Real Men Will (Donovan Brothers Brewery 3)

“Cairo has it under control,” Beth said quickly, wrapping her hand around his elbow. “Let’s talk outside.”

He tore his eyes from the girl’s slender hand disappearing into plastic flesh and followed Beth to the parking lot. She walked all the way to her car, then crossed her arms and paced next to it. Eric noticed her red spike heels immediately. Did she know how distracting they were? Is that why she wore them? Or was it because they made her legs look impossibly long?

“Do you remember that night…?” Her voice trailed off and her pacing faltered. “I mean…” She glanced up, but her eyes slid quickly away from his. “I don’t know if you remember this, but at the expo, I told you that I knew the Kendall family.”

His mind spun. Out of all his memories of that night, this one had taken very low priority. “Right,” he said, crossing his arms in defense. “I’d forgotten.”

“I had no idea about…you know.”

“Their side project?”

Beth winced. “Yes. I just found out about it last night. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I’m sorry.”

He tilted his head in acknowledgment, but he had a feeling this was leading somewhere. “All right. Thank you.” She was friends with someone who’d violated the security of the brewery and tried to damage Eric’s employees. And she hated him. This couldn’t mean anything good.

“Would you be willing to tell me what really happened?” she asked.

“Why?” he asked more harshly than he’d meant to.

She swallowed, her gaze sliding away again. As if she felt guilty. As if she’d done something wrong.

“Look,” he said. “If you know the family, that’s your business. But don’t expect me to help them out just because I feel guilty about what I did. If Graham Kendall is someone you know well—”

“No! That’s not it at all. It’s complicated. I’ve known the family for a long time, and I…”

His heart sank. “And you want to help them?”

“No. I just…I think I might be responsible. That’s all.”

Eric dropped his arms and stepped back. That hadn’t been what he’d expected at all.

“EXCUSE ME?”

Beth hugged her arms harder to herself and paced to the bumper of her car before making herself walk back to Eric.

“Beth, what are you talking about?”

“That night at the hotel. You called me to give me the room number.” Her body warmed just saying the words, and she could feel her face turn red. “I was on my way to the elevator when I saw Roland Kendall. I shouldn’t have said anything, I know, but I was flustered. I told him I’d heard he was negotiating a deal with the brewery.”

“Okay.”

“Kendall said he wasn’t going to go with Donovan Brothers, but I asked him to give you a chance. I told him you were a good guy. At least I thought I was talking about you.”

“Beth, what does this have to do with Graham?”

“Roland Kendall called you just an hour later. I think I’m the one who convinced him to go with Donovan Brothers.”

Eric shook his head. “You’re hardly responsible for what happened afterward, though.”

“Then would you be willing to tell me what happened? Please?”

He didn’t look happy about it. In fact, his frown made her want to squirm and apologize and promise she’d never do it again…whatever it was she’d done. “Eric—”

“I’ll tell you. The stuff that’s a matter of public record, anyway.”

She nodded and didn’t say a word. She wanted to get his take on it before she told him what had happened. She wanted to know how upset she should be about Monica’s bullshit.

“So…Roland Kendall called me and finally agreed to the meeting.”