by Piper Rayne
After I find a spot in the corner, blocked by a group of four having a conversation about some town competition that doesn’t pertain to me, I sit quietly and wait for my opportunity.
A guy comes by, already filling my cup. “Want a drink?”
He’s cute. Short dark hair and a little bit of scruff, but still clean-cut. Arms inked with tattoos, and he flashes me the smile that’s probably gotten him in a lot of women’s panties.
“Oh, no.” I hold up my hand, but he pushes the filled cup my way regardless.
“It’s my specialty, so I’d be offended if you didn’t try it.” He uses his toe to pull out a stool before having a seat.
I look over his shoulder to see half the people in the brewery staring at us.
“Ignore them. Nosy small-town people with nothing better to do.” He waves off the people, but that doesn’t stop them from staring.
This guy screams attention, and I want anything but that right now.
“I’m Jed. Jed Greene.” He puts out his hand.
I shake it and his gaze falls down my body as though it should ignite me into flames. Either my libido crashed when I landed in this small town, or this guy isn’t that hot. I think it might be the former because on a regular day, I’d definitely find him attractive. But not on a day when I have to do what I’m here to do.
“Hi, Jed Greene.” I shake his hand. He waits for me to offer my name, but I take a sip of the beer to dodge the question. I raise the glass. “This is good.”
He winks as though he already knew that. Cocky usually does it for me, but still nothing. Then the room grows louder, and I glance over his shoulder again, finding no one staring at us, except for one guy. The guy from outside who was talking to the two girls earlier. He’s speaking with someone, but his gaze flickers over to Jed and me a few times.
“So, mystery girl. Just so you know, there are a lot of theories being thrown around.”
“About?”
He chuckles so loudly, the person behind us looks over. “About who you are. I’m the unofficial town representative.”
I tilt my head. “To find out who I am?”
He looks around. “Yeah. I can be the welcome man too, if you like.”
“Welcome man?” I question.
This guy is definitely used to getting any woman on her back with minimal effort, and he clearly thinks he’s going to accomplish that with me. As much as sex with a stranger sounds amazing right now—because it would clear my mind—I have no interest.
“You know how there’s the welcome wagon…”
I scrunch my eyebrows.
“Small town thing, I guess.” He shrugs. “The welcome wagon welcomes you to the neighborhood. Comes to your door, leaves menus for restaurants and all the news about the town.” His gaze falls down my body one more time. A smirk forms as he checks out my heels. “You don’t seem from around here, so I can show you a real Alaskan man.”
“Then you’re the last person who should welcome her to town.” The guy from outside claps Jed on the shoulder. “He’s really just an Arizona boy pretending to play an outdoorsman.”
I laugh, and Jed stares at me as though he can’t believe I make that sound.
“Meet Cade… Greene,” Jed says, and Cade puts his hand over the table between us.
I shake it, and a spark runs up my arm. He smiles and the air rushes from my lungs. This is how I’m used to feeling when a gorgeous man approaches me. I glance at Jed for a moment, wondering why I didn’t get that feeling with him.
“So you’re brothers?” I ask.
They both shake their heads. “Step.”
That explains how different they look. Cade’s hair is longer, darker, and wavy, and he has a lot more scruff. The type of scruff you want to feel between your thighs.
“Cool.” I sip my beer.
Cade shakes his head and grabs an empty glass from the stack in the middle of the table and pours a beer from the other pitcher. “Trust me, you’ll like this one more.” He leans past Jed and places it in front of me.
Jed sighs. “She already has the best beer we sell.”
“So you guys make the beer, I take it?” I arch an eyebrow.
They look at one another and back at me.
“We own the brewery,” Cade says.
I look around the place some more, thankful no one is paying me much attention anymore. The brewery suits them. Big silver barrels behind glass on one side, the tables are all dark wood and bulky with oversized chairs. Televisions arranged in a line above the bar showcase an array of sports, and there’s a big sign made out of steel that says Truth or Dare Brewery prominently displayed so it’s the first thing you see when you walk in.
“Very nice. I’m not much of a beer drinker, so I’m probably not a good judge.”
Jed pushes Cade’s closer as though he welcomes the competition. “Just take a sip and tell Cade you like mine better.”
I’m sure that grin paired with his wink gets Jed a lot of places, like between a woman’s legs.
“We earn money from both, so it’s not a real competition,” Cade says and rocks back on his heels. His body language says the complete opposite of what his lips did.
I sip Cade’s beer and swallow. They say nothing, waiting for me to speak. “It’s good. They’re both good.”
“If you had to finish a glass, which would you choose?”
“Um…” I’d rather be judging their beers than explaining who I am, so I play along and hope that as it winds down, I’ll be able to speak with Clara alone. “I guess I like the lighter one.”
“Cade’s?” Jed asks with distaste.
I shrug. “I told you I’m not really a beer drinker.”
“Hold up.” Jed leaves the stool and Cade takes his spot.
Suddenly I feel like the stuffed animal caught in a game of tug-of-war.
