Forever Burning, page 5
Cady met him at the farmers market with Landon. Harlan had a booth where he was selling his moonshine. Moonshine isn’t a fancy drink. It isn’t even complex. However, Harlan had done some magic to his and it tasted smooth as could be with surprising depth of flavor. Three hours later, she had him doing blind taste tests on bourbons and he could pick out every single ingredient. Harlan had the best natural palate she’d ever come across. Plus, he was eager to bring his moonshine statewide and then national. They’d made a deal. She’d teach him everything about bourbon, he’d help her in the distillery for way less than any other associate distiller would make, but they’d work together to make the moonshine. He’d make it at her distillery and she’d bottle and sell it for a small percentage of each sale. They were both happy with the arrangement and now she had an associate distiller with more natural talent and drive than any associate her father had ever had at Blue Stone. Even Isaac.
Cady jumped on the golf cart and headed for the old stone building that housed the kiln. Corn had to be baked at 200+ degrees first, then the temperature was lowered, and the other grains added for the malting process. It had to be done before mashing, the process that created and extracted the sugars needed to be drawn out for specific flavors. If her kiln went down, they wouldn’t have the grains from the mash bill to add to the water and yeast in the large vats where they were agitated by big paddles before being distilled. All that meant no kiln, no cooked grains, nothing to distill and empty bottles. She couldn’t take a hit to production right now.
Cady stopped her golf cart next to Joey’s. Inside, Harlan stood with his hands on his hips and a frown on his face under his thick, auburn beard. “Hey. So, it started to smoke when I was working with the corn. That’s why it smells so bad in here. It burnt the corn badly.” He gestured to his left and Cady saw the large tray of burnt grains. “It’s like the temperature gauge isn’t working. But it was yesterday.”
Cady was so worried about production that she pulled a rookie move. She knew better, and she could hear her father yelling at her from the great beyond. She reached out to look over the electronics of the kiln without putting on gloves. It doesn’t matter that it was off. It was still hot.
“Shit,” she cursed as the top of her hand came in contact with the hot outer shell of the kiln. She snatched it back and already saw the small angry red spot near her knuckles.
“Here you go, boss,” Harlan said, handing her a pair of kiln gloves. “Make sure to have that looked at. Kiln burns hurt like the dickens.” Harlan held up his hands to show off some kiln scars.
“I don’t have time. I’ll get to it eventually.” Cady bent down and began to look over the equipment. Nothing was noticeably wrong.
“Here,” Joey said, shoving a phone at her. “It’s ringing.”
“What’s this?” she asked as Joey held the phone on speaker.
“Dr. Jace. See if he’ll come out here to look at it since we all know you won’t take time to get it checked out.”
How could she be mad at Joey or Harlan when they knew her so well? They were their own small family here at Barrel Creek and she loved them for it.
Chapter 5
Cady was on her hands and knees trying to look behind the kiln when she heard the door open and footsteps coming inside. She was expecting Jace, but she wasn’t expecting the man behind him.
“Colton, what are you doing here?” she asked and Harlan rolled his eyes at her. “I mean, it’s nice that you came. But . . . why?”
Colton’s eyes scanned her as if looking for something. “I heard you were hurt. I wanted to make sure you were okay and see if I could help in any way.”
“It’s just a burn. The kiln acted up and burnt our last round of grain and we’re trying to figure out why.”
Jace was rolling out his equipment and held out his gloved hand to her. Cady took off her glove and placed her hand in his. “Not too bad, but it’ll be uncomfortable for a little bit. I need to clean it and bandage it. You’ll need ointment to put on it.”
“Not my first burn and won’t be my last.”
Colton looked over Jace’s shoulder and nodded. “That’s not too bad. Tell me about the kiln.”
Joey took over then. He and Harlan showed Colton what had happened and gave him a pair of gloves when he’d asked for them. Cady watched as he made his way around the kiln, looking at its electrical components, which was why she saw his frown the moment it appeared.
