“I don’t want you sneaking off to call Sophie before you’ve really given yourself time to carefully consider the whole thing.”
“Yeah!” Mike heartily agreed. “Good thinking, Jan.”
Brynna sighed, but Jan’s hand remained out. “Come on, Brynna,” she said. “Just think about your decision before you burn that bridge.”
“And why don’t you try praying about it too,” Mike suggested. “Ask God what he thinks about this whole thing. Maybe you’ll be surprised.”
“Fine.” Brynna slapped her phone into Jan’s palm. “I’ll take a walk. I’ll think and pray. But when I come back, you can’t keep hounding me like this. Even if you don’t agree with my final decision.Okay?”
They reluctantly agreed and Brynna took off for her walk. But with each step, she felt it was useless. Her mind really was made up. She was not going back to Sorrentino’s to take that job. She’d stick with her midnight plan. Sure, Mike and Jan would be mad and probably call her a chicken, but it was her life.
Still, she reminded herself as she walked through a shady grove of old nut trees, she had promised to think and pray it over. Fine—she would do just that. She would pray for God to put an end to Mike’s and Jan’s relentless bossiness!
With his field crew already on task and working only a half day, Leroy decided to spend his Saturday sprucing up the exterior of his house. Admittedly, it had been sadly neglected for nearly adecade now. Probably around the same time Marcie first got sick and life got overly busy.
With Gina’s help and their early start to the morning, they managed to mow all the lawns, trim the hedges, and mend a sagging fence. And now Leroy was repairing some loose boards on the front porch. Meanwhile Gina, who’d brought home several flats of blooms to brighten things up, was putting the final touches on the oversized terra-cotta planters flanking the front door. Leroy had just secured the last plank when he noticed a shiny white Escalade pull up the driveway. At first he assumed it must be the new office manager, but wondered how she could afford such a pricey car on a teacher’s salary. Then, seeing more than one person inside, he grew curious.
“Hey, Gina,” he called to his daughter. “Is the tasting room open already?”
“Not until three.” She looked up from planting a geranium, then chuckled. “Help has arrived.”
“Huh?” He stood, watching as an older woman and two younger ones got out of the SUV. They waved to Gina and then began to unload luggage from the back. Leroy hurried over to his daughter. “What’re you talking about? What help?”
“I didn’t want to say anything because I wasn’t sure they were really coming today, but after you said Grandma’s party was going to be here, I decided to get some reinforcements.” She yelled out a greeting to the women as she dusted off her hands. She turned back to her dad. “And I knew just who to call.”
“Reinforcements?” He lowered his voice. “We can’t afford to hire—”
“We’re not hiring them, Dad. It’s just Mara and her sister, Cassie, and their mom. They’re taking a ‘working vacation’ here. We won’t pay ’em a penny.”
He tossed his hammer into the toolbox. “Even so, we’re not set up for guests. You can’t just go around inviting people without telling—”
“Don’t throw a hissy fit, Dad. FYI, they don’t expect to be treated like guests. Besides,I’mhandling it.” Without another word, she skipped over to greet her friends. But Leroy was so aggravated that, instead of being polite and staying outside to meet them, he grabbed his toolbox and hurried around back.
Gina had gone too far this time. She had no right to invite three guests—even “working” guests—into his home without at least discussing it with him. And all women too. Plus, judging by the car and their bags and clothing, they were wealthy. They might claim they were here to help, but he had serious doubts.
As he shoved his tools into the shed, he imagined the women leisurely lounging on his back terrace, playing with their iPhones, painting their toenails, giggling excessively, and driving him nuts! He had no illusions—he knew most people assumed a vineyard was just a pretty place to relax and play—a place to take a vacation from the real world. He laughed out loud, but not with real cheer. A vineyard—his vineyard, anyway—was just plain hard work. If anyone needed a vacation, it was probably him!
He stormed over to the burn area to check on his crew, with Babe trotting alongside him, ball in mouth and tail wagging as if to say “Chill, dude.” His pace soon slowed. He gave her ball a couple of good tosses, and his attitude shifted gears. He pulled in a long, slow breath of fresh air. It was cooler here today than yesterday. And working in the fragrant green vineyard, outdoors on a sunny summer day, well, it was sort of like a vacation. Albeit a working vacation. But then he’d always enjoyed a good hard day of work.
Really, what did he have to complain about? Three extra women in his house? Well, he wasn’t looking forward to that, but he could just stay out of their way. He could work all day then use the back stairway to slip up to his room. He never spent much time in the house this time of year anyway. With all he had to accomplish in the next couple of weeks, he could easily make himself scarce.
Relieved to escape Gina’s friends, he happily spent the rest of the day working with his field crew. He was impressed with theprogress these workers had made on the burned section. Already the plants were looking much healthier. By next year at this time, these vines would probably be ready to bear fruit. Maybe the best yield ever.
“Hey, Dad.” Sophie stuck her head out the window of her minivan, yelling down the slope to him. “Got a minute?”
He wiped his hands on his jeans as he hurried up the hill toward her. She didn’t usually interrupt his work like this. Hopefully nothing was wrong. Her baby wasn’t due until August. “What’s up?” he asked when he reached her.
“Gina told me you were mad.”
“Mad?” He pulled out his bandana to wipe dust from his face, then he remembered Gina’s female friends. “Oh, yeah, I guess I was a little irked. But I’m over it.”
“Well, she shouldn’t have invited Mara and her family without your permission,” Sophie said in his defense. “Anyway, I thought maybe you’d want to join us for dinner. I’m making Mom’s spaghetti.”
“Mom’s spaghetti?” He felt his stomach rumble. “Sounds great.” He looked down at Babe. “But we’re on foot and dirty.”
“That’s okay. Hop in and I’ll give you a ride.” As he helped Babe into the back of Sophie’s van, she explained how Garth had finished the wine-tasting session then offered to stay with the kids. “So I got to make a bread and salad run.” She chuckled as he got in on the passenger side. “My excuse to get out of the house without kids.”
He glanced at his work clothes. “Sorry I’m dirty, honey. Hope I don’t get your van—”
