Trouble Brewing

by Suzanne Baltsar

  “Darling.” A tall woman with cropped dark hair stood from a thick leather chair that creaked under her movement. With nude heels and a sleeveless cream-colored dress, she looked every bit the senator’s wife. She kissed both of Blake’s cheeks. “How are you?”

  “Good,” Blake answered flatly. “Mom, this is Piper.” The gentle pressure of his hand on my back propelled me forward.

  “Hi. It’s so nice to finally meet you,” I said, going in for a hug, but she stuck her hand out. The forward motion between the both of us had her fingers grazing my boobs.

  Great first impression.

  I laughed it off, but her thin lips disappeared into a straight line.

  “I’m sorry.” I shook her hand, but it was weird now. “Mrs. Reed.”

  She didn’t correct me on using her last name, so I assumed that’s what I’d be calling her. Formalities.

  Her dark gaze briefly studied me, and I resisted playing with my hair or biting my lips under her scrutiny. “Your home is lovely.”

  “Thank you.” She brought her attention back to Blake, a pleasant smile on her burgundy-painted lips. “Your hair is long again.”

  Blake ran his fingers through it, but the movement was all wrong. His posture looked as if a pole were stuck up his ass.

  “I like it long,” I said, opening my big mouth.

  Mrs. Reed flicked her eyes to me, and it was difficult not to cower. “Yes, well, this shaggy mop-top look doesn’t do anything for his handsome face. He’s a grown man, after all, not a teenager.”

  Blake exhaled deeply through his nose, and I felt the urge to stick up for my man, even if it was only about his hair, but my reply died on my tongue when Mrs. Reed raised a challenging eyebrow. As if she wanted me to argue, maybe give her a reason to hate me.

  I wouldn’t.

  She pivoted, and her steps echoed on the hardwood as she walked toward the center of the room. Tiffany sat on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, her head bent over her cell phone. Mrs. Reed tapped her knee for her attention. Tiffany spared Blake and me a passing glance. “What’s up, big bro? Pippa?”

  “Piper.”

  Tiffany slowly lifted her head. “Hmm?”

  I may have had to keep my mouth shut with Blake’s mom, but I didn’t need to take it from his sister. “My name is Piper.”

  She shrugged. “ ’Kay.”

  I’d like to say I was shocked by her flippant and obviously purposeful dig, but I wasn’t.

  Blake stepped on her toes as he walked by.

  “Ouch. Shit, Blake.”

  “Language,” Mrs. Reed warned.

  Blake apologized with a quick “Oops. Sorry,” and offered me a one-shoulder shrug. It was no Oops.

  “Jacob, we have company,” Mrs. Reed said as she picked up a martini with one olive from a glass side table.

  A man in a crisp dark polo shirt and ironed khakis came around the corner with the New York Times stuck under his arm. With his wavy hair combed into place and gray-blue eyes behind dark-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, he was strikingly attractive. An older version of Blake.

  It was hard to reconcile the stories Blake had told me about the man who stood in front of me now, a gracious smile on his face. “And who is this?” he asked Blake even though his focus was still on me.

  “This is my girlfriend, Piper.”

  “Piper, that’s an unusual name.”

  Okay, he might’ve been an older version of Blake, but he was definitely more intimidating. From his encapsulating handshake to the thick tenor of his voice, this was the kind of man who commanded attention. And right now, I was the sole focus of his.

  “I guess,” I said, not knowing how to respond to the semi-accusation.

  “Would you care for a drink?” Mrs. Reed asked, after sipping from her martini.

  “A beer would be great,” I said cheerfully.

  A snort sounded next to me, but I didn’t dare turn to confirm it was Tiffany, my eyes on Mrs. Reed when she ever-so-slightly cringed before putting on a phony smile.

  “We don’t have beer.”

  I cleared my throat. “A water is fine.”

  Mrs. Reed nodded and flicked her eyes up behind me. “Sandra, a water for Piper.”

