“It’ll make for a long day, but I’ll be glad to come and get you,” Mike promised. “As long as you give it a fair try. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll bring you to Yosemite myself.”
“Give it a couple of days at the very least,” Jan urged her.
“Yeah, and remember to take it just one day at a time,” Mike said gently.
“Who knows, maybe you’ll make it a whole week.” Jan looked hopeful.
“A week?” Brynna tried to imagine seven days of awkward humiliation.
“And after that, if you really don’t want to stay at Sorrentino’s, I can just pick you up on my way back to Oregon. Then I’ll deliver you home to your predictable, ho-hum life. You can hole up in your stuffy little condo for the rest of your long boring summer. Maybe you can get yourself that goldfish for company. Wasn’t that your summer plan, Brynna?” Jan locked eyes with her.
Despite Jan’s grim but startlingly honest prediction, Brynna wasn’t quite ready to give in to their pressure. But then they pulled out the big ammo. Whether it was really true or just a way to manipulate her, they suggested their need for somealonetime—hinting that Brynna truly was a third wheel when they announced their plans to go to the coast on Mike’s motorcycle—without her.
Brynna slumped down in a camp chair and thought hard about everything that had just transpired. And now she did what she hadn’t really done earlier. Not in earnest, anyway. She prayed. She sincerely asked God to help her figure this mess out. She asked him to give her the strength to do the right thing. As she prayed, she considered what Mike liked to say—that God worked in mysterious ways. Maybe it really was true. Maybe God really was behind all this. And maybe she’d just been too stubborn . . . and proud . . . to figure it out.
As she said “amen” Brynna felt a strange sense of peace. For the first time since this madness had begun, she felt God really was at work here. And she felt adventurous enough to get to the bottom of it. But first she took a nap. A nice, long, peaceful nap.
Brynna woke to the sound of Mike’s motorcycle. Jan and Mike were already back from their ride. As soon as they got off the bike, Brynna told them of her change of heart and even thanked them for encouraging her.
“It was sort of tough love.” Mike looked slightly sheepish as he set down his helmet. “But our intentions were good.”
“Well, I think it will be an adventure,” Brynna told them.
“I’m so proud of you.” Jan actually hugged her.
Mike gave her a high five. “You’re a real trouper.”
“Uh-huh...” Brynna wished that were more true.
“I guess I can trust you with this now.” Jan’s smile seemed somewhat sheepish as she handed Brynna her phone. Keeping her childish retort to herself, Brynna called Sophie’s cell phone number and told her the good news.
“And I’ll be there early in the morning,” Brynna said. “If that’s okay.”
“That’s not just okay. That’s fabulous!” Sophie sounded so happy that Brynna felt even more sure she’d made the right choice. “I’ll have Gina unlock the guest cottage for you. And I’ll stop by to check on you as soon as we get back from church tomorrow.”
“Sounds great.” Brynna tried to match Sophie’s enthusiasm, but it was probably hopeless.
“You’re a real godsend, Bree.”
Brynna winced at the nameBree, but knew she’d need to keep up her charade for a bit. She glanced over at Jan’s and Mike’s grinning faces, not surprised they were eavesdropping, but wondering why they weren’t doing the Snoopy dance.
Before hanging up, Brynna warned Sophie that she’d arrive by motorcycle. She wasn’t sure that it mattered, but since it would be early morning, she didn’t want to disturb anyone. Particularly Leroy. As she pocketed her phone, she considered the fact that she’d never in her life been on a motorcycle! Normally that would terrify her, but it seemed the least of her concerns right now.
Chapter 16
On Sunday morning Brynna felt like someone else as she donned the bright blue helmet and climbed onto the back of Mike’s Harley. Not that she imagined herself some kind of motorcycle mama or anything like that. More like an actor in a sci-fi flick. Because, seriously, everything about this morning felt surreal. Even the fact that Jan had already broken camp, hitched her trailer, and was about to depart for Yosemite. Without Brynna.
“Let me know how it goes.” Jan held up her phone and Brynna just nodded. Then Mike took off, and Brynna held on for dear life. The upside of being horrified over a crash that could result in death or bodily injury was that it provided the perfect distraction to the growing anxiety gurgling deep down inside of her. Maybe death would be preferable.
And yet, about an hour later, Mike turned onto the Sorrentino property, and she felt a strange sense of peace. Okay, it was a confused sort of peace. The vineyard land was so beautiful and serene. With a misty fog dissipating in the golden morning sun, it was deeply soothing. But perhaps it was a faux tranquility—the result of being completely numbed from the frightening, bumpy motorcycle ride. At least it was nearly done.
She pointed Mike toward the guest cottage that Sophie hadshown her on Friday afternoon. She’d seen only the cottage’s quaint exterior since Sophie hadn’t had a key on her, but Brynna had been blown away by its charming Tudor style. “It reminds me of a fairy tale. Kind of like the cottage inSnow White,” Brynna had said. Then Sophie had joked about the need for seven dwarfs to help get the work done around the vineyard.
Despite her delight over the Snow White cottage, Brynna had been disappointed over its close proximity to the family home. Situated to the rear and off to one side, it sat in plain view of the large stone house’s back windows. Right now her only goal was to get safely inside without being noticed. Not that this was likely—having made her entrance on the back of a big, noisy Harley. Just the same, the moment the motorcycle stopped rolling, she hopped off. Hurrying to remove the helmet, she opened Mike’s saddlebags to retrieve her things.
“Thanks for the ride,” she muttered as she tugged out her duffel bag.
“Fun, huh?” He pulled out her grocery sacks with a wide grin.
