Page 31 of Home Brewed (The Perfect Cup #1)

The trip ends up being beneficial as I make some connections with local vendors who I think might be interested in partnering with the shop—local brewers, bakers, and dairy farmers.

Hazel and I seem to be of the same mind, because she begins pointing out other items to include in our subscription boxes to increase the exposure of local businesses and give us the opportunity to cross-promote with them.

We end up leaving with a bag full of pastries, some iced teas, and a massive stack of business cards that Hazel is already babbling about in the car when we leave.

I take her to a new brunch place that I’ve known about for a while.

A cozy corner with a small number of available tables, and shiplap walls where there isn’t bright floral wallpaper.

It’s a tad eccentric, but the atmosphere is pleasantly unique, not to mention the food.

Plus, it’s pet friendly, as long as Fish stays sitting under the table, which I’m pretty sure I can swing with a steady supply of bacon .

I can see Hazel’s mouth watering from across the table as she looks over the options; varieties of eggs benedict, breakfast pies, and shakshuka.

I order us some coffees while she peruses the list, knowing I’ll be getting the chef’s special, which I’ve been eyeing on the online menu since he opened the place; French toast with orange compote and clotted cream.

I’ve been meaning to come here for months but somehow work keeps getting in the way.

There’s always one more spreadsheet. One more payroll run. One more supplier dispute.

Hazel settles on a predictably sugary breakfast of homemade waffles with custard, chocolate flakes, bananas, and chopped pecans.

She’s glowing as we wait for our food, sneaking pets to Fish under the table, sipping her coffee and discussing every vendor we saw.

Witnessing her excitement for our project blooms a warm, sunny joy in my chest.

I had it stuck in my head for so long that my passion projects would be just mine, something I would have to be excited enough on my own to see through.

Seeing someone else as hyped as I am is exhilarating, and it makes me excited about my work for the first time in a long time.

I haven’t told her yet how much the business is depending on the success of the subscription boxes to survive.

I want her to be able to help without the pressure I know that I’m feeling.

It’s more crippling than I could have anticipated, and if, for any reason, this doesn’t work…

I don’t want her to put that on herself.

I watch her happily wolf down her waffles, unable to keep my eyes off of her, already planning our route to the local shops I was going to take her to next.

“Damn, Hazel, did I wear you out that much last night?” I joke and her cheeks burn as she puts down her fork.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize how hungry I was, I guess.” It takes a second before I realize that she’s truly embarrassed.

I’m walking through trip wires I didn’t even know were there.

“Hazel, it’s not a bad thing, I’m glad you’re enjoying it, I was just teasing.” I’m at a loss as to what to say to make it better .

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it, too!” a jolly voice calls out as it approaches the table, saving me. Hazel looks confused and I quickly stand and stick out my hand to the massive Samoan dude as he reaches us, shaking his as we pull each other into an embrace.

“Hey, man, good to see you!” My old buddy from our bartending days owns this restaurant, but I hadn’t let him know we were coming today, assuming he’d be busy. This place can get pretty packed. “Hazel, this is Grant, an old buddy of mine, and the chef here!” A smile graces her face.

“So nice to meet you! Everything tastes amazing!” She sticks out her hand for a handshake as well, and squeaks adorably when he pulls her up into a hug as well.

“Nah, we don’t shake hands here, sweetheart, we’re family,” Grant says, giving her a solid hug.

She’s a little out of breath when he releases her.

That’s typical Grant, never half assed. “So, the food was up to your standards, man?” he asks, turning to me again as we retake our seats, Grant standing at the end of our table.

He reaches down to feed Fish some more bacon scraps, setting his tail wagging against my leg.

“Dude, you know it’s always amazing, stop acting surprised,” I chuckle. He always fishes for compliments, even if I’m happy to give them. He kept us fed during our long shifts back in the day, so he’ll never hear a complaint out of me.

