Chapter 5
Rowan
I'd intended to check on her with the excuse of needing a hot chocolate. Instead, I'd kissed her.
For some reason, I'd felt compelled to kiss her, to see how she'd react. And I wasn't prepared for the result.
She'd been so responsive, the chemistry between us explosive.
We had to look like an engaged couple, but was kissing in her food truck the best way to go about that? Wynter had clearly seen us, so the news of that kiss would probably spread around town by lunchtime.
I also wanted to throw Hattie off a little, loosen up that control she held over everything and everyone in her life.
We hadn't talked to each other in years, but there was no mistaking her reaction. She wanted me.
I might have surprised her, and maybe she was caught off guard, but you couldn't fake something like that.
I'd obviously lost my mind because I'd gone way further than the peck on the lips I'd planned.
I'd slipped my thigh between hers and felt the heat of her pussy through her leggings.
That wasn't a friendly kiss. It had been an exploration.
A confirming that I wanted Hattie, even after all this time.
The feelings I'd harbored over the years had grown into something far beyond a crush.
I opened the door to the brewery without feeling the usual pride at what I'd built or anticipation for the opening. Today, I was all mixed up inside because of that kiss. My feelings for her hadn't dissipated over the years. They'd only grown bigger.
The door slammed shut behind me, and I started to pace. What the hell was I doing with Hattie? I'd wanted to get closure, to confirm that we'd grown apart when we were kids and there was nothing between us anymore. Instead, I'd ignited something else.
I flexed my fingers as I walked, but the familiar smell of my brews didn't settle me. Something was building inside me that I couldn't stop.
The door to the back storage area opened, and Boone walked through, carrying one of his stools. He stopped when he saw me. "What's going on with you?"
"Nothing. Everything," I ground out.
He set the stool at the bar. "I heard you made an announcement last night."
Normally, I'd admire the stool or ask about the progress on his work, but my mind was occupied. "I'm engaged to Hattie."
He glanced over at me. "Shouldn't you be happy?"
"This morning, I stopped by her truck to see her," I began.
His lips curved into a teasing smile. "How sweet."
I growled. "I'm not sweet."
He turned the stool one way, then the other, probably testing how easily it swiveled. "Do you not want to be engaged to Hattie?"
"Of course I want to be engaged to Hattie." When I woke up this morning, it felt like Christmas morning. Like I'd finally gotten the one thing I'd always wanted.
He frowned. "Then what's the problem?"
"I told Hattie I'd stop by later to help her with the truck because it's supposed to snow, and she said she didn't need my help."
Boone chuckled. "I would think you'd admire an independent woman."
My chest tightened. "I still want to protect her."
He glanced over at me, his expression sober now. "I can understand that. You love her and want to keep her safe."
"Yes." I was glad he understood, but I didn't love her.
Not yet. She was just an old friend who I'd kissed for the first time, and it had filled every space in my brain until all I could think about was the press of her body against mine, the way she whimpered into my mouth. "Why are women so frustrating?"
He chuckled. "I don't know the answer to that. But I'm curious as to why you decided to keep your relationship with her a secret."
I sighed, resting a hand on one of the other already-completed stools. "We're busy with the renovation. I didn't want her to be a distraction."
He grimaced. "It sounds like she already is. You're not worried about the opening for the brewery or the status of the furniture. You're freaking out over Hattie."
I ran a hand through my hair. "You're right.
I'm letting her get to me when I should be focused on the business.
It's just that Jane was asking all sorts of questions about my personal life last night.
She suggested that we do a contest where a single woman in the area would win a brew bath with me. "
Boone's attention moved from the stool to me. "You're joking."
"I didn't have a choice but to out my relationship with Hattie."
He whistled. "I hope Jane doesn't focus on someone else."
I raised a brow. "Should I tell her you're single and ready to mingle?"
"Please don't. The last thing I need in my life is a reporter who's intent on hooking me up with a woman. I'm too busy with all this." He gestured around the room where chairs and tables had been placed.
I couldn't wait to open the brewery. My dream would finally be coming true. This building where we played as kids would become my dream business. "If we want to bring more attention to the brewery, maybe we should do something like that."
Boone glared at me. "Don't even think about it. Besides, no one wants a date with me. I'm nothing like you."
I was a bit more easygoing and affable. Boone was a loner, preferring to be by himself in his workshop. "You're still a Hart brother, and that's all that matters to some people."
"I don't get the fascination with our family. We open businesses, but that doesn't mean our personal lives are up for discussion."
"We live in a small town. Of course we'd be a part of the gossip.
" I'd never thought it was a problem before.
At least until that reporter suggested that we host a contest for single women to compete for a date with me.
And now everyone would be interested in my engagement to Hattie. I hadn't thought any of this through.
"Are you happy?" Boone asked.
I thought about how she felt in my arms last night and the conversation we shared in the carriage. "I am."
He nodded. "Then that's all that matters. Not what anyone else thinks."
This thing with Hattie had already gotten out of hand. I'd given Jane her name because she was standing close by, and at one time, we'd been close. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get closure on the demise of our friendship.
But after that kiss, everything had changed. That childhood crush I had on her had morphed into something else, something hot and heavy. Something I wanted to pursue with every beat of my heart. But I had to focus on the business. "How's it going with the furniture?"
"I have a few more bar stools to finish. Then we'll be ready to go."
