Of Love & Beer: A sweet, humorous, enemies to lovers romance by Amanda Darcy

Author:Amanda Darcy [Darcy, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brooks Ink Books
Published: 2024-03-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 29

When Dean emerged from the tour and meeting, he sighed with relief. His aunt had accepted his no. She had thanked him for driving all the way down and listening to her spiel and then invited him to lunch. He wanted to say he hardly recognized her, except that he did. It wasn’t the her from the last three years. It was the her from before his father died. Oh, she had been angry and demanding and manipulative as long as he could remember. But not with him. She’d only started in on him once his father and grandfather were gone.

Dean smiled. It was good to have his aunt back. Hopefully, she was back for good. He’d been unsure if it was just a ruse until she’d heard his “No,” and left it with only a wry comment. She didn’t argue or wheedle or in any other way try to talk him out of his position. Not even after he’d admitted that that beer-wine thing was probably the best beer he’d ever tasted. She had respected his position, saying she understood that his priority was his wines.

So he had accepted her invitation to lunch and stepped outside to check his messages while his aunt finished up.

At the sound of the doors opening, Dean looked up, expecting to see his aunt. His jaw nearly dropped when he recognized who had actually come out. Before he could say anything, she had closed her eyes and thrown her arms wide and her head back. She looked exultant. Probably because of the deal she’d made.

“Ellis?” He almost hated to interrupt her, but he couldn’t let an opportunity like this pass.

Ellis opened her eyes and turned toward him.

“Hi,” Dean said, struck by how those luminescent green eyes meeting his loosened something in his chest. “It’s good to see you again.”

She frowned in confusion—a feeling he understood—he was just as surprised to see her there.

“Celebrating, I see.” He smiled at her. “How long until your beer goes into production?”

He moved closer to her. He didn’t believe in things like fate or signs, but he was going to act as though he did and make the most of this unexpected encounter.

Ellis’s look of confusion deepened as she thought about his words.

“I’m celebrating my escape, not my capture.”

It was Dean’s turn to look confused. What did she mean?

“I’m here with a friend. She’s the one who sold out to LCBev. Not me.”

This information did little to clear up his confusion.

“Oh. I assumed when I saw Collin at Bourne Wilde that day, that he was there on behalf of LCBev to buy Mr. Wilde out.”

A look of understanding cleared her brow, followed quickly by one of frustration.

“And I suppose you told Ben this?”

“Of course.” He shifted his weight back as the full implications of her words registered. Oh no.

“I see,” she sighed heavily. “Well, that explains a lot.” She glanced at Dean and shook her head with a rueful laugh.

Dean wasn’t sure what to make of Ellis’s reaction.

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