Forever Is Not Enough by E. L. Todd

Author:E. L. Todd [Todd, E. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fallen Publishing
Published: 2015-06-21T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Beatrice

My brother and I walked past all the barrels in the cellar and began to count the different types of wine before they were sent out.

“The Sinclair has thirty.” David made the mark on his clipboard then moved onto the next type of wine.

“Fifty for Moscato.” I made the note on my clipboard.

“Wait, are you sure?”

“I think I know how to count.”

He ignored my sarcasm. “There should be at least seventy.”

“Well, there’s only fifty.”

He came to my side and started to count, whispering under his breath. When he reached fifty, he sighed. “You’re right.”

“I have a degree from Harvard…”

“Shut up, brat,” he said. “No one gives a damn about your prissy degree.”

“I hear some resentment…”

“Look, I didn’t go to college and you did. But look where we are, working the same job and making the same salary.”

“But I’m smarter than you,” I said with an attitude. “And that’s all that matters.”

He rolled his eyes dramatically.

My brother and I teased each other on a regular basis, but we got along for the most part. We’d reconnected in the past year, and he was a friend as well as a member of my family.

“Wow.” A guy whistled when he entered the cellar. “This place is swanky.”

We both turned to the intruder.

Jared walked inside with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He wore a gray t-shirt that looked nice on his chest. His denim jeans hung low on his hips. His short brown hair was neatly styled like he cared about his appearance. “That’s a lot of wine.” He looked at the line of barrels.

David stared at him suspiciously and held his clipboard at his side. “Who the hell are you?”

I tried not to laugh. “David, this is my friend Jared.”

My brother’s hostility completely evaporated. “My apologies.” He extended his hand to shake Jared’s.

“It’s okay,” Jared said as he shook it. “People tend not to like me when they first meet me.”

“I second that,” I said.

Jared rolled his eyes and leaned in toward my brother. “Your sister is a brat, just in case you didn’t know that already.”

“Oh, I knew,” David said with a friendly smile.

I approached Jared. “What are you doing here?” I never invited him or suggested he should pay me a visit.

“I can’t stop by?” he asked in an offended voice. “I wanted to visit my friend. You’ve been to my bar a few times.”

“Because I was invited.”

Jared walked along the line of barrels. “It smells good in here.”

“It smells like alcohol.”

“And that’s the best kind of smell there is.” He came back to my side and looked down at me. “So, whatcha doing?”

“Working,” I said. “Counting the inventory before we ship it out.”

My brother watched us, listening to our conversation but not participating in it.

“Can I help?” he asked.

“Like you know how to count,” I teased.

He extended all his fingers. “I can count to ten. That’s impressive, right?”

I laughed. “Perhaps for a child.”

“Well, my mom dropped me on my head when I was a kid. So, I kind of am a child.

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