4. Gave Up The Fight
GAVE UP THE FIGHT
“Oh, sorry, I’ll get out of your way.”
“You’re good,” Baker said. “Take your time.”
“Just getting a coffee before my shift. Guess I need that extra one today. I’m Tasha.”
He knew, but he couldn’t say that to her. He didn’t need her to think he was watching her. He wasn’t. Not really.
“Baker,” he said.
“Yeah. I know.”
He lifted an eyebrow, then moved to the coffeemaker to get his. “How is that?”
He put his travel mug under the spout, hit black and strong and let it start. She was mixing creamer into hers, but at least she didn’t get one of the latte things the machine popped out also.
“It’s hard not to know the people who run the departments. I know Mason and Ben. They are the head brewers along with a few others. You run the distillery. People ask me questions. I work the desk for the tours.”
He could say he knew, or just keep playing it coy. “I’ve seen you.”
“And now you know my name. Anyway, Hope told me who everyone was.”
She put her travel mug to her unpainted lips, took a sip, closed her eyes and let out a sigh that stirred more parts in his body than he was ready to admit.
“Do you normally ask who people are?” He slapped the top on his cup and took a sip, his eyes watching her bright blue ones.
He was looking down on her. She was barely five foot nothing. A good foot shorter than him.
And those curves he’d noticed before, yep, they were still there in her fitted red Fierce Brewing T-shirt and black shorts that hit her mid-thigh.
“Not everyone,” she said. “But I wanted to know some basics. I spent time with Jessica too.” She looked around, then put a hand to the side of her face and lowered her voice.
“I don’t know all that much about beer. I got this job for the summer because Margo O’Malley is my best friend.
I’m sure you know Margo is Hope’s sister-in-law. ”
“I do,” he said, smiling at the playful way she was being. He’d seen her chatting with customers, always a smile on her face, always a friendly word, always moving around and working rather than slacking off.
“I assumed as much. Anyway, that’s my story and why I’m in here getting coffee before my shift.” Her mouth opened, her hand moving up quickly in embarrassment to cover her yawn.
“Long night?” He wanted to see if she’d offer she had a child.
“Just didn’t sleep well. Not sure why. Coffee always takes the edge off.”
Guess she wasn’t going to volunteer as much as he’d hoped. “You said this is just a summer job?”
“Oh. Yeah. I’m a teacher. Might as well do something with my time. It’s only a few days a week. During the week. It’s a lot more fun than I thought it’d be. Or maybe it’s the fact I’m talking to adults all day long rather than ten-year-olds who don’t want to do their homework.”
“I was one of those kids.”
“Not me. I loved school. Still do. And speaking of work, not really homework, but work, I need to get out there for my shift.”
“Nice talking to you.” She moved over to the water jug, filled up another cup she had with her and then walked out of the break room, a smile on her face as she lifted the travel cup with her coffee in it and wiggled her fingers at him.
He found himself doing the same and then scrunched his face up in wonder over that move.
When the hell had he ever wiggled his fingers in a wave?
What the fuck was wrong with him?
“Is she getting to you?”
He swiveled around quickly to see Ben Kelly standing there. Mason’s best friend and right-hand man.
“Who?”
“Jolene.”
“She’s not here, is she?”
Ben laughed. “No. And the way you’re shifting around as if the bogeyman is going to come out and snatch you says she’s been gabbing your ear off.”
“Doesn’t she do that to everyone?”
“Only those she has on her list. You’ve been there a while, but you’ve been evading her.”
“I learned from everyone else.” He walked toward the door that Ben was holding open as they talked. Didn’t seem Ben wanted anything to eat or drink and was only spying on him. Must have seen him talking to Tasha also.
“We all gave up the fight. Jolene is relentless.”
“I’ll take a hard pass on being set up.”
“Match-made,” Ben said. “Not set up. She’s insulted if you say that.”
“All the more reason to.”
Ben slapped him on the back. “She’ll only dig her feet in harder.”
He blew a breath out, his lips flapping. “What has she said to you that you’re seeking me out?”
“Oh, she leaves me alone now. Well, not completely. She’s always asking when I’m going to have a kid, but she’s not too annoying about it.”
“It’s not your job to have a kid.” He looked Ben over. The guy was huge. A few inches taller than his six foot and probably fifty pounds more of muscle. “Unless science has changed that I’m not aware of.”
“Nope. And Eve will have a baby when she tells me she’s ready. Her choice, as she does all the hard work, not me.”
Baker had always been a chatty guy. Friendly even too.
Guess that was something he had in common with Tasha.
But it made him wonder if Tasha knew she was on Jolene’s radar. Or on it for him. He’d finally figured it out, though it wouldn’t hurt to get confirmation.
