Page 40 of A Vineyard for Two

‘You’re late,’ Leo said, pushing a beer towards Brookes as he sat down.

‘By two minutes.’

‘My sister’s back in town for less than a week and you become tardy.’

Brookes laughed and swigged the beer. ‘Rover needed a run.’

‘You forgot, didn’t you?’

Brookes smiled. ‘You got me.’

‘Mate, I know she’s my sister and all. But I just don’t get it.’

‘Believe me, man. Sometimes — no, most of the time — neither do I.’

‘She’s got you whipped.’

‘Don’t think she really cares.’

‘Maybe she just doesn’t know how to show it.’

‘That’s optimistic coming from you.’

‘Yeah, don’t tell anyone,’ Leo said.

Leo was the realist, sometimes the pessimist. He always looked for what could go wrong, whereas Brookes was the optimist, the futurist. That’s why their business partnership had worked so well. This is why he could see all the possibilities with Mathers Vineyard combined with everything that he and Leo were working on. Whereas now, Leo looked worried.

‘You’re concerned,’ Brookes said. ‘About the vineyard.’

‘We’ve been spending too much time together.’

‘Leo, I could read you like a book since second grade.’

‘You got me. I am worried. One vineyard is hard work, but two, that’s another story.’

Brookes knew it was. He’d thought about it repeatedly since he knew he was the new co-owner of Mathers Vineyard. But his first thought wasn’t how in the world he was going to manage it. It was, what an amazing opportunity for him, for the overall wine community and the area. He saw the possibilities present themselves — the partnerships, the tastings, the live music, and everything in between. He pictured an incredible business forming in front of his eyes, even bigger than they had now. Then he pictured Harper. Harper not wanting to keep Mathers Vineyard. Harper wanting to sell it and split the profits. There was so much money to be made by keeping it, but it wasn’t about the money. It was about the wine, the vines, the entire package. But without Harper, would it still be any of that?

‘You ok, mate? You look like you’re somewhere else,’ Leo said, waving a beer in front of him.

‘Just thinking about the incredible opportunity we have in front of us.’

‘Yeah, about that,’ Leo said. ‘Harper will not stay here and run a vineyard. She’s made that pretty clear by moving away to the city and not even paying a visit in six years.’

‘She’s here now.’

‘And leaving as soon as the inn is ready and Christmas in July is a success.’ His chest hurt at the thought. He had a week to convince her not to leave; to convince her that staying was the best option. Why did he still care so much about that woman? He didn’t know, but he did. He wanted to believe that she would leave and then realise what a mistake she made and come back. But that was wishful thinking. He had to think of something that would make her want to stay. He obviously wasn’t enough. Not on his own, anyway.

‘Did she ever tell you why she left in the first place?’ Brookes asked. That was still a mystery to him. One day they were enjoying each other’s company talking about the future, then she announced they were on a break, and the next week she was packed up and gone. Not a word, not a hint of what the hell happened. Officially, they had broken up. Unofficially, in a way, he had still considered them on a break. He felt even more pathetic in that moment. But his heart wanted what his heart wanted. He’d fought it long enough. In her kiss today, he knew she was fighting it too, even if she hadn’t realised it yet. It gave him a glimmer of hope.

‘What are you going to do?’ Leo asked.

Brookes sipped his beer and stared in the distance. ‘I’m going to make her come to the realisation that this is home, this is where she wants to be. I’m going to persuade her to stay.’

He still wasn’t sure how he was going to achieve that, but he had to at least try.

TWENTY

After Brookes had dropped her off, Harper decided to drive into Stanthorpe, and took a walk down the main strip, popping into the second-hand stores and sifting through items that might work at the inn. She wanted to add a personal touch to the place without taking away from its original glory. She opted for some fresh linen and tablecloths, before heading to the supermarket to pick up some toiletries. It was then she remembered the Christmas farm. She checked the opening hours online and was pleasantly surprised that they were open all year round. Harper got into her car and drove towards Applethorpe.

---