by Natalie Ann
She pulled in the parking lot of Fierce, then made her way to the door. Looked like it just opened, but there were plenty of people sitting in the bar at tables looking over menus. The hostess stopped her. “Table for one or are you waiting for someone?”
“Actually I’m supposed to meet with Ella,” she said, looking around, wondering where they were going to meet. Maybe there was an office in the back of the bar. Oh wait, the more formal restaurant was there.
“I don’t know anything about that. Follow me to the bar and I’ll ask Aimee.”
Jessica followed behind, taking in everything and anything around her. This place was huge. She’d never been in here before. Again, she didn’t have a lot of friends and was too embarrassed to go to a bar alone.
“Aimee,” the hostess said to the young woman behind the counter. Her long curly hair was pulled back with a few strands escaping. “She said she’s here to see Ella. Do you know anything about it?”
“I’ve got it, Jordan. Did Mason send you here?” Aimee asked, reaching her hand out. “I’m Aimee Reed, soon to be Fierce this summer when I marry Brody.”
“Yes. I just finished interviewing for the tour position at the brewery.”
“Great. We knew all about it. Well, the family did. I’m sure Ella knows you’re coming, but I’ll just call up and let her know you’re here. Have a seat at the bar. Can I get you a drink?”
Jessica eyed all the beers on tap and was tempted, but didn’t. That wouldn’t be right. Not professional either, no matter how much she was dying to try a few she’d never had before. “I’m good, thanks.”
She sat at one of the high back chairs while Aimee picked up the phone. A few minutes later, Ella Fierce came out of the swinging doors. There was no mistaking who she was. She looked too much like Mason with dark hair and eyes, only she was softer and smaller.
“Hi, Jessica. I’m Ella, follow me upstairs and we’ll get your paperwork taken care of.”
Jessica was wide-eyed when she followed Ella through the restaurant, then the kitchen and up a set of stairs in the back. “I thought the brewery was amazing, but this is just out of this world. I had no clue everything that was housed in this building.”
“We’ve got a nice smooth flow with the business. So my mother picked you out?” Ella said suddenly when they walked into a conference room.
“Ah, she interviewed me first. Then I just interviewed with Mason.”
Ella nodded her head. “Sorry, that came out wrong. Seems my mother has had a hand in the last few women hired for my brothers is all.”
“Is that abnormal?”
“Not necessarily,” Ella said. “Just you’re the third in a short period of time. Less than a year, I think.”
“Oh. Where were the other two hired for?” Jessica asked. She’d always asked a million questions. A bad habit, she’d been told by many.
“Aimee was first interviewed by my mother, then the rest of us before she was hired.”
“The one that just said she’s engaged to Brody?”
“That’s the one,” Ella said, placing some pieces of paper in front of her.
“My mother recruited Nic in the kitchen when my brother Aiden found himself in need of someone.”
“That’s nice she helps out.”
“Nic is engaged to Aiden now. Just a few weeks ago at Christmas actually.”
Jessica burst out laughing. “I hope you don’t think I’m after Mason.”
Ella looked up, a shocked expression on her face. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that. Just that I found it funny.”
“That’s okay,” Jessica said, smiling. She wasn’t interested in dating. Not really. She never had. She even wondered if she was asexual, having never really felt much of an attraction to anyone before. Man or woman.
“Really. I shouldn’t have said anything. Let’s just get your paperwork completed.”
Jessica reached forward and grabbed the few sheets in front of her. “I thought there’d be more than this,” she said, signing her name to the tax forms quickly.
“There is. It’s all on the computer.” Ella pushed the laptop in front of her. “While you’re doing that I’ll go grab some shirts for you.”
“Shirts?” Jessica asked, looking up. She was already reading the forms in front of her.
“We provide shirts to all the staff. You’ll have a few to choose from, so I’ll bring them all out and let you decide.”
Ella left the room and came back a few minutes later, the snazzy heels she was wearing not making a sound on the carpet, but her skirt swished a bit. “I think I’m done.”
“Wow, that was fast,” Ella said, reaching for the laptop. “Looks like it’s all set. Not much really since it’s a part-time position. Mason said you’ll start on Monday, and work Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays also. Tours start at ten, so if you get there fifteen to thirty minutes early, that will give you time to get ready. Last tour starts at four, so you’ll be done by five thirty the latest. Sunday is a shorter day. Tours start at noon. Is that too much? I know you’re still in school.”
“That’s great,” Jessica said. “My last two classes are a piece of cake. Just electives and there’s not much to them. My night course in brewing is just for fun.”
“You’re wanting to learn to brew?” Ella asked, sorting shirts on the table.
“I don’t know what I want. I’m a biology major and I love beer. Which I just realized sounds bad. I should stop going around saying ‘I love beer.’ It makes me sound like an airhead or an alcoholic. I’m not either.” She stopped rambling and waved her hand. “I just thought the job would be interesting.”
“Hmm,” Ella said. “Here are the shirts. Some are more fitted than others. The temperature can get a little warm in the brewery as it’s hard to keep the air conditioning running at a stable temperature when there’s all the boiling and sterilization going on. All those things Mason does that I’ve got no clue about. But you’ll also walk the tours through the warehouse and that’s in a cooler area, so you can pick out a sweatshirt too.”