“He’s going to bring you his peach-flavored beer from this summer. It was our best seller last year and he likes to brag about it.” He glances at my plate that I’ve abandoned. “Do you not like the food?”
“Oh no, I’m just not as hungry as I thought.”
Cade nods. “Did you know Mrs. Harrison?”
Think fast, Presley. “Not very well, but I read her obituary and wanted to pay my respects.” I want to pat myself on the back. “Presley.” I put out my hand.
“Good to meet you, Presley. Sorry about the whole scene when you walked in, but no one is shy to let you know you’re an outsider in this town.”
I smile and sip his beer for something to do. A grin lights up his face as if it makes his day that I chose his beer to drink.
“I almost didn’t come. Felt it wasn’t my place.”
He pours himself a glass of Jed’s beer and I tilt my head but don’t ask. “I think if she touched your life in some way, it’s your place to be here. Have you spoken to Clara?”
Cade shifts his weight to get up, but in a panic, I place my hand on his thigh to stop him, retracting it quickly when the heat from his leg seeps into my fingertips. “Not yet. She looked very distraught when I came in and saw her with her husband by her side.”
He laughs. “Not her husband. That’s her best friend, Xavier, also my brother.”
My throat closes for a moment. “Oh, so you’re close to Clara?”
He drinks his beer. “I’ve known her since she was born.”
I nod. “And her dad? Is he still alive?”
His lips tip down, so I know the answer before he opens his mouth. “No. Unfortunately, his fishing boat went missing during a storm a little more than five years ago. He and some other men from Sunrise Bay died.”
I clear my throat. “So it’s just Clara then?”
He nods as though he can understand the pain she must be inflicted with. “Yeah, but she and Xavier are super close. That’s my stepmom next to her. She’ll make sure Clara gets through this.”
“That’s good. I’m sure that would make her mom happy.”
He studies me for
a second. “God, you look really familiar.”
I can understand why, and I’m surprised that no one immediately saw the resemblance when I walked in. To me it’s there, but maybe because I know what I look like as a brunette versus the dyed blonde hair I’ve had for years.
“I don’t think we’ve ever met,” I say.
Jed walks back over, a welcome interruption to our conversation that was hitting a little close to home. I promised myself that when I arrived in town, I would go to the source. I would go right to Clara and tell her before anyone figured it out. Now I can’t help but feel as if there’s a ticking clock hovering over my head.
Coming here was a mistake. All I wanted was to hear some happy stories about Clara’s mom, to understand what kind of woman she was.
“Here you go,” Jed says. “This is the best one. It’s—”
“Peach?” I finish for him.
He turns to Cade with narrowed eyes. “Regardless of sour grapes here, it’s the best flavor we’ve done.”
“Jed!” a blonde across the room hollers.
Jed places the beer down in front of me. “I’ll be back, let me know what you think.” He rushes off.
I slide the beer closer to Cade. “I’m not sure I can drink any more beer. It’s really not my drink.”
He’s quick to stand. “Let me get you something else. We have some cider. Or I can make you a mixed drink.”
“I’m fine, really.” I slide off the stool. “I should get going anyway.”
He stands as well, and that’s when I realize that we’re way too close. “I can get Clara—”
“No. No. Leave her be. Thank you for keeping me company, and please thank your brother for me too.”
“Do you need a ride or anything?” Cade asks.
I shake my head. “No. Thanks though.”
I step around him without waiting for him to say goodbye. When I pass Clara, her gaze flickers up and our eyes lock for a moment, making me pause. The Xavier guy I thought was her husband comes over and says something to Clara, tearing her gaze away from mine.
I’d love to go over and whisper in her ear, “You’re not alone.”
Instead, I walk out the door and onto the street of a town that should have been my home.
“Let me guess—you scared her away?” Jed comes to my side as I stare at the blonde walking out of the brewery. She pauses near Clara and almost looks as though she’s going to say something, but then she continues on.
Nikki steps between us. “You know, they say funerals bring out the dark secrets of people’s pasts.”
I raise my hand, not wanting to hear Nikki’s crap right now.
“Well your next segment is walking down the street right now,” Jed says. He picks up the glasses. “There’s obviously something wrong with her.”
“Why? Did she give any clues as to who she is?” Nikki asks.
“No, she was more into Cade than me.” Jed shakes his head. “Like I said, definitely something wrong.”
I scoff and push his shoulder. “You know I have more game than you.”
“Game? You don’t even have a man on the board.”
My brother Adam walks into the brewery, dressed in his forest ranger uniform, and stops at Clara, hugging her and offering his condolences. I’m sure most of the room is watching him carefully because we’re all still confused as to why Adam’s wife left him two weeks ago. He married too young. I told him that back when he was marrying his high school sweetheart. So maybe it’s not that big of a surprise that she up and left without a reason. At least not one he’s sharing with us.
My sister Chevelle heads our direction with concern on her face. “He’s got bags under his eyes,” she whispers because she wants me to fix it.
Another eldest son responsibility. I fix everything for Chevelle, but that’s because she’s my youngest sibling and has had a rough go of it since my mom died.
“I know, but he’ll get through it. He’ll move on,” I say.
