He nodded, flipped the neon open sign on, and opened the door.
“Welcome to Broken Hearts Brewing,” Rachel said, as the line of people made their way in.
The soft opening included friends and family of the club that had been invited. Hopefully, things would be calm, and they could work through any issues with service before they opened officially on Saturday.
Chapter Eighteen
Rachel refilled the station with the items from the kids. The cards were selling faster than she could put them out. Two women were fighting over the last Babygirl card until she let them know she had more in the back.
Because Rachel didn’t know everyone invited to the soft opening, she didn’t know if they’d been invited or possibly walked in when they saw the open sign. She and Gunner had said that if it looked like more people were coming than they’d anticipated, he’d put a brother at the door to keep their numbers under capacity for fire code.
When Rachel walked into the office, the Franks sisters were in there discussing something.
“Everything okay?” Rachel asked.
“I hope so. I really, really hope I didn’t mess up the soft opening,” Jesse said.
“Well, it’s too late now. We’ll deal with any consequences,” Remi said, shrugging her shoulders.
“I had no idea that Dad would refuse to talk with me about it. I didn’t even get a chance to tell him what I’d done before he stormed out of the room,” Jesse said.
“Can I butt in?” Rachel asked.
“Of course, and you don’t need to ask. Not only are we using your office but trust me, everyone butts into everything in Bluff Creek,” Beth said.
“Your dad is one of the nicest men I’ve ever met. He might have been mad when you asked because it brought up bad memories. I bet when they get here, he’ll come around,” Rachel said.
She hoped that was what happened. The Franks sisters had been so nice, and she wanted this to be a good experience for them. New cousins sounded exciting.
“Hey, sunshine, you ladies need to get out here. I believe the SUV with five women and three kidsthat just parked across the street are your special guests,” Bear said, smirking at Winnie.
“Well, let’s go face the music, ladies. If anything bad happens, we’ll pay to fix everything,” Sarah promised.
Rachel hurried out. She was not missing a minute of this. She caught Gunner’s gaze and motioned toward the women walking toward the building. A tall brunette was in a taupe pantsuit and matching heels. All the women looked very put together except for one who was in overalls similar to Rachel’s. She also skipped in front of the pantsuit woman with a huge smile on her face.
Locks had arrived while she’d been chatting with the girls. Rachel couldn’t hear what the Franks sisters said to the cousins as they walked in. Too many people chatting and the coffee machines were loud.
There were three younger girls with the five older ones. Rachel guessed they were triplets because she couldn’t tell any difference between them. Jesse talked with them, pointing at Locks. Thethree grinned, walking over, and Rachel strained to hear what they said.
“Are you our Great-Uncle Noah?” one asked.
Locks stared at them. Gunner leaned close. “Noah is Locks’ given name,” he said softly.
“I guess I might be. Is your grandfather Aaron Franks?” Locks asked, his voice shaking.
“Yes, but you look a little kinder because you’re smiling,” one of them said.
“Beck, that’s inappropriate,” one of the women said. She walked toward Locks, holding out her hand. “This is Beck, Taylor, and Regan, my daughters. I’m the youngest, Naomi,” she said.
“Pleased to meet you. Two sets of triplets?” Locks asked, staring at the other sisters who’d walked in. Now that Locks mentioned it, Rachel could see the three were triplets, though their hair color and cut were all different, as was their hairstyle.
Jesse led everyone over. “Dad, I’d like you to meet Tori, who is the oldest. AJ is next, then the triplets are Lilah, Chloe, and Naomi.”
Rachel wondered what all Locks was thinking. He nodded, stood up a little straighter.
“Seems like we’ve got some Franks cousins to get to know better. You all have a place to stay tonight? My wife, Hope, and I have plenty of rooms at the house,” Locks offered.
“I have an extra bedroom at my house,” Beth chimed in.
