Page 35 of Flights and Sights

Paxton nodded once and made his way into the taproom as patrons began to stream inside, and I took a spot behind the bar next to Paxton, hoping to do what I could to help by pouring and serving drinks. The tables and bar quickly filled up, leaving a line outside as people waited for their turn to get a taste of Paxton’s unique, experimental flavors. I stayed out of the way as he worked, watching him with awe as he moved with confidence from group to group, explaining the menu, making recommendations, and charming everyone.

While I was in my own world, doing my best to keep up with Paxton’s directions to run things here and there, someone came up to the bar and tapped me on the shoulder. I spun to see who was trying to get my attention and spotted a guy who was probably a decade younger than me, mid-twenties, slim, with curly brown hair and bright green eyes.

“Hey,” he said. “Just wanted to come over and introduce myself. I’m Jack. I run the hardware store in town.”

I nodded and shook his hand, not sure where this was going. “Nice to meet you, Jack. I’m Callum.”

“I just wanted to say how much I appreciated your article. People are all over town. It’s already looking like it’s going to bring a lot of business to Foggy Basin.”

I opened my mouth to respond but as I did, I overheard a conversation next to us. A pair of women were chatting. What caught my attention was one of the women reciting her favorite lines from the article. My stomach did a somersault as I realized she was quoting me. I blinked and turned my attention back to Jack. “Sorry about that. I’m… glad to help. A rising tide lifts all ships, right?”

Jack grinned and put a hand on my shoulder. “Exactly.” A few moments later we said our goodbyes and he left me, making his way to a table where a blond guy sat, sipping a glass of mead.

As I worked, I allowed myself to take it all in, letting the sounds of laughter and clinking glassware wash over me, the sunlight streaming in through the huge taproom windows, the rich scent of different meads floating through the air. My heart squeezed as I looked around and spotted Paxton in his element and for some reason, I tried to imagine what it would be like once I left. My chest felt hollow, a deep ache inside my body.

“Wow.” It came from a guy one table away from me. I tried not to be too obvious about eavesdropping as he talked. “This tastes exactly like the article described it. It’s so good. Here, you try.” He passed his glass to the guy sitting next to him.

At first, I felt pride in my work. Then, for a brief moment, panic threatened to seize me. What if this is all too much? What if it’s too much pressure? Or too much attention? What if Paxton regrets letting me write that article in the first place?

I shook my head and tried hard to ignore the thoughts, focusing instead on Paxton, glowing as he circulated the room once again.

Chapter 17 - Paxton

Saturday was such a whirlwind that I didn’t realize until Callum was saying goodbye that I was going to miss the family movie marathon. In fact, he had probably missed most of it, too, just spending the day enjoying the crowd in the taproom. Sunday was more of the same, the taproom bustling nonstop and no time with Callum. By the time we closed the taproom Sunday evening, I was completely wiped out, and I could see my exhaustion reflected on Matty’s and Tommy’s faces, too.

“Well, we made it,” I murmured as I locked the door behind the last customers to leave.

Tommy nodded, pulling the bar rag from his shoulder and proceeding to wipe down the counters while Matty made his way around the taproom and bussed tables. “We sure did,” Tommy said. “That was something else.”

“Tomorrow should be better. It’s a weekday. How busy can we be?”

Matty chuckled and shook his head as he scooped up the last of the glassware on one table. “Don’t jinx us.”

I yawned and scrubbed one hand over my face. “You’re right. Let’s get cleaned up as quickly as possible so we can all go home and rest up to do this shit again tomorrow.”

When I walked in the front door of my house almost two hours later, I finally took the time to pull out my phone and check my messages and emails. A handful of texts, mostly from Callum, which warmed me to my core. He’d sent a few photos of him and the kids being silly in the yard, a couple of messages checking in, and one just to let me know he was thinking about me. My heart thudded in my chest. Even as a fake boyfriend, he was probably the most thoughtful guy I’d been with.

That thought shored me up. Fake boyfriend. I needed to keep that in mind. We’d shared a few sweet moments and we’d even fooled around a little the previous weekend, but he was leaving soon and I didn’t have any right to start thinking about him like I wanted him any way other than casually.

As I collapsed onto the couch, shoes off, I let out a low groan of relief. My feet ached and I was glad to sit down. I opened my email to see dozens of new messages in my inbox and I sighed. I scrolled to see if there was anything urgent, and sure enough, I found something that looked important.

The subject line read “Development Proposal” and there was a document attached. I opened the email, even though the sender wasn’t a name I was familiar with, and scanned the body of the message quickly.

Mr. Lowell,

My name is Jade Holloman and I am reaching out from The Carson Group, an investment firm based in Santa Clara, California. We primarily work with businesses in the adult beverage space and have been recently made aware of your property, Celestial Cask. There is significant interest here at The Carson Group in discussing the future of Celestial Cask and whether we can find a fit for our investors to participate in that future. We are attaching several documents, including a business proposal and document that includes a timeline with next steps. We would very much like to have a conversation with you about this exciting possibility and potentially schedule a visit to your site. Please reach out at your earliest convenience. If we are to move forward, please be aware that a non-disclosure agreement will need to be signed by both parties.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Jade Holloman

My stomach did a somersault as I read the email, and another as I read it again. Someone wanted to invest in me? In my business? Maybe it was possible that I didn’t need to win a grant after all. Maybe I wouldn’t lose the chance to buy the property next door. Maybe… There were a lot of maybes, but maybe this was a good thing. I decided that I’d definitely call Ms. Holloman the next morning. Before I went to bed, I sent Callum a text, including a selfie in my sweatpants once I was ready to get into bed.

Paxton: It’s been a long day. Talk tomorrow, I hope.

With that, I went to bed, fell asleep quickly, and dreamed of honey. The next morning, I woke before my alarm went off, which meant it was far too early to be awake. I groaned and rubbed my face before picking up my phone. There were no new texts, so I took a chance and sent Cal another.