Page 64 of Beneath the Sapphire Sky

Her breath halted and her heart seemed to stop beating, clunked, then pounded in her ears. She caught herself starting to automatically walk toward him and rubbed her clammy hands on the seat of her dress slacks.

“Dammit,” she muttered.

She couldn’t talk to him here, not about the important things. She refused to embarrass him further like that.

She’d gone past the Casellatis’ to see him after she, Jack, and her father had settled her mother, but the winery had been closed and the only person around was Jimmy. Sam and the whole lot of them had come over to Happy Valley early to help out with setting up, the owner, Jonathan, being a good friend of Sam’s.

“Talk to him later. A few hours won’t make that much difference now.”

She nodded and avoided her brother’s gaze. He knew she’d gone over, knew they hadn’t been home.

So many times she’d written a great, long apology, explaining what had happened, how she felt.

Then she deleted it. Over and over again. She didn’t know what stopped her sending it each time, only that she couldn’t. It wasn’t something she could say in a text message. It had to be in person, not via some stupid text message or phone call.

In person.

And now she was too damned nervous to cross the measly restaurant floor, too scared that he’d send her away.

She sighed and looked over her shoulder at her father, who motioned toward the owner of the café. Patrice, Jack’s girlfriend, stuck close to his side.

They said their hellos and Jonathan pointed the way to the table he’d set aside for them.

“It was really nice of you to host this evening,” Belle said.

Jonathan glanced at her and smiled. “It was the least I could do, considering how many local wineries entered this year. I thought it would be good for local morale. And also not too shabby for a tourist event.”

Belle laughed. “True. You look like you’ll have your hands full tonight.”

Jonathan nodded and seated her, pushing her chair in as she sat. Jack and her father sat down opposite. Fancy votive candle sets flickered in the middle of the tables. “We’re fully booked. Even the bar area is being used as bistro seating for a revised menu.”

Belle grinned. “That’s fantastic! Maybe we should’ve thought of this…”

Laughter greeted her words, smattering around the table. “Not tonight. You guys sit back and relax and have a good time. Tonight is for the winemakers to let go a little, not to work.”

Belle thanked him and picked up the wine menu as Jonathan walked off to seat another flush of guests.

She tried not to stare at Dante sitting with his family at the other side of the room, but couldn’t help small, surreptitiousglances in his direction. Ria caught her eye and waved. Belle smiled tightly and dropped her gaze to stare at the wine list, heat creeping up her face.

They should be sitting together. The tables were huge, easily able to seat a dozen. Normally, their families would be together and noisily boisterous by now.

Sadness and pain swirled in a deepening eddy through her veins.

Had it really come to this, that she couldn’t even talk to them?

No. It was stupid. That’s what it was.

She stood up and walked quickly toward the Casellati table before she could change her mind.

What if he shut her down?

Her steps faltered. What if he said something horrible right there in public?

She couldn’t turn around and go back now. Everyone would see and know. She focused on Mr C’s back, sucked in a desperate breath, and kept going.

Belle reached the table and Ria looked up, a huge smile widening her mouth.

At leastshewouldn’t turn her away.

---