“Sorry, it wasn’t; my mind went off on a tangent. I wanted to know where we’re staying. Your itinerary didn’t lay out the specifications of it or the size of the winery where the photos will be taken.” Indigo didn’t doubt for a second that Wilt had all this information memorized, especially considering what had happened on Rottnest Island.
“Oh, right. The house we’re staying at has plenty of room. Initially, everyone was staying there, but after what happened, it was decided that you and I would take that place, and other arrangements would be made for Vincent, Louella, and everyone else.”
“Ugh, now everyone will think I’m a precious diva. Who made that decision?” This was the last thing she wanted. If word got out, it was likely going to be twisted in a way to make her seem like she demanded it, her reputation would take a beating.
“I made the call. Everyone was fine with it. They all understand.”
“Unlikely,” she muttered.
How could he believe the others would be happy about being shunted to some other accommodation?
He thought she was a diva before she even met him, now with a simple demand, even one not made by her, it would be interpreted as her being difficult.
“They’re not going to think badly of you, Indigo. They’re all worried and want you safe.”
“Right, but there’s been nothing since that one threat. You haven’t found the person, even though you were confident you would be able to with your superior computer skills.”
Wilt’s fingers flexed around the steering wheel. “You’re right. I haven’t found the individual. They were clever in terms of bouncing their signal around, so I couldn’t get a location on them. They’re smart, but I’m smarter. Iwillfind them.”
“You told me the account was a fake one. What’s to say it wasn’t a one-off thing and they’ve moved on to harass someone else?”
“You know, that could be a possibility, but I’d rather we be overly cautious than not cautious at all. I told you, Diva, I will keep you safe.”
“That’s what everyone is going to think about me now. That I’m a diva. That I create drama just for special treatment.”
“Doubtful. and if nothing happens during the rest of the trip, you can tell me, ‘I told you so,’ and that I was overreacting.”
“I will take great pleasure in doing that, Soldier.”
“I bet you will.”
Somehow, after the seriousness of their conversation, they finished on a light note. “Now, what about the winery we’re going to? How big?”
Wilt indicated off the highway. The road they turned on to wasn’t as well maintained, and there were rows and rows of vines on either side. “It’s a boutique winery called Kyldan Winery. They apparently only produce a small amount of wine each year. They sell off half their crop to a larger winery in the area.”
“That’s interesting. I wonder why they do that?”
“Not sure, but I’m sure the owners would be happy to tell you. We’re having lunch with them.”
He turned into a driveway, the gravel crunching beneath the tires. A large house appeared as they took a slight bend. It had a verandah that looked like it went around the whole building. There were a couple of kids and bikes propped up against the fence.
There hadn’t been any sign on the road indicating that this was the place where they would be taking photos, but there were plenty of vines around, and it had a lovely feel about it.
Perhaps they were only table grapes, and the wine producing vines were elsewhere.
“This is where I’m doing the shoot?” she asked, as she released her seatbelt.
“Yep.”
“Oh. It’s not what I expected, even with you telling me about what they do with their grapes. I guess I pictured a place which had a tasting room and other things. Something a bit showier.”
Did that make her sound vain and a wine snob? She wasn’t either of those things, but Jeffrey was such a big name, she thought for sure he’d go for something flashier to show off his collection.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Wilt said. They were still in the car, and the atmosphere had a more intimate feel about it.
“What am I thinking?”
“That Jeffrey’s jewels deserve something more extravagant.”
