Paws and Prejudice

by Alanna Martin

  Ian shut off the water, in danger of breaking a glass. “What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t have both.”

  “You know that how?” Micah crossed his arms. “The brewery is going to survive. I’m less sure about you. Or me, for that matter, since living with you has been a real joy lately, what with you acting miserable all the time.”

  “I’m not acting miserable all the time.”

  “Oy, no.” Micah snapped his fingers. “It’s worse than that. You know what you’re acting like? Your father.”

  Ian stared at him. “Excuse me?”

  “Isn’t that what you said your father did—he put his job over the people in his life?”

  Yes, that was exactly what his father had done. It was why he’d dumped Ian and Isabel on their grandparents. He’d chosen work over his children.

  “It’s not the same thing,” Ian grumbled.

  “How is it different?”

  “I told you.” He collapsed on one of the barstools. “The brewery needs to stay neutral in the feud, and I couldn’t do that for us and be with Kelsey at the same time. I should have figured that out before I got involved with her, but I was too focused on her to see it. It was my mistake, and so it’s my responsibility to get us out of this mess.”

  Micah shrugged. “Seems to me the mess is manageable. It isn’t Kelsey’s fault that people in this town have issues, and there is nothing we accomplished in the last couple of weeks that we couldn’t have accomplished with her around. In fact, I’d argue that you would have been far more productive if you hadn’t had your head up your mopey ass the whole time.”

  Ian wanted to argue, especially that last point, but Micah wasn’t wrong. He’d been so lost without Kelsey (and her dogs, strangely enough) that half the time he was supposed to be focusing on work, he was thinking about her. Or sometimes he just stared into space, absorbed by the emptiness in his chest. He was supposed to have been overcome with fear and desperation for the business, but once his initial panic had subsided, it wasn’t the brewery’s possible fate that had dismayed him. It was missing Kelsey.

  “I take it from your silence that you don’t disagree,” Micah said.

  Ian lowered his head to the bar, wishing he hadn’t tossed the rest of his beer sample. He was feeling sick, but also like he needed to get terribly drunk so he could forget how badly he’d screwed up. “I love her.”

  “Yeah, I figured that out.” Micah thwacked him on the side of the head. “So, since you’re finally removing your head from your ass, might I suggest you try telling her that?”

  His friend made it sound so simple. Ian knew her better. He hadn’t tried contacting Kelsey since she’d told him to leave her alone, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she’d blocked his number since.

  “I don’t think an ‘I’m sorry’ is going to cut it,” Ian said.

  “Probably not, but I’ve always found it a good start.” Micah grabbed his jacket. “Now, since it’s Saturday and I’m supposed to be resting, I need to go home.”

  He kindly didn’t add it, but Ian knew it was also because Micah was making plans for his latest date with Maggie.

  After Micah left through the back, Ian stared at his phone. As tempting as it was to believe he could call Kelsey and make things better, he doubted it. But maybe Josh would have some insight. Kelsey’s cousin had sent him a couple of messages over the last few days, and Ian had ignored them. He’d assumed Josh was telling him off for treating Kelsey like crap in that weird mafia family–like way that seemed to be the norm in this town, but that didn’t mean Josh wouldn’t hear him out. It was an idea, anyway.

  Before he could settle on whether this was a smart plan or a terrible one, someone knocked at the brewery’s main door. Surprised out of his misery, Ian slid off the stool as he yelled, “Come in!”

  A flashback to the day he’d met Kelsey popped into Ian’s mind, and his heart skipped with hope for a half second that it might be her outside. Instead it was her cousin, the man he’d been considering texting, and the coincidence was unsettling.

  “Sorry to bother you,” Josh said, stepping inside. “I sent you a couple texts and hadn’t heard back, so when I saw your truck outside, I thought I’d pop in.”

  “No problem. Sorry, I’ve been busy, but I was about done here today. What’s up?” He wanted it to be news about Kelsey and also feared it would be more like a lecture about her.

