Tanner kissed her cheek. “You’re the best.”
She beamed. “Thank you.” There was nothing she loved more than seeing her brothers happy, even when they knew how to hit every single one of her buttons. “Now get out of here.”
“I’m leaving, I’m leaving. Love you, frog face.” Tanner blew her a kiss.
Ugh. She loved him, too. But right now she had a party to get ready for.
Everybody was gathered in the main function room of the distillery when Becca got there thirty minutes later. She shuffled in, the oversized cake box precariously balanced in her arms, her bag slung over her shoulder bumping rhythmically against her hip.
By the time she got to the table and put the box down she was exhausted. Maybe she needed to hit the gym. She’d forgotten to go for at least the last two years.
“Oh wow,” the distillery’s receptionist, Sandy, breathed, looking over Becca’s shoulder as she unclipped the box and gently pulled the cake out. She was such a mother hen, she reminded Becca of her Aunt Gina. “What’s inside it?” Sandy asked.
“A triple layer Belgian chocolate sponge,” Becca told her. “Nathan’s favorite.” It was iced with a white chocolate ganache, and topped with dipped chocolate strawberries and chocolate swirls. “I figure if we kill him with sugar he might stay.”
Sandy squeezed her shoulder. “We’re going to miss him.”
Becca swallowed hard. She wasn’t going to cry tonight. Not even if her favorite boss was leaving for Tokyo in the morning. Nathan had been the first person to see potential in her when she’d started at the G. Scott Carter distillery straight after college. And over the past five years he’d promoted her several times, until she was one of the senior distillers, and the lead on their latest venture – the International Blend.
“It’s good that he has this opportunity, though,” Becca said, her voice thick. “He’s so excited about going to Japan.” He hadn’t stopped talking about it for months. The Okamoto Distillery was part-owned by Nathan’s family, and had provided a third of the whiskey for their latest International Blend. It was a coup – Japanese distilleries rarely let other businesses share in their products.
“Yeah. And he’s been working like a Trojan here for years,” Sandy agreed. “He deserves the break. It’s about time Daniel came home to take on some of the load.”
That was the other thing making Becca’s stomach feel like it was taking part in an Olympic gymnastic event. She’d never met Daniel Carter, but from the moment she’d started working here she’d heard of his reputation. He’d worked at the distillery for years, but had left for Scotland a few months before Becca had been recruited. People talked about his impeccable nose for whiskey, his perfectionism, and his no-nonsense attitude. His name was uttered in revered tones in the still rooms of G. Scott Carter. It made Becca nervous as heck, because he sounded the complete opposite to his brother, the lovely, laid-back Nathan.
She smiled at Sandy, who was staring at her expectantly. “It’ll be interesting to meet him.”
“I expect things will change around here.” Sandy nodded.
“Is that for me?” a warm voice asked, tickling her ear. Becca turned to see Nathan standing there, his warm face beaming at her.
“Yep. Freshly made today.”
“When did you get the time? You worked until five.” He was still smiling. Because that’s what Nathan did.
“I made the sponge this morning before work. Then iced it as soon as I got home.”
“You shouldn’t have put yourself to so much effort. Not that I don’t appreciate it, because I do. I’m going to miss your baking.” Nathan elbowed her gently.
“I can send treats to you in Tokyo. A little taste of home.”
“I’d like that.” He tipped his head to the side. “Are you sure I can’t persuade you to come work over there with me?”
Becca shook her head. “I can’t. I’m needed here.” Not at the distillery. But at home. If she wasn’t making cakes for somebody in the family, she was babysitting one of her nephews or helping one of her brothers out with an emergency. “But it’s tempting, I have to tell you.”
His eyes crinkled. “Liar.”
She laughed. “I’m not lying.” Okay, so maybe she was. Just a little. But she’d made him smile, so that was a win.
Over the years, her friends had asked her if there was more going on between her and Nathan than a boss-employee relationship. But the fact was, the friendship between them was purely platonic. She was used to having older brothers, and he was like an honorary sibling to her. They messed around, teased, and then when they had work to do, they knuckled down to it.
He knew her skills. Encouraged her when she lacked confidence in herself, and made her push herself forward when her natural instincts told her to hang back. It was Nathan who’d suggested her as one of the lead distillers on the International Blend, and it’s success had instilled her with a new level of self-assurance.
And now he was leaving.
Her throat tightened. She blinked to stop the tears but they formed anyway. She couldn’t cry this early in the evening. The party would go on for hours, and if she started now, she was going to sob all night. Inhaling a ragged breath, she picked up the cake box and put it to the side, swallowing hard to push away the sadness.
“You okay?” Nathan asked her.