“I think that Brooke needs to ask her father first.”

  “Sure. Okay if I use the phone at the table to text my dad?”

  Claire nodded, never wanting to get in the way of Brooke communicating with her dad.

  Brooke typed up a text, her fingers as usual whipping over the keys. She laid the phone down and continued to eat while she and Maddy talked.

  Sullivan sent her a look as if he wondered how she felt about the whole thing. She wondered the same about him. How would he feel about his daughter spending the weekend at her ex-husband’s place? He’d never met Ed, knew nothing about him.

  Brooke’s phone buzzed and she picked it up, her lips lifting into a wide smile. “My dad said he and Jennifer would love to have Maddy spend the weekend. Yay!”

  Madison turned to Sullivan. “Dad? Can I go?”

  “I’ll…think about it and get back to you.”

  “Dad.” Maddy cocked her head to the side. “Come on.”

  “He’s really a good guy, Mr. Asher. And Maddy could meet my little brother, George. He’s three and so cute.”

  “See?” Maddy said.

  “I said I’ll think about it, Maddy. We’ll talk about it more later.”

  She huffed out a sigh, and, once they finished dinner, the girls took all the bowls to the kitchen. Claire heard water running, so she knew the girls were doing dishes.

  “Sorry about that,” Sullivan said. “It’s just…”

  “That you don’t know my ex at all. I understand your discomfort.”

  “Right.”

  “It would be fine. Despite my issues with him, he’s a very good, responsible father, and Brooke adores him. Madison would be in good hands. And I’m sure if you said you wanted to drive over there and meet him first, he’d be fine with that.”

  Sullivan nodded. “That’s good to know. And yes, I would.”

  She liked that he wouldn’t let his daughter just disappear for the weekend to a random place he didn’t know with some people he’d never met.

  They called the girls down, and Sullivan explained to Maddy that he’d like to meet Brooke’s father in person, so while he was fine with her spending the weekend there, he’d be driving her so he could meet Ed Asher and see where he lived.

  “That’ll be great, Mr. Asher,” Brooke said. “We’ll be hanging out with my dad and with Jennifer all weekend, anyway, so we don’t need to drive.”

  “Sure, Dad,” Maddy said. “I know you want to make sure that Brooke’s dad isn’t some creepy ax murderer.”

  Sullivan rolled his eyes. “Maddy. That’s not at all what I said.”

  But Brooke laughed and ended up calling her dad so Sullivan could talk to him on the phone, and they made plans for him to drop the girls off on Friday evening around seven.

  “I’m so excited,” Brooke said to Maddy as they made their way back upstairs. “We’re going to have a blast. Oh, have you ever ice-skated?”

  “So many times,” Maddy said as their voices drifted into whispers.

  Then silence.

  Claire turned to Sullivan. “Okay, well, that’s settled then.”

  He looked at her. “I guess so. And you know what this means?”

  “What?”

  “Unless you have other plans, we have a free weekend.”

  She hadn’t considered that. “You’re right. We do.”

  He stepped closer, pulling her into his embrace. “Would you like to go out with me this weekend, Claire?”

  “I would very much like to go out with you this weekend, Sullivan.”

  “Good. I’ll make some plans.”

  “Oh?” She arched a brow. “What kinds of plans?”

  His lips curved in a way that she could only think was…wicked. Sexy. Promising.

  “The best kinds of plans.”

  Claire couldn’t wait for this weekend.

  Chapter Seven

  Saturday dawned as the perfect day. Cool, crisp, and utterly bright outside. No sign of snow in the air, which was exactly what Sullivan was hoping for.

  Claire had told Sullivan she was going to take Friday night to do her grocery shopping, laundry, and paperwork, that way she’d be free for the rest of the weekend.

  Which suited him just fine because he had to do a lot of that as well. So after he’d taken the girls to Brooke’s dad’s house and spent a few minutes talking with Ed and Jennifer Asher—who appeared to be very nice, normal people—he’d done the same thing. He grocery shopped, did some laundry, and paid bills. He picked up around the house and cleaned his room and his bathroom, making sure to change the sheets on his bed—just in case.

  Though he had no expectations for Claire and him, it never hurt to be prepared.

  Today he was free to do whatever. Claire had texted him last night and asked if she could make the plans for the daytime portion of today, leaving him free to plan the evening.

  That sounded good to him, and he liked that she was enthusiastic about them spending the whole day together.

  They met outside his car at noon. She looked beautiful in black leggings that showed off her incredible legs. She had on black boots that came to the knee and a gray sweater that went down over her hips. She carried her coat over her arms.

  “Ready?” she asked, smiling at him.

  “So ready.” He opened the car door for her and she slid inside.

  Once he got in, he turned to her. “Where to?”

  “You drive. I’ll direct.”

  He ended up headed downtown on the highway. Since he hadn’t seen a whole lot of the city yet, he was excited to see where they were going.

  “Care to give me any hints?” he asked.

  “Nope.”

  “You’re a tease, Claire.”

  Her lips curved. “I promise you’ll have fun.”

