Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Faith half-closed her eyes as she felt a delicious gust of wind brush against her face. She was strolling along the sidewalks of Rosewood Beach, on her way to the McCormick Brewery to meet her boyfriend Ryan there.
She felt lighthearted and excited to see him, but at the back of her mind she felt a slight twinge of trepidation.
She could always sense a slight tension from Ryan’s family whenever she was at the brewery because of her connection to the Owens family.
The McCormicks had a troubled history with the Owens and The Lighthouse Grill, and the fact that Judd McCormick was responsible for the trouble didn’t seem to make them any less prickly whenever the Owens were mentioned.
They acted as though the Owens family owed them something, probably because Judd had once been determined to buy The Lighthouse Grill, and he’d never gotten over the fact that he’d been unable to.
He’d tried to put them out of business, but he was still the one with a chip on his shoulder.
Faith sighed as she tucked her hands into the deep pockets of her floral dress.
At least Ryan wasn’t the way the rest of his family was—he was open-hearted and generous, and quick to emphasize with the needs of others.
And she could see that the McCormicks had been letting go of their resentment of the Owens family—admittedly slowly, but it was happening.
It had been a long time since Judd had tried to undermine the Owens in any way, and Faith felt confident that the days of him doing so were over.
She smiled, knowing that her relationship with Ryan was a major part of that shift. Now that Ryan was associated with the Owens family, Judd seemed to have let go of his feud with the Owens, even if he hadn’t entirely let go of his resentment yet.
They’re all kind to me, though, she thought, reminding herself to stay optimistic. They like me, and I know they’d like the rest of my family, too, if they ever spent any real time with them. I’m sure things will continue to get better and better.
She arrived at McCormick Brewery a few moments later.
There were about a dozen cars in the parking lot, which wasn't all that many, considering the size of the indoor eating area where food and beverages were served.
In addition to the indoor seating area, there was also a modern but charming patio adjoining the parking lot which was nearly empty of customers.
Faith bit her lip, thinking to herself that perhaps the reason why Judd McCormick had been so set on bringing down the Owens family was because his own business was struggling.
She pushed open the front doors and took a deep breath of the cool, savory-smelling air.
It was clear that cheeseburgers were roasting on a grill in the kitchen and her stomach growled when she sniffed the greasy, flavorful scent of the cooking beef.
The customers sitting at tables in the restaurant area were talking and laughing quietly.
She looked around for Ryan, since he had promised to meet her at the entrance when she arrived, but she didn't see him anywhere.
I wonder what held him up? she thought to herself. She pulled out her phone, but there wasn't a text message from him or a missed call.
She glanced at her watch, deciding that he had probably gotten held up at work. She wouldn't text him just yet. She would wait a few minutes before checking in and making sure everything was all right.
“Hey, Faith!” Annie, one of the waitresses, greeted her with a warm smile. “You here for some food?”
“Those burgers do smell absolutely divine,” Faith said, laughing. “But I'm not here for food at the moment. I'm supposed to meet up with Ryan, but I guess he's not here yet.”
“Well, feel free to sit down at one of the empty tables,” Annie said. “Can I get you something to drink while you wait?”
“Yes, actually, that would be lovely.” Faith smiled at her. “How about an iced tea?”
“You got it. I'll be back in two minutes.”
Faith sat down at a little table by the large, modern-looking windows. True to her word, Annie returned just a couple of moments later, bearing a glass of delicious-looking iced tea.
“Just holler at me if you need anything else,” Annie insisted.
“Will do. Thanks.”
Faith pulled out her phone and browsed social media for a few minutes before opening her library app and continuing the Kindle book that she had been devouring over the past few days.
It distracted her completely for about ten minutes, and then she glanced at her watch again and realized just how late Ryan was.
Feeling a little concerned, Faith sent him a quick text, asking him if something had come up.
She assured him that she wasn't upset but she wanted to make sure that he was all right.
She sat quietly for a few moments, sipping her iced tea and wondering why Ryan hadn't sent her a text to let her know that he would be late.
When two minutes had passed and she still hadn't heard from him, she did her best to go back to her book.
This time, however, she had trouble focusing.
She kept glancing up at the front doors, hoping that Ryan was striding through them.
It wasn't like him to not let her know that he wasn't able to meet her at the time they'd planned.
She didn't feel truly worried yet, but the change in his behavior gave her a little pause.
I hope everything's all right, she thought, pressing her lips together.
After nearly half an hour had passed, Faith was feeling much too rattled to try to read her book anymore.
She stared at her phone screen, wondering why Ryan hadn't texted her back.
