Page 37 of Break My Heart (The Haydon Falls #2)

‘I’d try to sell it. If I can’t sell it as is, I’ll sell the equipment and hope I can get a buyer for the building.

Anyway, I just thought you’d want to know.

I didn’t want to leave town and not say goodbye.

’ She looks down. ‘I’m really going to miss you, Sawyer.

I really wanted us to work. I know you don’t believe me, but there was nothing going on with Ryder.

Both times he was here, he didn’t tell me he was coming.

He just showed up. I know I should’ve told you he was here, but I didn’t because I was worried you’d think I’m still with him.

’ She looks up at me. ‘But I promise you, there is nothing going on with Ryder and me. It was you I wanted to be with. I really wanted us to last.’ She wipes her eyes and forces out a smile.

‘But all good things come to an end, right?’ She takes a breath.

‘I’ve loved being with you, Sawyer. And I love your family.

I never really had a family, but I felt like I was part of one when I was with yours.

’ She wipes her eyes again and stands up straighter.

‘I know my time is up. I just wanted to say all that before I go. Goodbye, Sawyer.’

She leaves, and I let her. I could run after her, beg her to stay, but if her business is failing, she has no reason to stick around. I’d be the only reason she might, but that would only happen if we were together. And how can we be together if I don’t trust her?

Going back out to the bar, Wade comes up to me. ‘Why was Gina here?’

‘To tell me she might be leaving.’

‘Leaving? Meaning she’s closing down?’

‘Yeah. She doesn’t have enough business to keep paying her bills.’

‘She should’ve known better than to come to a small town and start a business that competes against a local.’

‘She didn’t open G’s to compete against me.

She did it because her grandfather gave her the building.

It was his gift to her, all she has left of him.

’ As I say that, I feel even worse that she might have to give it up.

‘I’m going to run over to the orchard and see if they need help getting ready for tomorrow. You need anything before I go?’

‘No, I’m good.’

Wade’s really stepped up in his manager role, giving me time to have a life again. I’m no longer stuck working all day and night. I’ve let him take over the orders and inventory and he’s helping me keep up our social media accounts.

*?*?*

‘Everything ready for tomorrow?’ I ask Nick. I found him in the barn, taping off the area where the competition will be. Long tables are set up in front where the judges will sit. Facing the tables are some rows of folding chairs for the contestants and anyone who wants to watch.

‘I think we’re good,’ Nick says, securing the tape to the wall. ‘Shouldn’t you be at the brewery?’

‘Wade’s handling it for me. He’s an awesome manager. I can leave and not have to worry about the place. I could actually have a life now. ’

‘And a girlfriend.’ Nick walks over to the long tables. ‘Can you help me cover these?’

I meet him over there and we cover the tables in red tablecloths.

‘So are you and Gina talking yet?’

‘We’re talking, but not dating.’ I straighten the tablecloth so it’s even on all sides. ‘She might be moving.’

‘Wait—what?’ He looks at me. ‘Gina’s leaving Haydon Falls?’

‘It sounds like it. G’s still isn’t getting enough customers. Sounds like she might have to close.’

‘And you’re okay with this?’

‘Why wouldn’t I be? It’s her decision, not mine.’

‘You’re really going to let that happen? You’re going to let the girl you love just walk out of your life?’

‘I don’t love her,’ I insist.

‘Yeah, okay,’ he says walking over to a stack of baskets, the ones we use for apple picking. ‘You just keep telling yourself that.’

‘I don’t love her. We went on a few dates. Big deal.’

‘You went out with her for over a month,’ Nick says, setting one of the apple baskets on the judges’ table. ‘You practically lived at each other’s places.’

‘Yeah? And now it’s over. She’s moving away. She doesn’t want to be here.’

Nick was walking back to the baskets, but stops suddenly and turns to me. ‘Wait a minute. Is this about Kendall?’

‘Kendall? What the hell are you talking about?’

He comes over to me. ‘Kendall broke off your engagement because she didn’t want to live in Haydon Falls. You think Gina’s going to do the same thing.’

‘Gina’s not from here. I always knew she might leave. It has nothing to do with Kendall. ’

‘Sawyer, think about it. You haven’t been this in love with a girl since Kendall.’

‘I’m not in love with Gina,’ I mutter.

‘Okay, then you haven’t liked a girl this much since Kendall. You and Gina were getting serious and you were getting scared. You knew she might take off like Kendall did so you ended it.’

‘I didn’t end it. Gina did, by going out with another guy behind my back.’

‘She told you that wasn’t true. You chose not to believe her because it gave you an excuse to end it before you get even closer to her.’

‘That’s not what’s happening here. And she’s leaving, so it doesn’t matter.’

‘Tell her to stay.’

‘Yeah, because that worked out great with Kendall.’

