“Our pleasure. Sophie is definitely a great cook.” He set a rinsed plate in the dishwasher. “And a great mom too.”
“And a great gardener,” Brynna added. “Probably like her mom.”
“Well, I never met her mom, but I’ve heard Sophie’s a lot like her. Although her mom was never into gardening. She didn’t really like being outdoors too much.” Garth shrugged. “I guess Sophie gets the green thumb from Dad’s side. She’s a lot like her grandma.”
“Oh.” Brynna wondered about that as she handed him a plate.
“So, do you feel like you can handle things at the office yet? Or do you still need Sophie’s help?”
“I think I’m okay. It’s pretty well set up. Seems like common sense to run it.”
“Good to know.” He smiled. “Maybe we can convince Sophie to spend more time at home and take it a little easier.”
“Absolutely.” She handed him the last plate.
“How would you feel about helping in the tasting room occasionally?” He closed the dishwasher and leaned against it. “Especially when we get busier, which has already been happening.”
“Sounds like fun to me.” She dried her hands on a dish towel.
“Great. Feel free to pop in and observe anytime. We have a group coming tomorrow at three.”
“I’ll be there, and I’ll even take notes,” she added.
He wiped down the sink then turned to her with a smile. “I’m really glad Sophie hired you, Bree. Not a moment too soon either. We needed you.”
Brynna avoided his eyes as she nodded. It was nice to be needed and appreciated like this, but what would happen when Leroy figured things out? She didn’t want to think about that now. So afterSophie came back to the kitchen, Brynna told them both thank you and good night, then hopped on the bike and pedaled back toward her cottage. But as she crested the last hill, she couldn’t help but pause for a moment to gape at the western sky. The sun was sinking into a bank of clouds, and the colors—layers of amber and purple and rose—were glorious. Still straddling the bicycle, she stared in awestruck wonder.
Somehow she knew that the God who’d created all this beauty was able to sort out the mess she feared she’d been making in her life. She couldn’t even put into words how she knew this exactly—except that she just knew. It was like Motorcycle Mike had said. God was up to something. She suddenly felt a real sense of peace about it. At least for now.
Leroy paused from where he was restaking a slumping grapevine in the burn section to admire the sunset now painting the sky, a reminder it was getting late. He hadn’t meant to linger in the burn area this long, but he’d stopped by after driving past Sophie and Garth’s place earlier. His plan had been to “kill some time” then swing back by there to talk to Sophie.
Originally, Leroy had hoped to snag a good home-cooked dinner and see his grandkids. It would also be a good excuse to avoid another meatless meal at his female-packed house. But then he’d noticed the new manager was at Sophie’s. He recognized Bree from a distance by her long brown hair and small stature. Today she wore blue jeans and a white T-shirt, and it appeared that she and Lucy were working in the garden together and having a pretty good time. Not wanting to interrupt the happy pair and realizing it would be difficult to inquire about the new employee while she was present, he’d simply driven on past.
He’d parked on the crest of the hill with a granola bar and lukewarm soda from the stash he kept in his Jeep, killing time and waiting for Bree to go on her merry way. When that didn’t happen,he’d noticed the sagging section of vine and gone down to stake it up. Now, as he stood in the shadowy vale, looking up toward the colorful sky, he saw her again.
Bree had stopped her bike on the crest of the hill. With her back to him, she stared out at the same beautiful sunset that had caught his eye. He stood there, transfixed, unsure if he was watching the girl or the sunset, but his feet seemed to have taken root. For a moment, he considered calling out to her. Perhaps he could offer her a ride since it would be dusky soon. But he wasn’t sure the bike would fit into the back of the Wrangler ... or whether he was even ready to meet her yet.
He looked down at his stained T-shirt and dirt-encrusted hands. He’d neglected to use work gloves today. Plus, he suspected he smelled none-too-fresh at the moment. Maybe not the best moment to meet Bree. Something about her definitely intrigued him. It seemed the barefoot girl in the blue dress had many sides to her. She obviously liked gardening. He knew she’d been a schoolteacher, which suggested she liked children. She seemed to have already made friends with his granddaughter. And, watching her now, it seemed she appreciated the beauty of the great outdoors. All good things.
He watched as Bree got back on the bike and started to coast down the hill. Her silhouette against the sunset made a pretty picture. Then, to his surprise, she released the handlebars and, stretching her arms out, soared like a bird in flight. And unless he imagined it, or perhaps it was a nighthawk, she let out a shriek of delight. He couldn’t help but chuckle.What kind of woman is this?
On her second day of work, Brynna got the office into decent order during the morning hours. Her plan for the afternoon was to sequester herself in the wine cellar and get a good start on inventorying. But first she’d set the timer on her watch to remind her to go help Garth in the tasting room at three. It was interestingseeing all the different kinds of wines. Far more than just whites and reds, there were names she’d never heard of before. Like Gewürztraminer. She couldn’t even pronounce that one. And then there were the different years. All totaled, she guessed there were close to a hundred different types. By the time her alarm sounded, she’d made it through only the cabernet sauvignon section. Not being a wine aficionado herself, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever even tasted cabernet sauvignon, but it did have an exotic sound to it.
Brynna arrived in the tasting room ten minutes early, but an older couple were already there visiting with Garth. He waved her over and after a quick introduction to the couple from Sacramento, he asked her to fetch some clean wineglasses from the house. “Gina was supposed to bring them out, but I haven’t seen her around.”
“Where in the house?” Bree asked, trying not to feel nervous over the idea of walking into Leroy’s home.
“They should be in a basket either in the laundry room or in the butler’s pantry, or maybe even in the dishwasher in the kitchen if Gina forgot.”
“Okay...” She wanted to appear confident as she exited the barn, hoping she wouldn’t bump into Leroy in his house. She went to the side of the house, using the door that Sophie said led to the laundry room. As she stepped inside, she reminded herself that Leroy would probably be out in the vineyard.
Brynna couldn’t help but pause to admire the spacious laundry room. There were ample countertops, a stone sink, drying racks, cabinets for storage, and shiny modern appliances, but there was no basket of wineglasses. She quietly proceeded through the next door, which led into what she assumed was the kitchen, but then realized was probably just a very well-equipped butler’s pantry, one that was far nicer than her kitchen at home. But again, there was no basket of glasses. She pushed open the swinging door to see that it led to the kitchen, but she could hear voices in there.To her relief it was only female voices. So, standing straighter and wishing she were taller, she walked into the kitchen with what she hoped was an air of authority.
Two women were gathered at the table in conversation.
“Who are you?” a blond woman asked.
“I, uh, I’m Bree, the office manager.” Her smile felt uneasy.
