“I’m not talking aboutme, Gina. I’m saying thatBree is not leaving.”
“But she already left once. She blew out of here yesterday,” Gina protested. “Supposedly for good. Dad told me yesterday that she was only coming back to tell you goodbye.”
“That’s what I heard too,” Judith said, backing her.
“Well, that is wrong! All wrong. And I can’t believe you’re all in here gossiping about Bree like this. It’s so rude and—”
“You’re the one being rude, Sophie. We’re just having a calm discussion and you come in here like a wild woman. Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t give you the right to go nuts on us.”
Suddenly they were all yelling at once—choosing to express themselves by volume rather than intelligible words. Brynna had always hated arguments and couldn’t stand to hear another harsh word. Especially the ones aimed at Sophie. Didn’t they care that she was pregnant? She was halfway tempted to go in there and demand they stop at once but suspected that would only make matters worse.
So, while the sisters shouted mean words at each other, Brynna slipped through the laundry room and out the side door. As hard as it was to face it, her premonition had been right. Her presence had already created serious contention between Leroy’s daughters. How much worse would it become if and when they discovered how Brynna felt about their father? And what about poor Leroy? Would he be torn between her and his daughters? She knew what she had to do—the sooner, the better!
Chapter 31
No longer at home in the guest cottage, Brynna went over to Jan and Mike’s campsite. Knowing they were about as welcome here as she was, she hoped they’d be willing to make their departure today instead of tomorrow—and to take her with them. Although their camp was still in place, it was unoccupied. Noticing Mike’s motorcycle gone, she guessed they’d gone for a ride. It was such a pretty afternoon, she didn’t blame them. And since it was late in the day, she suspected they wouldn’t want to break camp and leave now anyway.
As she walked back to the guest cottage, she decided to just make the best of what she knew would be her last night here. She would absorb the beauty of the vineyard one last time. She would take the time to tell both Leroy and Sophie goodbye, either this evening or tomorrow, and then she would leave with Jan and Mike.
Praying that Luna would remain in the house for a while longer, hopefully not still feuding with her sisters, Brynna decided to take advantage of the alone time by taking one last bath in the claw-foot tub. After her long day of kitchen duty, a good soak was most welcome. She was just finishing up when she heard Luna coming into the house. She hurriedly dressed, pulling on the same little blue sundress from yesterday, since it was hanging on the hook, and emerging with damp hair.
“Oh, you’re still here?” Luna frowned. “I thought you and your friends had left.”
“No, not yet.” Brynna tried to keep her voice light. “Tomorrow, I think.”
“Oh, well, good.” Luna pursed her lips with what seemed like a thoughtful expression. “I don’t mean good that you’re leaving. I realize now that you worked hard while you were here. Sophie just told us about all that. But I guess, considering your history with our dad, well, it’s probably for the best.Right?”
Brynna was taken aback by what almost seemed like concern. “It’s, uh, complicated.”
“Well, anyway. I’m sure you’re doing what you think is right.” Luna straightened, standing just an inch or two over Brynna, with a determined expression on her face. “Because my sisters and I do not want to see our dad get hurt. I don’t mean to be coldhearted, but I think you must realize he’s vulnerable. According to Gina, you were his first love. The girl who broke his heart,right?”
Brynna didn’t know what to say.
“And then you sort of snuck in here, taking that job with Sophie, and hiding your true identity.Right?”
Brynna remembered that Luna was studying law. Was this her attempt at an interrogation? “Well, you arepartiallyright.”
“The point is we don’t want Dad getting hurt,” she said again. “And the truth is, we don’t trust you. Sophie might, but the rest of us, well, not so much.”
“It’s hard to trust someone you don’t know,” Brynna said calmly. “You don’t know me.”
“Precisely. We don’t know you. You’re an outsider, and in my opinion, that’s just one more reason you don’t fit in here.”
“You don’t need to worry,” Brynna stiffly reassured her. “I’ll be gone soon.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Brynna studied Luna for a moment. Part of her understood and even felt sympathy for this girl. Luna thought she was protectingher beloved father. And maybe she was. But another part of Brynna wanted to just shake some sense into her. Instead, she took in a deep breath. “In fact, I think I’ll tell you goodbye right now. I can bunk with my friend Jan tonight. We were camping together in the first place, and my bed in her trailer is a lot more comfortable than the sofa.”
“Oh, well, I don’t want to drive you out of here, but if you’ll be more comfortable.” Despite her words, Luna seemed pleased.
As Brynna gathered her things, she wanted to tell Luna she’d be more comfortable sleeping on the dirt in the vineyard than in a house where she was unwanted, but she kept her peace. It didn’t take long to pack since she’d barely unpacked yesterday. Since Luna had retreated to the bedroom, Brynna quietly took her leave.
To her dismay, Jan and Mike were still gone. But the camp chairs and firepit were out there, so Brynna sat down and tried to make herself at home. She felt restless and anxious and uncertain. After a while, she wondered how long Jan and Mike would be out joyriding. She pulled out her phone, thinking she’d send them a text and then call Sophie with her departure news, but her phone was dead.
She stood up and began pacing. She wondered about walking over to Sophie’s, which would probably take an hour, but she was not eager to break the bad news face-to-face. And knowing it would upset Sophie, she decided to simply stroll through the vineyard instead. She wanted to absorb the sweet, pungent smell of the earth and the vines, the rich shades of green and gold, the warmth of late-afternoon sun on her head. She just wanted to soak it all in. Perhaps it would keep her warm on some cold rainy winter night up in Oregon.
After about an hour, Brynna realized the sun had dipped low in the western sky, and she wondered if Mike and Jan might be back by now. Plus, not having taken time to eat at the birthday party,her stomach was loudly rumbling. Not that she thought she could eat much. But when she got back to the camp, all was quiet, and the motorcycle was still missing.
