But how can I find someone when Paradise Bay has no more than two thousand people and way too many people in San Francisco recognize me?
Chapter Two
Rys
Mom always warned me about men.
I think the first time it happened was when I was five—after my parents’ divorce. Dad is a decent father. I can’t say anything about being a husband. Once I started college, Mom sent me the occasional text: Stay away from college boys. Or another random one would be: They only want you for your body.
One way or another, she always found a way to remind me that I was in school to learn, not to drink or sleep my way through the entire fraternity. My younger sister, who is an irreverent brat, asked her which fraternity, so I could go to the others. That’s Milly, my sister, always upsetting our mother with her nonsense. And yes, our names are ridiculous: Polly and Milly. It’s a lot better than Polaris and Millenya. Our names are grounds to accuse our parents of child abuse.
It’s been a year since I graduated from veterinary school, yet she’s still sending me texts with the same boring warnings.
My sister, whose other superpower is being passive-aggressive, waited until her boyfriend knocked her up to introduce him to Mom as the guy she had just met at a bar. All lies. Ernest and Milly have been together since college and had lived together for five years before my cute nephew came into the world. I’m guessing it’s some kind of retribution for all the years Mom’s been trying to convince us to stay away from men, which is why I kept Ernest a secret from our mother too.
Have I listened to her?
No, but I don’t date that much. It’s not for the lack of trying. I’ve been too busy.
Vet school was hectic. During the last year of school, I found a great guy who ghosted me when I told him I had to move to Oregon for my internship. Kevin couldn’t even tell me it was over. In my personal experience, there are five kinds of men I need to stay away from.
The liar, the player, the selfish, the controlling, and the emotionally unavailable.
You’d think that I’d stay away from them, but unfortunately I don’t realize they’re in those categories until it’s too late.
Way too late.
While working on my internship in Baker’s Creek, I didn’t date anyone. It wasn’t because there weren’t any candidates, but my boss warned me about the town's size and the gossip. The queen bees of that town post everything on social media. I stayed off their radar for an entire year. That and graduating from vet school are my proudest achievements from the past couple of years.
While working there, I made a few friends, like Avery Sanders, who lives full-time in New York City but often visits her family. There are times when we agree to meet somewhere in the country. Like this weekend we decided to drink our way through the northern part of California to celebrate my new job. Yesterday we visited five vineyards in Napa Valley. Today, we’re visiting Paradise Bay. Our first stop was the spa, and we had lunch at a small Italian place called Trattoria Dionisia.
We spend about an hour learning how to pronounce the restaurant's name and some basic Italian. The servers recommend we visit Paradise Bay Winery. They have a great selection of wine, and their tasting room is delightful. If we arrive around four, they serve appetizers for the visitors.
Everything sounds lovely until Avery’s best friend, Benedict Farrow, catches up with us. Can this guy stop ruining our girls’ weekends? Today’s excuse: I was in Baker’s Creek helping your brother Hayes with the clinic, and it seemed like a good idea to come and visit you.
That’s a nine-hour drive or a two-hour flight. This guy is in love with my friend, but Avery rolls her eyes and dismisses me when I point out the obvious.
So, here I am, playing the third wheel on our way to a gorgeous vineyard, hoping that there’s someone I can at least talk to for the next thirty minutes—or however long the tasting lasts. Can I just buy a few bottles and head back to my hotel room? Oh no, wait. Our room is in San Francisco, and Avery is the one who has the car keys. I should leave the friends stranded in wine country.
But then what am I supposed to do?
This weekend is all about enjoying fermented grapes and the gorgeous landscapes these lands offer us. We park the car outside the vineyard, walking past the open black iron gate. There’s a clear lake in the middle of the property, surrounded on three sides by the land where the grapes grow, and the other has a gorgeous patio, a gazebo, and a majestic house.
“I think I’m in love,” Avery says as we take in the entire scenery. “This is one of the best vineyards I’ve seen—including the ones in France.”
“It’s beautiful,” I say, a little jealous that she’s been to France.
My parents worked hard to provide us with a good education, clothing, and the essentials. My vacations were to my grandparents’ house. Maternal for the summer, paternal for the winter holidays.
“We should go to Europe. When do you think you can take some vacation?”
I shrug. Sometimes, my friend forgets that we come from different backgrounds. Though she has a job and works as hard as me, she also has a trust fund and a father who is one of the wealthiest men in the world. Me… “Well, I start my new job in a week. Meaning, I don’t have time off for a year or so.”
“We’ll figure out something. I can talk to Leyla. She might let you off the hook for a few days.”
Her sister-in-law is my boss, and though I love Avery to pieces, I have to remind her of my cardinal rule. “We don’t mix our friendship with my job, remember.”
She gives me an apologetic look. “Sorry.”
“Let’s go drink some wine,” I say, brushing away that conversation and turning to Benedict. “You know what you should do?”
“I’m afraid of what you’re going to suggest.”
I smile sweetly. “Oh, I was going to say be our designated driver since you showed up late for the party.”
He looks at me for a second and shakes his head. I’m not sure what that means. “Why don’t we head to the wine tasting room?”
We follow the signs to what looks like a gorgeous rustic cabin. There’s a tall, handsome guy leaving the cabin. He spots us and grins. “I didn’t know you were coming,” the man says, making his way toward us.
Who is he talking to?
“Well, my friends planned on coming to visit you, and I wanted to make sure you’d treat them right.”
The guy shakes hands with Benedict and hugs him. “How have you been?”
“Busy, being a doctor is not as easy as they make you believe in medical school,” he laughs. “Is Heath in San Fran, or did you put him to work?”
“He avoids working at the vineyard, which is why he never tells me his schedule. What brings you here?”
Benedict waves a hand toward us. “As I mentioned, my friends are here to visit the vineyard. Avery, Rys, meet Lysander. He’s one of the owners and the manager of this vineyard.”
Lysander nods. “It’s nice meeting you, ladies. Let me guess.” He points at Avery. “You like sweet wines.”
She shakes her head. “You’re going to be wrong if you’re trying to decide what I like. Dad trained me to enjoy every type of wine. Do I have a preference? It depends on my mood.”