Sherry started to protest again, but he cut her off by pointing to her backyard. “Gotta pay my respects to Mom and the grandbabies.” He winked at his now-glowering sister. “Sophie had Mom babysit to keep her from snooping on our meeting.” Before Sherry could object, he slipped out the patio door. He’d barely made his appearance before he was mobbed by Lucy and Addison, both of whom were squealing with joy.
“Hey, it’s my two favorite little people!” He scooped them both up in a giant bear hug, swinging them from side to side and making them squeal even louder. “Have you worn out your granny yet?”
“Granny?” His mother, Dorothy Sorrentino, gave him a look of disapproval, which he knew was only skin-deep. “I told you not to call me that,Grandpa. I amGreat Gran.”
“And he’s not Grandpa,” Lucy corrected. “He’sPappy!”
He chuckled. “I do beg your pardon,Great Gran.” He turned to see Sophie coming through the house and into the backyard. “Looks like your mom’s arrived just in time to rescue you.” He set the kids down and, not surprisingly, they acted unhappy to seetheir mother. But he knew it was just because they didn’t want this play session to end yet.
Sophie hugged her grandmother. “Thanks so much for running herd on these two, Gram. And sorry for taking so long. I was having a fun interview for the office position.”
“Not at all, dear. But if you’ll both excuse me, my naptime is calling.” She reached for her iced tea glass and magazine and went into the house.
Sophie turned to Leroy. “That interview went great, Dad.”
“Great? That’s a switch. Tell me more.”
She beamed at him. “She was absolutely perfect.”
“Perfect?I’d settle for just plain good at this point. So did you offer her the job?”
“I did. I hope you don’t mind. But, really, I think she’ll be great. She’s got good energy.”
“Good energy?” He frowned. “Hopefully she’s not a kid. I never had a chance to really go over today’s résumé.”
“She’s not a kid. I mean, I don’t really know her age. But I know she’s older than me because she’s been a teacher for a while. I’m guessing she’s like thirtysomething.”
“A teacher?” He rubbed his chin. “Does she have any office skills?”
“Yes, of course.” Sophie called to her kids to get ready to go.
“And you’re sure she’ll be a good fit?”
Sophie nodded as she grabbed Addison’s hand. “I really do, Dad. And I’m willing to take total responsibility for her.” She reached out for Lucy’s hand too. “And here’s another good thing. Bree needs a place to live so I offered her the guesthouse. She’s willing to take less pay in exchange for rent, so we’ll save some money.”
“That’s good.” He scratched his head. “Wait, Bree? I thought today’s interview was with a Susan Baxter.”
Her grin looked sheepish. “Well, I guess I got my wires crossed. You see, Bree showed up early. I mean, Ithoughtshe was early. And then I couldn’t find her résumé—I mean Bree Philips’s résumé. Idid see Susan’s file on the desk like you said, and really it wasn’t that impressive. Anyway, I went ahead and interviewed Bree. She’s so right for the job, I couldn’tnothire her. Susan showed up about five minutes after Bree left, and I gave her a quick interview and promised to get back to her. I’ll nicely tell her that the position’s been filled.”
Leroy was confused. “You’re certain Bree is really right for us?”
“Positive.” Sophie smiled as Lucy and Addison both started to tug on her, saying they were hungry and begging for pizza for dinner.
“Okay, honey.” He opened the side gate for them. “I guess I’ll have to trust you on this.”
“And I’ll train her and get her settled into the guesthouse and everything,” she called out as her kids pushed and pulled her out to the driveway.
“When can she start?” he asked as he followed the kiddie parade. “Soon, I hope.”
“Yeah—she said soon. Or maybe that’s what her friends said.” She struggled to unlock her minivan.
“Her friends?”
“Yeah, they were really nice. And they love our place. They’ve been visiting vineyards all over Sonoma County, and they said ours was the best by far.” She helped Addison into his car seat.
“Okay then.” He bent over to help Lucy buckle her seat belt, giving her a peck on the forehead. “Sounds like you have it under control—and not a moment too soon.” He closed the door then turned to his daughter, talking quietly so the kids couldn’t overhear. “Don’t tell the kids, but we’re hosting your grandma’s surprise party.”
“At Sorrentino’s?” She blinked. “I thought Aunt Sherry wanted it here at Damico’s. I heard her tell Uncle Tony what great publicity it’d be for their vineyard.”
