by Carrie Elks
People, yeah. Numbers, no way.
Eliana nodded, her delicate fingers holding the printed paper. “You’re right. I’d hoped the blend would be enough but…” She sighed heavily. “Is a single malt really the way to go? The investment will be huge. Sourcing barley, building a maltings, and then there’s the springwater. It’ll be hugely expensive to tank in.”
“It’s the best. There’s no point in doing this unless I can source the best water. We both know it’s the surefire way to making a great whiskey.” He’d learned that in Scotland, where they’d used the ice cold water from the mountains, filtered through volcanic rock and rich in minerals. It had been on their doorstep there, where the distillery was nestled into the side of the foothills, and the water flowed directly into their huge wells.
Here it would take either pumping the water from a source or having it brought in tankers. A third option – to build a distillery next to the water source, but that was too costly.
The idea of trying to reproduce a Scotch single malt here in GSC had come to him yesterday. Creating a true artisan blend that was brewed using the traditional Scotch methods, rather than the American way. There were only a few distilleries in the US doing it, and GSC had the edge of his experience.
He could make this work, if he had the investment.
Releasing the paper, his mom pushed it back toward him. “You know what you need to do.”
“Persuade Lawrence and Nina.” Nathan would agree, he knew that well enough. His brother was always on his side.
His mom gave him a soft smile. “Use your charm. I know it’s in there somewhere.”
“Charm might work on Nina.”
“But not Lawrence.” She sighed. “Can’t the two of you bury the hatchet once and for all.”
“I’m not the one who did the dirty on his half-brother,” Nathan reminded her. “That’s all on Lawrence.”
“It was so long ago.” She reached out to squeeze his hand. “When was the last time you two spoke?”
“Before I left for Scotland.” It wasn’t so much speaking as shouting at each other. Daniel blinked the memory away.
Eliana nodded, running her finger along her bottom lip. “Maybe you should go to Charleston. Take Nina and Lawrence through the plans face to face. In person is always better than video. Maybe it’ll give you the chance to build some bridges, too.”
“What happened to me never talking to him again? I thought you disliked Lawrence as much as I do.”
A ghost of a smile passed her lips. “I disliked what he did to you, but I still love your brother. I also know how much you love this business. If it takes charming Lawrence to get what you need, then that’s what you should do. I’m all for being pragmatic.” She squeezed his fingers again. “And maybe I’m sentimental, too. He’s still your brother, even after everything that’s happened.”
Daniel sighed and slid the paper back into the file folder. “Okay, I’ll go to Charleston and take them through it.” The thought of heading to the state capital made him want to punch something.
Eliana beamed. “Good. It’s the first step to making it work. Have I told you how pleased I am to have you home? Even if the other half of my heart is in Tokyo right now?”
“I don’t think you have, no.” He shook his head, unable to hide the smile on his lips.
“Okay then.” She stood. “I’m so happy you’re here. I’ve missed you. And now I’m going to head home. Would you like to join me for dinner again?”
“Not tonight. I have other plans.” They involved a punching bag and his fists, as well as not thinking about Becca Hartson’s open blouse.
“Another time then.” She kissed his cheek and left the room in a waft of Youth Dew, lifting her hand to wave goodbye.
“Yeah, another time.” He glanced at the trash can. The half-eaten scone was still laying at the top. He grabbed a piece of paper and covered it up, not really knowing why.
Maybe he didn’t want to deal with Becca again. Or explain why he’d thrown her scone away.
Yeah, that was it. He’d do anything for a quiet life.
“So give me all the details about this new project,” Naomi said, lifting her cup to her lips. “I’ve been working on the numbers all week and I’m dying to know when it’s going to start.”
Becca tipped her head to the side. “What project?”
“The new Scotch single malt. If I have to calculate any more construction costs and commodity prices I think I’m going to pull my hair out. I know you guys go crazy about crops and the quality of the ingredients, but do you know how much it’s going to cost to grow and malt ourselves? Surely you could just buy some on the market.” Naomi shook her head, her pink lips curling into a smile.
Like Becca, Naomi had joined GSC straight from college. As a business major, she’d been a natural choice to become a junior accountant when a position opened in the finance department. Along with Mia, she was also one of Becca’s closest friends at work. They’d been the inaugural founders of the coffee club, having bonded over their mutual disgust of the powdered swill that GSC brought in.
“I haven’t heard about a project.” Becca kept her voice light, but her chest felt tight. If there were plans, she should have heard of them. When Nathan was running operations, she would probably have been the first to hear. He liked to use her as a sounding board – that’s how the International Blend came to life.
She wasn’t expecting Daniel or Eliana to give her any special treatment. But she was one of GSC’s best distillers, and it hurt to be cut out.
“Oh.” Naomi’s face fell. “I thought you would have. I figured you’d be involved in the planning. Especially after you did so well with the International Blend.”
