Page 15 of Just One Spark

This thing with Hattie had already gotten out of hand.I'd given Jane her name because she was standing close by, and at one time, we'd been close.I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get closure on the demise of our friendship.

But after that kiss, everything had changed.That childhood crush I had on her had morphed into something else, something hot and heavy.Something I wanted to pursue with every beat of my heart.But I had to focus on the business."How's it going with the furniture?"

"I have a few more bar stools to finish.Then we'll be ready to go."

I moved to a table and sifted through the frames that Clara had dropped off the other day.The ones that contained our family's history."These will look nice on the walls."

Boone moved closer to me."It's all coming together."

"I think we have to plan the grand opening now."We'd discussed various options, but it was time to get to work.Otherwise, someone else would create buzz when I wanted to keep the narrative on our family's history and my dream to open a brewery.

His brow furrowed."Count me out.I make furniture.I don't do parties or socializing.Or anything else really."

"I'll talk to Beck and Malcolm about it."Beck was our business consultant, investor, and Malcolm's college friend.He was the one Malcolm had called when we were thinking of opening the brewery.He'd decided to invest in the business and stuck around to renovate the building and plan the opening.

"Just leave me out of it."

I carried one of the frames over to a wall to get a feel for how it would look."Don't worry.No one wants your sourpuss face at a party."

He grunted as he crossed the room, probably to grab another stool from the back."Let's keep it that way."

Boone was content to make furniture and stay out of the front-facing parts of our business.But each family member had a role to play, whether it was in the inn, the restaurant, or even Gran's Christmas Shop, which Clara ran.There was plenty of work for all of us to do.And I was just happy that I'd found my place with the brewery.I could have built the brewery somewhere else, but thankfully, everyone agreed it belonged here.

The building held a special place in my heart, and the picture frames told the story of how we played here as kids.There was even a picture of us sitting on the floor with a blanket and a picnic basket.We were supposed to be eating, but Callum was chasing me.We were laughing and having fun.

I enjoyed creating brews, but at the same time, the opening of the brewery was a celebration of our family's history.We were building something that future generations of Harts could live on and be proud of.

It was bigger than us, and I couldn't help but be proud of everything we'd created.I hung the frames and stood back to see if they were straight.

Boone worked in the back, making final tweaks to the stools he'd built in his shop.Every time I stepped outside, the flakes of snow grew bigger and fell harder.

I was staring out the window when Boone paused what he was doing on one of the tables in the tasting room and said, "Why don't you check on Hattie?You haven't been working anyway."

"I think I'll do that."Hopefully, she wouldn't get mad.But I didn't like her driving the truck home in this weather.What if she ran into a problem?

"And, Rowan?"Boone asked as I reached for the doorknob to leave.

"Yeah?"I asked.

"I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," I said, even as my stomach dropped.I was lying to my family but I couldn't be upset about it when it had brought me closer than I'd been to Hattie in years.She wanted to maintain distance between us, but I wouldn't let that happen.Especially after that kiss.

As I drove to Christmas Town, I wondered if I was making a mistake in bringing Hattie into my life.She obviously wanted nothing to do with my family and was only doing this as a favor to me.I'd gotten us into this mess after all.But I couldn't forget about that kiss.It wasn't one you experienced between friends.It had ignited a fire within me that couldn't be put out.Had she felt it too?

When I arrived in town, there were already several inches of snow on the ground, and the pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks was sparse.Most people were headed home before the roads were covered.

But Hattie's truck was still running in the same spot as it was this morning.She probably got more customers when it snowed, but then she could get stuck in it if she stayed too long.

The sun had already set, and when I got out of my truck, the wind stung my cheeks.I lifted my collar and hunched my shoulders as I walked across the street to her truck.

She'd hung a string of lights over the window at some point today that gave it a cheery glow.The window opened when I stopped in front of it, and Hattie popped her head out.She was wearing a winter puffy jacket and a green knit hat that highlighted the green flecks in her eyes."Oh, it's you."

I rocked back on my heels."It's your loving fiancé."

She rolled her eyes and pulled her head back into the truck where it was probably warm and cozy.

"You about ready to get out of here?"I asked, preparing myself for an argument.