The Billionaire's Kiss(24)

She seemed to have a special talent for that, just appearing whenever he thought of her, which was often. If she hadn't so steadfastly declined his invitations to join him, he would have suspected she had been following him. Maybe it had all been a coincidence, and this was the universe's way of telling him to get out of his own damn way and just open up to someone for once. Or maybe it had been her very reluctance to join him that had interested him so much. Unobtainable women fell over themselves to spend time with him. Callie on the other hand, was maddeningly within his reach, and yet he couldn't have her. When she accepted his invitation to join him at the brewery for a private tour, he had almost fallen over in surprise. Maybe there was hope after all.

Now she was sitting across from him at the bar, sampling a few of the better lagers and ales on tap. He had rushed through the tour to get to this point. For whatever reason, Logan always felt most comfortable with bar before him and a pint glass in his hand. It made him feel like he was in his element. He had spent enough time talking about the brew kettles and the production process. He was eager to turn the conversation back to Callie, and why she had finally decided to join him at the brewery.

"Ok, hotshot, show me what you've got."

"Right here in front of all these people?" Logan asked.

"I meant the beer," Callie said. "I told you that I was ready to take you up on your offer. So teach me."

Logan hopped behind the bar and grabbed a glass, pouring half a pint of amber liquid. "Prepare to be amazed by the best beer you've ever had," he said as he slid the glass over to her.

Callie took one sip and scrunched up her face. "What was that?" she asked.

"That's an IPA.”

“What does that mean?”

“India pale ale.” Logan watched Callie scrunch up her nose and pucker her lips like she had just bitten into a lemon. “Let me guess, you weren’t a fan.” Logan took note.

Callie finished her sip and shook her head. “Maybe something sweeter next?” she offered. “It got really bitter at the end.”

"That would be the hops. Every beer is made with the same base ingredients. Malted barley, yeast, water and hops. The barley provides the sugar for fermentation, the hops give the beer flavor. You can figure what the water is for.”

"I don't think I'm a fan of hops,” Callie said. She took another sip and shook her head. "What's next?"

"Try this one." Logan poured a lighter beer and handed it to her.

Callie took a sip and smiled. Logan watched as she tried to figure out the different tastes in the beer. "Is that citrus?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's our summer lager, one of my favorites. It's perfect with a little bit of orange."

Callie took another sip. She smiled. Logan was relieved for her to find one she actually liked. "So you handpicked each of these?"

"Along with a few friends," he said, "I had the tough job of drinking beer this winter. You can imagine how hard it was on me."

"Yeah, you poor thing."

Logan slid the next beer over to her and another after that. Over the next hour, he had given her small samples of each of the twelve he had on tap. Callie could feel her head buzzing as she took a sip of the final, a coffee stout. "I give in!" she said, "I mean, maybe I could concede that a few of these are actually good."

"Which one was the winner?" Logan asked.

"The summer," Callie said, "I think it was the summer. They've all kind of blurred together in my mind."

"Well, if you keep drinking, everything will blur together. A table just opened up on the deck, how about I pour you a summer and I'll meet you out there in a minute?"

"Sounds good to me," Callie said. She headed out and took a seat at the corner of the deck. Logan watched her sitting there in the soft evening sun, the wind blowing her hair just off of her shoulders. She looked so beautiful, so perfect. Logan tried to imagine what she must have been thinking out there as that gentle breeze washed over her skin, the ocean air mixing with the sounds of the restaurant from inside. Was she enjoying herself? When he brought the drinks out, he was surprised to find that Callie had leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.

"It's so beautiful here," she said as he placed the pints down. "This is exactly what I wanted from this trip, a chance to lean back and relax."

Callie's words ran together just a little bit, enough for Logan to tell that she was starting to get drunk. A full tasting was probably a bit too much. "Maybe I should get you a water or something," he said, heading slowly towards the bar with his eyes still on Callie. He had been looking forward to learning more about her, and that wasn't going to happen if she got fall-down drunk.