  I couldn’t imagine how Sandra worked here, under Mrs. Reed’s harsh stare and Tiffany’s passive-aggressive noises. Mr. Reed had yet to say anything more than a greeting to me, and I was actually grateful for that. Five minutes with Blake’s family, and I couldn’t raise my arms, sure my pit stains were enormous.

  Sandra returned a minute later with an ice water. I thanked her quietly and sat down next to Blake on a stiff-backed love seat. There wasn’t much in this house that looked or felt comfortable. I was surprised there weren’t parts cordoned off, furniture meant only to be seen and not used. Like a museum.

  “So, Piper,” Mrs. Reed started. “Tiffany told us she met you at Blake’s bar.”

  My cheeks heated remembering how Tiffany had interrupted us. I hoped his sister had glossed over that part.

  “Yes. Only briefly,” I said. “But I’d like us to get to know each other better.”

  Mrs. Reed hummed into her drink while Tiffany ignored me, typing away on her phone. Blake dropped his arm on the back of the sofa behind me, sending me an encouraging but toned-down smile. He knew how nervous I was, and how hard I would try to make his parents like me, but already it felt like a losing battle.

  “How exactly did you two meet?” Mrs. Reed asked, pointing between me and Blake.

  “At the Public.”

  “Oh. At the bar a lot then, hmm?” Mrs. Reed sipped her martini while Mr. Reed let out a low sound, a mixture of a snort and a huff.

  “Piper is a local brewer.” Blake wrapped his hand around my shoulder. “Her beer is some of the best around.”

  Mr. Reed lifted his eyes at that, focusing on me over the rims of his glasses. “You’re a beer brewer?”

  “Yes.”

  “How did you get into that hobby?”

  My fingers tightened on my water glass as my stomach tied in a knot. “Brewing isn’t a hobby. It can be for some people, but it’s my job. I work out of a nanobrewery now, but I have plans on expanding my career.”

  “You two make quite a pair, don’t you?” He tossed his paper down on the table in front of him, and it landed with an audible smack that reverberated through my body. This was not going well at all.

  Blake stood up and walked over to the wet bar, leaving me to decipher that comment alone. I was saved from having to come up with a reply by Sandra telling us dinner was ready. Mr. Reed motioned for me to go ahead of everyone else. I did, even though my paranoia that they were talking about me behind my back was impossible to ignore. I took the chair Sandra pointed to, and I began to wonder if maybe she was a very lifelike robot as opposed to a breathing human.

  I sat up straight, shoulders back, hands in my lap, trying desperately not to seem out of place. I kept a smile on my face as Mr. and Mrs. Reed settled in their seats at opposite ends of the long dining room table. Tiffany eyed me from her position across from me, and finally, to my relief, Blake sat down next to me, a dark amber drink in his hand.

  Our salmon and pasta dinners were served on silver-rimmed fine china, and thankfully we each had only one fork. I picked mine up to eat a bite, but froze at Mrs. Reed’s throat clearing. Her left eyebrow was raised in a high arch, her hands folded in front of her.

  “We pray before meals in the Reed household.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” I dropped my fork, and folded my hands like a good little girl. If there was something I could do to fix how this night was going, I had no idea what it was.

  Mrs. Reed said some prayer that had Blake shaking his head. Guess he wasn’t exaggerating when he told me stories about his parents.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered to me, but I wasn’t so sure about that.

  I waited until everyone else had had their first bite before I took mine. We ate in silence, punctuated w
ith the tinkling of glasses or the scraping of utensils against plates. I didn’t know if these family dinners were usually so quiet, but it made me uncomfortable. My family dinners were filled with laughter, stories, and lots of smiles.

  This was torture. Filled with antagonism and serious stares.

  “How’s your job going, Tiffany?” Mr. Reed finally asked. “Any more mention of your promotion?”

  Blake quietly sighed next to me as he sat back in his chair, taking another sip of his drink.

  “No, but I’m assuming I’ll hear something at the end of the summer.”

  “What do you do?” I asked.

  Tiffany tossed her hair over one shoulder. “I’m the executive assistant to the assistant vice president at Harper and Marks.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Blake leaned in close to me like he had a secret, but spoke loud enough for everyone at the table to hear. “It means she’s Dwight from The Office.”

