Chapter 17
seventeen
. . .
piper
Why do I have to be at work right now instead of hanging out with Beau?
I mean, I’ve always preferred being with him instead of work, but now I definitely want to do that more often.
Not even because we’re pretty damn compatible in bed, but it’s nice holding his hand and cozying up to him in ways I never thought possible.
Maybe I should have relayed how I felt sooner.
Peter’s voice startles me. “Do you have those reports for Pierce?”
Gah, I need to stop daydreaming about my best friend and do my job. “Which ones?” There were a couple Pierce asked me to run. He’s gonna need to be a little more specific.
He narrows his eyes and he looks so much like our eldest brother it makes me want to smack him. I don’t know why he tries to emulate him so much. Pierce is kind of an asshole and that shouldn’t be anyone’s goal.
“The list of wines that have been selling in the last three weeks.” Ugh, even his tone is the same.
Someone really needs to tell these older Summers’ kids they’ll get things done faster if they are nicer.
Would it be immature of me to tell Dad? Probably.
But our parents are the only people they listen to.
I shuffle through the stack of papers on my desk and pull it out, pausing before I hand it to him. “You know, it’s polite to say please.”
He rolls his eyes. “May I please have the reports?”
The way we all use sarcasm toward each other should be studied. His “please” is exaggerated and isn’t doing him any favors with me. If I don’t give him the reports, he’s likely to stay in my office for longer than I want him to.
“Fine,” I mumble and hand them over. “Is there anything else the all-mighty Pierce needs?”
“A girlfriend,” Peter laughs. It’s not the response I was expecting. Usually, he gets mad when the rest of us mock our big brother. My second oldest brother has managed to render me speechless. Not something that happens often.
“You haven’t noticed how grouchy he’s been? It’s like one minor inconvenience sets him off.”
“As opposed to when? That seems to be his status quo with the rest of us who don’t worship the ground he walks on.” My voice has returned and I have a feeling he’ll report what I’m saying to Pierce, but I don’t really care. It’s not anything I haven’t said to his face at some point.
“That’s not how—” He stops as soon as I hold up my finger. I know exactly how he was going to finish that sentence and there’s no way he can deny his hero worship of our brother. “Look, I just want to make him and Dad proud.”
“You can do that without being their lapdog.” It’s a low blow, and I know that as soon as the words are out of my mouth. Him and Philip are the middle children, but instead of doing whatever he wants, he tries to please everyone he sees in an authoritative position.
“Noted.” He nods and leaves the office, shoulders sagging and head down.
Going after him is probably the right thing to do, but I know it won’t amount to anything. Not while he’s upset.
I’m such a shitty sister. Yes, I’m the baby but that doesn’t mean I need to act like the world revolves around me. Stopping by his house this evening has moved up my priority list when I get off work. Sadly, that means I won’t see Beau until later.
My phone dings with a text and I fully expect it to be Beau. He’s pretty much the only person who messages me in the middle of the day. Except it’s not him, it’s…my sister.
Paula
Lunch at Ashes. 2 hours.
Well, she’s being demanding isn’t she. Despite working for the family, I can’t do whatever I want. I have to see if anyone needs my help with anything. Before I have a chance to reply, my phone dings again.
Paula
Don’t bother coming up with a reason why you can’t meet me. If you don’t show up, I’ll be forced to come to the winery.
She acts like that is such a hardship. She washed her hands of the business years ago, aside from an event here or there.
Piper
I’ll be there. Don’t get a seat at the bar. I don’t need Eric all up in our business.
Paula
That’s a given. See you soon baby sis.
She knows I hate when they call me that. It’s true, but that isn’t the only thing I am. When will they see I’m my own person?
There’s nothing I can do about it. No use dwelling over what my older siblings call me. There’s work to do and I need to get these orders over to Pierce if I want them to go out today.
He’s doing inventory wine when I walk into the temperature-controlled warehouse. Every time I come in here, he’s counting bottles. Does he think they are going missing?
After a quick glance, I notice the bottles that were there a week ago are dwindling. Looks like all my efforts are paying off.
“We have more orders,” I announce cheerfully.
He jumps and bumps his head on the shelf above him. I do everything in my power not to giggle. Catching the big brother unaware is a hard feat and yet, I’ve managed it.
“Do I have a bump?” He leans his head toward me, rubbing the spot he hit.
I set the papers on the shelf and lean over him. “You know, I’d be able to see better if you moved your hand.”
“Sorry.” It’s a soft mumble as I push his hair aside and feel around the area his hand vacated seconds ago.
“I don’t feel anything.” Grabbing the papers, I hold them out to him. “Now, if you’re done being a baby, here are the new orders that came in.”
“Did you get those other reports to Peter?”
“Yep. What does he need them for anyway?”
“He’s seeing which wines are selling the most so we know what we need to keep on hand. The sales have been blowing up after the past couple of days. We’ve even had more people walk in according to Parker.”
The urge to tell him it’s because of me floods through every vein in my body. I can’t though. He’s not supposed to know I’m doing the exact opposite of what he said.
“That’s good.” I glance toward the shipping area. We have to be careful with online orders because there are only certain places we can even ship to. “Are those all the boxes we have left?”
