Page 143 of Love Among Vines

The book club walked in and waved before beelining for the bar. Waiters milled around with hors d’oeuvres.

He snuck a glance at Jade and his parents. She laughed at something his dad had said, but he couldn’t tell what it was from the distance. His hands shook, and he almost dropped a bottle. All of a sudden things felt very serious. He was in love with her, and she had met his parents. Their lives were intertwining. He wasn’t in control anymore. Jade held his heart, and there was nothing he could do about it. And the last time someone had held his heart, they had put it through a wood chipper.

He shelved the problem to deal with later and greeted friends and neighbors as they filtered in. People exclaimed over the speakeasy, which he had opened for the first time. The winery was filled with laughter and warmth. A dedicated social butterfly, his grandmother would have loved it.

Half an hour had passed since his parents had taken Jade to the side. That was enough for one evening.

“All right,” Rett announced. “You’ve grilled the poor girl enough. Come with me. We have guests to greet.”

He kissed his mother on the cheek and swept Jade off.

“Sorry. I told you they can be a lot,” he said quietly.

“They were nice,” she said. “I think they were just happy that you found someone. Do you need help with anything?”

She had worked hard all morning, standing on ladders, draping bunting, and polishing glasses.

“Just moral support when I get up there.”

“When will?—”

Her question was interrupted by the opening of the front door. Chris and Alexa came inside, waving to Rett’s parents. His chest tightened. He knew they were coming, but it didn’t make their presence any less annoying.

“Want me to bounce those posers out of here?” Jade asked as she stared them down.

“No. I don’t want to make a scene. I’m sure they’ll leave after they’ve swindled my parents out of money.” Rett took a sip of a grüner veltliner and turned his back to them. After tonight, he wouldn’t have to see them again until Christmas.

“You’ve got this. Go wow everyone,” she said firmly and kissed him on the cheek. She walked away and waved at a man he didn’t recognize. How did she know someone that he didn’t at his party?

There was no time to worry about that. It was time to stop teetering on the edge. The future awaited. Tom clapped a hand on his back as he passed, and Cindy offered a quick hug.

Rett made a pit stop at the drink table and reached beneath the tablecloth. He pulled out one of the bottles of sparkling wine and popped the cork before gingerly pouring it into a champagne flute. He carried both to the front of the room and set the bottle on a cocktail table.

With his glass raised, he struck it with a fork until the din quieted.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for joining Rhodes Vineyard’s golden anniversary celebration this evening. As most of you know, this winery was my grandmother Valentina’s greatest passion and joy.”

He turned the bottle so the label faced the crowd.

“She was an extraordinary woman. Completely unafraid of hard work, deeply involved in every step of the winemaking process. A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. This business was built on her blood, sweat, and tears. Unfortunately, she passed before she was able to achieve her final piece of the puzzle.” He raised his glass and looked at it, studying the bubbles. “Sparkling wine.”

Waiters descended through the crowd, passing out glasses full to the brim with bubbles.

“This was her dream. The crown jewel of the legacy she spent her life building. There is an excellent chance that I’ve ruined it all.”

A chuckle rippled through the onlookers.

“But I’ll let you all be the judge of that. To Valentina,” he said, raising his glass.

“To Valentina,” everyone echoed.

His dad wiped a tear from under his eye.

Everyone raised their glasses and took a sip. Excited chatter broke out. Rett took a sip himself and closed his eyes for a second, half afraid that it had turned to vinegar overnight.

But it hadn’t. It was crisp and refreshing and tasted like summer. Against all odds and in spite of a smashed case, he had done it. Applause broke out, and his dad rushed out of the crowd to hug him.

Their approval wasn’t easy to come by. It kind of felt like winning the lottery.

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