the bedroom, I stopped in the doorway of Oliver’s room. “We have to go. Anything else you need?” I asked the babysitter, who now sat cross-legged with Oliver in her lap and a board book in front of them.
“We should be good,” Kinsley said. “You guys have fun and don’t worry about this little cutie.”
“Thanks, Kinsley,” Kemp said. “Text us if you need anything.”
“Probably text me because this guy will be surrounded by his admirers,” I clarified.
“I will. Say bye-bye,” she coached Oliver, waving at us until he mimicked the action and melted both of us.
Kemp went in, bent down, and kissed the boy’s head, which touched me even more. We said goodbye. Then Kemp’s hand was at my waist again, and he squeezed my side affectionately. We headed out to the garage.
The drive to the brewery only took two minutes. The parking lot was filling up, pulling a smile from Kemp as we drove beyond it and turned into the loading dock driveway behind Holden’s Mustang.
As we walked in the back door and through the hallway, the din of the guests out in the public area grew louder.
“Sounds like we’ve got a good crowd already,” Kemp said, sounding ten times more animated than he’d been after finishing his test.
The closer we got to the party, the more alive he became, his step going from a shuffle to a swagger, his shoulders lifting, confidence growing. He’d taken my hand as soon as we entered the building, and right before we hit the public room, he squeezed it affectionately and winked at me.
That was the Kemp I knew and loved.
We entered the public room that was filled with happy people milling about with beer pilsners in hand.
“This doesn’t get old,” Kemp said, looking over the crowd as if surveying his kingdom.
“There he is, the almighty beer creator himself,” West Aldridge bellowed from somewhere to the right of us.
“Go to your admirers,” I told him. “I see Chloe and Magnolia, so I’m going to say hi.”
Kemp turned to me, palmed my cheek, and planted a happy, passionate kiss on my lips.
With another squeeze of my hand, he strode off to his friends.
I watched him for two seconds, relieved to see this version of him was still in there. When I turned to Magnolia and Chloe, who were at the end of the L-shaped serving counter, they had their eyes on me and were engrossed in conversation, obviously about me.
“Hello, girls,” I said as I approached.
“Hel-lo, Anna,” Magnolia said expectantly. “Do you have something to tell us? That was some kiss.”
I felt my cheeks heat, and my smile nearly split my face. I couldn’t contain it. “I guess yeah. Kemp and I are…” I nodded enthusiastically, not sure what to call us.
“Sleeping together, clearly,” Chloe said, her eyes lit with happiness. “Congratulations, my friend. That’s been in the works for a long time, huh?”
“Well, we’ve known each other since diapers.”
“Like Chloe and Holden,” Magnolia said.
“We were in grade school, but yes,” Chloe affirmed. “Sometimes you meet your one special person early in life.”
“I wondered if you guys would get together since you’re living together now,” Magnolia said.
“Living together tends to melt down barriers,” Chloe said. She’d experienced that firsthand with Holden too.
“It does. It’s really new,” Anna said. “Like just a few days, and this is our first time out in public.”
“You’ll be the talk of the town after tonight,” Magnolia said.
“I suppose,” I said. “You two look stunning, by the way. Chloe, Miss Charlotte seems to have doubled in size.”
Chloe put her hand to her pregnant belly. “Tell me about it. I was worried there might be a second one in there, but my doctor said everything shows earlier and bigger the second time around.”
“You still look fantastic,” Magnolia agreed.
“I’m one of those weirdos who enjoys being pregnant,” Chloe said. “Especially now that the nausea’s mostly gone.”
“I hope one day soon I can experience it. Did you want a drink, Anna?” Magnolia asked.
“A Shore Thing sounds appropriate.” I moved to the side a little when Ava joined us, as Magnolia leaned to the bar, picked up a pink-tinted beer, and handed it to me.
“Hey, ladies,” Ava said. Her eyes went immediately to Chloe’s belly. “May I touch?”
Laughing, Chloe said, “Of course. She loves bonding with her auntie.”
“Anna,” Ava said as she rubbed Chloe’s baby bump, “there’s a vicious rumor circulating that you just kissed the hell out of Kemp.” She raised her brows in question.
I was just taking my first sip and nearly choked on it from surprise. “That has to be a new record for the grapevine.”
“I’m telling you, that kiss looked spectacular. It was quick, but that boy put an exclamation point on it and left no doubt he was claiming you as his,” Chloe said.
I glanced around the large room until I spotted Kemp, standing among a different group of people near the two-story windows that showcased the brewhouse. “I’m just glad to see him getting into this.” I told them about his exam earlier and how drained he was just twenty minutes ago.
“He’s taking a class?” Ava asked.
“For the possible promotion at the fire department,” I said.
“But what about this?” Magnolia asked, waving a hand to indicate the brewery.
“He insists he’ll be able to handle both, but he’s already running himself ragged, and he’s only a volunteer for the department,” I told them. “Between the brewery, firefighting, taking a class, and being a dad, he’s got way too much going on.”
“To say nothing of his new love life,” Chloe said.
I grinned and shook my head. “I’m okay. I know all these things are important to him. Just between us though, I wish he’d give up the fire department.”
“It’s dangerous, and he’s a dad now,” Chloe said.
“That and his heart really isn’t in it. Not compared to this place.” I glanced around to make sure there was no one nearby I might offend. “He thinks it’s his life’s duty to fight fires.”
“Because of his dad, right?” Chloe said. “Holden said he was the fire chief for years up until he died?”
“Right. His parents were all about service. They were wonderful people. She was in social services, and he was the fire chief.”
“So they instilled that in their kids,” Ava said.
“At least in Kemp, and he can’t seem to admit to himself that his heart isn’t in it.” I looked for him again, found him surrounded by yet another group. I was so glad to see him basking in attention and accolades for all his work here.
“I imagine you’ve tried to get through to him,” Magnolia said.
“And he’s being a stubborn damn man,” Ava added.
I grinned at their accuracy and nodded. “Correct on both counts.”
“Well,” Chloe said with a knowing look, “you seem to hold sway over him. Maybe you’ll be able to help him see reason. As long as reason means he doesn’t quit brewing!”
“That would be a shame,” Magnolia said. “He’s talented. I’m not a beer expert, but events like this wouldn’t happen if the beer sucked.” She nodded at the gathering, which had become more packed.
“Truly, he’s the heart of everything,” Chloe admitted. “Holden shares the passion and excels at being the public face, but Kemp’s the one with the gift. We couldn’t exist without both of them.”
“This turnout is proof,” Ava said. “I mean, I’m here, and I don’t even drink.”
We all laughed, knowing her husband, Cash, would never miss his brother Holden’s big night, and she was happy to support her brother-in-law.
“You guys are part of the immediate Rusty Anchor family,” Magnolia said. “Tonight we’ve got the extended family in attendance.”
“And buying up merch and VIP tour tickets like they’re going out of stock,” Chloe added. “We’re fifteen minutes into the evening, and I can confidently say it’s a roaring success.”
I lifted my glass and said, “Here’s to our guys.”
I tried to focus on the success of the evening and hoped it would help Kemp realize what he really loved. I shoved the niggling worry in my gut down deeper, waving at Olivia and Maeve across the room and going to greet them.