  Josh was looking around the almost finished tasting room and nodding. “Are you done? It looks nice.”

  “Mostly. Thanks.” It did look nice, if he thought so himself. He’d had electricians do the wiring and plumbers take care of the sinks, but he and Micah had installed the bar and stools, built and hung the shelves, and decorated the walls. The result was a little rustic but with lots of modern touches. It fit in with the town but maintained its own style.

  “So what can I help you with?” Ian asked again.

  “Oh, right.” Josh rubbed his neck sheepishly. “This is going to sound weird, but would you mind if I trespassed on your property later?”

  “You’re right. That does sound weird.”

  “This is where Taylor and I went on our first date, and I was thinking it would be fun to propose to her here. In your parking lot.” Josh cringed. “When I say it out loud, it doesn’t actually sound that romantic, does it?”

  Josh’s request was so not what Ian was expecting that he had to laugh. “Not in the usual sense, no, but in your case, yes. Sure. That might be the best thing that ever happens to the parking lot.”

  “Great. Thanks. Now I just need the girl to say yes.”

  Some of Ian’s laughter died away as Kelsey returned to the front of his mind. Josh wasn’t worried about the feud. Nor was Taylor. They were plowing ahead despite it. “Is that really in question?”

  Josh smiled. “No, but you’ve lived here long enough to know what a thing this is going to be. Porters and Lipins getting engaged? Taylor and I have discussed it, and prepared for it, but it’s still going to be a bit like jumping in the bay in the middle of January. On the positive side, all the chaos we’re going to cause might take some attention away from Kels. I’m not sure how aware you are, but Kelsey’s as close to a celebrity as we get in Helen thanks to our family, and your brief romance and subsequent breakup have lots of people talking. She did me and Taylor a huge favor a few months ago. We might never have reached this point without her, so the timing is all the sweeter if it benefits her. “

  Although Ian knew the news about their breakup had spread, he hadn’t been aware that people were still talking. Another part of being an outsider—no one had clued him in to the extent of it.

  “How is Kelsey?” When Josh didn’t answer right away, Ian rubbed his eyes. “Do you want a drink? I need a drink.”

  Being talked about all over town required it, despite having wanted the news to spread.

  More of the beer sample he’d drawn off was sitting in a measuring cup in the fridge, and Ian poured it into two small glasses, passing one to Josh.

  Josh sipped it. “This is heavy but good.”

  “I was hoping to tempt Kelsey with it. See if I could make a beer drinker out of her.”

  Josh was silent a moment, leaving Ian to wonder whether he wanted to discuss his cousin or avoid the topic. “Kelsey’s hanging in. She’s tough. It’s hard to know exactly what’s going through her head.”

  “I noticed. She doesn’t like to show weakness, or emotions other than anger.”

  “Which isn’t the same as not feeling them.”

  Very much not. Ian had learned Kelsey felt deeply. It was one of the things he loved about her. “She has a big heart underneath her icy exterior.”

  “You noticed that?” Josh chuckled. “I guess you would have. You’re the first person I’ve seen Kelsey willing to get close to in a long time. She’s kind of a marshmallow beneath th
at skin of hers.”

  “Her devotion to her dogs should have been a clue.”

  Josh nodded. “She’s good at hiding it until you realize all of her tells. I think she was annoyed that I wasn’t more surprised about her writing romance.”

  Ian swore, aware that this was another way he’d begun imitating his father, but at least the swearing didn’t hurt anyone. “She told you that?”

  Josh took another sip of his beer. “I had the honor of being the second person. Well, really the third person, I guess, since technically you were the first to find out.”

  Ian swallowed. There was no way it was a coincidence that Kelsey had started telling her family about her writing. She had to be doing it because of what he’d said to her, and what did that mean? Had she taken his words to heart? Was she doing it to prove to herself that she wasn’t like him? The questions were going to torment him. He could ask Josh, but although Josh might be sympathetic, there was no question he was also Team Kelsey.

  Ian lowered his head. “I screwed up with her, and I don’t know how to fix that. I panicked and pushed her away.”

