Enemies on Tap by Avery Flynn

I have to get back and claim that promotion before someone else takes it, but that’s not going to happen until we make the brewery profitable. And we can’t do that until they can get enough local bars and restaurants to carry the beer. Of course, we’d have to be able to deliver the beer, which is pretty damn hard to load onto the delivery trucks without a proper loading dock that could stand up to scrutiny from code inspectors. And I’d bet Ruby Sue’s pecan pie recipe that Logan Martin is behind our inability to hire a qualified contractor.”
    “The bastard.”
    And he was, but still…her stomach did a weird fluttery thing. “He’s not all bad.”
    “Are we talking about the same Logan Martin? How can you say that after what he did to you?”
    “Number one, I was an active participant in that incident. I didn’t accidentally fall buck naked into the back of his truck only to have him trip and land with his dick in me.”
    “Why you did, I have no idea.”
    “Because I thought…well, I thought he was different from the rest of the people in this town. I was young, dumb, and thought I was in love. “ She rolled her eyes as Natalie clutched her pearls.
    “Miranda—”
    She cut her sister off. “Number two, it happened almost ten years ago. I lost my virginity, and when the gossips in town found out, they couldn’t let it go. It was like I’d stolen their prince from them.” Natalie opened her mouth to argue, but Miranda cut her off. “Can’t we just let it go? Do we really have to continue the Sweet family tradition of holding onto grudges as tight as if they were winning Lotto tickets?”
    Natalie’s hard look softened. “There was more to it than just that, and you know it.”
    Miranda flipped off her sister to cover the truth of her sister’s observation. There wasn’t a damn thing she could say to contradict her not about how she felt then…or now.
    “Did you talk to Neland yet?” Natalie asked.
    She stopped mid-step and slapped her palm to her forehead. “Of course, but he’s off the grid.”
    Neland was the best unlicensed, and mostly sober, contractor in Salvation. Best of all, he was a Sweet in everything but name, having married and divorced two Sweet sisters within the span of five years, which had always added an extra layer of awkwardness to family gatherings. After the divorces, the aunts had met and married a set of identical twins and moved to Tennessee. Still, even with the divorces, there was no way he’d be kowtowing to any Martin blackballing.
    “I saw his truck in The Kitchen Sink’s parking lot as I was coming in. Go catch him before he heads out to his deer stand for the weekend.”
    Miranda gave her sister a quick hug. “You’re okay hanging out here?”
    “I do co-own the place.” Natalie straightened her pale pink cardigan, brushing away an imaginary piece of lint. “Anyway, I want to do some poking around so I can start formulating an efficiency plan.”
    “You’re the best.” Miranda grabbed her navy blue trench coat and hustled out the door, mentally creating a to-do list of repairs that Neland could do now that he’d popped back up on the Salvation radar. Finally, things were going her way.

Chapter Eight
    “Where. Is. He?”
    Logan jerked his gaze up from the safety deposit box at the sound of Miranda’s voice as it bounced aroundthe metal walls of the bank vault. Adrenaline ricocheted through his system. Judging by the vehemence with which she’d spit out the words, he’d give her a ten on the Richter scale. He’d known she’d show up eventually, but the wait and uncertainty of exactly when had driven him nuts. Logan’s life had been all about certainty and well-developed plans until Miranda had returned to Salvation. Now he couldn’t silence the nagging doubt that he might not win the most important bet he’d ever made.
    Everyone in town had heard about the brewery’s dock collapsing. It had been the perfect time to dissuade local