Chapter 49
FORTY-NINE
MEREDITH
People fill the brewery, having heard it’s the last day of regular operation.
Every stool is full, and there are only three seats open at the bar.
Molly and Brennan have been busting their asses, and they’ve both told me that if by some miracle Jules Creek stays open under the new owners, they’d like to keep working here.
Until it’s sold, this place will sit empty, waiting.
But I won’t be here.
For the past four weeks, I’ve been running things as is and planning my departure.
I deliver two mugs to Carlos and Esme. They’re sitting with Ben and Declan. Ben went to school with one of their kids. “Here you go.”
Carlos beams at me. “Nice turnout, kid.”
I chase off the sadness and smile. “It’s great. What a goodbye.”
“Too bad you have to work,” Esme says.
I shrug, also wishing I didn’t have to work. “Consider it practice. For the grand opening of the place Duncan’s building.”
The one I’ll be managing. Duncan Sterling is my new boss.
Not technically… yet. It took me a week after Calder left to call Duncan and throw my hat into the ring.
Duncan said mine was the only hat. The job is mine, but the paperwork will happen after all the licenses are secured and he has an opening date to work toward.
The place needs renovating, and he’ll pay me as a consultant until then.
So. My life is taking off.
“Can I get you anything else?” I gather Ben and Declan’s empty flight.
Ben waves his hand to tell me no refills. “You’ve served enough. I’ll have to wait until Declan and I can check into that guest ranch you’ll be overseeing.”
“Without the ranching,” Declan adds. “Just the drinking. Is he doing wine?”
“No plans,” I say with a grin.
Carlos rises out of his chair. “Let me help you with those.”
He takes the glasses from me, and I collect more as I go. When we get to the bar counter, he waits at the end for me to drop off our haul.
When I reach him, I turn my back. It’s not private, but it’s the best we can do.
“What’s up, Carlos?”
Worry and sympathy fill his eyes. “You hear from him?”
Carlos doesn’t know how serious it was with me and Calder. He probably heard something, and maybe Calder even told him a portion of what went on. Yet no one knows just how close we got but us.
Not close enough to stay together, though.
“No. Nothing.” I push a lock of hair that I didn’t get into my ponytail behind my ear. “We agreed to keep things going as is until the fair this weekend.”
Then, after that, they’ll have their people dissolve it with Carlos’s help.
He nods. “I sent them all a ‘how ya doing?’ text and got back a one-word response.” He sticks up his index finger, and then adds a second one. “Two words, actually. ‘Fine. You?’”
A giggle leaves me, and there haven’t been many of those since Calder left. “Sounds about right. They’re back to being uber-successful CEOs.”
“It’s no worse than our lives.”
I give him a placating smile. “Wealthier, though.”
The corners of his eyes crinkle when he laughs. “Definitely that. How are you doing?”
“I don’t know.” It’s the first time I’ve answered that honestly. “Normally, I’d talk to Holly, and she’d give me advice.”
He smiles. “She loved you like a daughter. I talked to Sawyer. She said she was coming.” He twists to look around.
Just then, the door opens, and she walks in with Beth Sterling.
I wave at them and point to the two seats at the bar. They’re right on the corner. Relieved, Sawyer leads the way between the tables. She gives Carlos a quick hug when she reaches us.
Beth slides onto the stool. Her pale hair’s pulled back, and the freckles across her nose stand out against her tanned skin. “Wow, all of Scandal is in here. The patio is loaded.”
“It’s great to see. What can I get you?” I lean close. “It’s on the house. For all the help you’ve been over the years.”
A green tint glosses her cheeks. “Oh, no. I don’t think my stomach can handle a beer.” She puts her hand on her belly. “I think I need to, uh, quit with gluten or something. Don’t worry, I’m not infectious.”
“I’m the wrong doctor to treat you,” Sawyer jokes.
Carlos peers out the window to the patio. “Is that the good deputy out there?”
Beth lights up. “Finn?”
“He’s the only good one,” Sawyer mutters.
“Can you save my seat?” Beth climbs off her stool. “I need to go recruit my brother for some haying.”
“I’d better get back to the wife. Let me know if you hear anything.” Carlos meanders away.
Sawyer gives me a questioning look.
This is my last night to soak in everything Jules Creek. I don’t want to spend it talking about Calder. At the same time, it’s all I want to discuss. Maybe then I won’t think about him all the time.
“He asked if I heard from the guys.”
“You haven’t heard from one guy in particular.” She folds her arms on the bar counter.
“Nope.”
I just made a sweep of the taproom for refills. Molly’s on the patio taking orders, and Brennan’s entering with an armload of empty glassware. He stops to talk with Crossroads’ other neighbors, the Millers. They’re nice enough. Better than Gil, but I’ve got an out-for-themselves vibe from them.
With the duties covered for the time being, I take the opening to ask Sawyer what’s been on my mind for weeks. “Did Calder and I play a game of chicken, veer in different directions, and just keep going? Should I text him?”
“Why would you?” she asks gently.
“Because…” I miss him. I want him. It’s been a month, and I’m afraid I made a mistake. But the fact is, he hasn’t called or texted either. He hasn’t driven into town to lift me off my feet and tell me he wants to give me everything.
We had one last amazing night, and it was the hottest, sweetest, saddest goodbye of my life.