Talk of the International Blend still stung after her meeting with Daniel. “Maybe they want to keep their cards close to their chests. I’m sure I’ll hear soon.” She drained her cup and put it in the sink. “I should get back. I have a billion things to check before I clock out for the night.”
It was already past six in the evening. Usually, she liked to leave early on Friday nights. It was the one night a week that all of Hartson’s Creek got together at the water’s edge to spend time together and drink sweet lemonade. Known locally as Chairs, because of the fact they all took their own chairs to place on the grassy lawns, it was a local institution. The women talked out their problems, the children played, and the men either threw themselves into it or grumbled about being dragged along.
Or, if they were her brothers, they headed to the Moonlight Bar instead.
“Oh, hey, I was going to ask you for a favor,” Naomi said before Becca walked out of the kitchen.
“Sure?” Becca smiled at her. “What can I do?”
“Remember how Alex used to be in the Army?” Alex was Naomi’s husband. The two of them lived in a pretty cottage on the edge of town.
“Yeah, I remember.”
“One of his old buddies is flying in for a visit next week. We were wondering if you’d like to join the three of us for dinner?”
“As in a double date?”
“As in I thought we could have some fun. Shawn’s a good guy, and he’s only in town for a few days. If it’s the three of us then the guys are going to end up talking to each other and I’ll have to smile and nod in the right places. If you come we can dance and ignore them.” Naomi looked at her imploringly. “Come, please?”
“Don’t you have any other single schmucks for friends?”
Naomi grinned. “None as easy to persuade as you.”
Becca laughed. “So you’re saying you’re only asking me because I’m a pushover?”
“I’m asking because I want to spend some time with you. It’ll be fun.” She grabbed Becca’s hand and squeezed. “Say yes. Otherwise I’ll pull all of my beautiful hair out.”
Becca rolled her eyes at Naomi’s dramatics, though a smile pulled at her lips. “Okay.”
Naomi squealed and Becca shook her head. “I’m only doing t
his because I love you. And because you’re going to keep me updated with what’s going on with this new project.”
“I’m not above a little corporate espionage to get what I want.”
Yeah, and nor was Becca by the looks of it. She was still irritated by the fact she didn’t have an inkling about this project.
“I’ll see you later. Have a good weekend.” Becca lifted her hand.
“Friday night. I promise it’ll be fun. Shawn’s off to the Middle East after his leave, so there’s no commitments. We can wear pretty dresses and dance our asses off.” Naomi lifted her brows. “That’ll give him something to remember when he’s in Afghanistan.”
Becca shook her head and sighed. She’d wear the kind of things she always wore. Jeans and a cute top would work perfectly. “I don’t need to show him my legs to give him something to remember.” She blew Naomi a kiss and walked out of the kitchen, right into Eliana Scott-Carter.
The single malt – and her lack of involvement in it – was still playing on her mind. Her brows pinched together.
“Everything okay?”
Becca nodded, letting the frown wash off her face. None of this was Eliana’s fault, she’d always been a big supporter of Becca’s. “Everything is fine. I’m just trying to get things finished before the weekend.” She waited for Eliana to give her customary nod and walk away, but instead her elegant uber-boss stayed exactly where she was.
“I imagine you have a busy weekend planned. With all your lovely brothers.”
Eliana had met the Hartson brothers when they’d recorded an advertisement for the International Blend. It had featured Becca’s four brothers sitting in Gray’s backyard while they laughed and shot the breeze. Nathan had laughed that his mom had a thing for Gray, but she hadn’t shown it. Just watched quietly, in her usual way, her blue eyes noticing everything.
Her eyes were the same color as Daniel’s, Becca realized.
“I’ll probably see them. But not until after I sleep-in tomorrow. It’s been a long week.”
“It’s nice that your family is so close.” Eliana showed no signs of returning to her office. This was probably the longest she’d ever spoken to Becca. “The way families should be.”
Maybe Eliana was missing Nathan. Becca nodded, giving her a sympathetic smile. “I guess. Though we fought like cats and dogs when we were younger. And they still drive me crazy on occasion.”
“Are they a little over protective?”
“That’s an understatement.”
“Give them time. They’ll come around.”
Becca bit her lip. While Eliana was in a good mood, maybe she should take the opportunity to find out some information. “Um, can I ask you a question. If you have time, that is?”
“Of course. Shoot. Or fire.” Eliana frowned. “Whichever people are using these days.”
“I heard about the new single malt.” She wasn’t going to tell her Naomi was the leak. “And I was wondering why I hadn’t been involved as one of the distillers.”
“You heard about that? I suppose things are never secret around here for long.” Eliana patted her arm. “And the answer is because we haven’t really done anything about it yet. It’s an idea Daniel has, but it’s in its infancy. You’ll all be involved when it gets going, I’m sure.”
“Oh.” Becca breathed out a sigh of relief. “I was wondering if you were unhappy with my work.”
“Of course not.” Eliana shook her head. “Where did you get that idea from? Nathan always sung your praises very highly. And I’m sure Daniel will too when he gets to know you.”
