“Marcie.” Brynna nodded, then pointed to the needlework by the door. “Did she make that?”
Sophie turned to see what she was pointing at. “Yes. That was one of her favorite verses. Dad said it was because she liked to spend money on frivolous things.”
“Really?”
“Oh, he wasn’t trying to be mean. But he’s always been pretty frugal. And Mom, well, she wasn’t exactly frugal.”
“Well, I think she made good choices in here. It doesn’t seem over-the-top, but very sweet and comforting.”
“Yeah, she really wanted Grandma Jenson to come here. Grandma had emphysema from smoking, but then everyone in her generation smoked. At least, that’s what she told me when I asked her about it once.”
“And did she get to stay here?”
“No, unfortunately. After she moved down to San Diego, she got too sick to travel ... and then she died.”
“Now I remember. You mentioned how you lost your grandma and your mom pretty close together. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, that was pretty hard. On everyone.”
“My parents died in a car wreck when I was in college, so I sort of understand.”
“You lost both your parents?” Sophie’s eyes grew wide. “That would be really terrible. I’m lucky to still have Dad.”
“He must’ve done a good job raising you girls.” Brynna felt like she was fishing for more information, but it wasn’t really whatshe’d intended. “I mean, because you turned out so great, Sophie. I don’t know about your sisters. Well, except that they don’t like old-fashioned charm.” She smiled.
“Oh, Gina and Luna are okay. Gina’s the baby, but she’s determined to help Dad with the vineyard. She even wants to quit college to do it. Of course, Dad’s not so sure about that, but he gave her the summer to prove herself. And, man, is he working her hard. You’ll probably meet her tomorrow.”
“And your other sister, does she help out here too?”
“Maybe someday. Luna’s in law school right now. Well, not right now. She took the summer off to intern with a law firm in San Francisco. But she’ll probably pop in once in a while. Like for Grandma’s birthday.”
“Your grandma’s birthday?”
“Dad’s mom. Grandma Dorothy is turning eighty-five. My aunt Sherry was planning this ridiculously huge party for her. Then Dad got stuck hosting it here, so we’ll be extra busy this summer.” Sophie smiled hopefully. “Think you’re up for helping?”
“Sure. However I can.”
“Great. That’s what I told Dad. Speaking of Dad, did you meet him yet?”
“No.” Brynna glanced away.
Sophie cleared her throat. “Well, he sort of asked me to, uh ... to make sure you understand you can’t have any guests here in the guesthouse.”
“Guests?” Brynna was confused. “Why would I have guests?”
“I don’t know. But Dad saw that guy on the motorcycle, and he got all worried he might be your boyfriend and that you would want him to live here with you.”
Brynna couldn’t help but laugh. “That wasnotmy boyfriend. He’s just a friend. More like a friend of a friend. Just helping out.”
“That’s what I thought, but I promised to make sure.” Sophie frowned. “So does that mean you don’t have a car?”
“I have a car ... back in Oregon.” Brynna grimaced. “But I’m pretty much without wheels right now. I hope it’s not a problem.”
“Well, your commute’s pretty short.” She grinned. “And if you have errands, or if we need you to do something off the property, you can probably borrow a vehicle. We have some spares.” Sophie went to the table and removed a jar from the basket. “This is raspberry jam I made last summer.” She unpacked a loaf of bread, a wedge of cheese, a jar of homemade sauce, and even a bottle of wine. “I didn’t know if you brought any food with you, but this is sort of your welcome to Sorrentino’s gift.”
“That’s really sweet. Thank you. I did get some groceries yesterday, so I’ll be fine for a while.” Brynna picked up the jam. “You really made this? It looks lovely.”
“Yeah. My raspberries really came in good last year. They look promising for this summer too. In fact, my whole garden looks great.”
