sales and disputes.” She grinned while setting the table and imagined Becca standing up in a courtroom, decked out in a business suit. She fanned herself because, sweet Lord, please see fit to have mercy. Joey didn’t even know she was into that kind of fantasy until now.
“Surely you asked for her number, though, right?” Madison asked. “I mean, that’s just basic.”
“Didn’t we just talk about the fact that I’ve been out of this game for years? Maybe next time,” Joey said. “I’m playing it cool.”
“Or chickening out, but we will go with your version.”
Gabriella scoffed at Madison. “You leave little Joey alone. She’s taking things at her pace, and I love everything about this story. I imagine Becca walking to the bar in slow motion. Mamma mia. That’s what my grandmother would say.”
“It really was like that,” Joey said, nodding very seriously. “You think I’m making that up, but I’m not. She’s really pretty, you guys, and put together as hell, and it’s the combo of the two that makes me want to make out with her in an orchard somewhere.”
“This is so saucy and specific,” Gabriella said, placing a plate in front of each setting. She glanced behind her. “Oh, and I have fresh bread with this amazing garlic butter.”
“Garlic and butter are the best words,” Joey mused, sipping her wine and readying herself for what looked like an out of this world culinary experience that Gabriella had whipped up in no time. Why hadn’t she hired a chef to live next door sooner? Biggest misstep of her young life.
It turned out the food was even better than she’d hoped, and Joey felt like she’d floated up somewhere near heaven. She was more than full but somehow needed just a little bit more of that hot bread.
“Gabs, you’re getting better and better,” Madison said. “Why did we break up again, because that food…No,” Madison said, quelling the thought with a slap on the table. “I don’t even have words, so I won’t belittle you with my failed attempt to appropriately capture the essence.” Someone was feeling the wine. Madison left the table and collapsed onto the new couch, which made Joey happy. She loved the Big House and all the memories that came with it of childhood, family, and history, but she also knew how important it was to make it hers now. When the decorator had made over the cottages, Joey had hired her to update the Big House as well. She’d kept all the important components like her grandmother’s butcher-block countertop, the core of the kitchen. She’d altered the wall colors, going with an entirely gray and white palette for both the kitchen and living room. The space felt lighter and much more her speed than the heavy browns of the previous decor. She hoped her dad wouldn’t mind.
Gabriella, who’d begun to do the dishes unnecessarily, gestured at Madison with a spatula. “Because we were getting ready to kill each other if we didn’t change up something and fast.” She grinned sweetly. “This is so much nicer, and you’re still eating my food. See?”
“Winning,” Madison said from the couch, a fist in the air. She blew Gabriella a kiss, which she caught.
Having gotten to know Gabriella better in the days they’d spent together so far, she could see how her and Madison’s energies might not have commingled as well romantically. Gabriella was sweet and creative, while Madison was someone who relied heavily on science, facts, schedules, and structure. She didn’t get caught up in optimism, preferring pragmatism, always. For Gabriella, that might have been a buzzkill. Their friendship dynamic, however, felt incredibly balanced and supportive.
“How’s the wine faring out there in winemaking land?” Joey asked Madison, as she shooed Gabriella out of the kitchen and off dish duty. She’d get to those later, once the others went home.
Madison’s eyes lit up at the mention of her new charge. “It’s sleeping right now, Joey, but the new grapes are good grapes. We’ve made friends. They like it here.”
“Friendly grapes?” Joey asked.
“The nicest. We’re getting to know each other as we make plans to take over the wine world.”
Gabriella’s eyes went wide with hope. “The little vineyard that could.”
Joey laughed. “Sounds about right. Grandpa Wilder started with one seed in the ground, and look out there now. Makes you realize that anything really is possible.”
“More than possible,” Madison said. Joey admired her for both her confidence and skill set. Winemaking was no easy job. The hours were insane,