Chapter 20
TWENTY
RONAN
WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS?
Watching her close down cut deeper than I expected.
I knew she was angry and in full strength defense mode. But she stepped back as if I’d legit slapped her. She bumped into Beckett, leaned against him for a moment, then whirled on those ankle breakers she wore that made my dick pulse and took off.
“Goddammit,” I muttered and moved to follow when Beckett moved in front of me. “Look, I know you’re my boss, but really not the time.”
“Saving you from yourself—both your job and the bruised balls you’d get right about now if you go after her. Let her cool off.”
I stiffened. “Job?”
Beckett inclined his head. “Looking like some blurred lines from where I’m standing.”
“I’ve been busting my ass since I got here. What’s between her and me has nothing to do with that.”
“You sure about that?”
Guilt churned in my gut as I looked around. It looked less like a workshop and more like a man cave after a rager. I didn’t even remember half of what happened in here. That moonshine should never have been mixed with whiskey.
When my attention was on Beckett again, he spoke. “She’s an adult and what and who she chooses to do on her off time isn’t of my concern from a business standpoint. Now as her friend, I’d say you better watch yourself.” His face was expressionless, but his blue eyes were hard.
“Not your business.”
“You’re wrong, there. I won’t have her hurt. Now I don’t know if this is a game, or a…dalliance.”
Kain snickered. “Dalliance? Not sure I’ve heard that word since my aunty passed.”
I pointed at Kain. “Not now.”
“Right—zipped.” He twisted a key over his lips and mimed throwing it over his shoulder. A moment later he rocked back on his heels. “Still hungry though,” he whispered.
“Later.”
Kain rubbed his belly with a sigh.
“I need to go talk to her,” I gritted out between my clenched teeth.
Beckett stuffed his hands in his back pockets. He wasn’t quite as tall as I was, but he was rangier and honed where I was bulky. My brother would call him scrappy. And those were the ones you had to be careful with.
“You need to get cleaned up and give her some space, then maybe you can talk to her.”
I shook my head, eyes steady on his. “Wrong play.”
“How about we don’t play with her at all? She’s had plenty of that in her life.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
His eyes went from hard to blank. “You’ll need to talk to her about that.”
I fisted my hands at my sides. “Goddammit.”
I hated to be in the dark about her, but I was trying to be patient. The fact that Beckett knew all her secrets made me want to punch something. I knew it would be worth it if she told me about her past on her own. And that would take time, but it was another thing keeping her just out of reach.
“She’s a complicated woman.”
“No fucking kidding.”
He pulled his hands out of his pockets. “Look, why don’t you just take twenty and clean up in here? That should give her enough time to cool down.” Beckett swung his ball cap so the brim was around the back. “I’ll help.”
“You don’t need to do that. I made the damn mess.” I stared hard at Kain until he picked up the pizza boxes with a grumble.
I shook my head when he peeked into one of them and found a slice. I would not have eaten that, but Kain had a cast iron stomach. With a pizza crust sticking out of his mouth like a cigar, he started stacking the larger buckets over in the corner with the others.
As I cleaned, the anger brewing rolled back to a dull annoyance and finally, resignation. I got myself into this, now I’d have to beg my way into her good graces again.
Half a dozen large pails were busted from our game last night and I tossed them to the side.
I’d use them for some bucket plantings along the side of the barn.
I had some ideas for aromatics to go with the fall apples.
While the flash frozen fruit I had was great for accelerating fermentation, I was anxious to try some new blends with fresh apples.
I preferred a dry cider, but I knew I needed three solid options for the opening.
That would need to include a sweet one for variety.
Instead of stewing about Kira’s reaction—and the more annoying aspects of her relationship with Beckett that twisted me up—I methodically put my workshop together.
Distracting myself with flavor profiles I still had to try evened me out.
Beckett and Kain took direction well, thank God. Kain had switched out the music on the stereo to some 80’s Springsteen, and by the end of our cleaning spree we were howling to “Glory Days” while the two of them swept the cement floors and I followed with a mop.
I had a lot of work ahead of me before the end of August. No matter how much I wanted to focus on Sunshine, the two of us needed to work together to get this place ready.
