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Then there was prep in the winery, sanitizing the equipment so they could press the juice right away and move it to the stainless-steel tanks for fermentation. She would meet Leo each morning with two hot cups of coffee so they could discuss what tasks needed to be handled that day. Every meeting ended with him asking how she was doing. Sometimes it involved a brush of his hand on her forearm, or a tapping of knuckles at her wrist. Each time she responded with an I’m good and a tight smile. She hadn’t allowed her mind to wander to Leo and that night in the shed. Not when there were bigger problems to tackle.

Plus, she didn’t want to give the internet the satisfaction of those rumors being true.

Freya continued to run the Saturday markets with military precision. Their newfound “fame” had drummed up fresh support; the markets buzzed with a mix of locals and vacationers in the area to visit the lakes and the abundance of vineyards. There was also plenty of trash talk about Klaus Kasner.

“He’s so selfish,” Connie sputtered one Saturday morning as the merchants gathered before the crowds. “After everything your family has been through, how could he steal from your business? It’s barbaric.”

“He’s technically not stealing,” Freya corrected. “It is their money.”

Connie rolled her eyes. “Yes, well, the way he is demanding for all of it right away feels like stealing to me.”

“So are you saying it’s wrong to steal business from a business?” Trent asked pointedly.

Connie crossed her arms with a childlike harrumph. “I’m not stealing from your business, Trent!”

“Yes you are! Sourdough bread is my thing.”

Alana smirked, enjoying this far too much. “Yeah, Connie. You sort of screwed him over.”

Connie’s cheeks turned pink. “I did not!”

“This situation is entirely different,” Karol pointed out, attempting to bring it back to the main topic at hand. “Klaus isn’t stealing business. He’s squeezing you dry.”

Freya shrugged in acknowledgement. “This is true. Although according to my sources, there isn’t much business to be had. The Kasner tasting room has been empty all week.”

“Really?” Alana asked. “How do you know that?”

“I have my ways.”

These Saturday morning meetings were the only opportunities Alana got to talk to her sister. Freya did her best to ignore her, and only spoke in Alana’s general direction if it was related to vineyard business. Even though Alana made a point to sit at the dinner table every night, forcing Otto and Sophie to sit down with her, Freya had yet to show up. Her sister had this special, infuriating talent for digging her heels in, and after almost a month of being home, it made Alana want to scream.

The next time Freya spoke to her it was to address the topic of Sophie’s birthday.

“She wants to have a barn night,” Freya explained. Every muscle in her body was tense as she spoke. She looked like she’d rather bolt than have this conversation.

“Is that code for ‘I want to drink with my friends under the careful supervision of my very responsible sisters’?”

Freya snorted. “Responsible. Yeah right.”

Alana rolled her eyes. “Did she specify which friends?”

“God, everyone.” She let out a frustrated huff. “Penny and Chelsea, obviously. She asked for Kaia and Tess and their respective boyfriends. Leo, of course.” Freya scratched her neck. “And she asked for Chris.”

She reared back. “Chris? Really?”

Freya shrugged. “I don’t know. I think there’s a fondness there after growing up alongside him. Big brother energy or something.”

“Huh.”

In true Freya fashion, her sister shot her a menacing smirk. “Feeling responsible enough to talk to him yet?”

Alana glared at her. “I have spoken to him, jackass.”

Her face drooped slightly. “Oh. Really?”

She didn’t respond, just kept glaring at her. Freya didn’t need to know the extent of their conversation, the brief interaction and the promise of a bigger one in the future. Her sister said talk to him. Not work through their shit.

Freya turned to leave, their conversation clearly at an impasse.