“What is it?” Cady asked.
“The wires here are frayed. The one for setting the temperature and the one for heat shut off. This is what caused your overheating. You’re lucky it didn’t catch fire.”
Cady was frowning now too. “That can’t be right. They don’t just fray.” She looked over his arm and saw them. They were frayed. The casing around the wires was open and the wires themselves were only partly intact.
“Could a rodent of some kind do that? Mouse? Chipmunk? Squirrel?” Cady asked.
Colton leaned closer, as did Harlan and Joey.
“I don’t think so,” Colton said, sounding deadly serious. “I think it was made to look that way though. You can see the casing was crumbled, but back here is a straight cut.”
“I see it,” Harlan said as Joey leaned back and ran a hand over his face.
“Someone purposely sabotaged us?” Joey asked.
“I can’t say one-hundred percent that it was sabotage, but I’d say eighty-five percent.” Colton turned to Cady and looked down at her burnt hand. “Has anything else been tampered with?”
Cady shook her head. “Not that I know of, but we’ll be checking everything now.”
Joey and Harlan agreed. They’d go over every piece of equipment together while Cady started the conference.
“I’d lock the doors too. Just in case,” Colton instructed the men.
“First, we need to get this fixed,” Cady told them, glancing at her watch. “I have to start the conference in fifteen minutes.”
“No problem, Cady,” Joey said. “I have wire in the truck. I’ll get this fixed in no time.”
Jace packed up his bag and stepped outside after leaving Cady supplies to treat her burn. Joey and Harlan were fixing the kiln when Cady looked at Colton. “Thanks for coming,” she told him. “That was nice of you to check on me.”
It was confusing, that’s what it was. However, the way Colton looked at her with concern made Cady forget all about the pain from the burn. He looked at her as if he were seeing all of her for the first time. Not just some friend he chatted with on occasion. But her.
“Want me to stop by later to check things out?” Colton asked. “And to see how you’re doing? I can bring you a late-night snack.”
“Thank you, but you don’t have to do that.” An alarm went off on her phone. “I’m sorry, but I have to go greet my guests.”
Cady almost jumped when Colton reached out and took her hand in hers. She stared. She was sure her mouth was open in surprise as he lifted her injured hand to his lips. He placed a soft, warm kiss next to the bandage. “Get well soon. Call me if you need anything.”
Cady could only nod and stare at her hand where seconds ago Colton’s lips had been.
“What the hell is going on?” she whispered to Jace who appeared just as surprised as they watched Colton head for the car.
“I don’t know, but it’s very interesting.”
“You kissed Cady’s hand?”
Colton should have known Jace wouldn’t keep his big mouth closed. Jace had obviously told his wife, Stella, who called Kate, who then told her husband, Landon, Colton’s little brother. He was sure the rumor of him dating Cady would be all over Keeneston by the morning.
“She hurt it. Mom always kissed our boo-boos,” Colton defended to his brother.
Landon laughed. “Not that way. Jace said Cady about melted on the spot.”
Colton sat up from his bed. “She did?”
“Bro, what is going on with you? You’ve never shown interest in Cady. She’s not a one-night kind of woman. You do know that, right?”
“It’s not like that,” Colton protested. “She’s doing something really cool for her distillery and I wanted to help her.”
Landon stopped laughing. “Wait, do you like her?”
“Of course, I like her. We’ve been friends for years.”
“Ah, you’re in the denial phase. Got it,” Landon said, and Colton could practically see him grin over the phone. “Look, I have to go do meal prep. Cady and I are on a panel tomorrow about how we work together to help each other’s businesses grow. I promote her bourbon and she promotes my food. It’s a win-win.”
“She’s so smart. It’s really impressive all she’s done.”
“Oh my God, Colt. You have it bad. Mom is going to be thrilled.”
