Page 5 of Summer Brew

“Didn’t know the girls were coming out tonight,” Gary comments next to me. “I’m glad though. Gemma has been stressed out lately.”

My eyebrows pull together and I find myself glancing over at Gemma who is heading toward the bar with Greylin and Hollyn to grab the first round of drinks. She’s laughing at something, and I swear the lights in the room find her. Even the neon looks brighter.

I blink once and shake my head. “She doesn’t look stressed out,” the words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.

Gary glances over at his sister and his entire face softens. “You wouldn’t think so,” he agrees, but then something serious crosses his face. “She’s been working on making something special for Green Mountain High.”

Even though I try to push it down, I can’t help my curiosity. “What do you mean? She just runs the event space, right?”

My best friend glares at me, something I don’t often see from him, “She doesn’t just do anything,” he defends her.

It takes me aback. He’s always been a protective big brother. Even when we were teenagers and part of me didn’t want her following us around anymore. It wasn’t all the time, what with the girls hanging out more and doing their own thing. Still, I always expected him to put up a fuss about it, but he never did.

He simply always made room for her when she wanted to be around. I did too. While trying to ignore the way she looked at me like I was the best thing to ever walk into her life.

There was no way I was going there. She was a cute kid and a wonderful person, but a little sister in my mind.

It wasn’t until after she came home from college, ready to face the world as the woman she grew into, when I started to see her differently. Even then, I would only let my mind wander there alone at night when I couldn’t ignore the thoughts anymore.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I tell him, honestly. “I’m not talking down about what she does. I just meant that her focus is on the events. What is she working on?”

Gary leans closer to me, glancing around like he expects this conversation to become the center of a corporate espionage scandal. “She’s been trying to make an exclusive beer. Just a small-batch thing.”

My eyes widen without me being able to stop my reaction. “She’s doing what?”

He chuckles softly and shrugs while I look at him with shock and confusion. It’s warranted. She’s been dealing with a home brew set-up, and he never mentioned it before now? Why not?

This is actually something I would like to know. Need to know? I’m not even sure.

But he’s very aware of my own healthy fixation on making, and perfecting, my own home brew. So why wouldn’t he mention Gemma making one?

Gary reads the look on my face and cringes slightly. “I know I should have said something, but she’s been really hush-hush about it. She only lets the girls try it when ready and then only one of them at a time.” He shrugs. “I’ve never even been allowed to see her whole,” he makes a sweeping gesture with his hands, “you know, the thing, where the magic happens.”

I bark out a laugh and finish off my beer while reaching for the other one already waiting for me. “I get it,” the words come out as a chuckle. “Please don’t make that hand motion again.”

He huffs and rolls his eyes. “I swear you’re more judgmental than your students,” he grumbles.

“Whatever.” I shake my head and lean toward him. “Get back to the point.”

“That’s it.” His words land between us. “I don’t know anything else. Still, I can tell the whole thing stresses her out. She’s determined, but you know how much of a perfectionist she is.”

One corner of my mouth tugs upward and I glance back toward the table where the girls are talking with bright smiles on their faces. They look like they’re in their own little world. Is it wrong that I wish I could visit her there and finally admit I see far more when I look at her than I should?

I swallow hard and force my voice to be calm, “And she’s stubborn.”

He makes a face and nods sagely. “You know it.”

Before I can ask any more questions, even though he’s already said he doesn’t know anything else, Elwood, Aiden, and Rook walk up to our table. Aiden is a cop in town and finally stopped pulling Greylin over for every traffic violation under the sun and is now blissfully in love with her.

Elwood steals a glance at the table the women are at before looking between Gary and me. “Hey guys. Looks like you have a good vantage point, and a little space. You wouldn’t mind us joining you, would you?”

He says it like a question, but he’s already settled in and I can’t help but laugh. “You’re spying on your woman?” I can’t help but tease the mild-mannered librarian.

“Yes,” he says without a hint of hesitation. Then he smirks as if he doesn’t care if I judge him for it.

“I sure as fuck am,” Aiden chimes in.

“I just know Meadow gets all giggly and adorable whenever she has a drink or too.” Rook flashes me a grin. “I can’t miss the show.”