“As it turns out, I took two orders today, and—”
“Why didyoutake them? That’s Bree’s job.”
“One order is from a friend who called my cell phone. The other was the one in the office. That one is an urgent order from Monterey. Pretty big one too. They need it ASAP, so I promised to have it down there by tomorrow afternoon.”
“So you want Garth to drive it?”
“Yeah. I’d go myself, except I already agreed to make this other delivery. I’m on my way right now.”
“In the evening? Must be super urgent.”
“Sort of ... but fun too.” He explained about Jason’s wife. “It’s a nice evening for a drive up 101. And between you and me, I could use a break from the women occupying my house. I’ll spend the night at Jason’s and return tomorrow.”
“Sounds nice. Have fun, Dad.”
“Thanks. You too, sweetheart.”
“And promise me you’ll make sure to meet Bree tomorrow.Please?”
“I’ll try, Sophie, but I think your wonder woman might have vanishing powers.”
She laughed and they said goodbye. As he drove along the scenic highway, instead of enjoying the gorgeous ocean view, he imagined Bree and his grandkids playing out in the yard or picking produce from the garden. Bree in her blue dress, chestnut hair blowing in the breeze, holding hands with Lucy and Addison. Naturally, he wished he was there for real. But at least his grandkids were in good hands. That meant a lot to him. And he liked that Garth and Sophie were out on a date. Hopefully, he could keep his promise to Sophie and meet this wonder woman tomorrow.
Brynna had two reasons to feel nervous on Friday. First of all, Garth was driving a big wine order down to Monterey, which placed her in charge of today’s wine-tasting group—all by herself. Second, and far more disturbing, she felt certain today was the day she would meet Leroy Sorrentino ...for the second time. She was convinced this was the day because last night, when Garth drove her home after she had watched the kids, he mentioned that Leroy had promised to introduce himself to her. “Sophie pushed him on it. They both think it’s strange you two haven’t crossed paths yet.”
Brynna had agreed it was odd and reassured Garth that shelooked forward to meeting Leroy. And maybe she did look forward to it in a way. But only because she knew that it would finally put an end to her anxiety. As much as she loved being at Sorrentino’s, she felt more and more certain she was living in a dream—one that could turn into a nightmare. And she would just as soon wake up before that happened.
But the day passed in the usual way, and by the time she was setting up for the wine tasting, she wondered if she might be able to escape one more day without having to confess to Leroy Sorrentino that she was an imposter—an intruder who’d deceived his daughter and invaded his space.
Because she was running the tasting on her own, she’d dressed up a bit more than usual that morning. At least, that’s what she told herself, but she suspected it was more due to the imminent possibility of coming face-to-face with Leroy. Wearing a hand-me-down sundress with blue and white stripes, she’d tied a ribbon around her long ponytail and was even wearing her little silver hoop earrings. But the day had passed uneventfully so far. It wasn’t until Sophie called that Brynna learned Leroy had delivered wine to a friend in Bodega Bay. “He might not be back until later today,” Sophie informed her. “But I’m calling to invite you to join us for a barbecue. Dad’s birthday is Sunday, and I’m hosting a get-together. It’ll be at Dad’s house, and I’d really like your help.”
“Thank you, Sophie. I’d love to come, but I’m not sure.”
“Oh? Do you have other plans?”
“Well, I, uh, yeah, I’m not sure. Can I get back to you on that?”
“Of course.”
Brynna glanced around the tasting room. “I should go. I need to get the wineglasses from the house. No one brought them out yet.”
“Gina and her helpful friends.” Sophie made a growling sound. “I suppose I’ll need to include them on Sunday too. I almost forgot about that.”
“Then you’ll have a small crowd.” Brynna tried to sound bright as she promised to get back to her as soon as she knew what shewas doing on Sunday. Somehow the idea of reuniting with Leroy for the first time at a family gathering didn’t sit well with her. And on his birthday? That just seemed all wrong. But she didn’t have time to think about it now. She had a tasting to set up.
To her relief, no one was in the kitchen when she walked in. She had almost finished unloading the first dishwasher drawer when she heard footsteps. Hoping it wasn’t Leroy, she felt almost relieved to see Judith narrowing her eyes at her as if she were about to steal the silver. Brynna forced a smile as she said hello then continued unloading the glasses.
“Oh, I thought I heard someone in here.” Judith gave her a condescending look.
“Sorry to intrude.” Brynna set a glass in the basket.
“You’re dressed up. Special occasion?”
“No. It’s just that I’m running the wine tasting. Solo.” Brynna forced another smile. “A first for me.”
“Oh, well, I’m sure you’ll do fine. It doesn’t seem like it would take much.” Judith took a glass from the dishwasher, inspecting it for spots. “I’m sure I could do it if I had to.” She set it on the counter.
“Really?” Brynna wondered, transferring the glass into her basket. “Garth likes it done a certain way. But I suppose if he taught you, you could probably manage it just fine.”