The mention of Daniel’s name made Becca tense. “He doesn’t seem very happy with the International Blend.”
“Did he tell you that?”
Becca pulled her lip between her teeth, torn between telling the truth and covering up for Daniel. “Pretty much.” Okay, so maybe it wasn’t much of a choice.
“The International Blend is wonderful. It’s received great write ups in the trade press and the marketing campaign has really done the trick. Daniel’s a perfectionist. He always wants to make things better.” She gave a tinkling laugh. “When he was a child it drove me mad. He’d rebuild a LEGO project about a hundred times, throwing away parts that wouldn’t work exactly how he wanted. Do you know how painful it is to step on Legos in bare feet?”
Becca smiled. “I can imagine.”
“Please don’t worry about this. You’re a valued member of the senior team.” Eliana patted Becca’s upper arm again, as though she had no idea what else to do. “Now it’s late, and we should both be finishing up. I’m all for girl power, but we don’t need to be the last people left in the building.”
“Thank you.” Becca nodded. “Have a good weekend.”
“You, too, dear.”
“No.” Daniel shook his head, his jaw tightening.
“Why not?” His mother steepled her fingers together, leaning across the dining room table to look at him.
“I’m going to recruit for the lead distiller to work directly under me. Miss Hartson can stay working on the International Blend.”
“I thought you didn’t like her work on the blend.” Eliana’s lips twitched. “Or at least, that’s the impression you gave her.”
Daniel sighed. Why the hell were they talking about Becca Hartson on a Saturday night? Didn’t she haunt him enough during the week, now he had to think of her over the weekend, too?
“I told her she had a lot to learn. Which she does. And that there are aspects of the blend that could be improved. Which there are.” He ran his finger around the rim of his wine glass. “She’s too green. Too eager to please. I need somebody who won’t stop until they make the best glass of whiskey they’ve ever tasted.”
“You’re describing yourself, darling. And there’s only one of you in this world.”
Daniel arched an eyebrow. “Is that relief I hear?”
His mother laughed. “She’s a good distiller. I don’t understand why you’ve taken a dislike to her. Nathan was always singing her praises.”
“I bet he was.”
The smile slipped from her lips. “What’s that supposed to mean? Is there something going on between Nathan and Becca?”
“No.” He wasn’t going to tell his mom that Becca Hartson seemed overfriendly with the staff. Or that he’d caught her in Nathan’s arms the night he arrived back. The memory tasted like bottom shelf liquor on his tongue.
“It wouldn’t matter if there was, would it?” Eliana continued. “We don’t have anything in our contracts that says staff can’t have relationships. It’d be rather hypocritical, since your father and I met at the distillery.”
“You owned the distillery. Or half of it. There’s a difference.”
“I owned nothing at the time. My father was still alive and your father’s partner. I worked for him and Larry.” Eliana smiled at Daniel over the rim of her glass. “So technically, Nathan and Becca would be no different than your parents.”
“There’s nothing going on between Nathan and Becca. Nathan assured me of that. They’re just friends.”
“So why have you taken a dislike to her?” Eliana put her glass down.
“I haven’t. I just don’t want her working on this project.” It’d be almost impossible to avoid her. For the past few days he’d had good success at not being wherever Becca Hartson was. He’d even managed a few hours without thinking about her.
“Well, she deserves a chance at least. Along with anybody else who applies for the job.”
“You want me to interview her for the role?”
“Maybe.”
“But I know what she can do.”
“Do you?” Eliana lifted an eyebrow. “Or have you made assumptions? The fact is, Miss Hartson is more than qualified for the job. We’ve trained her for this. If you don’t interview her, you stand a good chance of being accused of bias.”
“I’m not biased,” he protested. “I just want the single malt to be a success.”
Daniel looked at her carefully. “Why are you so keen on Becca Hartson all of a sudden?”
“I’m not keen on her. I just know a good worker when I see one. And the fact she’s a woman makes me interested in her success.”
“There are plenty of women working at G. Scott Carter.”
“In the still room?”
Daniel frowned. “Well… no. But we have plenty in top jobs in the rest of the company. We’re an equal opportunity employer.”
“Then let’s give her an equal opportunity.”
He leaned back in his chair. He knew when he was defeated. Mostly because his mother was right. Becca did deserve a chance to show what she could do. And if she was anybody else, he’d be pushing for them to get the opportunity. But Becca Hartson… she made him second guess himself. She was attractive and aggravating and so damn eager to please everybody.
Except him. She never seemed that eager to please him. Maybe that’s what was so annoying. He wasn’t sure. All he knew was working with her would be dangerous.
“Okay.” He said it with a sigh.
Eliana lifted a brow. “Okay?” she asked.
“If she applies for the job, I’ll give her the chance to prove herself. But she might not want to. It’ll involve working closely with me.” He gave the smallest of laughs. “And I’m pretty sure she dislikes me.”
Or maybe he hoped she did. Because that would be safer.
For him and for her.
Chapter Seven