“Good idea,” he said. “I’ll talk to her after I discuss this with River.”
They continued eating and talking, although the conversation veered away from the art show. When they finished their lunch, she reached out her hand expectantly. Did she want to sing “Kumbaya” or something?
Before he could wonder too hard, she said, “Your teacup, please.”
He’d drunk all of two sips, so he gulped down the now tepid tea and handed it over.
“Oh dear,” she said, her eyes sparkling. “Yes, I’m glad you’re going to see Lola.”
He waited, but she didn’t explain.
“You’re not going to tell me what you saw?” he asked.
“If I did, you might not keep your appointment.”
He rolled his eyes. Given how many times she’d urged him to visit this Lola, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was trying to set them up.
Why did his stomach give a weird lurch at the thought?
The answer made him feel even more off course.
Because part of him wished that if she were setting him up, it would be with Adalia.
Chapter Seven
By the time Adalia left the coffee shop, she’d created a résumé and uploaded it to a job site, but she hadn’t mustered the will to actually apply for a position. Not yet. Baby steps.
She nearly didn’t go back to the brewery. She was embarrassed about how she’d handled things, even if everything she’d said was true, and this mess with Finn and her uncertainty about her job had created a whole tempest of emotions straining for release. She was dying to go to Dottie’s garage, but her previous safe space now felt tainted.
So she did the right thing—the grown-up thing. She sucked up her pride and went back to the brewery, because she actually had some work to do for the social media accounts. Might as well face Georgie and everyone else. It wasn’t like she was quitting; she was just going to put in the appropriate amount of hours given the work she had to do. No more handouts or pity work.
She caught some of the staff watching her when she strolled through the tasting room around two, but they quickly turned back to their work.
Georgie was sitting at her desk, her forehead scrunched as she studied her computer screen, but she glanced up as Adalia walked in the room.
“Addy,” she said, her face a mixture of concern and contrition. “Are you…do you…”
“I’m not going to blow my stack again, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“No,” Georgie gushed. “That’s not what I was going to say. I—”
“I’m fine. Let’s just let it go.” She scooped up a basket of props she’d been gathering for a photo shoot, plus a couple of collapsible light reflectors, and headed out the office door.
The tasting room had great afternoon light, it was all updated and shiny, and it held a ready supply of Buchanan Brewery bottles. She quickly got to work setting up several still shots, but then she noticed the handful of customers in the room, some of them watching her with open curiosity, and a new idea popped into her head.
She noticed a couple at a table against the wall embedded with windows. The lighting was perfect and the couple was adorable. They were cute but not overly so. They looked like people you could sit next to and strike up a chat with instead of getting the cold shoulder. If she and Finn were still playing the ‘Who are you?’ game, she’d have whispered to him that they were Walt and Fiona, and it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship over two pints of Beau Brown.
That was when it struck her… River had mentioned more than once that Grandpa Beau’s brews hadn’t lived up to their potential because he’d let things slide over the past few years. The brewery had lost distribution business, but their tasting room had often been full. It was because the people who showed up were friends with Beau and Dottie and all the other employees. They felt like they belonged there. The Buchanans only needed to extend that feeling into their brand.
The Buchanans weren’t just selling beer. People gravitated to the brewery because it felt like home—not the kind of home people had, granted, but the kind of home everyone wanted, with a warm family, a sweet gathering space, and a fridge full of beer. They needed to convey that feeling in their marketing.
Adalia hurried over to Jack’s office and popped her head in the door. (He’d meant it about the open-door policy, it turned out.) “Jack, got a minute?”
His attention had been buried in some papers on his desk, but he glanced up without any sign of impatience. “Sure, what’s up?”
“I have an idea, and I need your help.”
“Okay,” he said, pushing his chair back from his desk. “I’m listening.”
She quickly explained her line of thinking, and his face lit up.
“That’s brilliant, Adalia. What did Georgie say?”
“Well…nothing yet. I haven’t told her.”
“Why on earth not?”
Good question. Because she was worried it would crash and burn? Because she didn’t want Georgie to feign enthusiasm just to bolster her? Or was it because she felt like she’d lost her secret space in Dottie’s garage and this was its replacement? She didn’t want to analyze it. Not right now.
“Let’s just keep it between us for now, okay?” she said.
His brow furrowed. “I hate to keep things from Georgie. I’ve already got a few strikes against me here. I showed up later than I said I would, and I’m not a full-fledged Buchanan.”
She nearly told him that no one was holding those things against him, but there was probably a grain of truth to what he’d said. He just didn’t have as much history with Georgie, Lee, and Adalia as they had with one another. Adalia could blow her top at her sister and know she could come crawling back, and even though Lee was being a total butt, she knew he’d get over it eventually. They didn’t have that level of trust with Jack…yet.
She settled for giving him a warm smile. “You’re gonna be fine, and I’m not going to put you in an awkward position. But can I get you to do me one little favor?”
“What?” he asked warily.