I moved to a table and sifted through the frames that Clara had dropped off the other day. The ones that contained our family's history. "These will look nice on the walls."
Boone moved closer to me. "It's all coming together."
"I think we have to plan the grand opening now." We'd discussed various options, but it was time to get to work. Otherwise, someone else would create buzz when I wanted to keep the narrative on our family's history and my dream to open a brewery.
His brow furrowed. "Count me out. I make furniture. I don't do parties or socializing. Or anything else really."
"I'll talk to Beck and Malcolm about it." Beck was our business consultant, investor, and Malcolm's college friend. He was the one Malcolm had called when we were thinking of opening the brewery. He'd decided to invest in the business and stuck around to renovate the building and plan the opening.
"Just leave me out of it."
I carried one of the frames over to a wall to get a feel for how it would look. "Don't worry. No one wants your sourpuss face at a party."
He grunted as he crossed the room, probably to grab another stool from the back. "Let's keep it that way."
Boone was content to make furniture and stay out of the front-facing parts of our business.
But each family member had a role to play, whether it was in the inn, the restaurant, or even Gran's Christmas Shop, which Clara ran.
There was plenty of work for all of us to do.
And I was just happy that I'd found my place with the brewery.
I could have built the brewery somewhere else, but thankfully, everyone agreed it belonged here.
The building held a special place in my heart, and the picture frames told the story of how we played here as kids. There was even a picture of us sitting on the floor with a blanket and a picnic basket. We were supposed to be eating, but Callum was chasing me. We were laughing and having fun.
I enjoyed creating brews, but at the same time, the opening of the brewery was a celebration of our family's history. We were building something that future generations of Harts could live on and be proud of.
It was bigger than us, and I couldn't help but be proud of everything we'd created. I hung the frames and stood back to see if they were straight.
Boone worked in the back, making final tweaks to the stools he'd built in his shop. Every time I stepped outside, the flakes of snow grew bigger and fell harder.
I was staring out the window when Boone paused what he was doing on one of the tables in the tasting room and said, "Why don't you check on Hattie? You haven't been working anyway."
"I think I'll do that." Hopefully, she wouldn't get mad. But I didn't like her driving the truck home in this weather. What if she ran into a problem?
"And, Rowan?" Boone asked as I reached for the doorknob to leave.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"I'm happy for you."
"Thanks," I said, even as my stomach dropped. I was lying to my family but I couldn't be upset about it when it had brought me closer than I'd been to Hattie in years. She wanted to maintain distance between us, but I wouldn't let that happen. Especially after that kiss.
As I drove to Christmas Town, I wondered if I was making a mistake in bringing Hattie into my life.
She obviously wanted nothing to do with my family and was only doing this as a favor to me.
I'd gotten us into this mess after all. But I couldn't forget about that kiss.
It wasn't one you experienced between friends.
It had ignited a fire within me that couldn't be put out. Had she felt it too?
When I arrived in town, there were already several inches of snow on the ground, and the pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks was sparse. Most people were headed home before the roads were covered.
But Hattie's truck was still running in the same spot as it was this morning. She probably got more customers when it snowed, but then she could get stuck in it if she stayed too long.
The sun had already set, and when I got out of my truck, the wind stung my cheeks. I lifted my collar and hunched my shoulders as I walked across the street to her truck.
She'd hung a string of lights over the window at some point today that gave it a cheery glow. The window opened when I stopped in front of it, and Hattie popped her head out. She was wearing a winter puffy jacket and a green knit hat that highlighted the green flecks in her eyes. "Oh, it's you."
I rocked back on my heels. "It's your loving fiancé."
She rolled her eyes and pulled her head back into the truck where it was probably warm and cozy.
"You about ready to get out of here?" I asked, preparing myself for an argument.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Since when do you boss me around?"
I looked around at the empty sidewalk. "It doesn't look like you're getting a lot of customers."
She pursed her lips. "Most people are heading home."
"Don't you think you should be too?"
She chewed her lip for a second. "I was going to head home at six."
I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall behind her head. That was in fifteen minutes. "It won't hurt anything to pack things up early, will it?"
She sighed and let her arms fall to the side. "I suppose not."
I nodded, not wanting her to know that I thought of this is as a win. She wouldn't appreciate that. "Can I help you with anything?"
"I just need to wash everything and put it away."
"Can you let me inside?" I nodded toward the side door that I'd entered just this morning for that explosive kiss.
She nodded, and I met her at the door. When I stepped inside, she moved away as if she didn't want a repeat of this morning or even the memory of it on her mind.
I wasn't going to push her any further today. The important thing was getting her home safely.
I helped her empty the hot-chocolate dispenser, and she began washing it out. I grabbed a warm washcloth to wipe down the counters. Then I put things away under the counter so they were secure when she drove.
When the dishes were done, she said. "I'm ready to go."
"I'll follow you home." That's when I realized I had no idea where Hattie lived. Her family had resided in an older home on the outskirts of town when we were friends. But I didn't know if her mother had moved after her father had died. Or where Hattie currently lived.
She waited for me to exit the space.
I got into my truck and turned it on, waiting for her to pull away from the curb. Hattie was proud and independent and could take care of herself. But I didn't like her closing when it was dark at night. What if someone hassled her?
Why didn't she have an employee or friend she worked with? I wasn't sure I could handle her being alone in her truck late at night. Anything could happen, even in a small town.