  Josh drained the last of his beer. “Been there, done that.”

  “Any advice?”

  “Grovel a lot?” Josh shook his head. “Kelsey’s a marshmallow, but she’s a murdery marshmallow. She holds grudges amazingly well.”

  “Seems to be a family trait.”

  “It is. You’re going to have to convince her that you won’t make the same mistake again, and since I don’t know the details about how things went down between you, I don’t know how to tell you to do that. But that would be my advice.”

  There was no question—he would not make the same mistake twice. Once what he’d done had hit him, the brewery had become almost an afterthought. But knowing that in his heart and making Kelsey believe it were two different things.

  Ian finished his beer, mulling this over. “Thanks for the pep talk, and the parking lot is yours. I hope Taylor says yes.”

  Grinning, Josh got up. “I’m less worried about that than I am about the fallout. But it won’t be the first time we’ve managed to piss off everyone in town.”

  Ian silently wished Josh and Taylor luck with that. He, too, now had firsthand experience with pissing off the entire town.

  “You know . . .” The beginnings of an idea took shape in Ian’s head. If he had to convince Kelsey he wouldn’t put his work before her again, here was his opportunity. As a bonus, it was also something he could do for Josh and Taylor. “If you’re considering having an engagement party and need neutral ground, feel free to use this space. We’re not officially opening to the public until the spring, so it’s available anytime.”

  “Really?” Josh took another look around. “That’s a great idea. But if you’re siding with us in this mess, it’s going to make you some enemies.”

  Ian pushed down his anxiety. “I know, and I’ll need to run this offer by Micah to get his approval, but I’d rather side with the love crowd than keep kissing the asses of the haters. I made the mistake of not choosing love once. I need to correct it.”

  * * *

  * * *

  “I’M STILL MAD at you, FYI,” Maggie said, leaning over the table at the Espresso Express. “You know how much I read, and you never told me you write books.”

  Kelsey broke off a piece of the chocolate lava cake they were sharing. “It was nothing personal.”

  “Oh, I understand your reasons for keeping quiet. But books!” Maggie smacked Kelsey’s fork away as she dug into the cake too. “Has anything truly terrible happened yet?”

  Kelsey shook her head, washing down the overly rich cake with her caffè mocha. She’d filled Maggie in on her reasons for keeping her profession a secret, but as far as she could tell, her secret (that was no longer secret) had yet to spread beyond the few people she’d told. Maggie was the first who didn’t count as family, since Kelsey was considering Peter to be as good as a Porter, given his engagement to Kevin. Regardless, if the news did begin to spread, it wasn’t half as juicy as the news that her cousin was marrying a Lipin.

  Kelsey had been as surprised as anyone when she’d heard about Josh and Taylor this morning. Not that she hadn’t seen it coming eventually, but it was a brash move, and although Josh hadn’t outright said so, she suspected the timing had been partly for her sake.

  She liked to tell Josh it was a good thing he hadn’t grown up in Helen. He was too damn nice.

  “How was your date last night?” Kelsey asked. She was glad to see Maggie happy, and if her friend happened to have heard any news about Ian, well, it wouldn’t be unfortunate if she shared.

  “Fun. We played a lot of pool.” Maggie narrowed her eyes. “Are you okay to be asking?”

  “I’m fine. Why?”

  Maggie shrugged and sipped her coffee. “Micah said Ian was not fine, and I don’t want to talk about my love life if you’re hurting.”

  Kelsey smiled, although the news about Ian didn’t bring her the joy she wished it did. “Better than fine. If Ian is not fine, I’m extra fine.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Was everyone capable of seeing through her ruses these days? Did letting on that she wrote romance mean people had started to assume she had a heart?

  A text from Josh arrived, and Kelsey used the excuse to drop the subject, deciding she’d been wrong to think she wanted to hear about Ian. Unfortunately, if she’d wanted to put him out of her mind entirely, Josh’s message had the opposite effect.