“Yeah, I need to order some more.”
“Can we please update the design? Those look so outdated.” They haven’t been changed since my grandpa was running the winery, and you can tell.
He studies them for a moment, and glances at the wine. “Do you have something in mind?”
Not really, but I will if he gives me the okay. “I can come up with something.”
Another few moments pass. He’s going to tell me no, I just know it. “Fine, you can do the design for the boxes. But before you send them to Peter to order, I want to make sure it aligns with the brand.”
As if I’d ever do anything to muck up our winery brand. “Sure thing. What’s Philip up to? I haven’t seen him around.”
“He’s bottling more wine. We’re selling the sangria almost as fast as he gets the bottles done.”
My smirk is small, barely noticeable. At least, I hope. Those sales are one hundred percent because of me. I’m considering that a win. We haven’t even put out all the content Beau has planned with me. It’s good to know the videos we have done are working.
“Do you need help getting the orders out?” The list is kind of long, but with both of us we can get it knocked out pretty quickly. “I can help you for a bit before I have to meet Paula for lunch.”
“Why do you have to?” He tilts his head to the side like a confused puppy.
“Because she ordered me to. You know I can’t say no to the big sister.”
“But you say no to me all the time. How is that fair?”
“She’s nicer.” I can say it with a straight face because it’s the truth. She actually listens to me…unlike some people.
His only response is a grunt as he moves toward the shipping table. “I think I’ve got it. You can head out early if everything else is cleared up. You don’t want to keep Paula waiting.”
Shock. That’s all I feel right now. He never lets me leave early. I mean, I do it anyway. What’s the perk of being one of the future owners if I can’t head out sometimes.
“Thanks.” My feet are quick as I run up and hug him. His body is rigid. No doubt he’s surprised. I rarely show this level of excitement towards him.
“Before you go, can you mark the sangria as low inventory on the site? I don’t want to fill backorders if at all possible.”
“You’ve got it.” I give him a mock salute before rushing out of the warehouse. Can’t take a chance on him changing his mind.
Paula is nowhere to be seen when I walk into Out of the Ashes. She’s here because I saw her car, but I’m glad she’s not at the bar. It’s awesome to be listened to when I voice an opinion.
“She’s at the table in the back corner.” Eric calls from behind the counter. “Don’t think because you’re back there, I won’t find out what’s going on.”
Good gravy. He’s worse than the gossiping old ladies. “You can try.” I grin and head to the back area of the bar.
As soon as I round the corner, I see my sister sitting at a high top with a menu in hand. She doesn’t realize I’m here yet.
“There’s no point in even looking at the thing. You get the same food every time.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder giving her a quick squeeze before sitting across from her.
“You’re one to talk.” She sets the menu on the table and waves Lisa over as soon as she sees her.
We give her our order. Wings and a margarita for me. Grilled chicken salad and a glass of wine for Paula.
“So, you and Beau are finally an item.”
“Where did you hear that?” Thank God she waited for Lisa to walk off. We’ve been spending time together, but we haven’t made a town announcement or anything.
“Girl, it was all over town Sunday morning.” She glances around to make sure Eric isn’t listening in. We both know he likes to dig his fingers into everyone’s problems.
“How does anyone know anything?” I love my small town, but at the same time, it drives me bananas. None of these people can mind their own damned business.
“Did you really think you’d be able to kiss in public and nobody would talk about it?” She shakes her head. “Why do you think I made sure to be seen with Tristan before we went on the family vacation? I needed there to be proof outside of me saying he was my boyfriend.”
“I didn’t think anyone would be watching us under a microscope.” Does Beau know we’re the talk of the town?
“Please, nobody is paying that much attention to you. But when he practically claims you in the middle of a town fair. It’s gonna be the top story.”
She has a point. We should have waited until we got back to his place. It’s not abnormal to see us together. It is to see him with his tongue down my throat. Even if we’re gossip fodder, I don’t regret it one bit. Then the words my sister first said to me hit me.
“Wait, what did you mean by finally?”
Instead of answering, she laughs. Not quietly or politely. No, her hand slaps the table, and I wonder if she’s going to knock it over trying to keep herself in her chair.
“You’re funny.” She points to me as soon as she’s able to calm down. “The two of you have been dancing around each other since you were thirteen. For whatever ridiculous reason everyone could see it, except both of you.”
“I didn’t think anyone could tell I had a crush on him. He never noticed.”
“That’s because you have four brothers and had no idea how to flirt that didn’t involve punching.” She shakes her head and tightens her ponytail. “Honestly, I probably should have stepped in when I realized you liked him as more than a friend.”
“Eh, it was better that we figured it out on our own time. Though, I kind of feel bad for telling him about all my failed dates now.”
Paula is shaking her head. “No, don’t apologize for that. He didn’t clue you in on how it made him feel so you didn’t know.” Lisa sets our drinks in front of us and then heads back to the kitchen. “Now, how did you make the first move?”
“I actually didn’t.” My cheeks burn relaying how everything went down. This is nice. Being able to talk to my sister about something good that doesn’t involve bitching about our siblings is exactly what I needed today.