“And when I get back, we’ll go look at the cottage.” Sophie opened the door. “You’re going to love it here, Bree. I just know it.”
Brynna waited a full minute after Sophie left, then hurried outside. She needed to find Jan and Mike—and they all needed to make a fast getaway. She glanced toward the tasting room, which was closed up, and then over to the little parking area. Other than Jan’s SUV, the place was deserted. At least they hadn’t left without her, which wouldn’t have surprised her if they thought it would link her up with Leroy.
As Brynna hurried toward the SUV, she saw Jan and Mike coming from around the barn with confused expressions. She called out, waving and running toward them. “We need to go,” she exclaimed breathlessly as they met in the parking area. “Now! Let’s get going!”
“Where were you hiding?” Jan demanded. “We’ve looked all—”
“I wasn’t hiding.” She glanced toward the house, hoping Sophie wasn’t done in the kitchen yet.
“I told Jan you probably found Leroy.” Mike winked at her.
Jan’s eyes grew wide. “Did you?”
“No. But we need to go.Now!”
“But we solved the mystery, Brynna. We found your Leroy. We discovered that this whole vineyard belongs to none other than Leroy Sorrentino!”
“Okay, fine, whatever.” She bit her lip.
“You didn’t see him anywhere?” Jan asked. “His son-in-law, Garth, in the tasting room—he told us that Leroy is here somewhere.”
“No, I did not see him.” Brynna tugged Jan’s arm. “Come on, let’s get—”
“But youhaveto see him,” Mike insisted, not moving. “That’s why we came.”
“I don’twantto see him.” Brynna kept trying to pull Jan toward the SUV. “I want to go. Now!”
“What’s the big rush?” Jan asked with a furrowed brow.
“Yeah,” Mike said, “these people seem real nice. And their vineyard is nice too. It’s an old-world winery. Pretty interesting.”
“Sure, it’s all very nice and interesting, but they’re trying to hire me.” Brynna shook Sophie’s paperwork in the air as if to prove her point.
“Hey, that’s great.” Mike slapped her on the shoulder playfully. “What a fun place to work.”
“Thenyoutake the job,” Brynna told him. “I want to go.” She tried the door on the SUV only to find it locked. “Come on, you guys,please.”
“Slow down, Brynna.” Jan’s grin grew slightly mischievous as she folded her arms in front of her. “First you need to tell us what happened.”
“Yeah.” Mike nodded. “You really didn’t see Leroy?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Then who offered you a job?” Jan asked.
“His daughter. Well, I assume it’s his daughter. Now that you say you know Leroy owns this vineyard, it probably was.” She looked over her shoulder. “Can we go now?”
Jan ignored her question. “What kind of job did the daughter offer you?”
“Picking grapes?” Mike teased.
“No. Managing their office. Sophie—that’s the daughter—she really wants me to work here. She even offered me the guest cottage—”
“Way to go!” Jan patted Brynna on the back. “That sounds perfect.”
“Perfectly crazy!”
“Not so crazy.” Mike held up a hand. “I think it’s a God thing.”
