Min, as if she hadn’t heard her, went behind the bar, looked at the wall, and pulled out a bottle. Thayle groaned as she opened it. “I swore I wouldn’t have one sip of anything for at least a week.”
“Last night you said a month,” Min pulled out three wine glasses and then poured what looked like sparkling wine in each of our glasses. “Besides, it’s an emergency.”
“Or so you said,” Thayle reluctantly took the glass. Min handed me one too. “What’s the emergency?”
I sat as Min nodded to me. “I’m not certain, but judging from the fact that I found Rae in the courtyard, and by her expression, I can guess.”
“Goddammit Marco,” Thayle said. “What did he do?”
“I...I hadn’t planned on talking to anyone about this. Especially you guys. I don’t want to put you in an awkward position.”
“Are you kidding me?” Min shoved aside my concerns. “We are the first people you come to from now on. Or if there is a ‘from now on.’ Did he screw up that badly?”
“Please tell me,” Thayle said, “he didn’t break up with you?”
“No.” Both women let out a sigh of relief. “Not yet. I mean, not yet we’re not broken up. Though I might do the breaking still. I don’t know what to think.”
So instead, I took a sip of wine.
“Ok,” Min, also sitting now, put her elbow on the bar. “Start from the beginning.”
So I did.
I told them about the call last night. They knew from Wednesday that I’d decided to stay, but both women were shocked at the news about the brewery. Apparently, Marco hadn’t told anyone yet. I told them about our fight, and then about what I’d seen.
“I see,” Min and Thayle exchanged a look.
“You’re supposed to say I’m being silly. That Marco is crazy about me and that I’m just being sensitive.”
“Yeah,” Min said.
Thayle cleared her throat. “We’re talking about Marco here. He is one hundred and ten percent head over heels for you. We’ve told you that, and it’s true. Neo told me he was like a lost puppy on Saturday night missing you.”
That was something. Or would have been if I hadn’t seen him embrace that gorgeous woman a few minutes ago.
“But?” I prodded when neither of them said anything.
“But,” Min sighed. “Like Thayle said. It’s Marco. His track record isn’t great. We’d be blowing smoke up your ass if we said otherwise.”
Fantastic. “I’m so stupid. I knew,knewhe was a bad idea from day one. Sorry Min,” I said, forgetting for a second they were brother and sister.
“No apologies needed. I warned him away from you. We all did.”
“I really thought this time was different,” Thayle mused. “Neo seemed sure of it.”
“And maybe it is,” Min rushed to add. “We’re all thinking the worst, but Marco is overly friendly. We know this.”
“Well he looked really, really friendly with this woman.”
“Let’s say it’s nothing. Just Marco being, well, Marco,” Thayle said. “You also can’t let him off the hook for last night. It sounds like he was overly harsh.”
“Far be it from me to defend him,” Min said. “But I will say this. That brewery is his baby. For as long as I can remember, well before we all worked here, Marco’s been begging our parents to let him build and run one on property. I don’t think they ever would have gone for it if they were still in charge.”
I knew this part well. “A successful brewery gives Marco the respect he dearly wants to earn with the family.” Both Min and Thayle paused to stare at me. “Did I say something wrong?”
“He doesn’t feel respected,” Min said, as much to herself as anyone.
“He didn’t say that in so many words,” I rushed to add. “And a lot of it is his own fault. Marco knows that. But we talked a lot about...his past. His reputation. Before,” I shrugged, “you know.”