Page 115 of Blush
“We’re getting our invitation list together for the Harvest Circle.”
“I thought you were just inviting a few friends.”
“It’s a little... broader than that.”
“What do you mean?” Vivian said.
Leah and Steven exchanged a look. “Do you really want to know? Because when Dad gave me a hard time over dinner the other night, you backed him up.”
“I didn’t back him up, Leah. I’m just trying to keep the peace. We’ve all been through enough.”
Leah nodded. “Fair enough. But I don’t want him involved. So if you feel caught in the middle you should probably leave.”
“Well, I certainly can’t leave now. Not without knowing what you’re up to.”
“Fine,” Leah said. “If you really want to know, we’re holding a ‘preferred customer’ Harvest Circle. Anyone who comes will get an exclusive chance to preorder our first vintage of Hollander rosé.”
“How can they buy wine we don’t have?”
“That’s why I saidpreorder.”
“Why would they do that?” Vivian crossed her arms.
“That’s the second part of the idea: we’re telling everyone to bring something from their home garden or other place that’s meaningful to them. And we’re going to hold a giant Harvest Circle, and everyone will get to contribute to our starter yeast. I’m hoping they’ll find this unique and inspiring, and that they all want to make sure they get a bottle when it’s available.”
“Leah! It’s a good thing your father hasn’t caught wind of this. What happens when we aren’t able to make the rosé that these customers paid for?”
“We can always refund money. But if we don’t at least try somethingdifferent, we’ll definitely never get to next spring. This at least gives us a fighting chance.”
Vivian turned to Steven. “And you support this idea?”
“I do,” he said.
“I do, too,” Bridget said from the corner.
Vivian removed her hat and began fanning herself. “Everyone’s lost their senses.”
Steven shook his head—her mother, dramatic as always.
“Mom, we need to reach out to as many women who’ve visited this place as possible—even ones who haven’t. I’ll show you our list, and you let me know if I’ve forgotten anyone.”
Sadie looked up from her laptop. “I can think of one person we should invite. Not because she’ll buy the wine but because she should be here.”
“Who?” Leah said.
“Mateo’s mother. This ceremony was her idea in the first place.”
“Maria Eugenia? Oh, she left for Guatemala a long time ago,” Vivian said. “She didn’t like it here.”
“She didn’t like it here because there was no place for her. Just like there wasn’t a place formymother,” Sadie said. “I think we should invite her and offer to fly her in for it. To thank her. If we’re really truly looking to make female contribution a thing around here.”
Leah knew Sadie was right. And from the look on Vivian’s face, she did, too. For too long, they’d all been second-class citizens, going back to the day when Leonard fired their one female employee: Delphine. What had been her great sin? Hooking up with a wine buyer or two from their restaurant accounts? Her father never would have fired a man for that—at least, not back in the eighties. It had been the usual, old-fashioned double standard.
She didn’t share this thought with the group. This invitation was one she would pursue privately; the connection to the baron would freak out Vivian, and understandably so. But the truth was, Delphine had also been a victim of Henri de Villard. He’d cast her out of herhome just as Leonard had cast her out of Hollander Estates. All that was missing was the scarlet letter.
Sadie was right: if they were going to create a new era at Hollander Estates, it was time to correct the mistakes of the past.
The library was at its most majestic at night. When sun-filled, the room had a charm, an allure that suggested hours of reading curled up in a chair. But at night, the space beckoned discovery. It promised there was magic to be found among the stacks.
