little sponge she was. “I need your brain.”
“Are you serious right now? You can’t be. Tangle Valley?”
Joey heard shuffling in the background and knew Madison was up and moving, something she did when she had a lot on her mind. “Maddie, I need a winemaker, and you’re the best damn winemaker I know. I love your approach to the science. You and I like the same profiles, but most of all, you understand the fruit in a way very few people do. Plus, you’re now semi-famous in the wine world, and we could really use that clout.”
“Josephine Wilder.”
“Yes?”
“Do you really mean it?”
“I do. I’m praying you say yes.”
A pause. “I don’t know what to say.” A longer pause. “Yes, I do. I miss it. Home. A lot, and I’ve always had a soft spot for Tangle Valley. I grew up on that vineyard.”
“And it has a soft spot for you, weirdo.” She smiled. “Let’s do this together, Maddie. You and me.”
A sigh. “We always dreamed about having our own vineyard when we were kids.”
Joey thought back warmly to the days they lay between the vines, reading books, talking about cute boys, which was laughable now that they’d both turned out to be gay, and musing about all the things they would do with a vineyard all their own. Hell, Joey still dreamed those dreams, and here she was, with the means to make them all come true. But Madison hadn’t said yes yet.
“Tell me your thoughts for Tangle Valley and the future.”
Joey quirked her lips. “Is this a reverse job interview?”
“No. Yes. I want to make sure that our visions are still aligned.”
“Fine.” Joey blew a wayward strand of hair off her forehead. “I want to stick with our current varietals: pinot noir, pinot gris, chardonnay and dolcetto.”
“The Fab Four. I can handle that.”
“Blends are always optional. Winemaker’s choice.”
“I like that part,” Madison said.
“I want to redecorate our tasting room and add a second one for when the place gets busy on the weekends. I’m thinking dark wood, marble countertops. Classy but rustic.”
“You’ve been trying to get that second tasting room for years.”
“So why not go for it?”
“What else?”
“Reserve tastings in the barrel rooms. Tours every two hours on weekends instead of once a day. And…this is the part I think could really make a difference.”
“Tell me.”
“A restaurant on the grounds. One with not just good food, but amazing.” Joey could hear that she was talking fast—she did that when she got excited and her mouth couldn’t keep up with her brain. “I’m thinking Italian but don’t have any more details worked out. I know that old building we used to use for grape sorting would be perfect, and it’s currently just sitting there. We could bring in a contractor and have that place turned around. Hire someone to bring it to life.”
“Yeah, that all sounds amazing, but Jo, where are you going to get that kind of cash?”
“Dad had some, and it’s mine now. It’s not a lot, but if I set out to achieve one thing at a time, I’m hopeful the revenue will catch up.” She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. “Nothing would make Dad happier than seeing it go to make this place sparkle, you know?”
“I do.” She heard the strangled quality in Madison’s voice and knew she’d been hit with a surge of emotion herself. She’d been family to the Wilders.
“My thoughts are a little scattered right now,” Joey explained, “but my vision is a solid one. You can count on me, Maddie, to deliver on my promises. I can’t pay you lavishly, but I can pay you a competitive salary.”
“Home to Oregon wine country, huh?” After that, Madison didn’t say anything for what felt like a whole minute. Joey didn’t push. She gave Madison space to work it through in that very scientific brain of hers, a practice she’d learned when dealing with her friend years ago. “Can I think about it? It’s a lofty idea and a big decision.”
“Yes, of course. The fact that you’re even considering the offer is huge.”
“It’s you, Joey. Of course I’d consider. How could I not?”
Warmth blossomed in Joey’s chest. Hearing those words from her best friend helped in the midst of such a gut-wrenching stretch of time. “I wouldn’t have been shocked if you’d laughed and promptly declined, so thank you, Mad.”
The next morning as Joey dressed, she watched through the window as the seasonal workers assembled for another day of harvest. She had