‘Kendall wasn’t ready to get married. Neither were you. You were both too young and immature. You didn’t know what you wanted in life. Now you do, and even if you won’t admit it, I know you want Gina.’

‘Why are we even talking about this? She’s not sticking around. If G’s closes, she has nothing to do here. She doesn’t want to work some random job. She wants to make beer, and she should. She’s good at it.’

‘Is there anything you could do to help her stay in business?’

‘You want me to help my competitor? Seriously?’

‘There’s no reason you both can’t be successful.

It doesn’t make sense that her place is struggling to get customers.

Her beer is good. She renovated the building.

She’s on the main road that goes into town.

There’s no reason for her to not have customers, especially with all the specials she’s been running. ’

‘I don’t know what to tell you. All she said when she stopped by tonight was that she’d probably be closing down. ’

‘She went to see you?’

‘Yeah, to tell me she’d be leaving.’

‘That’s all she said?’

‘She said some other stuff.’

‘Like what?’

‘I don’t want to get into it.’ I look around. ‘You need anything else?’

‘Just some apples to fill the baskets, but I can get those.’

‘Then I’ll see you tomorrow.’ I take off before he tries once again to convince me to get back with Gina. He’s wasting his time. Gina’s made her decision. She’ll probably go back to Green Bay, back to her old job, and back to her ex. It’ll be like she was never here.

*?*?*

Just before midnight, I’m in my apartment when someone bangs on the door.

‘Open the door, Sawyer, before I break it down!’

It’s Gina, but why is she here, and why is she yelling?

‘Don’t touch me, you asshole!’ she says as I open the door. Wade’s there, holding back Gina.

‘Sorry, boss, I tried to stop her, but shit, she’s fast.’

‘Let me go!’ Gina says, struggling to free herself from Wade.

‘Let her go,’ I tell him.

He hesitates.

‘Do it or I’ll kick you in the balls, asshole!’ Gina yells at him.

He lets her go. ‘You sure you want to deal with her?’

‘Yeah,’ I tell him. ‘Go take care of the bar. I can handle this.’

When he’s gone, Gina storms into my apartment. ‘Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?’

‘Find out what?’

‘This!’ She shoves her phone in my face. All I see are some social media posts.

‘What is it? I don’t know what you’re showing me.’

‘Then let me read them to you.’ She clears her throat and reads from her phone.

‘Don’t go to G’s Brewhouse. It’s not the local microbrewery it claims to be.

The owner isn’t even from Haydon Falls and has made no effort to be part of the town.

’ She scrolls through her phone. ‘The beer at G’s Brewhouse isn’t even made there.

It’s shipped there from a brewery in Milwaukee.

You want real locally made beer? Go to Kanfield Brewery. ’

‘Let me see that.’ I take her phone and read the next post. ‘Worst beer I ever had was at G’s Brewhouse in Haydon Falls.

’ Then I read the one after it. ‘The owner of G’s Brewhouse has to run specials because the beer is so bad.

If you’re in Haydon Falls, avoid G’s and go to Kanfield Brewery.

’ I hold up her phone. ‘I didn’t write these. ’

‘Yeah, you hired someone to.’

‘I didn’t. I swear.’

‘Why would I believe you?’ She snatches her phone from me. ‘You didn’t believe me about Ryder. Why would I believe you didn’t hire someone to write these posts?’

‘Who did it? Who’s it from?’

She looks back at her phone. ‘Beerfan98716, but they should’ve just called themselves the person Sawyer hired to put me out of business!’

‘Gina, I swear, I had nothing to do with this. I don’t know who this person is, and I had no idea they were posting that stuff. How did you find out about it?’

‘Aria told me. She was at the gas station and heard some guy telling his friend they should go to G’s for a beer.

His friend said he’d heard all this bad stuff about it online and that they should go to Kanfield Brewery instead.

After Aria told me that, I did some searching online and that’s when I found all these posts.

It’s been going on for weeks! Now it makes sense why I’m only getting a few customers a day. ’

‘Gina, I’m telling you, I didn’t do this.’

‘Then who did? Who else would care if G’s stays in business?’

I don’t give her an answer because I don’t have one. I honestly don’t know who would want G’s to close that bad that they’d spend time trying to keep people from going there.

‘Exactly!’ she says when I don’t answer. ‘There’s no one else! You’re the only one who wants G’s to close down. It’s just like when we were kids. You couldn’t stand it when I won and you’re the same way now. You couldn’t take the competition so you put me out of business!’

‘Gina, that’s not—’

‘We’re done, Sawyer.’ She storms past me to the door. ‘Don’t ever talk to me again.’ She leaves, slamming the door behind her.

Who would have done this? My family wouldn’t. None of my friends would. So who did it? Would her ex do it? To get her to move back? But he helped her open the place. He wouldn’t do all that work just to shut it down, would he?

I don’t know who else it would be. But I need to find out.