  “What?” She nearly knocked over her mug and had to read the text a second time. “Josh sent me a save-the-date message for an engagement party.”

  “Why is that shocking?”

  “It’s not. It’s the location. He’s having it at the brewery.”

  “Ooh.” Maggie lifted her own mug before Kelsey’s flailing caused an accident. “That’s a cool idea.”

  Cool was not the word that had popped into Kelsey’s head. “Ian’s going to piss off everyone if he lets them use the brewery.”

  “Not everyone,” Maggie said. “If everyone was pissed off, there’d be no party.”

  Kelsey jabbed her fork into the cake, unsure whether her friend was being deliberately obtuse or if she really wasn’t getting it. “Ian was stressed about losing the Lipins’ business. It’s why . . .” She trailed off, unable to form the words he dumped me without gagging on them. “I would have expected him to have been kissing up to the Lipins all this time. Making sure they know we’re no longer together. But if he’s letting Josh and Taylor use the brewery, it’ll be for nothing. They’ll be furious all over again.”

  Maggie’s brow wrinkled. “True. Or maybe he tried ingratiating himself with the Lipins again and it didn’t work, so he figured why not help your cousin?”

  That was a possibility, but Kelsey didn’t want to believe it. Ian had kicked her out of his life because his work was more important than she was. After doing that, how dare he not take every opportunity to put the brewery first? How dare he quit trying?

  Unless he’d never been that invested in her in the first place.

  Kelsey took a big sip of her drink, using it to swallow down a fresh wave of tears. She hadn’t cried over Ian in days. There was no way she was getting sucked back into this pit of dejection, especially not in public.

  Shifting focus, she shoved her phone aside. “I can’t believe Josh would want to have the party at the brewery after what I went through with Ian. It’s rude.”

  Never mind that her cousin was helping her. Kelsey would take anger—even unjustifiable anger—over more pain. She was sure Josh would understand.

  28

  THERE WAS NO amount of sugar that could heal the wounds Josh’s text had reopened, although Kelsey had tried. After parting ways with Maggie, she’d bought herself a half dozen cupcakes to take home as a metaphorical bandage. If she didn�
�t watch it, this broken heart was going to start taking a toll on her waistline, and she loathed clothes shopping, so that would be unfortunate. But hey, she could always take the dogs for another walk before dinner.

  Feeling somewhat cheered up by her plan, Kelsey bounded up the path to her front door, doing her best not to jostle the cupcakes. She didn’t notice that there was a paper bag sitting on her stoop until she almost kicked it over. It looked vaguely bottle-shaped, but that told her nothing, and she didn’t trust it. Unlabeled, mysterious packages were reminiscent of Porter and Lipin childish pranks, so she temporarily left it alone.

  “What is going on in here?” Kelsey shoved the door closed behind her, taking in the living room and the three excited dogs who immediately started barking. She was usually pretty chill about letting them on the furniture, and they normally didn’t abuse that privilege, but today there were pillows scattered all over the floor and an overturned chair in the corner.

  Her first thought—that someone had broken in—was quickly dismissed. The dogs were happy excited, tails wagging fiercely. As Kelsey set down the cupcake box in the kitchen, she looked for any signs that someone else had been in the house, but there were none. Kevin had a key in case of emergencies, but he wouldn’t have used it without telling her, and nothing appeared out of place besides the furniture.

  “Why?” she asked the dogs.

  Only Juliet acted a bit remorseful. She hung her head and stretched out on the floor as though she could make herself disappear. Romeo and Puck chose to follow Kelsey around as she picked up their mess, acting like they’d done nothing wrong.

  Kelsey remembered the mysterious bag as she tossed the last pillow on the sofa, and she glanced at the huskies. “Is this because someone left something on the step?” The dogs would have had a clear view of anyone approaching the door.

  That Juliet and Puck were happy excited could mean anything. They were as thrilled for the mail carrier as they were for Josh or a total stranger. Romeo, on the other hand, narrowed down the options considerably. Whoever it had been, it was someone the husky liked, and that was not a long list.