Finally, she picked up her phone and dialed his number.
It rang one time before she saw him walking through the front doors of the brewery, a frown on his face.
He looked extremely unsettled, and as soon as she saw him, her heart gave a lurch.
Immediately she stood up and hurried to his side, wrapping her arms around him.
“Are you okay?” she asked, touching his face. “What's going on?”
Ryan glanced at his watch and groaned. “I'm so sorry,” he said. “I had no idea it got so late. I should have texted you.”
She shook her head. “That's okay. I can tell that something's wrong. What happened?”
“You were sitting over there?” Ryan asked, gesturing to the small table that still had Faith’s glass of iced tea resting on it. She nodded, and he took her hand and led her back to the table. Her stomach sank, since she knew that if he wanted privacy, it was serious news indeed.
“I was with my father this morning,” Ryan explained, “and he started feeling pain in his chest. Not wanting to take any risks, I told him I was going to take him to the hospital and I wouldn't take no for an answer.”
Faith gasped in alarm. “Is he all right?”
Ryan nodded gravely. “He is now. But he did have a mild heart attack.”
Faith placed her hand on her own heart, feeling worried about Judd despite Ryan's reassurance that his father was now okay. “That must have been terrifying for both of you,” she said.
Ryan nodded. “My dad was trying to put a tough guy face on it all as usual, but it's pretty clear that he's shaken up about it.
And this isn't really the end of it.” He paused and took a deep breath.
“The doctor gave him strict orders to take it easy so that he doesn't stress out his heart again.
He's been working at a mile a minute for decades, and now in one day he finds out that his whole life has to change. He has to learn how to rest, starting now.”
“Oh my,” Faith said. “I can understand how that would be tough for him. I used to be addicted to work too. Do you think after a while he'll be able to work as much as he used to, as long as he makes sure he isn't getting too stressed?”
Ryan shook his head. “The doctor doesn't think so.
Dad is getting on in years, and running this brewery took a lot out of him.
You know it's like the center of his universe.
Most people can run a business without getting too emotionally invested in its highs and lows, but Dad isn't like that. He feels as though the stakes are always at one hundred percent every single day.”
“Yeah, I can see that a little bit.” Faith stared into space, feeling bad for Judd and wondering what the future would hold for him.
“Well,” she said finally, “I guess all we can do is try to be as helpful as we can.
Let me know if there's anything I can do for your dad, okay?
And I already know you're going to try to help him out as much as possible.”
Ryan grimaced slightly, and Faith knew as soon as she saw his expression that there was more to the story that he hadn't told her yet. “Actually,” he said slowly, “he has made a request of me already. It's a pretty big one.”
Faith, filled with suspense, asked “What is it?” as soon as Ryan paused for a moment.
Ryan inhaled. “My dad asked me to take over his duties at the brewery. He wants me to run this place.”
Faith's jaw dropped in astonishment. “Really?” she asked, feeling stunned.
She of all people believed Ryan to be intelligent and competent, with a clear head on his shoulders.
But he had never been involved in running the brewery before.
His brothers already worked there, and it seemed to her that it made more sense to promote one of them to the head of the business instead of giving the position to Ryan.
“I mean, I'm sure you're more than capable but your father has never asked for your help with the brewery before. He always seemed to prefer the input of your brothers, since they have the same ‘business before anything else’ mindset that he does.”
Ryan nodded. “Oh, believe me, I'm as shocked as you are. But what can I do? I couldn't say no. He was lying there in the hospital bed looking pale and scared. I've never seen him look scared before in my life. He asked me to take over the brewery for him and I just blurted out a yes.”
“Okay. Well, I know you can do it.” She forced a smile onto her face, knowing that he needed her encouragement in that moment.
“Your dad obviously trusts you, and that’s special.
Maybe he’s come to see that your attitude is more valuable in a place like Rosewood Beach than his is.
You’re kind and you care about people—maybe your dad sees that his brewery needs that kind of leader. ”
Ryan looked touched by her words, but he shrugged. “I’ll find out, I guess. Right now, I just want to eat something and slow down for a while so I can start to process it all. Does that sound good to you?”
“Perfect,” she assured him, reaching across the table and squeezing his forearm.
Annie came back to their table, and they ordered a couple of cheeseburgers with waffle fries. Faith watched her partner’s face with a twinge of concern, knowing that he’d had a day that was extremely overwhelming in more ways than one.
I know he can do this, she thought, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be a challenge. He doesn’t know anything about running a brewery, not really. I wonder how this is going to go.