Jessica’s eyes lit up as she looked over the merchandise on the table. “Mason didn’t tell me what I should wear on the bottom.”
“Dark jeans or pants. They can be blue or black. But no light washed jeans. And sneakers. I wouldn’t recommend a nice pair there. Maybe dark too as you might get stuff on them now and again. It can happen.”
“Not a problem.” She reached for a red plain cotton T-shirt and a collared shirt with Fierce embroidered in black on it.
“Oh, I totally forgot. Safety glasses,” Ella said, rushing out of the room, then returning. How was it possible to move that fast with heels and a skirt on? “You’ll need to wear safety glasses during the tours. We have them on hand for customers to wear, but you’ll want your own. I’ve got a few that us girls put on when we go over there. Those big bulky ones are ugly.”
“Thank you,” Jessica said, reaching for them. “These look like fancy sunglasses, only the lens is clear.” The rims were red, like the shirts, but only going halfway down the lens.
Ella laughed. “I told Mason I’d wear them when I was there, but I was going to look somewhat fashionable. I ordered a bunch for all of us girls. I make Mason keep a few in his office too, just in case we forget.”
Jessica had noticed Ella was dressed much differently than anyone else she’d come in contact with so far. Brown skirt, a silk patterned shirt tucked in and green heels. She was more stylish than Jessica could pull off even if Ella hand selected her wardrobe for her.
“You’re good to go,” Ella said, reaching her hand out to her again. “Welcome to the Fierce family.”
Jessica pushed the smirk away from her mind that Ella was sending her, thinking Ella said that to everyone, then left for the day. She’d be starting her new job in five days and was super excited, then reminded herself she couldn’t say things like “super excited” or she’d be showing her age.
First things first, she was go
ing to go buy a few of the Fierce beers she hadn’t tried yet so she could be more knowledgeable and prove to Mason she was perfect for this job.
Huge Hit
Bright and early Monday morning, Jessica was dressed in black jeans, black sneakers that she’d purchased hoping they’d be comfortable enough since she’d be on her feet all day, and the fitted red cotton Fierce T-shirt. She grabbed the zippered sweatshirt too, just in case, since it was pretty chilly outside.
She couldn’t remember ever being this excited to start a new job before. Even if it was only part-time, she’d be doing something she’d enjoy. Something that interested her. Something where she could talk to people all day long. Double bonus.
Never having had a lot of friends, she found she didn’t socialize as much as she would have liked. Most of her interactions were with people online. Chat groups and such. Beer advocates lately, where she’d never said she was a woman and just had a beer bottle as her picture. Most guys probably wouldn’t have talked to her seriously if they knew she was a woman.
The other chat rooms were science based. There she didn’t care if she had her picture up. No one cared. Everyone was there for academic purposes anyway. Except a few that were looking for a date, geeky nerdy guys similar to her, but she wasn’t interested and they caught on quickly.
“You’re bright and early,” Mason said when she tried to open the front door and saw it was locked. She’d been standing there wondering what to do when she saw Mason running down the stairs through the huge glass windows and dashing to the door.
“Ella told me nine thirty.”
He looked at his watch. “It’s nine fifteen.”
“Bad habit,” she said, not thinking she would have been locked out.
“It’s never a bad habit to be early. My brother Cade is never on time and drives us all insane. Eager to get started?” he asked her.
“I am. I bought a few Fierce beers this weekend. Ones I hadn’t tried yet. This way I’ll be able to talk about them from personal experience.”
“That’s great. But employees get a discount on beer. And everyone gets a free case with their paycheck every two weeks.”
“Really?” she asked. “That’s pretty sweet.”
He laughed at her and she felt the flush fill her face. Stupid vocabulary. She knew bigger and better words and needed to start using them. She just needed to find a way to do it without sounding like a bookworm. Man, when had it ever been this hard before?
“Some only want to work with us for that alone. Or so I think.”
She followed behind him into his office. “I doubt that. This is awesome to come into each day. I noticed it the other day, but more so now. The smell. The tangy scent of yeast. It almost makes me hungry.”
“Now I know you’re a beer lover. Most people think it’s kind of gross.”
“Never,” she said.
“You can hang your jacket up here today since you’ll be shadowing me on and off and then I’ll meet with you at the end of the day.”
She listened to him explain that the tours were all an hour long with a thirty-minute break between, where she could gather anything she needed. Someone took names and handed out tickets at the door. She would just herd everyone when the tour started.
“I’m going to do the first tour today, and it shouldn’t be too many people this early in the morning. Summer is nuts though,” he said.
Was she supposed to notice that his jeans fit him really well? Why did that thought pop into her head just now? “How many on each tour?”
“No more than thirty. That’s enough as it is. People get here and start lining up early in the summer though. Most just end up hanging out at the bar.”
She was following him back down the stairs now to the bar, noticing that his short hair was slightly messed up, like he’d been running his hands through it. Again, why was she noticing those things?
“It’s not very big, not even half the size of the bar around the corner.”