With the added complication of Kain, I needed to get my head on straight before I did something stupid like push her completely away with my jackassery.
Kira wasn’t a runner—she was far worse.
She would simply freeze me out and I wasn’t sure how long a thaw would take.
Beckett cracked his back and stretched his arms over his head. “Okay, now I’m officially starving too.”
Kain grunted. “That six gallon jug over there was starting to look tasty.”
I went into the small cupboard where I kept my extra clothes, tossing a T-shirt at Kain. He frowned at me. “Pretty sure Kira wouldn’t appreciate you being half naked with her interviews starting.”
“Bah.” But he pulled the shirt over his head and wound his wild hair into a messy knot at the top of his head. “Better?”
“Marginally.”
Beckett snorted. “Doesn’t help with how ripe you two are.”
“Yeah. I don’t think I can push my luck with a shower.”
Beckett’s eyebrows shot up. “That janky thing still works back there?”
“Kind of.” I laughed. “I used it after I got mash all over me recently.”
“I suppose we need a place for you to clean up—safety regulations and all. I’ll have Justin hook up a real station back there with some big sinks.”
“Appreciated.”
Beckett nodded. “Think Kira would kill us if we raided the fridge?”
I tugged a Brothers Three T-shirt over my head.
“We do have a brand spanking new kitchen. Or we can go into Happy Acres. The bakery should be open.” Not that I could really leave Kira to take care of the interviews since I bailed on her yesterday, but it might be preferable to our bedraggled appearance.
I could hear Kain’s stomach growling. “What kind of kitchen?”
“Top of the line,” I said carefully. “Better than my setup at the cabin.”
“An Easy Bake Oven would be better than what you have, Boa.”
Beckett shook his head with a rueful smile. “You two sound just like me and Justin.”
I pulled open the second set of doors to let the cross breeze kill the rest of the stank in the workshop. I made a cursory pitstop in the shed to make sure my gauges looked okay, made a quick note on my clipboard on two of the tanks that needed to be watched, and closed up to meet them outside.
Kain was scanning the property in that calculating way he had. Not as disgusted as the way he’d looked over my house at least.
“What do you think?” I asked as I came up to them. “You’re the—”
Kain gave me a subtle shake of his head. Right—kind of incognito. I didn’t blame him. When people found out he was an architect questions came fast and furiously. Kain the billionaire was a whole secondary level of fuckery.
“You’ve got the fresh eyes,” I said, editing myself.
Kain put his hands on his hips. He nodded absently toward the taproom, but his attention was on the orchard below.
“This place has limitless possibilities.” He whistled softly and tucked his hands into his pockets.
“But man, that view.” He stepped closer to the edge of the property and gave a delighted laugh.
“That’s a horse.”
“That’s Storm,” Beckett said with a grin.
Kain went right over to the horse and laid a hand on its massive neck. He ducked his head down then straightened. “Hey, boy.”
The horse whinnied and chuffed, chewing at the hem of Kain’s shirt.
“He’s looking for a carrot.”
“I’ll find one for you soon.” He pressed his forehead to the broad line of the horse’s head. Kain always had a way with animals, but I wasn’t sure I would have gone right for such a close hello.
“Storm doesn’t usually take to people that easily,” Beckett muttered.
“Kain has a way.”
“So I see.” He crossed his arms and seemed mildly put out.
Kain gave the horse another pat then came back to us.
The three of us looked out on the vista of pregnant trees and endless greenery.
“It was dark when we came in last night. This is a whole different experience.” He glanced over his shoulder at the organic maze of landscaping and seating nooks that made up the property. “And you’ll be lighting this up?”
“You’ll have to check with Kira on the details, but that’s what she told me.” Beckett twisted his hat back around against the blinding sun. “Down that path is our concert stage.”
“It’s impressive,” Kain murmured, but I could tell his thoughts were elsewhere. I’d hear all about this, I was sure.
I swiped my arm over my forehead, the need for water outweighing food at that moment.
My back was already wet and I’d only just put on the new shirt.
It was going to be another hot one. It made me long for the ocean on a day like today.
Not that it would be in my future any time soon.
There was still so much to do before I could think about getting out even to the nearby lake for a free day.