Blush - Jamie Brenner Page 0,76

were set before each plate. Her hand shook as she reached for one.

Asher leaned over and whispered something to Bridget, who laughed. Leah and Steven held hands and smiled as Sadie arrived at the table.

“Sorry I’m late,” Sadie said.

“You’re just in time,” Leah said.

“Sadie, I notice you’ve been out in the field. I’m glad to see you’re getting your hands dirty for a change,” Leonard said. If Vivian wasn’t mistaken, the praise made her granddaughter blush.

Leonard stood at the head of the table, raising a glass.

“To the future,” he said, looking pointedly at Vivian. She’d gasped when he told her about the baron, unable to hide her distress. Leonard assumed it was just her surprise at selling to a man who had spurned him in business before. He had no idea there were other reasons—bigger reasons—for her to be upset by the reappearance of the baron.

And she hoped to heaven she could keep it that way.

How could they be in this situation? Yes, she blamed herself for betraying Leonard with the baron. But she couldn’t help but feel angry at him for betraying them all by letting the family business slip away. She looked around the table at the happy faces of her children, knowing they were still hopeful that there would be a solution to this problem as there had been to every other challenge in the history of Hollander Estates.

He asked her not to say anything about the sale until things were further along. No sense getting everyone worked up for nothing like last time. And Vivian hoped beyond hope that this offer would end like the last one: rescinded.

Peternelle set out cheese boards.

“What’s this?” Leonard said, looking at Vivian. He only liked salad before dinner. Cheese, if it was served at all, came before dessert.

“It’s my idea, Dad,” Leah said. “I thought we could do a wine and cheese pairing before the main course.”

“Ooh, I’m not doing dairy this month,” Bridget said.

“It’s not mandatory,” said Leah.

Peternelle set out three more bottles of wine, a Merlot, the Viognier, and a sparkling white. Steven stood to help her uncork them.

“Leah, you’re upsetting the whole rhythm of the meal,” Leonard said.

Vivian looked at him sharply. “I love the idea,” she said. “Go ahead, Leah. This will be fun.”

Leah stood, her face flushed.

“The first cheese on the board is Kunik, one of my favorites. I tell my students it’s a gateway cheese—even people who have only enjoyed American cheese before my class fall in love with Kunik and become more adventurous. It’s a mixed-milk cheese, just so buttery and decadent. I’ve paired it with the Viognier to balance it out with some acidity.”

Vivian scooped some of the creamy cheese onto her knife and tasted it, washing it down with a sip of the white wine. Truly, there were few pleasures in life that could compete with wine and cheese.

She noticed Steven beaming at Leah with pride. It was gratifying to see Leah’s husband take such joy in her work. She wished Leonard had paid more attention to her own contributions to the winery. Maybe it was this deep-seated feeling of being overlooked that had left her vulnerable to the baron’s attention. Not that she was making excuses for her actions. It was just that all these years later, she was still trying to understand it.

“Next we have the Castelrosso. It’s an Italian cheese from the Piedmont region. You’ll see that the cream line is visible, and it will progress as the cheese ages,” Leah said.

“It’s kinda like feta,” Asher said.

Leah nodded.

“I feel like I should break my diet,” Bridget said, fidgeting with her hair.

“Babe,” Asher said, putting an arm around her. “You should eat what you want. You’re perfect.”

Vivian rolled her eyes and reached for more wine. Bridget, perhaps resisting temptation, took out her phone and began snapping photos of the cheese instead of eating it.

“Finally,” Leah said, gesturing to the third cheese on her plate. “Classic cheddar. This particular one is Stockinghall, named after a building at Cornell University. I’ve paired it with our Merlot.”

“Do you really get paid to explain to people what cheddar cheese is?” Leonard said. “Don’t people in the city know that?”

“Leonard, please!” Vivian said. The stress was making him unbearable. She could only imagine what would happen as negotiations continued with the baron.

“Dad, it’s not about what cheddar cheese is,” Leah said. “It’s how to appreciate it, how to bring out the sweet and savory complexity of the flavor with the right wine pairing. And