He put his hands up in front of him. “Not of my own choosing. Believe me.”
“Really?” She studied him. “Judith seems to think differently.”
“Differently. That pretty much describes it.”
For a long moment neither of them spoke. They both just gazed out over the rolling vineyard hills. But it didn’t feel like such an awkward silence now. Still, Brynna had no idea where they would go with all this. What did it really mean to Leroy? Two old friends just catching up? Or did he feel like she did, like it was something more?
“So I know more about you now than I did yesterday, Brynna, but there are still some missing pieces.” He blew out a puff of air. “I’m curious about what happened a few months after, you know, after we parted ways at camp and up until early December.”
“Well, I wrote you plenty of letters then,” she reminded him.“I think I wrote at least two a week. Sometimes more. But I only got two from you.”
“I was never good at writing. And school was demanding. You’re the one who was a writer. You wanted to be a journalist.” He tilted his head to one side. “What happened to that dream?”
“Life.” She sighed. “A lot of dreams fell by the wayside. How about you? You were going to be a photographer.”
“Yeah ... I still take photos sometimes. Mostly on my phone. Like you, I guess, life got in the way.” He gripped the steering wheel with both hands, leaning back and extending his arms as if to brace himself. “So then you sent me that last letter. I got it right before winter break began. You told me not to write to you anymore.”
“Is that what I said?”
“Yep. You explicitly told me no more letters, that you were back with your old boyfriend and he’d given you a promise ring and that was that.”
“Right. Well, that was true. Dirk made me write that letter. He got jealous when he discovered I was writing to you.” She paused, trying to decide how much to say, then realized she had nothing to lose. “The truth is, I was hoping you’d write again anyway.”
“Really?” He sounded skeptical.
“Yes. And I know that probably sounds flaky. Let’s just blame that on youth. But I do think part of me knew that Dirk wasn’t right for me. Still, it was confusing. I mean I’d had a crush on him throughout most of high school. And then he was so persuasive. Really, Dirk Philips was a force to be reckoned with back then. He was so full of himself and so used to getting his way. He was a very persuasive guy. I used to think he’d have been a good politician.”
“Sounds like a real charmer.”
She didn’t miss the sarcasm in his voice. “Yeah, believe me, I know. Anyway, that winter was like a bad dream. Everything seemed to happen at once. My parents died, then Dirk got injured and lost his athletic scholarship. For the first time ever, school felthard for me. Now I know it was because I was still grieving my parents.” She took a deep breath. “I felt lost and alone. Then, out of the blue, Dirk declared we should get married. I still felt confused, but I went along with him. Anyway, those aren’t excuses as much as an explanation. No one forced me to marry Dirk. It is what it is . . . or was.”
Leroy released his grip on the steering wheel and slowly shook his head. “I guess I sort of understand that.” He looked like he was about say something more, but his phone interrupted the moment. She could tell by his answer that it was Sophie.
“Yes, I found her... Sorry, I forgot to call and tell you... Yes, she’s with me now... No, I don’t know. Maybe you should talk to her.” He held his phone toward Brynna. “It’s Sophie.”
Brynna took the phone. “Hello?”
“Oh, Bree! I’m so happy to hear your voice. I’m so relieved you’re okay. I was seriously worried. Is Dad bringing you back now?”
“Bringing me back?” Brynna frowned.
“Yes, that’s why he went for you. He’s going to bring you back here. You do want to come back, don’t you?”
“Well, yes, but I—”
“I knew you would. I told Dad that, but he wasn’t so sure. I told him how much I need you, Bree. We all do. I’m so glad you’re coming back. You really did like it here, didn’t you? You seemed so happy.”
“Yes. But I don’t—”
“Please, say you’re coming home,” Sophie pleaded. “If nothing else, just come back so we can have a proper goodbye. But really, I hope you’ll stay longer. Even if it’s just for summer like you said when I hired you. We really do need you right now. There’s so much going on at the winery. And I could use your help with the birthday barbecue tomorrow. Please, say you’ll come home.”
“Let me talk to your dad about it. Okay?”
Sophie said a reluctant “okay,” then they hung up. “Sophie ispretty insistent that I need to go back with you, Leroy. Even if it’s just to say goodbye. But I think it should be your choice. I don’t want to intrude on your life ... again.”
He pursed his lips as if carefully thinking this over. “If you want to come back, you’re welcome. It’s up to you.”
Something about that didn’t feel exactly inviting. She’d been glad to sort of clear the air with him just now, and the attraction she felt was promising, but she had no idea what was going on with him. For all she knew, he just wanted her to be on her merry way.