“Hey, I’ve got to check, you know? Make sure I haven’t lost the touch.” He winks at Hazel, who shakes her head, smiling at her food. “You know this guy hasn’t stopped by before today? I keep telling him to come, but he always says he’s busy.”

Hazel fake gasps, “No! How could he not? Everything here is so good!” She fixes him with a gleaming smile.

“Right? So, thank you for pulling him out of his office for once.” I hide my embarrassment.

He’s not wrong. Before Hazel, it would have taken a natural disaster to pull me away from work.

Now, she has me looking for excuses to get away.

She makes me want to live my life again.

“I was going to text you, figured I’d just tell you since we’re here, we’re releasing a new menu in a few weeks, you and your lady friend want to come test it out? ”

“Well, lady friend, what do you think?” I ask her impishly. She rolls her eyes.

“That sounds great, thank you, Grant,” she replies, ever the polite one.

“Perfect, my wife has been dying to set Beck up with someone, so now that you’re here she’ll probably interrogate you a little. Don’t look so nervous!” he laughs at Hazel’s expression. “She’s sweet.” He looks at me mischievously.

“Hmmm, smells like something’s burning, better get back to the kitchen Grant .” I give him a withering look,

“Alright, alright!” He holds up his hands in mock defense, “Breakfast is on me! Have a great day, and Hazel, it was lovely to meet you. It’s nice to see Beck this happy,” her face is pink as Grant turns around, back to the kitchen, and I shake my head, “Don’t screw it up! ” he yells at me over his shoulder.

“Well, he’s a character,” Hazel says around her last bite of waffle.

“That he is. He’s the nicest and most genuine guy you’ll meet.

” I’ve finished my meal already and even though our meal was comped, I pull out some cash for the waitress.

Walking back to the car, I open the door for Hazel, which always puts a shy smile on her face, the one that fills me with triumph just for putting it there.

I buckle her in before putting Fish in the back and slipping into the driver’s seat.

“Where to next?” Hazel’s eagerness illuminates her entire being, her shyness from this morning completely vanished.

“Well, I was thinking of hitting up some local shops that I like? Not sure if you’ve been to them, but I thought it would be fun. There are some plants, clothing, pottery, all the fun stuff,” I say, knowing exactly what kind of shopping she likes to do.

“You’re kind of a kiss ass, you know that?” She leans her head back in the seat, rolling it towards me with a pointed look.

“And proud of it!” I declare, pulling out into traffic in the direction of the shops. I let her connect her phone to play some music, Taylor Swift, of course, and she bops along to the tunes while I navigate to just outside the city limits where a small cluster of shops sits.

“Your friends are cool,” she comments when we’re almost there, “I love seeing you have so many good people around you. Definitely green flag behaviour.” She looks at me like she’s trying to be happy for me, although I can see a bit of sadness tinging the edges.

My arm crosses the centre console as I go to place my hand on her thigh.

“Yeah, it’s really important to have good people around you. They’ll determine if you get lifted up or if you crumble when life gets tough.”

She chews her lip thoughtfully at that, then lapses back into silence.

I know she’s getting along with Stella and Nessa.

Still, I can’t imagine how hard it must be to see longtime friends interact when the ones she thought she had dropped her like she was diseased the second her main social tie to them was cut.

Although, thinking back to Marie, it seems like she might not have had that when her ex was around either. I pull into the parking spot directly outside of the first shop, figuring we can walk around instead of driving from place to place. When I park, I don’t get out of the car just yet.

I turn over to Hazel and look her dead in the eye.

“I know that a lot of people have let you down, recently and otherwise, and I just want to let you know you’re worth it.

You are worth having a deep relationship with, whether that’s familial, with your friends, or…

” I don’t want to scare her off, but I need her to know on some level what she means to me.

“Otherwise,” is the word I finally settle on.

She squeezes my hand silently, a slight sheen to her eyes. She doesn’t say anything. I squeeze back, slipping out my side and opening her door for her to pop out.

“You ready to shop till we drop, pretty girl?”