stuff.”
She blew on her cup of tea to cool it a little before taking another sip.
“Anyway, the service engineer for Constance just arrived,” Jake said. “I’ll let you know what he says.” He was gone as quickly as he’d arrived.
Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts.
Instead of her usual memory of a family trip to the Adirondacks where she and her father had sat and watched the sunset one evening, Connor’s face came to mind. They’d messaged occasionally over the weekend. She’d been concerned on Saturday evening…he’d not seemed quite like his usual ebullient self. He’d assured her it was a work problem that was on his mind, and boy, did she know how that went.
Four hours later, she knew two things. The first was that Constance would be out of order for three more days due to the part required to fix her being unavailable. The second was that she had a meeting on Friday with the business manager at the bank to ask for a loan.
“I’m out,” Jake said, walking into her office and taking a seat.
“If you’re out, why are you sitting down?” Emerson replied.
Jake took his beanie off and ran his hand through his hair. Worry creased the corners of his eyes. “I wanted to see how you’re doing. Handling your old job, taking on Dad’s job. And I know a lot of it is new to you. Plus, Constance being off-line for so long. Are you doing okay?”
Emerson thought through the question before answering. “Not going to lie, I feel like I’ve bounced from task to task the last couple of months. I try to make a plan each morning, but by eleven it’s in the trash.”
Jake leaned back in the chair. “Do you remember what we agreed the day after the funeral?”
Memories of the three of them standing in their father’s living room, experiencing the silence that came after loss.
“We agreed that for six months, we’d just keep the company going, right?” Jake said.
Emerson shrugged slightly. “I know, but—”
“There is no but, Em. Anxiety and depression have swallowed Liv whole and spit out a shell of the girl she used to be. I don’t want to see that happen to you, too. The six months was for us to grieve. For us to take mental health days any time we needed them. Is it great that Dyer’s Medallion is doing so well? Yes. Will the distillery still be here next year if we have to turn down an order or two? Yes.”
Jake ran his hand through his hair again, something he’d done since he was little when he was worried. She wanted to reassure him. He hadn’t seen the books like she had, not in the detail she had. They were busting their butt, and yes, they were able to pay everyone’s salaries, and all the procurement orders, and all the bills, but the cash flow wasn’t there for their plans. So, no, the distillery might not be there next year, but she didn’t share any of that with him. Not when he was obviously worrying about her and Liv.
“You know, as younger brothers go, you do not suck,” she said softly.
“Well, as older sisters go, you’re not always a jerk. You will talk to me if it gets too much, right?”
Emerson nodded. “I will.”
Jake patted the desk and stood. “You going to be okay locking the place down?”
“I got it. You go home.”
About twenty minutes after Jake left, her phone buzzed.
I’m in the neighborhood. You still at work?
Connor.
Just a text from him had the power to brighten her day. It was ridiculous that a guy she hadn’t known two weeks ago could mean so much to her already.
I’m hoping to leave soon. Did you want to meet up? We don’t have to wait for our official date.
I’m glad you said that, he replied. I’m in Dyer’s visitor parking lot.
I’ll come down and let you in. Give me a minute.
A minute. What the hell. She needed at least five. She ran to the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth, wishing she’d not had onions in her salad at lunch. After a long day at the distillery, she looked like she’d fought a battle with a hedge and lost. Running a brush through her hair took thirty seconds. A quick swipe of lip gloss took five.
She jogged to the visitor’s entrance and unlocked it. Connor, dressed impeccably in a dark gray suit with his white shirt unbuttoned at the neck, leaned against the brickwork of the