“It’s not meant to be a place where people hang out all day and get drunk. We monitor it as much as we can. Tours are free, but people can buy a flight of four. We always have four beers on tap. There’s no age limit for the tours, so not everyone drinks, but those that want to are ID’d when they purchase the tokens for the flights. If they have to wait, they have their flights before the tour, or after. Many take advantage of the flight and pint special. Get all four and then can get a pint of what they liked the best. That’s the most we allow them to buy at once per person.”
“They can’t buy more than that?”
“There’s no cash at the bar. That’s how we control it. Just tips for the bartenders. If someone wants more than that, they’ve got to go back to the front desk to buy tokens or in the shop. Most don’t want to or get sidetracked when they go to the shop and end up buying the beer there to take home. Like I said, if they want more to drink, they can go around the corner to the bar and restaurant. This is meant to give them a taste more than anything.”
“Makes sense.” She glanced up to see the four on tap written above the bar. “How often do you rotate out the four?”
“Every few weeks one will change when we tap something new. We always have Fierce Five on tap. That was the first one I brewed and it’s bottled all year round.”
She was listening to him talk as he walked around the bar and poured a flight of the four beers on tap, then set them in front of her. “I’ve had that one before.”
He pushed the flight in front of her. “I know it’s early, but you can try them if you want. I’d ask if you were twenty-one, but I know you are.”
“Because I told you I love beer?” she asked, reaching for a darker amber-colored one she hadn’t tried yet. She was trying to guess which one it was.
“That’s Ella.”
“What?” she asked, stopping from bringing it to her lips.
“The beer. That’s Fiercely Ella. I named one after my mother last year and it was a huge hit too. I thought I’d do it to Ella this time since the girls are outnumbered. She’s not really happy about it but understands the marketing behind it. Anyway, I know you’re twenty-two because Ella told me when I called and asked last week to make sure.”
“Why isn’t she happy?” Jessica asked, taking a sip. “This is awesome. It’s so smooth. And the color is almost elegant. The nice amber color you don’t see often with an IPA. Most tend to be lighter. This looks like a stone that belongs in an elegant necklace.”
“Ella thought it was a crack at her like Jolene was to our mother. But once she saw and tried it, she was better about it.”
“I would think so. This is going to be a huge hit. Especially with the women.”
***
He was trying not to watch Jessica as she licked her lips tasting his newest creation, but was finding it hard. When did he find it hard to watch anyone drink one of his beers?
There was nothing about Jessica that stood out, but he found he was attracted to her mind, her enthusiasm, and excitement. The way she sniffed the beer, swirled it and then took a quick sip, then a bigger one. Unlike his brothers, looks weren’t the first thing he noticed on a woman, if he even had time for one, which he didn’t. Though she was sweet on the eyes too. Just a bit young.
“That was the plan. It’s a winter brew since Ella is a bit on the cool side. She wasn’t happy about that part, but I told her to get over it.”
Jessica laughed and the sound shot heat in his body that he wasn’t expecting to feel, warm and smooth like the high-end imported bourbon he and his brothers snuck out of the liquor cabinet as kids. Yeah, it might be the only time his father punished them for wasting what he’d always considered his splurge.
“She should feel honored,” Jessica said.
“You can tell her that next time you see her.”
“I just might. Are you going to name a beer after your brothers too?”
“I’m thinking about it at some point. Ella knew I was doing this. I wouldn’t ha
ve done it without getting her okay.”
“Did you get your mother’s okay before you did it with hers?”
“Hell no,” he said laughing. He remembered when he brought that one out as a surprise. His mother had been so excited until he described it to her. Then she walked up and slapped him in the back of the head, causing everyone to laugh. He had it coming, but it was funny.
Jessica smiled at him and his heart picked up a beat. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a reaction like this to a woman. Not this fast.
He didn’t have time for women. He barely had time to sleep, it seemed.
That must be it. It had to be. Sleep deprivation was causing crazy thoughts to form in his head.
Except four hours later he was giving another tour when he’d said he was just going to do one. This one only had ten people in the group and Jessica. She was hanging on every word he said, even taking notes. At first, he found it funny, but then realized it was great. Smart even.
He’d asked her after the second tour what she was taking notes on this time and she’d said, “I’m writing down questions people ask and what your answers are. I’m thinking there will be commonly asked questions, so I’ll know how to answer them.”
“Good point.”
They were finally doing the last tour of the day and his nerves were on end. He was trying not to stare at Jessica’s little rear in her black jeans when she was walking in front of him. Or her happy laugh as he asked questions of the group, and when no one answered, he tried to put her on the spot. She had no problem answering, even smiling, and at one point winking at him.
He hated doing the tours. Hated talking that much, but now for some reason, he didn’t want this day to end.
She even snorted at one point when she was laughing again, and that only caused her to blush and apologize. One of the women on the tour asked if their bantering back and forth was rehearsed. It wasn’t, but it sure the hell sounded it.
The smooth flow of talking back and forth, asking and answering questions. Her jumping in and helping kids out to get a closer look at something. Pointing out unique things that he never thought twice about.