Page 17 of Cru's Crush
“Who among us hasn’t done something crazy in our lifetime? As you’re aware, I’ve had my share of experiences I wish I hadn’t. Most of which you know about.”
“The majority of them were with Beau.”
He nodded. “Yeah, but there were a few others I was on my own.”
“Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but mine is seriously worse than all of yours combined.”
Cru rested against the cushion like I was and looked up at the ceiling. “There’s one you don’t know about.”
I glanced over at him.
“I almost cost Los Cab our bond, which meant our license.”
I hadn’t heard anything about this, and if they had lost it, it might have cost their family millions.
In order to legally make and sell wine, wineries had to take out bond coverage, which served as aninsurance policy required by the ATB, which covered a winery’s annual excise-tax liability.
Calculating that tax liability wasn’t an easy thing to do. It was based on the total volume, in gallons, that was stored on their site during any given month of the year. To further complicate things, that total volume had to be broken out by tax class, which was determined by each wine’s alcohol content.
If a winery vastly underestimated their production, or if what they produced was significantly different in terms of alcohol content and they didn’t bring their bond up to meet the changes, they could face stiff fines and penalties, including the loss of their license to sell the wine they produced.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I was way off in my estimates.”
“I thought there was a grace period to correct miscalculations.”
“There is.” When he looked away, I could feel his shame.
I put my hand on his arm. “Tell me the rest.”
“I moved the wine off the property and hid it. It was a stupid fucking move. It’s just that Brix was different then. He was on my ass about everything. Not just mine, everyone’s.” He shook his head. “Still, he’s not the one who did it. I am, and I had to face the consequences. Before I could come clean, someone moved the wine from the caves where I’d stored it, back to Los Cab. And, coincidentally, the ATB showed up about fifteen minutes later.”
I shook my head like he had. “Damn, Cru.”
“Right?”
“You saidalmostcost Los Cab the bond. What happened instead?”
“I’m not exactly sure who went to bat for us with the ATB, but I have my suspicions. There was a fine, but that was about all. At least from them. For a while, I thought Brix would fire me.”
“Could he? I mean it’s your family’s business, not his alone.”
“You’re right, but he could make my life such a living hell until I quit.”
“Is that what he did?”
“In the beginning, but then he backed off. I think the same person who stood up for us with the ATB convinced him to lay off me.”
I pulled on the sleeve of his shirt so he’d look at me. When he did, I smiled. “Whoever this guardian angel is, I’d like to have him in my corner.”
“I believe you have your own guardian angel.”
“You’re right. I know I do.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “You’re it, Cru. It wasn’t just what happened in New York. You’ve come to my rescue more times than I can count. You’ve let me cry on your shoulder and given me a kick in the arse when I needed it. I mean, jeez, Cru, tonight you gave me a job and a place to stay.”