The four of us stand there, watching our brother hug Clara, both of them looking on the verge of tears.
“We should do something to cheer him up,” Nikki says.
“How about a game night?” Chevelle asks. “He always loves card games.”
“I say the guys do a run to the strip club in Anchorage,” Jed says.
Nikki smacks him on the back of the head.
Adam separates from Clara and looks around the room. We all turn around as if we weren’t just talking about him. I collect dirty cups from some tables then carry the stack to the kitchen to get them washed, and on my way out, I find Clara in the hallway by the bathroom. Before I can say anything, she pushes the back door open and steps outside.
I glance down the hallway, not seeing Xavier, who’s been at her side the entire day. Going back into the kitchen, I grab a plate of our signature quesadillas that’s just come off the grill and follow her.
She’s sitting at a table we keep in back, separated from customer parking by a wall, for the employees when they’re on break.
“Hey,” I say, sliding in across from her and pushing the quesadillas toward her.
“Hi, Cade.” She looks up. “Is someone looking for me?”
I shake my head. “I saw you sneak away.”
She nods like she figured someone would. “I can’t take the sad eyes anymore. I mean, it was expected. She was sick.”
“It doesn’t make it any less hard.” I pull apart the quesadilla. Hopefully, if she sees the gooey cheese, she’ll be enticed to eat something.
“I think it’s more because I’m the last one. I have no more family.”
I squeeze her forearm. “You have us, the Greenes. You know that.”
She nods again as though she understands what I’m saying. Maybe I’d be better off to leave her alone.
“There’s so much to do. Her house needs to be emptied. And the store.” Clara shakes her head. “I mean, I have time when I’m not working at the library, but it’s all so daunting. I have to go to Trent Lawson’s office tomorrow to go over the will. It’s just a lot.”
“If you need help, we’re here. I can help with the store or help move some stuff from the house. Whatever you need. Xavier will be here for a few weeks since the season is over and tourist season isn’t for another two months. We’ll get it all handled.”
She stands and heads over to the store beside the brewery, digging the keys out of her pocket. She opens the back door. There are cobwebs and dust on the door because no one has stepped foot in there in some time. She swivels the key off the chain and holds it out toward me. I stand and walk over to her then open my palm.
She places the key there. “I have no use for this. It’s yours. I know you and Jed have been wanting to expand the brewery.”
“Are you sure? We’ll pay you of course.” Her mom would’ve bought this storefront decades ago, so Clara will get a good profit by selling it to us.
We step inside, and she flicks on the lights. It smells musty, and it’s obvious no one has been in here for a while, but when I look around, all I see is potential and profits for our business.
She picks up a spool of thread from one of the shelves. “We’ll figure it out, but she would’ve wanted you guys to have it. What am I going to do with it? I can’t thread a needle, let alone teach someone to sew.”
“Thanks, but it doesn’t seem right that we’re talking about it today.”
She smiles at me. “Maybe, but when then? I couldn’t be in that bar with all those people staring at me for any longer. Xavier’s all over me like a damn linebacker. I appreciate it, I do, but I just want to be by myself. Handle her affairs, remember her, and move on.”
I hug her. I was exactly where she was years ago. “I know it hurts and you want to move on and forget this pain, but believe me, one day you’ll think of her and it won’t hurt nearly as much.”
She squeezes me. “Thank you for that.”
I nod.
“There you are.” Xavier walk
s in, stepping over patterns and fabric that must have fallen at some point.
Clara smirks. “I’m here. Can you just take me home?”
Xavier nods and puts his arm around her. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
“Thanks, Clara,” I say.
She turns around. “You’re welcome.”
Xavier is babying her because we know what it’s like to lose a parent. Clara’s lost two and her grandma. As annoying as my big family can be at times, I can’t imagine having no one left.
As I’m about to pocket the key and keep this conversation to myself until I know she means it and wants to sell it to us, Jed walks through the door. “So is it true?”
“What?”
“That she gave you the key? That she’s going to sell us the space?”
So much for keeping it quiet and making sure it’s not just her grief talking.
I look around the space, trying to figure how much we’ll have to renovate, how we’ll manage the support beams by tearing down the wall.
Jed’s already got a pencil and an old pattern laid out, writing a floor plan on the back of it. “Do you think we need more seating? Maybe we should just expand our production so we can offer more flavors, more options for grocery stores.”
“I think we should expand the seating. Remember during tourist season how long the line was? We had to turn people away. Doubtful we could get a beer garden in here, but it might be worth talking to an architect.”
“Then we’d have to go to the town and get approval. Plus, we’re in Alaska. We’d only be able to use it less than half the year.”
“You make Alaskans sound weak. We’re used to braving the cold.” I walk to the front window and the foggy glass that Mrs. Harrison used to keep crystal clear. “This seems horribly disrespectful. Let’s wait to make plans until Clara has a few days to think this through.”
He drops the pencil and crosses his arms. Jed isn’t an asshole—he’s become my best friend over the years, which is funny since I hated him when he first came to town—but sometimes he gets tunnel vision and forgets his manners.