Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
He was also one of the few people working here who didn’t seem to hate my ass the moment I walked in.
I’d only been at the helm of my dad’s old brewery for a week, and I knew a lot of the workers were still getting used to me. It wasn’t easy when someone new was in charge, but I wasn’t going to be shy about what I expected in a well-run brewery.
Because I lived for this shit.
And I didn’t do anything half-assed, even if I was back in a tiny mountain town again. Even if I planned to sell this brewery the moment I finished renovating and selling the house. Every worker here still deserved respect—and a raise, now that I was in charge—and I was going to give them that. They didn’t have to like me, because I knew they missed my dad. But I was still going to do right by them before I left town.
I took another swig of cold, crisp Pilsner, focusing on the sweet notes in the brew. My dad had mastered the art of beer, but over the past decade, I’d gotten it down to a science. If we added a little more malt to the brew, the Pilsner could be absolutely perfect in time for summer. I pulled out my leather notebook and scribbled down a note to tweak the recipe and order some malt from one of my contacts in Germany.
As I sipped, my eyes scanned the bar, seeing if there was anyone cute who’d come in while I’d been training Jax. I typically wouldn’t go home with a bar customer as a rule, but in this town, it was slim pickings to begin with.
And God, did I have a craving to be inside someone tonight.
I had another reason to be scouting out the bar, too. Nathan had told me that his brother was looking for some action too. I didn’t remember much about Little Wood—Shawn—but I was definitely down to help a guy out and play sex Cupid.
“Do you know that guy over there, in the corner booth?” I asked Jax, nodding over.
“That’s Remy,” Jax said. “He’s a regular. Always brings his laptop in to do work, even when the bar gets rowdy. I’m not sure if he’s gay, but he definitely looks at me more when I change into my gym clothes before leaving work.”
“Ding ding ding,” I said. “Not necessarily gay, but there is potential. I’m trying to play wingman for an old friend tonight.”
“You have friends here?”
I gave Jax a look, raising an eyebrow. Ruddy red slashes appeared on his cheekbones immediately, and his eyes went wide.
“God, I love making a straight guy blush,” I said.
“Shit,” Jax said. “I didn’t mean to say it like that—I know you have friends, I just, you only recently came back to town—”
I reached over and gave him a pat on his upper arm. “Chill, Jax,” I said. “I’m just giving you a hard time. And yes, believe it or not, I have friends here.”
“I’m so stupid sometimes,” Jax muttered, his eyes still wider than normal.
“Hey,” I said, surprised by his embarrassment. “Don’t sweat it. Nathan Wood is my best friend in the world, actually, and he’s bringing along his brother Shawn.”
“Oh, I’ve seen them around,” Jax said. “They have a really good time, sometimes.”
I cocked my head to one side. “Now you have my attention,” I said.
Jax shrugged one shoulder. “Those are the construction guys, right? From Fixer Brothers? They’re ‘work hard, play hard’ types.”
“So am I,” I said. “That’s probably why Nathan and I get along so well.”
“You’ve been in here from ten in the morning until close, multiple times this week,” Jax said. “I feel like you’re still working hard even when you sleep.”
I pulled in a breath. “Okay, I admit I have definitely been more on the work hard end of the spectrum than the play hard side recently, but I’m just trying to get a hang of this place. Immerse myself. Figure out what the hell I’m doing in this town. You know?”
A couple of customers came through the front doors.
“All right, look alive,” I told Jax. “Let’s go.”
“You got it, boss,” Jax said, springing up out of his seat and coming back around to the back of the bar. The guy was a novice, sure, but he was a natural at making customers feel at home.
As Jax served them, my mind wandered to Nathan and Shawn.
I was so goddamn glad they were coming in tonight. Nathan had been my lifeline for years, and he’d been the only friend I still had from back in my Jade River childhood days. Nathan knew me like family, and even when I’d moved out to California, he’d visited me a ton, sometimes even with his daughter Maddy.
It would be interesting to see Little Wood again, too. When we were growing up, Shawn had always seemed like he wanted to blend into the background. I’d always kind of left him alone. He was always lanky and unassuming, but I was curious how he’d grown up after doing construction work for years.