  I let out a giggle. Dwight was one of the funniest characters on that show, the office fool. Self-important but clueless.

  “What are you laughing at?” Tiffany shot at me.

  My smile dropped. “Nothing. Blake just said—”

  “You’re just a beer wench,” Tiffany said with a nasty curl to her lip.

  “Tiffany,” Mrs. Reed hissed. “That’s unkind. Even if she is only an alcohol maker.”

  Mr. Reed did that huffing guffaw, which it didn’t take long for me to learn was his way of expressing condescension.

  I trapped my napkin in my fists, hoping to keep my voice even when I said, “A brewer. People who create beer are called brewers. And I’ve gone to school to become a master brewer.”

  “Piper apprenticed in Germany,” Blake said then, staring at his sister. “She supports herself doing something she loves. She’s not only an alcohol maker.” He finished his words with his gaze on his mother.

  “Right.” Mrs. Reed held her martini glass up to me in a toast. “She’s not only an alcohol maker. She’s Blake’s girlfriend, too.”

  Her words had an underhanded tone to them, and my hackles rose.

  “About that.” Mr. Reed patted his mouth with his cloth napkin before he turned to his son. “Frank’s daughter just moved back home. We were thinking maybe you two could meet up.”

  “Oh, Amanda is perfect.” Mrs. Reed clapped in glee. “That would be wonderful if you two could work something out.”

  My jaw dropped. These people were actually telling Blake to go out with another woman. In front of me.

  Blake rested his hand on my knee underneath the table. “No. And I’m offended you’d even bring that up. Especially here. Now. In front of my girlfriend, Piper. I’m not interested in Amanda, or whatever it is you think she can do for you.”

  Mr. Reed propped his elbows on the table, still focused on Blake. His face held no emotion when he pointed at me and said, “Well, she won’t help us win an election with her master brewing. What do you think they’ll say about her? About us?”

  My eyes stung with tears. I honestly had never been so insulted in my life. I’d done absolutely nothing to deserve this kind of treatment, like I was some piece of trash under his shoe. Worse, Mrs. Reed was nodding along, with her pinched face.

  “Good thing we’re not running for office,” Blake said, pushing away from the table. His chair screeched loudly against the floor as he grabbed my hand, forcing me to stand. “C’mon. Let’s go.”

  Mrs. Reed opened her mouth, and I cringed inwardly at whatever she was about to say, but Blake cut her off with a hand up. “Don’t even start. You’ve done this. Anytime you let Dad talk down to me. Anytime you chose to let Tiffany do whatever she wanted. I gave you so many chances to be my mother, yet you turned a blind eye to me. So now I’m doing the same to you.”

  He stalked out of the house, but not before throwing an “I’m done with this family” over his shoulder. I had to jog to keep up. With the tight hold of his fingers around mine, I feared my arm might come out of its socket. Then again, maybe that would take the sting out of what had just happened.

  He opened the passenger door for me, and after I slid into my seat, he slammed the door shut. I jumped at the force of it. His jaw jutted out in anger as he took his spot behind the wheel, tension coming off him in palpable waves.

  “That was horrible. Your parents are horrible,” I said, wiping away a tear trailing down my cheek.

  He didn’t say anything, and his silence irked me even more.

  “They hated me from the beginning.”

  “They hate everyone. You’re not special.” His voice was eerily calm, like his father’s, and my tears slowed as resentment rose inside me.

  I knew he was upset, too, but his words only added to my already emotionally wrecked state of mind. “I tried to be congenial. I tried to be what they’d want in your girlfriend.”

  He flicked on the turn signal. “Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn’t have tried so hard.”

  I stared at his profile in shock. First his family, and now him? “Why are you acting like this?”

  “I’m not acting like anything.” His monotone words had me wondering what had happened to my sweet boyfriend.

  “You are. You’re acting like this is my fault.”

  He let out a long-suffering sigh but didn’t say anything.

  “I know you don’t care since you deal with your parents all the time, but that sucked for me, Blake.”

