The Engagement Arrangement (Boots and Bouquets #2) - Jaci Burton Page 0,63
INTO the Screaming Hawk craft brewery and looked around. He spied both Jason and Clay at a corner table and headed their way. Owen was behind the bar working and waved as he walked by.
It was good to see Owen at work. He was still thin from his cancer treatments, but he was starting to get some color back in his face and he looked stronger than he had when this had all started.
He got to the table and saw that Jason and Clay already had beers.
“Be right back,” he said.
He went to the bar and waited while Owen dealt with another customer. When he finished, Owen made his way to him.
“What’s up, Finn?” Owen asked.
“Not much. How’s it going with you?”
“Oh, you know, running a brew pub. Just living life.”
Which Finn knew meant a lot more to Owen these days than ever before.
“That’s great. And, hey, you’re looking good. Much healthier since the last time I saw you.”
Owen smiled. “Thanks. I’m feeling pretty good, too. Glad to see you guys here tonight.”
“Sorry I haven’t been in a while. Been busy.”
“I heard. Seeing Brenna, huh?”
The one thing about everyone being close was that they always knew your business. “Something like that.”
“What’ll you have?”
Finn was grateful that Owen didn’t press for details about Brenna and him. He wasn’t in the mind-set for it tonight.
“The Back in Black IPA.”
“Should have known. Let me pull it for you.”
Owen drew him a draft and Finn pulled out his money and paid him.
“How’s the whiskey making going?”
“Good. You should come by for a taste.”
Owen scratched the side of his nose. “I try to steer clear of the Bellini property these days.”
“I thought all was forgiven.”
“It is, but I still think Erin needs her space.”
Finn knew Owen felt bad for how everything went down with the wedding. Or the wedding that hadn’t happened between Owen and Erin. But it all had turned out for the best in the end. Erin had fallen in love with Jason and she was happy.
Sometimes things just worked out the way they were supposed to. It sucked that Owen had backed out at the last minute without telling Erin he was sick, but he’d been scared and he hadn’t wanted to hurt Erin, which he’d ended up doing anyway. He’d apologized to Erin and her family, and they’d all eventually forgiven him.
To Finn, it was all water under the bridge. People fucked up sometimes, and if their intentions were good, you forgave them and moved on. Holding a grudge only made you miserable in the end.
Which didn’t mean Finn wasn’t still irritated at Brenna. He didn’t know what the hell her issue was with him making whiskey, or with her dad investing in it. But when he’d tried to get her to open up about her feelings, she’d bailed on the conversation. On him. And that was the part that pissed him off the most.
When Jason had texted asking if he wanted to go out for beers tonight, he figured getting away to clear his head was a good idea. Besides, he hadn’t been out with his friends in a while, and he’d been meaning to come see Owen. He’d dropped Murphy over at the main house with Johnny and drove in to town, stopped to eat a burger, then met the guys here.
He took his beer to the table and sat.
“We were just talking about wedding plans,” Clay said.
“Whose?” Finn asked. “Yours or Jason’s?”
“Both, actually. Though Jason got the jump on us with their speeded-up shotgun wedding,” Clay said, slanting a sly smile at Jason.
“Promise. No shotguns will be in attendance at our wedding. And my fiancée is not pregnant. That I know of.”
Finn laughed. “Considering how fast this wedding is coming about, I don’t think the Bellinis would be all that upset if you added a baby to the mix.”
Jason held up his hands. “One thing at a time. With the wedding and moving in together, that’s more than enough. We can wait on a baby.”
Finn and Clay looked at each other.
“You watch,” Clay said. “Erin will be pregnant by the time Alice and I get married next year.”
Finn nodded. “Not even going to bet on that one. It’s a sure thing.”
Jason went a little pale. “Come on, guys. Give me a break.”
Finn laughed and took a long drink of his beer. It was intense and had the perfect bitterness, just the way he liked it. Owen really knew how to brew beer. He was glad to see his