“Will you do a quick internet search for a media release? I want to take some candid photos of some of the patrons in the tasting room, but I need releases.” When he hesitated, she added, “It’s for the social media accounts. That’s all. It’s not a campaign. Let’s see what kind of traction the posts get. Then we can figure out if it’s worth taking to Georgie.”
He hesitated, and for a moment she worried he’d say no. That he’d refuse to help unless she got Georgie to sign a permission slip. But then he turned to his laptop. “How many do you need?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “Print me ten to start and bring them out to the tasting room.” She hurried back to her spot from earlier, hoping the couple hadn’t left.
Walt and Fiona were still there, so Adalia dragged a chair over, and introduced herself, and asked if they would be open to having their photos taken and posted on the Buchanan Brewery social media accounts. When the woman hesitated, Adalia said, “You’ll get free beer out of it. I know you’re drinking drafts, but I’d like to bring over some bottles so the labels will be in the photo. If you like, I’ll let you see what I’m posting before I put it up.”
“So we get to keep the bottles you bring over?” the man asked with a hopeful look.
“You bet,” Adalia said. “And we’ll top off your glasses while we’re at it.”
“You’ve got a deal,” he said, and his girlfriend agreed.
“I’m Adalia, by the way. What are your names?”
The man introduced himself as Grayson, and she sputtered out a laugh when the woman said she was Fiona.
Fiona tilted her head, as if asking what was so hysterical about her name.
“Sorry,” Adalia said. “Just thinking of an inside joke.”
She’d totally have to lord this over Finn the next time she saw him.
By the time Adalia got them set up with the bottles and full glas
ses of Beau Brown and Hair of Hops, Jack had come out with the release forms. Before he had a chance to refuse, Adalia recruited him to hold the reflective screens while she snapped photos with her phone. She made a grouping of the images she liked and let Fiona pick her favorites, which Adalia then posted to Instagram. She tagged the customers and included their quotes about why they’d come to Buchanan that day and what they were drinking.
Georgie walked into the tasting room and did a double take when she saw Jack holding a reflective screen.
“Jack was helping me with some photos,” Adalia said. “For social media.”
“Oh,” Georgie said, all wide-eyed like she was caught off guard. “Actually, I’m happy I caught both of you together. I was hoping we could have dinner together tonight—if you don’t already have plans, that is.”
Jack looked uncertain.
Adalia wasn’t sure she wanted to be in close proximity to her sister after her blowup this morning, but then the Buchanan way was to shove negative emotions into the corner and ignore them. Adalia would rather have a day or two to let it simmer before moving straight to the ignoring phase, but if Jack was there, it would ease the tension. It would also help the sisters get to know him better. Besides, the whole hiding from emotions thing didn’t really work for her, anyway. Clearly. She looped her arm through Jack’s. “We’d love to. Got any place in mind? Because if not, I do.”
Georgie blinked, looking between Adalia, who still had her arm looped through Jack’s, and Jack, who hadn’t attempted to remove it. “I didn’t. Whatever you suggest is awesome.”
“Great,” Adalia said, a huge smile spreading across her face. “No takebacks.”
Several hours later, Adalia couldn’t help but be amused by the fear on her sister’s face. Jack looked a little nervous too, but it was the straightlaced, prim and proper Georgie who had Adalia nearly bursting with glee.
“You know I hate karaoke,” Georgie hissed across the table. “And you lied when you said everyone who comes in has to sing. The waitress just confirmed it.”
“Come on, Georgie. It’ll be fun. Besides, you loved to post yourself singing One Direction songs on Facebook back in the day. This will be a lot less embarrassing.”
Georgie’s eyes flew wide as she turned to Jack. “I never did that. And One Direction came out long after I was in high school.”
“That’s what made it so embarrassing,” Adalia said.
“I never did that!”
Jack grinned, then shot a glance at Adalia. “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”
Horror washed over Georgie’s face, and Adalia decided to end her sister’s misery. “Okay, Georgie never posted videos of herself singing One Direction songs, but we do have some home videos of her singing Beach Boys songs for Mom.”
Georgie’s face softened. “I forgot about that.”
“You don’t have to sing by yourself,” Adalia said, “but we’re all singing one together before we go.” She gave her a huge, cheesy grin. “You can’t say no to family bonding.”
Her sister started to protest, then sank back into her seat. “Okay. Fine. But no video. I am not letting you show this to River.”
Adalia laughed. “Okay.”
“I’ll agree to this on one condition,” Jack said with an uber serious face. “I refuse to sing ‘We Are Family.’ It’s a total cliché.”
Georgie cracked a smile. “I totally agree.”
“Well, that’s unanimous,” Adalia said. “I hate that song.”
“So what do we sing?” Georgie asked.
“Let’s hang out and eat for a bit and maybe it will come to us,” Jack said, picking up a menu.
“Words of wisdom from my wise older brother,” Adalia said in a deep voice.
“Which means you’re still the baby,” Georgie said, picking up her own menu.
Adalia gave them both a saucy grin. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Of course, in most families it probably wasn’t, but in the Buchanan family, it had ultimately meant being all alone.
