* * *
“Welcome to the Limestone,” I say as the book club members gather around me outside the brewhouse. “This month’s meeting is a two-parter. Part one is that you get to be our very first guests in the taproom, so come on in.”
Everyone is talking at once as we shuffle inside the building. There are some oohs and aahs. A couple of wows. A breathless whoa.
“Beautiful,” Rosemary says at the same time Tori says, “Awesome!”
“Thank you,” I say. “We’ve got a few finishing touches yet, but I’m really pleased with how it’s coming together.”
“I didn’t think Mason would ever get this place finished,” Pat says, carrying a baking dish filled with fried mac-and-cheese balls to the buffet table. “But I love how he made the old winery part of the building.”
“I’ve been dying to see it up close.” Diane adds a bread bowl filled with spinach dip to the table.
“Me too,” Courtney agrees.
“Grab a drink. Fill a plate. And you’re welcome to have a look around,” I say. “There’s an observation platform up the stairs, but it’s quiet in the brewery tonight.”
“I was hoping we’d get to see Mason in action,” Gail says, waggling her eyebrows in an if you know what I mean way.
“Gail!” Virginia exclaims, scandalized. “You’ve known him since he was a little boy, riding his bike around the island.”
“If you haven’t noticed,” Gail says, “he’s not a little boy anymore.”
Avery looks at me, her eyes wide, and covers her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing out loud.
“Sorry to disappoint, but he’s babysitting tonight.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I feel like I’ve said too much. Glances flutter around the room. Unspoken questions. Word travels fast on Kelleys Island. Surely they’ve heard about the night we were at the Village Pump together. They must be curious.
“Well, I’m delighted to hear that,” Rosemary says. “He’s spent far too much time holed up in this brewery.”
“Anyway,” I say, redirecting their attention away from my personal life. “I thought we could book talk for a bit while we eat, and then head out back for the second part of the night.”
For the next thirty minutes or so, we have a lively discussion about the book—a young adult fantasy set in the Phoenician underworld—pausing only to refill our glasses and plates. For the most part, I keep my mind on book club, but when I pull the Stargazer tap handle, I’m reminded that Mason made it for me, and I’m warmed by the thought.
When the book discussion tapers off, I encourage everyone to refill their glasses before we go outside. We all top up our drinks and head out the back door onto the patio.
Even though the evening is warm, I draped a red polar fleece blanket over the arm of each of their chairs for effect and lit a fire in the pit. The projector is set up on a barstool at the back of the patio.
“We’re hoping to make outdoor movie night a regular feature for guests and locals,” I say. “So, once again, you get to be my canaries in the coal mine. Tonight’s feature was selected especially for you … Thelma & Louise.”
I press play on the projector and settle into an Adirondack chair next to Avery.
“You did so good,” she whispers.
“Thanks,” I say. “But between karaoke and movie night, Mason knows too much about book club. We’re either going to have to kill him or make him an honorary member.”
Avery snickers. “I don’t think any of them would complain about him being at book club every month, especially Gail.”
* * *
Mason and Daniel emerge from the trees not long after Courtney’s golf cart turns out of the driveway. Each man is leading a small child by the hand. Maisie is cuddling Fred against her neck, which means she’s exhausted beyond measure, but Leo is practically vibrating with energy, a peanut butter jar of fireflies clutched in his hand.
“We … messed up,” Daniel confesses. “Leo is high on s’mores and Maisie is amps-to-eleven cranky.”
Maisie breaks away from Mason and runs to me. First she hugs my legs as if we’ve been apart for days, then begins to pummel my thighs with frustrated little fists. “I want to go home.”
I pick her up. “You are home, baby.”
“No. I want to go to our other house, where Oma lives.”
“She has a new house, remember? We helped her move there. This is where we live now.”
Maisie rubs her nose against my shoulder. “I don’t like it.”
“We’ll talk about it in the morning, okay?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Mason looks stricken. Like he did something wrong.
“This is normal for her,” I say. “Don’t take it personally. You did great.”
“We’ve got cleanup,” Avery tells me. “Get her to bed.”
True to form, Maisie falls asleep in my arms on the way to the house. I don’t bother undressing her or putting her in pajamas. I take off her sneakers and tuck her into bed. Yōkai leaps onto the bed and settles against Maisie’s back.
“Thanks,” I whisper to the cat, who responds with a baleful glare.
I return to the brewhouse, where Mason has dismantled the projector and screen, and Avery has collected the blankets to keep them from getting damp with dew. Daniel is washing the dirty glasses in the taproom while Leo runs in circles singing “ashes, ashes, we all fall down” before collapsing onto the floor.
“Chocolate after bedtime was not my best-ever plan,” Daniel says. “But on the bright side, he’ll probably sleep late.”
I pour the dregs of the wine bottles down the drain. “Today was a long day, and even best friends need to take a break sometimes. I’ll keep Maisie home tomorrow.”
Mason and Avery come in from outside, and the four of us finish cleaning up the taproom. Avery scoops up Leo mid-spin. “Time to calm down, little man. We’re going home.”
After thanking them and saying good night, Mason and I are alone in the taproom.
“Hi,” he says, catching my hand and reeling me in.
I smile, my heart taking flight. “Hi.”
He takes my face in his hands and when he kisses me, it feels like a relief. Finally. I slip my arms up around his neck and his arms encircle my waist, pulling me closer. His tongue dips into my mouth and we kiss for ages.
“Oh God.” We’re interrupted by a voice. Avery’s voice. “I’m so sorry. I forgot my purse.”
It’s too late to pretend like we weren’t making out, so Mason holds me in his arms as she scurries across the room to where her small suede bag is lying on the couch, and back to the door.
“I didn’t see a thing,” she says, throwing an excited fist in the air. “But I knew it! I love you both. Bye.”
Mason touches his forehead to mine when she’s gone, laughing a little. “We are never going to hear the end of this.”
“I know.”
“But we were never going to be able to keep it a secret,” he says. “When I’m with you, I remember what it feels like to be happy, and anyone with eyes is bound to notice.”