He just chuckled as he elbowed her. “Hey, don’t give up, little lady. We’re determined to get our man. I meanyourman.”
As they did the usual winery tour, Brynna had to admit that it was very educational. By the time their hunt for Leroy ended, she expected to be something of an expert on vineyards and wine production. As they were led about the property, Mike and Jan persisted with their usual line of questioning. First Jan would ask the tour guide how old the vineyard was, how long the family had owned it, and finally, Mike would boldly inquire if anyone named Leroy was part of the family. Brynna always wanted to hide when he did this. But once again, and not surprisingly, the answer was no. Brynna was hugely relieved ... and just a tiny bit disappointed. But at least they could move on now.
“Any chance we could stop for an iced coffee?” Brynna asked as they drove away from the vineyard.
“Sounds good to me,” Jan said. “Let me check my phone for something nearby.”
“I saw a sign earlier for a town a few miles ahead.” Mike was driving now. He and Jan had been taking turns. Another thing that surprised Brynna since she knew how much Jan loved her Yukon. Apparently she trusted Mike behind the wheel. Very interesting.
“Hey, I just found something!” Jan exclaimed.
“A coffeehou—”
“No, a vineyard,” Jan interrupted Brynna. “It looks like a new website. Or new to me. I don’t remember seeing it the other night when we made our touring list.”
“What makes it so interesting?” Mike turned onto the main road.
“The name, for starters. It’s called Sorrentino’s. But that’s not all. There’s a historical section on their webpage.” She held up her phone so Brynna could see an old sepia-toned photo of a couple of grim-looking bearded men standing by wine barrels. “It’s been family-owned for generations.”
“Sorrentino.” Brynna repeated the name.
“Does it ring a bell?” Mike asked eagerly.
“I’m not sure. I’ve heard so many names lately ... I might just be imagining it, but Sorrentino does seem familiar.”
“Where’s it located?” Mike asked Jan.
“I’ll turn on Maps.”
As Jan waited for the map to load, Brynna’s stomach knotted in angst. She felt fairly sure Sorrentino was the right name.Leroy Sorrentino.The more she ran the name through her head, the more certain she felt, but she didn’t want to admit as much to Jan and Mike She hoped that the vineyard was so far away, it would be impossible to go. Right now they were at the south end of the county, and their RV camp was about an hour’s drive away. If Sorrentino’s was way up north, it would be impossible to visit it and return to their campsite at a reasonable hour. At least she hoped so.
“It’s only nine miles from here,” Jan proclaimed. “And it says their new tasting room is open until five.”
“Well, it’s past four now,” Mike said. “Maybe we should skip coffee.”
“Yes,” Jan agreed. “And step on it.”
Suddenly Brynna’s stomach wasn’t just twisting—she felt sick. She’d never dreamed that they’d really find Leroy. He was like a needle in a haystack. What on earth would she do if they actuallyfound him? What would she say? How embarrassing would it be to show up after all this time? She had to put the brakes on.
“I don’t know about this.” She leaned toward the front seat, feeling even more childish and possibly carsick too. “It might not be such a good idea—”
“It’s agreatidea,” Jan insisted. “This could be the one, Brynna. You admitted the name’s familiar.”
“Yeah, and we’ve already spent three days on this search for Leroy,” Mike reminded her. “We can’t stop now. Not when we’re this close.”
“That’s right.” Jan pointed a finger upward. “No stone unturned. Remember?”
“The Three Musketeers Looking for Leroy!” Mike boomed. “We found our man.”
“Well, let’s not start celebrating yet,” Jan warned him. “We don’t know for sure.”
“Yeah...” Brynna slumped back against her seat, closing her eyes and trying to breathe deeply ... trying to slow down her pounding heart. She tried her best to relax. Meanwhile Jan and Mike were chattering away like they were the next best thing to Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.
After a couple of minutes of internal dialogue and self-therapy, Brynna felt somewhat reassured. It was highly unlikely this particular winery had anything to do with Leroy. Most likely, it belonged to a relative. Hadn’t he said it was a family business? Leroy was probably off working for some important marketing agency far away from here. She remembered when they’d shared their aspirations. Leroy, with absolutely zero interest in wineries, had longed to be a photographer in a big city. And she’d hoped to become a journalist for a newspaper. Maybe her dreams had been cut short, but Leroy had been very determined. He was probably living out his dreams in New York or LA ... or perhaps Zimbabwe.
Chapter 13
Despite her earlier resolve, Brynna experienced what felt like the onset of a panic attack as Mike turned at the Sorrentino’s Vineyard sign. What if Leroy really was there? What would she say? How would she act? What if she lost her lunch?