“Have what bad? I don’t have anything bad,” Colton protested. “Sophie’s smart too and it’s impressive what she’s done. It doesn’t mean anything. I only mean Cady is doing a good job. Just like our sister has done.”
“There’s that denial again. Keep telling yourself you think of Cady like our mother and sister. I’m sure that will go over well when you talk to her next.” Landon, the ass, laughed and hung up.
Colton looked at the clock. It was late. Was eleven at night too late to call Cady to see how she was doing? A friend would check on her. And that’s what he was. A friend who couldn’t stop thinking about her. A friend who got really upset thinking anyone tampered with the kiln to try to purposefully hurt her.
Colton: Hey. I know it’s late and I hope this doesn’t wake you up, but I wanted to see how your hand was doing.
Almost instantly three bubbles appeared. She was awake. Colton tried to stay calm. He was only talking to a friend. This was nothing.
Cady: Hurts, but the numbing salve helps. It was a crazy day, welcoming everyone.
Colton: Do you know any of them?
Cady: Most of them. I’ve been in this industry since I was born. However, not all of them can see me as anything but the toddler her father used to carry around. It’s been a challenge to get them to see me as the professional adult I am now.
Colton didn’t like that but understood it. He got a lot of crap for being a fire chief as young as he was. His ability was constantly questioned when he was in training at the state level.
Colton: I believe in you. Want me to beat them up?
Cady: LOL. Thanks, but I can hold my own. Also, thanks for coming today. That was very nice of you to check on me. You’re a good . . .” the message came through and the bubbles were up on the screen. What was he? Colton sat up in bed, waiting for the rest of the message. Friend.
Ouch. Colton fell back into bed. Friend. That’s what he was, right? That’s what he told Jace. He and Cady were friends. Then why did it gut him to read that?
Colton: Good night, Cady. Sweet dreams.
Colton tossed his phone onto the charger and turned off the lights. Friends. He’d used that line on so many women before. He couldn’t date them because they made such good friends. Now he realized how much that had to have hurt. It was a knife to the heart.
He, Mr. December on the firefighter calendar, was friend-zoned.
Chapter 6
Cady dressed in her most professional outfit. She wanted to look like a relatable CEO. Which she technically was. She was owner, president, CEO, distiller, maid, gardener, and handyman for Barrel Creek Distillery.
Yesterday had gone relatively well. Luckily, Blue Stone Distillery’s table had been empty. She hoped they would miss the entire conference. Some of her father’s old friends had said hello to her, patted her on the head, and told her that her father would be proud. Some of them were respectful. Some of them thought she’d won because of her last name.
The tasting and tour went well yesterday. She’d put her bourbon up with some of the best in a blind taste. It was fun to hear their guesses. They all rated hers the best. That had earned her a little credit. The dinner had been a less formal affair with people drinking and mingling as they ate. She participated, but there were so few female distillers that most of the time she had to insert herself into conversations to prove she had a right to be included. It was good but exhausting having to continually prove herself.
Today she was back at it. This morning there had been a panel on charring oak barrels and the chemistry behind it. Now she and Landon Davies were up. They were going to discuss partnering with local companies for publicity and to support the community.
Cady walked into the room where men were sitting at tables or circulating between panels. Along the back wall, several servers from Landon’s restaurant stood with a long table behind them filled with sample foods.
“You ready for this?” Landon asked from where he was setting out plates on the table on the stage.
“I am. I gave the bourbon to your servers along with a list of which one to be served with which food.” The room began to quiet down as they smelled food and saw Cady and Landon take their seats at the table on the stage.
Cady smiled and got out her notes. She didn’t need them, but they were there just in case. Everyone took their seats, and right when Cady was about to start her panel, the doors opened and in walked Bruce Bailey with Isaac and Jordan. People clapped—freaking clapped—for them. Bruce made a show of stopping at every table and shaking hands.
“Who are those asshats?” Landon whispered after covering his microphone.