But she shoved the bitter memories away and focused on the present, because she was having fun with Georgie and Jack, and she did want to get to know him better.
They ordered their food and discussed superficial things, like their favorite bands and movies. Then they moved on to college (Jack had gone to community college but hadn’t finished), first jobs and, after a couple of drinks, first crushes—Georgie and Adalia learning things about each other that they hadn’t known.
Jack seemed to share freely, but Adalia couldn’t help thinking he was holding something back. She had no idea what it could be, and she didn’t plan on interrogating him. Heaven knew she had plenty of secrets of her own. He had to wonder why she’d abruptly moved to town in June, yet he hadn’t asked. And he still hadn’t asked about Finn showing up last night, or why there was a red footprint next to Bessie in the driveway. He knew she was an artist, but there wasn’t a hint of her art in Grandpa Beau’s house. He had to have questions. His reserve, which had initially put her off, made her respect him more. Jack Durand was the kind of man who respected other people’s secrets.
By the time they all shared a slice of cheesecake and a brownie sundae, the three siblings were laughing and enjoying one another’s company. Of course, that was when the announcer called out, “Next up, we have Adalia, Georgie, and Jack.”
Horror filled Georgie’s eyes. “We haven’t even picked out a song. And how did they get our names?”
“Lucky for both of you,” Adalia said mischievously as she slid out of her seat. “I submitted our names and our song when I went to the bathroom right before we got our food. You can pick next time.”
“There won’t be a next time,” Georgie said in a tight voice.
Adalia grabbed her hand and dragged her to the stage. “You say that now…”
There were only two mics, so Adalia shared one with Georgie and let Jack have the other. He shuffled his weight back and forth as though he was on the defensive line of a homecoming football game and his home team was being slaughtered.
Adalia couldn’t help laughing. She hoped he brought that energy to the song she’d chosen.
“Don’t worry,” she told them. “Just have fun.” Then the music to Bruno Mars’s “Uptown Funk” started playing and she darted a glance at her siblings. “I hope you remember how to dance.”
Jack challenged her with a look that smacked of bring it on, and she beamed, making a big show of brushing off her shoulders.
The lyrics kicked in on the screen, and Adalia burst into song. While she never hoped to have a singing career, she knew she could carry a tune. She sang loud and moved to the music, because who could stay still while listening to or belting out this song?
To her surprise, Jack could sing too, and he met her challenge, singing and dancing with her. Georgie sang a little more softly than the two of them, but she began to lose some of her inhibitions as they went along, especially since the crowd had started cheering them and singing along. The two sisters started dancing around their brother, and when they got to the line about Saturday night, Adalia shouted out “Wednesday night” instead, and they kept it up for the rest of the song.
When they got to the bridge, Adalia called out, “Take it, Georgie!” then nudged her sister closer to the microphone. Georgie looked terrified again, but she started to hesitantly sing, “before we leave…” and the crowd shouted her name, encouraging her to own it. By the time she got to the end of the bridge, Georgie was owning it, belting out the words while Jack and Adalia danced next to her, snapping to the beat.
Adalia motioned for the crowd to get to their feet and sing along even louder. The entire restaurant was full of energy, and Adalia was lapping up every bit of it as they brought the song to a close. When the last note played, everyone was whooping and hollering and applauding, and Adalia gave her sister a quick hug.
“I’m so proud of you, Georgie!”
Before her sist
er could say anything, Adalia stepped in front of the microphone beside Jack and called out, “My brother, Jack Durand! New to Asheville and very single, ladies!”
Or so she thought, anyway. Cheers rang out, along with a few wolf whistles.
“I’m Adalia Buchanan—Yes! Of the notorious Buchanan Brewery!”
Jack wrapped an arm around her, taking control of the mic, and said, “Also very single.”
There were more cheers and whistles, and one man shouted, “I like ’em wild!”
“Hey!” Jack said in a semi-playful tone as he pointed into the crowd. “That’s my sister you’re talking about.”
Adalia broke into laughter. “And the shy one of our group is Georgie Buchanan, who is taken, boys. Her sights are set very firmly on River Reeves, so don’t bother wasting your time.”
There were a few groans but plenty of laughter and cheering as Adalia gave them a mock salute. “And our work here is done. Good night!”
The crowd shouted and clapped as they walked off the stage. The poor woman who got on stage next and sang “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” slightly off key, didn’t stand a chance.
The manager came over and comped their desserts and invited them to come back on the weekend. “I haven’t seen the crowd this excited since those rodeo clowns came to town.”
“We’ll definitely give it some thought,” Georgie said in a rush, probably hoping to keep Adalia from accepting the offer. “Thank you.”
When they walked out the door shortly afterward, they stood on the busy Asheville sidewalk for a moment, the three of them suddenly unsure of what to say. They’d been in a bubble, and now it felt suddenly fragile, as if it were on the verge of bursting. Finally, Georgie said, “Thank you, Addy. That was fun, and I think I actually needed that.”
“Good,” Adalia said smugly. “And I won’t even say I told you so.”
Better Luck Next Time Page 6