“And when are you going to take advantage of their easy access?” she asked, tilting her head toward the bank of windows at the front of the store.
“You know, we have an office with very few windows,” Gunner replied.
“Yes, we do,” she murmured, tugging his head down for a kiss.
The slam of the door barely registered. Maybe whoever it was would come back.
“It is I, Prospect Finn, tasked with fighting for the rights of majestic unicorns. How may I be of service to the realm?” Finn asked.
Gunner pulled back just enough to growl, “Leave.”
“Does that mean you don’t want help from any of us?” Stone asked.
Gunner sighed against her, rolling his eyes. “To be continued,” he said.
And wasn’t that the mantra of every parent?
Rachel motioned Finn over to help her. She needed a couple things added to the top shelf.
“So I guess maybe we should rename Broken Hearts Brewing to the Horny Hearts Brewing,” Stone said.
Gunner stared at his friend, wondering if Rachel would be irritated if he hit Stone a few times to relieve some of the frustration.
“Sometimes, I think I liked you better when you never talked,” Gunner muttered.
Brody, Flick, and some of the kids walked in. “Put us to work,” Brody said.
Gunner showed Brody the list and let him be in charge of things for everyone to do. As the oldest, Brody would keep everyone moving. Gunner had some more prep work and items to cook.
Despite having spent hours planning and organizing with Rachel, Gunner was still a littlenervous about the soft opening. All their ideas had been pulled together. Now they needed to see if it all worked. Elijah and Morgan had spent time learning the machine for the drinks, including all the coffee flavors they offered. Gunner hoped that at some point they’d be roasting their own coffee beans but right now, they were only grinding and brewing.
With all the help, Gunner had the food and drink items ready with fifteen minutes to spare before their soft opening time. He straightened a couple of trays in the case, checked that the cash register had been loaded with money, and that the tablet was ready to accept card payments.
“I double-checked all the payments were ready to go. I filled out the sheet with our starting cash too and it’s in the bank bag,” Morgan said.
“Good job. I appreciate you taking care of that already. Do you feel comfortable with the register?” Gunner asked.
“Yes. Elijah and I are good. We’re going to take turns every thirty to forty minutes and switchjobs. Slice and one of the employees from the diner are helping out too” Morgan replied.
Gunner patted him on the shoulder, glancing around for Rachel.
“She’s showing Dex and Rascal the procedures for the smash room. They have first shift,” Morgan said, pointing to a schedule on the counter.
He’d completely missed having a specific schedule for areas besides the food and drink. It was a good thing his woman was highly organized. He wove his way through the MC family, who were already drifting in. He wanted to make sure Rachel was out here for the first part of the evening.
He rounded the corner of the hallway and bumped into Rachel.
“Exactly the woman I was looking for,” Gunner said, tugging her close for a hug. Her arms slipping around his waist settled something in him and his nerves quieted. He and Rachel had planned along with the brotherhood. Tonight would be fine.
“I’m so excited. Are you going to give an opening speech?” she asked.
“No. We’re giving an opening speech,” he said, taking her hand and leading her out front. He led her toward the door that had a closed sign and turned them to the crowd of their MC family. He whistled loudly to get their attention.
“I have a couple things to say before we open. When Beth mentioned one of her ideas to Flick and I overheard, I couldn’t resist saying I was interested. It was a way for me to be a part of the MC and give back to the club. These last six and a half months have been amazing, getting to know everyone and becoming a part of the Bluff Creek family. But a month ago, my life got even better. A pixie-sized ray of sunshine and her two amazing kids walked into my life.
“I can’t believe not only how well we work together but also how much she’s brought to my life personally. But tonight is about business, and she’s more than an employee. I know you’ll want to go over the new benefit package with Roam, our Treasurer, before accepting but I hope you’ll agree to be the new co-manager for Broken Hearts Brewing,” Gunner said.
“I accept. I’m sure the package will be fine because since we’ve come here, the MC has been so generous. How could I not work with the man who shows me every day that the kids and I matter? Now, let’s get these doors open and take care of our customers. I know exactly how much we need to make each month for a profit. And we have some kids who are invested in seeing their items sell,” Rachel said, smiling her sweet smile up at him.
