“I know, but that’s running like a well-oiled machine.I’d like a bit of diversity too.”
“I always figured you would want to be more involved in the wine business,” Wyatt said.
It would have made sense for me to go that route.I’d been to Napa quite a few times before we decided to buy the vineyard.And I’d been involved in the initial negotiations regarding acquisition, branding, and so on.
“I have enough time on my hands, so I want to do something else for a change.”
“We’ll figure out the details later, but I’m eager to have you on board.Can you do next Thursday?”Wyatt asked.
“Can’t.I’m giving a speech at Amy’s school.”
“About what?”Finn asked.
“Well, actually, it’s not a speech, exactly.I’ll tell the students a bit about who I am and what I’m doing, like a career day or something like that.”
“You know, I always did think Amy was a good influence on you,” Wyatt said.
“I agree,” Duncan chimed in.
Chase frowned.“How come you remember Amy and I don’t?”
“I actually don’t remember her at all, but these two”—Duncan pointed to Wyatt and Finn—“kept me updated.”
I turned to Wyatt and Finn, who both gave me a grimace that looked a lot like Duncan’s.
“I feel like I’m missing out on something.You’ve been gossiping behind my back?”
“The point of gossip,” Finn said, “is that you always do itbehindsomeone’s back.And yeah, obviously we have.”
“Why?”
“Before the accident, when Amy came to Mom’s house, you seemed interested in her,” Wyatt stated point-blank.
“She’s my friend.”
“More than a friend, obviously,” Wyatt said, in a way that implied he was seconds away from rolling his eyes.
I shrugged.“So what if I am?”
“What?No, come on.Mom cannot be right about this,” Finn said.
My eyes widened.“Wait, what did Mom say?”
“She thinks you and Amy really belong together, and if you pull your head out of your ass sometime soon, you’d see it.’And she said that as soon as you’re done ‘whoring around,’ you’ll see that there’s more to this life than jumping from woman to woman.’”
For a split second, I thought he was making fun of me, but clearly not, based on everyone else’s stunned expressions.
“That’s what Mom thinks of me?”I asked.
“It’s true,” Wyatt pointed out.
“I know.It just sounds even more crass when Mom says it.”
“I agree.And she probably thinks that about all of us,” Finn went on.“When Amy came to see you at the hospital, and we all went out, Mom said, ‘Just you wait.He’ll see things differently now after the accident.’”
My first instinct was to contradict Finn, but Mom did have a point.As stupid as it sounded, that brief moment when I thought I was done for had impacted me.
“And Mom was right,” Finn said, correctly interpreting my expression.“Unbelievable.”
