Page 84 of Love on the Vine
I swallowed hard. Even knowing this moment was coming didn’t make it any easier.
“Olivia is gone,” I said as quickly and as dispassionately as possible. But there was no fooling Chantal. She knew that Olivia had been staying in my room for the past few weeks but had never said anything.
“Ah?” She crossed her hands over her ample bosom. “And when will she be back?”
“She won’t be.”
Silence hung between us. We didn’t have the type of relationship that would allow Chantal to pry, but I could see that she was dying to.
“Hmm, that explains thefrigo,” she said matter-of-factly and went back to scrubbing the fridge with vinegar and lemon. “It’s too bad. I’ll miss her. So will Michel. And maybe you will as well.”
I didn’t respond, just ground some beans for my coffee.
“That explains why the cat has been moping outside the cottage all morning,” she continued. “I’ll bring him some sardines tomorrow to cheer him up.Pauvre matou.”
“No, don’t bring him anything,” I warned. “It’s a good lesson for him. He let himself get too dependent on her.”
“Eh, ben.” Chantal snorted and picked up her cleaning bucket and left, her disapproval hanging like perfume behind her.
* * *
The next day, rather than subject myself to curious stares of people in town, I made good on my threat to leave and hopped on a flight back to Shanghai.
I wanted to get back to business as usual to convince myself that I was still doing what I was meant to do, that the business I’d grown from nothing was still proof that I was capable of living on my own terms. But after a week in our small but sleek offices overlooking the Bund, all the awards, the magazinearticles, the “30 Under 30” (now “40 Under 40”) lists, just seemed like a lot of meaningless paper and ink.
Worse, my sense of taste had disappeared.
“What’s up, Jake? I don’t think you’ve been listening to anything that I said.” Jin snapped his leather folder shut with a dramatic flourish. “I could still be working on my tan in Bali, you know.”
“You didn’t have to come back.”
I didn’t force him to. He deserved his extended vacation after all. But when our assistant had let it slip that I was in the office, he’d been on the first plane to Shanghai. I was happy to see that he at least appeared rested and rejuvenated.
We’d fallen back into our familiar routine where I buried my head in accounts and correspondence, and he did the actual work in the office. He’d already begun the laborious process of updating our Asian inventory using Olivia’s app. I tried to pretend it didn’t stir up all kinds of memories that I’d hoped to leave behind in France.
“What are you doing here anyway?” Jin asked, clearly frustrated and not willing to take wordless grunts as a response.
“Honestly, Jin, I’ve been asking myself the same question,” I admitted. Why was I still hanging on to something that was no longer bringing me satisfaction?
It had in the beginning. It had been a work of evangelization, bringing wine that I loved to a new public. But then I’d gotten lost, stuck in that infernal competition with Thomas.
What’s worse is that I’d let myself become convinced that my own busyness—hopping on planes, never settling down in one place for too long—was necessary. Now it looked more like running away.
“I’m tired of the hustle. I feel out of sync with this life, always chasing the next big deal . . .”
“Let’s not get all existential here. Forty-eight hours ago, I was on a beach sipping mai tais, so lighten up a little.” Jin sighed. “I mean what happened in France? With Olivia? The last time we spoke you were going to Beaune. About time, by the way. I mean if you can’t bone in Beaune, can you even call yourself a wine lover?”
I leaned back and crossed my arms over my chest. “We aren’t having this discussion.”
“Well, it’s not like it’s some big secret. There was so much pent-up lust in that house that had to get out of there before it shook the foundations. I thought Olivia would loosen you up a little. But you have clearly gone and done something stupid. So what was it?”
Then as if thinking better of it, he shook his index finger and then plugged his ears. “No, never mind, don’t tell me. I’ll be too disappointed. It’ll be the finale ofGame of Thronesall over again.”
“Are you finished?”
“I haven’t even gotten started. You’re not off the hook.” His voice shook and his eyes were glassy. I’d rarely seen Jin this emotional.
“Okay, well. Will it shut you up if I admit that you’re right?”