  She had him exit and then they drove a few blocks. He caught sight of the Anheuser Busch brewery and his heart ticked up a fast pace. Was this where they were going?

  When she directed him to the parking area, he got really excited. He pulled in and turned the engine off.

  “I’ve always wanted to do this,” he said.

  “I thought you might enjoy it.”

  She couldn’t have picked an outing he’d like more. They got out and walked toward the building. Or buildings, he should say. There were a lot of them. Claire must have done this before because she seemed to know just where to go.

  “I already got us tickets for the tour, but it’s not until one thirty, so we’ll head to the Biergarten where we can grab some beers and lunch.”

  “That sounds great.”

  The Biergarten had a glass covering that seemed fun for summer, and you could also go indoors, which was perfect for December. They went inside, ordered some sandwiches, and chose beers, then grabbed a table.

  “This is such a great idea, Claire.”

  “I’m glad you think so. I knew you hadn’t seen a lot of the sights yet, and some things we can’t do in the winter, but this is definitely something you can do year-round. Besides, who doesn’t love beer?”

  “I definitely like beer. I knew the brewery was here and it’s one the things that’s been on my must-see lists.”

  “And now we’re here so you can check it off your list.”

  He took a sip of the cool, refreshing beer. Even in the cold winter, it tasted great.

  “You’ve done this before?”

  She nodded. “Several times. Even as a local, it’s so much fun and there’s always something new to see. I’m sure Maddy would enjoy it as well, even if she can’t drink the beer. There’s such a science to beer making. It’s very educational.”

  “I’ll make a note of that.”

  Once their sandwiches were ready, they ate those, finished off their beers, and headed across to the main building to check in for their tour.

  They went outside, and Sullivan was amazed by all the aged, rusty-red buildings, some with gargoyles and eagles and amazing architectural features. He hadn’t expected to see such detail in a brewery, when one would think of either something plain or modern to brew beer. The building was decorated with huge holiday wreaths and lights to showcase the season, which looked stunning. Sullivan could imagine these buildings when they were new, what it must have looked like during the holidays even then, with horse-drawn carriages moving along the cobblestone streets and people going about their day.

  They had a lively tour guide who explained the brewing process to them as they moved from place to place, starting with barley and corn mixing with the yeast to begin the cooking process, which, judging by how hot it was in there, took it up to some serious high temps.

  They moved to another location and were shown the mashing process, and whoa, the huge, silver tanks where that occurred were impressive. It was like the world’s biggest strainer.

  Sullivan managed to take a few pictures along the way. He found the process fascinating, all the way through the brew kettle process, boiling off the wort, adding the hops that gave the beer its flavor. Their guide explained how different types of hops gave flavor.

  “This is so cool,” he said to Claire.

  She gave him a warm smile. “You’re like a kid in a candy store.”

  “More like a dude in a beer store.”

  She laughed.

  They sampled a sip of more beer at the end of the tour. There was nothing like beer that had been freshly made. Then they went to the Biergarten to have a full glass to relax and unwind after all that walking.

  “I’d do this again tomorrow,” Sullivan said. “And the day after that. And again the next day.”

  Claire’s lips quirked. “What you’re saying is you’re abandoning your job to become a brewmaster.”

  He gave what she said a thoughtful pause. “It’s a possibility.”

  “But you already have a fun job.”

  “That’s true. Maybe I could do both. Brew during the day, draw and write at night.”

  “And when would you parent?”

  He shrugged. “Maddy’s almost an adult. She can raise herself the rest of the way.”

  Claire shook her head. “I’m telling her you said that.”

  He gaped at her, sure she was joking. Or at least hoping she was. “You wouldn’t.”

  She reached for his arm. “Of course I wouldn’t. But it’s nice to know I have some leverage now.”

  “You’ve got a bit of a vicious streak, Claire Asher.”

  She smiled over at him, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Why, thank you.”

  They finished their beers and headed out to the parking lot. When he got into his seat, he turned to Claire.

  “Why don’t you direct me around the city? Help me familiarize myself a bit with places you think I should know about.”

  “Sure.”

  He started driving and she pointed out places of interest, like where the sports teams played and some of her favorite restaurants, as well as how the city was laid out and how to navigate the various highways. It was helpful to be in the car with someone who was familiar with her surroundings, because she also told him about shortcuts and places to avoid when there was heavy traffic during commute hours.

  Fortunately, he didn’t have a commute, so he mostly wouldn’t have to worry about that unless he had to take Madison somewhere, but it was good to have that kind of inside information.

  As they were driving, he asked Claire to take him to the neighborhood where she grew up.

  “Why would you want to see that?” she asked, looking both perplexed and uncomfortable.

  “Because I’m interested in you.”

  “Oh. I guess we could do that.”

  He caught the telltale blush on her cheeks and wondered if she was ashamed of where she grew up. He’d grown up in an average middle-class neighborhood in Wisconsin. And by average, he meant about as average as one could get. Both of his parents had worked blue-collar jobs and he’d been damn lucky to go to college on scholarship. So she had nothing to be ashamed about.

