“Which is why I love you.” Stephanie shook her head. “Obviously I should let the whole man-slash-sex thing go and focus on other aspects of my life.”
They each asked for a glass of cabernet. While Stephanie simply sipped her wine, Mackenzie took a moment to study the color, before sniffing the aroma. She swirled the wine twice, then inhaled the scent again, liking the balance of fruit against the—
“For heaven’s sake, just drink the wine, I beg you,” Stephanie said with a laugh. “It’s fine. It was fine when you watched the grapes being crushed, it was fine in the barrels, it was fine when it was bottled and it was fine when it won what I’m sure is a thousand awards. Okay? It’s good wine. Relax and stop being a winemaker for one night.”
“You’re crabby.” Mackenzie took a drink and smiled. “For the record, it’s much better than fine.”
“You would say that. It’s your wine.” Stephanie looked over Mackenzie’s shoulder and smiled. “Here comes your handsome husband. I’m guessing he wants your first dance.”
Mackenzie turned and watched as Rhys approached. He enjoyed the dancing at the Solstice Party and took all the female guests for a turn around the dance floor, but he always saved the first one for her.
“Shall we?” he asked, holding out his hand.
She passed her wineglass to Stephanie, then followed her husband to the small dance floor. No one else joined them, but she knew that would change as soon as they got things started.
“We need to check the Seven Hills drip system,” she said as they moved in time with the music. “The forecast says we’re going to get hotter and drier in the next few weeks, and I want to control the exact amount of moisture.”
One of the advantages of “new world” vineyards was the ability to control quality by providing exactly the right amount of irrigation. Once the fruit was established, she could stress the vines, causing them to focus more intensely on the fruit.
“I know better than to point out we walked the vineyard last month,” Rhys said lightly.
“That was a general check. Now I have a specific concern.”
“As you wish.” He spun them in a tight circle. “Maybe the rest of the work conversation could wait until tomorrow.”
“What?” Why wouldn’t they talk about—“Oh. The party. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. You’re never truly off duty, but if we could put it on hold for the night, I would appreciate it.”
Because he enjoyed events like these. He liked talking to his friends and meeting new people and generally being social. Rhys was much more extroverted than she was. If someone new joined the tight circle of vineyard owners in the area, he was the first one to go introduce himself.
She nodded her agreement and tried to think of something to talk about that wasn’t vineyard or wine related.
“I hope Kyle leaves Stephanie alone,” she said, thinking that was a more neutral topic. “She’s trying hard to move on.”
“She has to figure out what she wants. He’s always going to ask—it’s up to her to tell him no and mean it.”
She knew he was right, but for some reason his blunt assessment irritated her.
“That’s not very understanding,” she said before she could stop herself. “Kyle’s a big-time Seattle sportscaster with the ability to find a different woman every night. Stephanie’s a small-town single mom working at the family business. Where, exactly, is she supposed to meet someone?”
Her husband stared at her. “What does her dating someone else have to do with whether or not she’s still sleeping with Kyle?”
“There aren’t any other options for her. She’s lonely.”
“She’s going to stay lonely until she gets herself out there.”
“What there are you talking about? The giant singles scene here in Walla Walla?”
They stopped dancing and stared at each other. Mackenzie realized this was the closest she and Rhys had come to having an actual argument in years. She had no idea why she had so much energy about the topic or what was causing her growing annoyance. But whatever it was, the Summer Solstice Party was not the place to give in to unexplained emotions.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “You’re right, of course. Stephanie has to find a way to change her circumstances so Kyle is less of a temptation.”
His tight expression softened with concern. “I want my sister to be happy.”
“I know you do.”
“I want you to be happy.”
There was something in the way he said the words. As if he wasn’t sure that was possible.
“I am,” she said quietly, thinking she was almost telling the truth.
“I hope so.”
She faked a smile and waved her hand toward the growing crowd of guests. “You have a lot of women to dance with tonight. You’d better get started.”
He studied her for a second, as if assessing her mood. She kept the smile in place until he turned away. When he was gone, she looked longingly toward her house. Disappearing into the quiet tempted her but wasn’t an option. Tonight was a command performance and there was no leaving early. But soon, she promised herself. In the quiet of her room, she wouldn’t feel the low-grade unease that had haunted her for the past few months. Alone in the dark, she would be calm and happy and think only of good things, like the coming harvest and the wine she would make. Alone in the dark, she would be herself again.
two
Barbara Barcellona observed her guests as they laughed and talked. The Summer Solstice Party was a ten-year-old tradition, and one she enjoyed. She liked being the generous hostess and being able to show off her glorious estate and her attractive adult children. She liked how everyone dressed up for the evening and how the invitations were highly sought after, and how those who were not invited schemed to be included the next year. She liked the music and the food and even the twinkle lights her daughter Stephanie always insisted on, even though the sun was still visible at seven thirty in the evening.
The large crowd was a tribute to her, but more important, it was a tribute to Bel Après. People came to show their respect for the winery and all it represented, and that was what Barbara enjoyed most of all.
Forty-one years ago, when she’d married her late husband, Bel Après had been struggling to stay solvent. She hadn’t known the first thing about wine or winemaking, but she’d learned as quickly as she could. She and James had grown the business together. Eventually she’d taken over as general manager. She’d been the one to find the winemakers who had created the wines that had slowly, oh so slowly, brought Bel Après back from the brink.