“It’s sweet. A little hint of vanilla. I can taste the warmth of the scotch and the honeyed notes from the Japanese whisky.” She looked up, her brows raised. She and Nathan had worked on the International Blend for over a year. It had taken all of his diplomacy to get their sister distillery in Tokyo to agree to the blend. And of course, Daniel’s distillery in Scotland had provided the Scotch. Both of those, along with the whiskey produced here at GSC formed the body of the new product.
“Do you like it?”
She nodded. “Of course I do. I worked on the blend with Nathan.”
“And you think it’s the best blend it could possibly be?”
Her chest tightened. “I… I think so.” She hated the way she felt uncertain. They’d all been so proud of the International Blend. Becca’s eldest brother, Gray, led the marketing campaign, and she’d even featured in the long form adverts they’d run in the movie theaters.
“It’s not.”
“Okay.” The air wooshed out of her. Asshole.
“It’s too smokey. You needed to have less of the Scotch in there. It overpowers the softer notes in the blend. There’s no nuance to it, and it’s too sweet. That’s why I asked you about your sweet tooth.”
“Nathan approved it,” Becca pointed out. “And your mother did, too.”
“They both have good taste. But as the lead on the blend, it was your job to make sure it was perfect. Not theirs.”
Becca pressed her teeth into the soft skin inside her cheek. She’d been so proud of the blend, and so excited that she was the lead distiller. “Yes.” She nodded. “It was my job. I thought I’d done my best.”
“Your best isn’t good enough if it isn’t perfect. There’s no half assing this, Miss Hartson.”
She felt her hackles rise. “I’m not half-assing anything. I love my job. I’m good at it. You can check my last review if you want to see all the commendations I’ve received for my work.”
“From my brother,” he murmured. Her chest tightened even more.
What the hell was he insinuating? “Yes. He was my boss.”
“And now I am.” He raised a brow. “And I’m not Nathan.”
Yeah, well that was perfectly clear. Nathan was a warm, funny guy who made working here enjoyable. His older brother? He was…
Ugh. He wasn’t Nathan. That was for sure.
“How old are you?” he asked, leaning back on his chair as though he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Twenty-six.” Her neck was aching from keeping her head so upright.
“You’re very young to be the lead on any product. It takes years to train your taste. To understand how a tiny change in the type of water or grain can make a massive change in how the whiskey matures.”
“Nathan thought I was capable enough.”
Daniel gave a half-nod. “Yes. He did.” Pulling her glass back toward him, he stood and took them over to the wet bar on the far side of his office. “Okay, you can go.”
Becca bit her lip. “Don’t you want to hear what I’m working on at the moment?”
“I know what you’re working on.” His back was still to her. Beneath the blue cotton of his shirt, she could see the ripple of his shoulder blades as he ran the glasses beneath the faucet.
She stood, waiting for him to turn around so she could say goodbye, but he picked up a towel to dry his hands, then placed the bottle of GSC International Blend back into the cupboard, never once turning to look at her.
“I’ll head back to the stills then,” she said. Finally, he turned, and he gave her the slightest of nods. She flashed him a smile that she wasn’t sure even registered, as his own lips remained pressed together.
“Bye.” She left his office, and immediately screwed her face up, letting out a silent scream as she walked back toward the administration offices. When she closed the door to the executive corridor behind her, she banged her head against the glass center.
He definitely hated her. But on the plus side, the feeling was fast becoming mutual.
Daniel Carter was the most annoying, aggravating, rude man she’d ever met.