  She gave him directions, and they ended up driving out of the city and toward a very nice neighborhood. Like…beyond nice. Well-manicured lawns and stately homes spoke of money and position—not at all the type of place that Sullivan would have guessed Claire grew up in based on the uncomfortable look she’d given him earlier.

  She pointed to an amazing Tudor-style home and he pulled to the side of the road.

  “That’s it.”

  His eyes nearly bugged out of his head. The house was massive, with a gated entry that opened to a long driveway leading up to the house. Sullivan could have combined his house, Claire’s house, and both their neighbor’s houses into this one place.

  “Damn, Claire. That thing is…big.”

  She scrunched her nose. “Yes, it is.”

  “And you grew up here.”

  “Yes.”

  “Wow. What was that like?”

  It took her a bit to answer before she said, “Not as much fun as you might think. Though I liked the pool a lot.”

  “Did you have siblings?”

  “No. Just my parents and me, unfortunately.”

  He studied the flat expression on her face. “You and the parents didn’t get along, huh?”

  She shrugged. “My dad was a lawyer and mostly absent. Mom was stay-at-home, big into the country club set and putting on her best face and manners for all her friends and Dad’s clients. I was expected to be seen—but only at the appropriate times—and most definitely not heard.”

  “Ouch.” He couldn’t imagine what that must have been like. He’d come from a very loud and boisterous family. He and his sister and brothers were always noisy and playful, and his parents welcomed their humor. Being stifled had to have been agony for her.

  “It wasn’t the most pleasant childhood. But I’m an adult now, so I don’t have to deal with them anymore.”

  “I’m sorry. You don’t get along with them, I guess?”

  She let out a short laugh. “They had big plans for me, and I screwed up at every turn. I was supposed to go to law school. I had zero interest in becoming a lawyer. They had suitable men picked out for me to date. I never dated any of them because, you know, this being the twenty-first century and all, I figured I could choose my own guy.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “When I started dating Ed, they said he was an unacceptable choice and they weren’t going to allow it. Needless to say, I ignored them. When Ed and I got married, they told me I was cut off. As if their money ever mattered to me.”

  “How did Ed feel about losing out on all the money?”

  “We were in love. We didn’t care about money. We went our own way, independently of them, and we made it work. We were happy. For a while, anyway.”

  “So you never see your parents anymore?”

  She shook her head, her gaze firmly rooted on the house. “Not since I married Ed.”

  “They haven’t followed up, tried to contact you?”

  “No.”

  “Not even after you had Brooke?”

  Finally tearing her gaze away from the house, she looked at him. “That’s not their way. They believed they were right and that I would make a mess of my life. I’m sure, in some way, they know all about me—about my divorce and about Brooke. But they choose not to make contact. Pride and being right and all.”

  “Wow. I’m sorry. But that’s on them and not on you. Look at what they’ve missed out on. Brooke is amazing and you’ve done incredible things with your life and your career.”

  She offered up a smile. “Thanks. They wouldn’t think so, but I appreciate it.”

  He picked up her hand and smoothed his over it. “Does it still hurt?”

  “Not anymore. It did when I was younger, but I’m long since over it.”

  “Does Brooke ask about her grandparents?”

  “She did, many years ago. I explained the situation to her when she was old enough to understand, and she told me she’s sad for them.”

  “Very mature of her.”

  Claire nodded. “I wouldn’t want to expose her to their ridiculous expectations, because they’d do the same thing to her that they did to me.”

  “I could see why you wouldn’t want her to be around them.”

  “Yeah. On the plus side, regardless of my feelings about Ed, he has very nice parents, so Brooke has warm and loving grandparents that give her plenty of love and attention.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Anyway, enough about me. And can we get out of here?”

  He put the car in gear. “Absolutely.”

  As they drove, she asked him about his childhood. He told her where he grew up, about his two brothers and his sister and his parents, trying to downplay how boring and normal it had all been, considering what she’d been through. She took it all in stride though, listening intently and asking questions like she was interested. It must have been hard for her and he wished he hadn’t asked her to take him to where she’d grown up. He was sure it had dredged up unpleasant memories.

  It was getting late, so they drove back to the house. Dinner reservations weren’t until seven, so they had time to kill. He invited her to his place for some pre-dinner cocktails, figuring maybe he could relax her a bit and they could have some uninterrupted time to talk.

  He started a fire in the fireplace, poured them both a glass of wine, and pulled out the charcuterie board he’d made this morning. He carried it into the living room, setting it on the coffee table, then went to grab a couple of plates and napkins along with some knives and forks. He set everything out on the table.

  Her eyes widened. “Did you make this?”

  “I did.”

  “It’s very impressive.” She leaned over to inspect it. “Olives and cheeses and fancy meats and crackers and fruits. Wow, Sullivan, this is really nice.”

  He shrugged, feeling his face heat from her praise. “I thought we might want a snack.”

  She laughed. “More like a meal.”

  “You don’t have to eat anything if you don’t want to.”

  “Are you kidding? My stomach is making growly sounds just looking at this.”

  He smiled at her. “Mine, too. Let’s dig in.”

  She slipped off her boots, chose a few items, and put them on her plate, then drew her legs up on the sofa and leaned back.