“Who does Jolene have in mind for me? Just say it?”
Ben laughed. “I haven’t heard it from her lips, but based on who you were just talking to and Jolene’s knowledge of that situation, I’d say you’re walking right into it.”
He held back a snarl. “What’s Tasha’s situation?”
“Curious because you’re interested, or curious because you want the knowledge to battle back Hurricane Jolene?”
“Maybe a little bit of both.” He pointed his finger at Ben. “And if you repeat that to anyone, I’ll call you a liar over the loudspeaker.”
“No one would believe you.” Ben turned and followed in line while Baker moved down the hall to the distillery. Guess he was going to get grilled. “Do you want some advice?”
“Sure.” Even if he didn’t. It never hurt to get other people’s take on things.
“Humor Jolene. Mind you, she’ll see right through it, but at least she won’t ride your ass too much. She’s having fun, but she knows not to overstep.”
“She means well, I’ve been told enough.”
“She does. She’s a good egg who just thinks everyone should find what she has in her life.”
Nothing he’d ever seen in a set of parents.
Hell, there were times he thought Jolene and Gavin were putting on a show for everyone, but found out how wrong he was.
How wrong he was about many people’s relationships here.
And there were plenty that Jolene and Gavin had touched.
No one’s was perfect. There were plenty of flaws.
Plenty of disagreements and personality clashes, but under it all, there seemed to be plenty of humor.
And underneath all of that?
There was love. Real, stubborn, imperfect love. The kind people stayed and fought for.
He’d loved once. And yeah, she’d loved him back.
Maybe he hadn’t been strong enough to climb the walls that stood between them.
But then the truth settled in the pit of his stomach, weighing him down. He hadn’t been given a chance to fight for anything.
“Not everyone is as fortunate as her and Gavin. Or Mason and Jessica. You and Eve.”
“Hope and Devin, Liam and Margo, all her kids, nieces and nephews, my brother and Anya. I could keep going on if you want.”
“You made your point.” Baker took another sip of his coffee in hopes of stopping the laughter. It shouldn’t be funny to him, but it kind of was in an ironic way.
He came from a family where his parents didn’t respect each other, even if they professed to love the other.
And here, he was surrounded by more respect, love and companionship than a Hallmark movie.
“Jolene will drill hers home with you too,” Ben said, then turned to return to the brewery while Baker went to the distillery.
When he opened the door to the floor, it wasn’t Jolene that was standing there watching him, it was Gavin Fierce with an eyebrow lifted as if he was ready to tag along for a day of fun.
“Baker,” Gavin said. “Just the man I wanted to see.”
He had to get away from his wife. She was driving him insane and pushing him out the door to find out what he could about Baker.
No amount of telling Jolene to mind her own business was going to work.
So rather than work her up, he said he’d head over. It wasn’t like it was a hardship for him to be here.
“Looking to taste a few things or get to work?”
“Both,” he said. “My wife doesn’t need to know about the tasting part. We can keep that between us.”
Baker grinned. “We can. If you can tell her to give me some space.”
His big shoulders dropped. He didn’t know why his wife thought no one was onto her or that they would just all fall in line.
“I can tell her all I want to do it, but she doesn’t listen too well.”
“And you love that about her, don’t you?”
“If you tell her I said yes, then I’m going to tell her you’re interested in Tasha.” Baker’s eyes lit up. “And you know that already. Or you are interested in Tasha and my wife hasn’t figured it out yet?”
“I haven’t decided yet. Tasha and I actually just talked for the first time today, so I’m not sure why your wife thinks we’d fit. Unless of course she told Tasha and now has everyone doing the work for her?”
“She won’t push Tasha. Don’t worry there. She knows enough of who can handle things and who might not be able to.”
“How is that?”
“I’m not going to make it too easy for you,” he said. “But we can keep this conversation between us.”
“I’d appreciate it,” Baker said.
“And you can give my wife hell if she crosses the line. See, she sent me here.”
“You’re admitting it?”
“I’m admitting it because sometimes I like to play with her as much as she does everyone else.
So I’m giving you a bone if you do the same.
Maybe we can work her up some. I can be a shield for you and you can let me tap that bourbon barrel over there that I know Mason is ready to taste. Been two years now, right?”
“I should have figured that was what you wanted.”
“I’ve only been bugging you about it for the past year. I know the others are going to age longer.”
His eyes moved to the room in the back full of barrels that were going to age for different lengths of time. “If you want to get your son down here, we can open it up. Kind of early for a tasting though, don’t you think?”
“If you were married to my wife, you’d be drinking this early every day.”
“That will stay between us too,” Baker said.
“Smart man.”