Page 79 of Just Like This
“I’ll follow your lead,” Palmer said as he walked beside me.
The rustic tasting room was illuminated by natural light pouring in from countless windows. The walls were painted white, and the floors were a beautiful golden hardwood. There weren’t many people seated at the bar, which was where I headed. Immediately, I recognized Oliver because he had the same dark chestnut hair as Garrett and similar angular features. When he looked up and saw me, his eyes were the same molten brown. I stopped dead in my tracks, overcome by emotion. Oliver looked past me, and recognition flashed in his eyes.
“Palmer?” He rounded the bar and started walking toward Palmer with an easy smile. “Palmer, what are you doing here?”
Palmer seemed to be at a loss for words. He looked at me for help, but I was useless. Oliver faced me and then looked back at Palmer, his smile even wider.
“Hey, Oliver,” Palmer finally managed, taking Oliver’s outstretched hand.
“I can’t believe you’re here. Is this your girlfriend?” Oliver let go of Palmer’s hand and extended his hand toward me. “Hi, I’m Oliver Hammond.”
“Oh, I’m not …” I stumbled over my own words as my hand slipped into Oliver’s. “I’m not Palmer’s girlfriend.”
“Oliver, this is Cami,” Palmer offered.
“Cami?” Oliver whispered my name until his eyes grew wide with recognition. “Cami? Garrett’s girlfriend?”
Garrett and I hadn’t ever placed labels on each other even though he did place a ring on my finger. It was slightly jarring to hear myself referred to as Garrett’s “girlfriend,” but I guess that was what I was.
Unexpectedly, Oliver drew me into his embrace, hugging me tightly. “I’m so glad you’re here,” he murmured.
A woman cleared her throat, and we broke apart. Oliver turned toward the woman who approached us with an infant snuggled in her arms and smiled wide. He held out his arm, signaling her to join us.
“Tabitha, this is Garrett’s girlfriend, Cami, and his friend, Palmer.” Oliver reached out, gently lifted the tiny bundle from his wife’s arms, and held the baby so that she faced us. “And this little one is Zoe.”
Tabitha greeted us, and we all moved toward the bar. I couldn’t help but glance at the new baby cradled in her father’s arms. Garrett didn’t even know that his family was now slightly bigger.
“Are you two hungry? Do you want some wine?” Tabitha offered, placing menus in front of us. My stomach growled, and I realized that I was hungrier than I realized.
“Lunch sounds great,” I said. “And I’d love a glass of the Burnham Hill Rosé.” I recognized the name immediately because it was the wine Garrett and I shared out on the dock. Oliver smiled appreciatively and handed little Zoe back to Tabitha before setting a glass in front of me.
“So, what brings you out to Healdsburg?” Oliver asked as he filled my glass with the delicious wine. Tabitha handed little baby Zoe back to Oliver who accepted her into his arms with a sweet smile. Tabitha disappeared into a room behind the bar and returned moments later with a plate of antipasto, which she set down between Palmer and me.
“It’s been a rough couple of months for me, and my father recently passed,” I began. “I needed to get away and somehow feel connected with Garrett for a bit.”
Oliver’s eyes shifted nervously toward Tabitha, who met his gaze with her own worried look. “Well, we’re happy to have you. Where are you staying?”
“In downtown Healdsburg,” Palmer informed them.
“You should stay in the guest house,” Tabitha insisted. “It’s starting to pick up, but luckily, there isn’t anyone using it right now. It’s only one bedroom, but there’s plenty of room.”
My heart started to pound wildly in my chest. Garrett talked about his love for his family’s land all of the time; it was the siren song that brought him back willingly to the family business. Oliver’s offer gave me the opportunity to connect with that piece of Garrett, and I wanted it.
“Thank you,” I said eagerly. “We’d love that.”
Palmer shot me a look, and I just smiled and shrugged. I couldn’t explain it to him because it would make me sound like a crazy person.
“There’s a pull-out couch,” Oliver added, which seemed to relieve Palmer. “Finish up your lunch, and then I’ll walk you over.”
I nodded, maybe a little too eagerly, and continued nibbling at the delicious meats and cheeses that filled the plate Tabitha brought out. While we waited for Oliver to finish with customers, I wandered around the tasting room. I picked up a few odds and ends that were for sale before walking over to a wall that had a few large framed photos on it. One was completely black and white and seemed to be from when the winery first opened, before Garrett’s father inherited it. Another photo showed Garrett’s father standing in the doorway of the big white main house, smiling proudly and holding a wine bottle. I moved to the last image, a family photo. I could easily pick out Garrett and Oliver from their similar features and quickly surmised that the young boy was Neil. He was so small compared to his much larger brothers and was fairer. He had sandy brown hair, which must have come from their mother. I lifted my eyes to locate their mother. She stood next to Garrett’s father with her arm around his waist and was beaming. She was proud of him. It was so evident from the way she smiled and the way her attention was completely focused on him.
“Are you ready to go?” Oliver’s voice startled me, and I turned to face him and Palmer. Oliver noticed where I stood and walked over. “That’s my mother, Olivia, and my father, Jacob. I’m sure Garrett already told you this, but she passed away. She had cancer too.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “You must miss her terribly.”
“Every day,” he replied with a nod.
“Does it get any easier?” Oliver knew what I was going through, and he knew what I was asking. I would always miss my father, but the ache in my chest, the gaping hole that opened up the minute he passed, hurt so damn bad.