“My father’s old boss, Bruce Bailey. He’s the owner of Blue Stone Distillery. The man in the vest is Isaac Glover. He took over for my father after he passed away. They literally kicked me out of my father’s house the afternoon of his funeral.” Deep anger filled Cady. She thought she would be afraid of seeing them again. She thought she would be embarrassed. She thought she would feel small. And she did feel small, but she felt small like a small amount of C-4 waiting to explode. She was angry. So angry at their interruption and antics, but wasn’t surprised by them.
“And the other guy who can’t stop staring at you?” Landon whispered.
“Jordan Sanders. My former boyfriend who is now Isaac’s assistant distiller. He was promoted a couple of years ago.”
“He looks like a douche.”
Cady laughed. It surprised her so much that she didn’t cover the microphone and everyone stopped and stared at her.
“Cady Cat!” Bruce bellowed using the nickname everyone knew she hated. “So sorry for the interruption. It is nice seeing so many old friends. Go on, though. Let’s see what you can teach us, little girl.”
“My first lesson of the day,” Cady said with a fake smile on her face. “The little hand on the clock is the hour and the big hand is the minutes. As we can see, you need to learn how to read them.” Cady realized she was tired. Tired of trying to get them all to like her. They wouldn’t. They would see her as a stupid little girl playing pretend distiller. So, why try?
Landon laughed and several others did too.
Cady relaxed back into her chair. She wasn’t a college student anymore. She was a grown woman who had built this distillery up out of nothing to become the best new distillery in Kentucky. She didn’t have to prove anything to anyone.
“Next to me is Golden Star chef Landon Davies,” Cady said, beginning her presentation. And the men listened.
They listened to her talking about flavor panels and they listened to Landon talking about how beneficial it was for his business to partner with Cady’s. There were murmurs of approval as the men tasted Landon’s food and her bourbon.
“Now, let’s open it to questions,” Cady said.
Hands shot up all around the room. She and Landon answered questions—good questions—for almost thirty minutes before the panel closed. There would be a short break, and then the next panel would begin.
“That went really well,” Landon said happily as they walked off the stage.
“I think so too. Thank you so much for helping me with not only the panel, but with our partnership. You believed in me.”
Landon hugged her and she had a brief moment wishing it was her father hugging her. “And you believed in me and my food,” Landon told her.
“A married man, tsk tsk.”
Cady stepped from Landon’s arms to find Jordan rocking back on his heels with censure on his face.
“Excuse me?” Landon’s tone was deadly.
“I didn’t expect that from little Cady Cat, but I guess that explains a lot.”
“You mean, like how she has friends in this town because she’s so smart and talented? Hey, honey.” Kate Davies stepped past Jordan and kissed Landon. “You both were amazing on your panel. I’m sure Will Ashton will call you soon, but I had to tell you how excited the team is about the upcoming ad and our partnership. They can’t wait.”
“Will Ashton?” Cady saw Bruce perk up as he joined them. “The owner of the football team? The Thoroughbreds? Wait, you’re that coach. That lady coach.”
“I am. Kate Davies. And you are?”
“Bruce Bailey, owner of Blue Stone Distillery. Our bourbon is served at the stadium. This is Isaac Glover, our master distiller, and Jordan Sanders, the assistant distiller.”
“Ah, yes, the one who accused my husband of sleeping with our good friend, Cady,” Kate said, annoyance clear on her face and in her voice. She coached pro football players. Nothing intimidated her.
Bruce turned a little red as he looked at Jordan, and Cady almost laughed.
“Wait, what partnership?” Jordan asked after mumbling an apology.
That caught Bruce’s attention. “Yes, what partnership?”
Kate smiled and it didn’t look friendly. “As you know, the stadium has two more years on our contract with Blue Stone to supply bourbon to the main arena. However, we’ve secured the rights to serve Barrel Creek Bourbon in our suites. VIPs deserve the best.”
