Page 86 of A Sip of Sherry

I made a big check mark next to it.“Cake table?”

“In the corner by the champagne wall.It’s leveled and sturdy.I might have had Gio jump on it a few times to confirm that.”

A laugh slipped from my lips as I imagined my nephew thrilled with the permission to release his chaos.“The special reserve?”

“Under lock and key still to ensure no disasters before the bottles are popped open and served to guests.”

“You’re getting good at this.”

“I don’t know if you know this,” he said, leaning in, his breath brushing my ear.“I had my own label once.I know a thing or two about pulling off an event.”

He drew back with a smile, but there was still a sadness beneath.How different could his life had been if his father hadn’t ripped the rug out from underneath him?He could have been a massive success in the industry.He deserved that.

Granted, there was a chance we would have never met, but I didn’t believe it for a second.We had too many invisible strings.We were bound to meet eventually, and I was a hundred percent certain that if his life had played out differently, we would have found each other.

Ben was the happily ever after I never thought I would find.It was why I wanted all his dreams to come true.

“I spoke with Franc.”

“About?”Ben asked, taking the checklist from me and giving it another once over as if I hadn’t done that about four times.

“About Redmark,” I said, and his attention snapped from the clipboard to me.“He wants to help you revive it.”

Ben stilled, his pen hovering over the checklist.“Seriously?”

I nodded.“We all do.With everything that came out at the town hall… you’re free to make it yours again.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed with a hard swallow.“What if I fail again?I can’t—”

I touched his arm, cutting him off.“You won’t.You made that label a success.If it wasn’t for your father, you would be thriving today.And now you have what you didn’t have then.”

“And what’s that?”

“People backing you who want to see you succeed and will hold you up instead of tearing you down.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes, so I can tell Franc.He’s been dying to talk to you about your original blend, but has held off until I had a chance to tell you.”

“I’d be an idiot not to say yes.”

“And you’re no idiot.So, it’s a yes?”

“It’s a yes.”

“It’s a yes!”I cried out, and Franc and Gio poked out from the barn.Gio ran over, bouncing around as if he still had a cake table beneath him.

Franc followed and extended his hand to Ben.“We’re going to bring you back from the dead the right way.”

Ben took his hand and joy radiated off him.“I can’t wait.”

“Okay, we have a wedding to finish preparing for,” I said, clapping my hands together.“Back to work.”

Several hours later, my feet throbbed, my eyelids hung heavy, and I was ready to go home, pour a big, tall glass of wine and crash out on the couch.

I found Ben in the barn, checking the chandeliers for the fifth time.Crossing my arms across my chest, I leaned against the barn door and took him in.

Sweat had coated his t-shirt, dirt caked the knees of his jeans, and I couldn’t wait to get him home in my bed.“You might want to check those again.I don’t think they’re sparkling quite enough,” I teased.

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