It didn’t escape his observation when Judith handed Brynna a stack of dirty dishes, treating her as if she were hired help. Shortly after that, he noticed Gina and Luna doing the same by heaping more dishes onto a tray Brynna carried. And although Brynna seemed to take it in stride, it made him feel ashamed. And angry.
He was tempted to march into the kitchen, take Brynna by the hand, lead her out here, and proudly introduce her to the remaining guests. After all, it was his birthday! Didn’t he have the right toher companionship if he wanted it? But he knew that if he made a scene like that, Brynna would probably be embarrassed.
Seeing his mother sitting in an easy chair by herself, apart from the other guests, Leroy felt concerned. Was she feeling unwell? He bade his friends goodbye then went over to check on her.
“I’m just a bit worn out,” she admitted. “Waiting for Sherry and—”
“I’ll take you home.” He offered his arm to help her up.
“But it’s your party, Leroy. You should—”
“It’s okay.” He helped her to her feet, speaking quietly as he led her to the door. “It’s more like Judith and the girls’ party now. I’m just as glad to get out of here. Most of my friends are gone anyway.” He called out to Gina, who was nearby. “I’m taxiing Grandma home. I’ll be back.” Before she could respond, he was out the door. Although he’d promised to “be back,” he hadn’t said when. And he intended to take his time!
Brynna didn’t mind helping in the kitchen. Really, it was preferable to being out there with all those people she didn’t know and, even more so, the ones she did. She had no doubts that Judith, Luna, and Gina, as well as Judith’s girls, resented her presence there today. She’d tried to make it clear that she was only there to help Sophie, but she hadn’t expected them to treat her like she’d been assigned to KP duty.
Then, as the party wound down and Sophie looked close to exhaustion, Brynna had insisted she go lie down for a bit. Now she had the kitchen to herself. The quiet was most welcome. She knew that Leroy had departed to take his mother home. Gina, Luna, Judith, and her girls were visiting in the dining room. It sounded as if they’d just uncorked another bottle of wine.
“Well, done, ladies,” Judith said, her voice loud enough to carry into the kitchen. “You all helped to make this a successful celebration.”
Brynna was tempted to call out that it had been Sophie who’d done all the organizing and most of the work. But not wanting to create more disparity, she continued to quietly rinse plates.
“Well, Dad was sure surprised,” Luna said. “That was something.”
“And he seemed to enjoy it,” Gina added. “I wasn’t so sure he would.”
“It was fun meeting some of your neighbors,” Judith said. “But that one couple, I can’t remember their names, they told me they were friends of Bree.”
“Yeah, they’re the ones camping out by the barn,” Gina said. “I’m not a big fan either. Especially after we worked so hard to make that area attractive.”
Brynna stopped rinsing to listen closer.
“Well, those two seemed like misfits to me,” Judith said. “And they didn’t appear to know a soul here. I wasn’t surprised to see them leaving early.”
“Why are they camping here?” one of the girls asked. “Is your dad going to turn this place into an RV park?”
“No, of course not.” Luna sounded exasperated. “I told him it makes the winery look trashy. Hopefully they won’t stay long.”
“Dad said they came to take Bree home,” Gina said. “I think they’ll all leave today.”
“Good riddance,” Luna declared.
“So, our little office manager is leaving for real this time?” Judith sounded pleased. “Well, I’m sure that’s best for everyone.”
“The sooner, the better,” Luna said. “I don’t like sharing the guest cottage with her. And I think she’s lazy. She was still asleep when I got out of there around nine.”
“What’re you guys talking about?”
Brynna caught her breath. That was Sophie’s voice, and she sounded angry. How much had she overheard?
“Oh, there you are,” Luna said in a cheerful tone. “We thought you’d gone home, big sister.”
“Garth took the kids home,” Sophie snapped back. “I was having a nap. But I want to know what you guys are talking about. Bree isnotgoing home.”
“Yes, she is,” Gina insisted. “I’m going to place an ad for a new office manager tomorrow.”
“Did Dad tell you to do that?” Sophie demanded.
There were a few seconds of silence before she replied. “No. But you can’t go back to work, Soph—”
