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Her eyes went wide. “Four cases?”
Otto nodded.
Mom leaned close, placing a hand on Alana’s knee. Her palm was warm. “We know you’ve been sneaking a bottle here and there. We expected as much, especially when you were a teenager.”
She swallowed. “I-I’m so sorry.”
“You work hard in the vineyard, sweetie. We decided to consider it a benefit for all your work.”
Alana closed her eyes, feeling like she was going to cry. She didn’t deserve her parents. They were too nice, too good. She wished she could be the same.
She blinked her eyes open. “I promise you, I did not take four cases of wine.”
Otto cracked his knuckles. “I went to the tasting room earlier to get things set up for your afternoon tour. I know I left four cases in there. This morning they were gone.”
She turned her head to the living room and the empty couch, the blanket that was thrown askew. “I…I think I know what happened.”
“Do you think we’ll be able to get those cases back?” Mom asked.
“I can try,” Alana whispered, although she didn’t feel so confident.
She tried a soft approach, reaching out to Courtney and asking her.
ALANA
Hey, didn’t hear you leave this morning. Did someone pick you up?
COURT
Yep! I asked Bryan to grab me. Thanks for letting me crash.
Bryan was a coworker of hers from the grocery store, and a guy she was currently seeing. He was also the one who constantly had parties, and he drank almost as much as Court.
ALANA
Any chance you went to the tasting room this morning? We’re missing a few cases of wine, did you see them?
COURT
Nope! I wasn’t in there.
ALANA
Are you sure?
COURT
Wow, Alana. Are you really accusing your best friend of stealing?!
Alana remembered the cold sweat and shakes that’d taken over her body. Somehow her body knew before she did that this was the beginning of the end.
ALANA
No, but if that were the case, I would expect my best friend to pay for that much wine.
After a couple of hours, she eventually replied.
COURT
