Good Girls Don't (Donovan Brothers Brewery 1)

“But I’ll make him regret it if he hurts you. And I still don’t like it.”

Tessa smiled and said “okay” to that, too. When she pulled back, she narrowed her eyes at him. “Maybe it’s time to come clean about your dating. How come I never see you with anyone?”

“Because I’m never with anyone,” he answered, but she noticed the way his eyes slid quickly away, and wondered what he was hiding. Still, she had too many secrets to make any point of his.

“Can you wait fifteen minutes while I shower? We can get that breakfast we talked about.”

She’d been trying to avoid him, but that had been a mistake. Half an hour later, they were digging into their diner breakfast when Tessa dared a question. “Have you ever met Graham Kendall?”

“No. Why?”

“I ran into him the other day. At Starbucks.”

“Oh? Did he say anything about why his father won’t take my calls?”

“No, but we spoke about Kendall Flight a little. Have you heard of it?”

“Sure.”

“It seems like maybe it’s another good opportunity for us. He’s going to send me some numbers.”

“Great. Let me know when you get them.”

He continued eating, his eyes still distant and dark.

“He also suggested a sponsorship of—”

“You know what? I don’t even want to hear about another deal with a Kendall Group company until this bastard gets back to me. I’m beginning to think these people are just screwing around with us.”

She swallowed a suddenly cementlike piece of pancake. “Are you having buyer’s remorse?”

“I’m sick of this. Maybe I should’ve taken the hint from the start. If I didn’t think this was the best path to expansion…”

There. There was one small crack in his unwavering support for this deal. There was that tiny bit of promise she’d been hoping to grab on to. If she kept a tight hold, and tugged it carefully…

“Then maybe you shouldn’t worry,” she said. “Maybe it’s a sign. If he backs out, he backs out, and we’ll concentrate on an even better opportunity.”

“No, I’ve put too much work into this. He’s just being inconsiderate. As usual.”

“I’m not sure we can trust him,” Tessa said on a rush, surprising even herself.

He shrugged. “That’s what airtight contracts are for.”

“He’s slimy.”

“Regardless, people are excited about his airline. And when will we ever have an opportunity to get paid to advertise our beer to a captive audience of new customers?”

That was just it. The brass ring she couldn’t reach with any other company. Yes, there were other opportunities, but they were only opportunities to squeeze Donovan Brothers beer onto the shelf next to a hundred other bottles.

“Well, we’re doing fine,” Tessa said quietly. “Everything’s good, with or without Roland Kendall.”

But Eric didn’t respond, he only scowled at his phone as he scrolled through something on the screen. Something work-related, obviously. As far as she knew, he didn’t have a life outside the brewery, but maybe he was as good at keeping secrets as she was.

She nodded her head toward his phone. “Hot text message from your new girlfriend?”

“No, it’s an email from—” His head whipped up and he narrowed his eyes. “Very funny.”

“You should think about getting laid. Then maybe you wouldn’t be so focused on my sex life.”