  “You don’t think I know that? I care, Piper. I fucking care,” he said, slamming his hand on the steering wheel. “If I didn’t care about what they were saying, I wouldn’t have left. You think it’s easy for me to hear the shit they were saying? It’s not. But it’s also not worth the fight, either.”

  “So you’re saying I’m not worth fighting for?” I didn’t mean to yell, but the words poured out of me. I was on the cusp of making a major life decision and uprooting everything I knew, and here he was, basically saying he didn’t care enough to fight.

  He stopped at a red light. His nostrils flared. “Don’t twist my words.”

  I threw my hands up, feeling like I’d fallen into another dimension. “I’m not, but that’s what you said.”

  He shook his head. “It’s not worth fighting with my parents over anything. They won’t listen. Trying to reason with them is like reasoning with a brick wall. What they said back there was disgusting. You and I both know it, so don’t think it didn’t hurt me. Because it did. I love you, Piper. I’ve been fighting for you from the beginning. I’ve supported you one thousand percent in everything you’ve wanted to do. I mean, for Christ’s sake, I was the one who got your beer at Pete’s Tavern and Monkey Bar. I stood up for you with the douchebag at—”

  My brain stalled to a sudden stop at his words. “What do you mean you got my beer at bars?”

  Just when I thought this night couldn’t get any worse, a fiery comet had landed in the middle of this emotional tornado, destroying everything in a quick and single strike.

  And my beautiful, charming boyfriend, who somewhere in that rant had said he loved me, disappeared and broke my heart into a million pieces.

  CHAPTER 25

  Blake

  Oh shit. I definitely hadn’t meant to spill that secret.

  I’d seen Piper annoyed. I’d seen her angry. But I’d never seen her quite this furious. Her eyes wide and dark. Her fingertips curled toward me like talons. Her face pulled into a glaring frown.

  I stuttered out a few words, the reason for her sudden rage clear. But after that dinner, I didn’t have enough patience or sanity to have this argument. I just wanted to go home and lose myself in my girlfriend and not think of anything other than how good she felt.

  “You can’t drop a bomb like that and then not explain it. What did you do?” she demanded with her palms up.

  The sun was just about to set, the sky a rainbow of navy, violet, pink, and orange behind Piper. If I hadn’t been in the middle of this nightmare, I’d have pointed ou
t how beautiful it was. How gorgeous she was in this moment. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re too smart to play dumb. You said you got my beer into other bars. We made a deal in the beginning. I didn’t want to go out with you until I had gotten into two other bars. It was important for me to make it on my own. But no. You had to go get involved. You overstepped your bounds, Blake. And it’s not okay. This is my company. Mine. You had no right to throw your weight and influence around.”

  “You’re talking like I’m Michael Corleone or something.”

  “Don’t make a joke out of this,” she snapped.

  “I—”

  A horn honked three times behind us, cutting off any other clever comeback I had. We both looked over our shoulders at the car then up at the green light. I let out a breath and swirled around in my seat to drive through the intersection.

  She mumbled something under her breath, and I glanced at her. “What?”

  “I said I feel like I’m back in Germany with Oskar.”

  That almost made me laugh. “You feel like you’re back in Germany? What does that even mean? What does your ex have anything to do with this?”

  She shook her head. “You don’t get it. To be second-guessed, given advice that you didn’t ask for, told how you should act differently or just give up completely . . . that’s what I deal with all the time. That’s what Oskar did to me. And that’s what you did to me, too.”

  For a moment, I was stunned into silence. That’s honestly what she thought of me? “How can you compare me and Oskar? I want you to do what you want to do, he didn’t.” A minute ago, I had just told Piper I loved her, but the part she cared about was me helping her business. That was backwards. “I want you to succeed, so yeah, I helped you along a little bit. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Everything is wrong with that. Why don’t you get that I need to do this on my own? After everything, you did the one thing I asked you not to do.”

  “I thought I was supporting you. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”

  She growled, pulling at her hair. “Oh my God. I had to sit on your parents’ uncomfortable chairs while they basically said I wasn’t good enough to be in their company, and then I find out my success is all because of you. I couldn’t feel more worthless if I tried.”