an hour until the tasting room would be open to visitors, and she wanted to put out those fresh chocolates she’d picked up from the new chocolatier in town, The Dark Room. She’d negotiated a killer deal with the owner and could sell by the piece. With the fresh wine crackers out, she high-fived Loretta, who was prepping the wine to have it ready to pour.
“You doing okay, little girl?” Loretta asked as she uncorked fresh bottles from beneath the counter. With gray hair she often wore in a short and neat French braid, Loretta had kind eyes that crinkled at the corners when she smiled, which was a lot. She was a salt of the earth kind of human. Yet despite her motherly disposition, she could drop into conversation a detail about her own sex life that would leave Joey’s cheeks flaming. It was part of her charm.
“Everyone asks that,” Joey said, knowing she could be perfectly herself with Loretta. No pretense needed. They knew each other that well. “I need to come up with more creative ways to say that my life just took a turn I wasn’t emotionally ready for, but I’m trying to stay focused and put one foot in front of the other. Is there a word for that?”
“Nope.”
“Then I’m at a loss.”
“But your heart hurts,” Loretta said, coming up behind Joey and giving her a squeeze. “Hearts gotta hurt sometimes. Let it happen. You just need time.”
“Yeah, I know.” Joey’s eyes filled and she immediately pulled out of the soft touch, knowing it would swallow her if she let herself get mired down. Too much farm to run. Too much work to do. She immediately started making a list to help organize her thoughts and prioritize the tasks at hand. She needed to meet with their distribution rep about rolling out last year’s vintage, and then talk with the printer about getting more of those glossy postcards of Tangle Valley to distribute to the bed-and-breakfasts in the area. Her phone rang. She blinked at the readout. Madison.
“Is this bad news?” Joey asked immediately as she slid onto the call. “I’ve always heard when the jury returns too quickly, that it’s bad news for the defendant, and I don’t want to go to vineyard jail quite yet.”
A pause, then she heard Madison’s voice. “Did you commit some sort of crime I’m unaware of? Are you heisting grapes from Fable Brook, one farm over?”
“Why would I steal grapes from Fable Brook?” Joey balked. “The Hollis family is commercializing everything good over there. I don’t want those grapes. Their Riesling is dull and undatable.”
“Only you date wine.”
“I have to date someone, Mad, and wine is dependable. Back on track, though. I didn’t expect you to call so soon.” She shoved her list aside, wanting to give this call her full focus.
“Me neither, if I’m being honest. But I couldn’t sleep last night, so I did that thing where I walk and talk out loud. Sometimes in circles. Remember?”
“Oh, I remember the circle talking. You still do that?”
“It’s the only way to make any important decision in life. Out loud, hashing it out, no holds barred. In a circle.”
“I prefer lists.”
“Right. You date those, too.”
“So?” Joey asked, pressing on. Her senses were on high alert, and her stomach tightened uncomfortably. All the sounds around her were extra loud—the machinery in the field, the slight squeaking of the tasting glasses Loretta scrubbed nearby, and the loud thudding of her heart. This was a big moment. “What did you and yourself figure out during your out loud circle conversation?”
“This is the thing, Jo.” She heard a slow exhale on the other end of the line. “I can’t seem to find a way to say no. I keep trying, too.”
“Well, stop that.”
“I’d like to accept the job.”
“You would?” Joey practically squeaked.
“I need some time to square things away here and make arrangements for myself in Whisper Wall. But yeah. I guess this means I’m coming home.”
Joey covered her mouth in shock, elation, and an emotion she couldn’t name. Whatever it was, it had the tears that had appeared in her eyes earlier streaming down her cheeks unexpectedly. It was a release, that’s what it was. Something good was finally happening.
Madison with her calm brilliance was coming home. She would help keep Tangle Valley afloat. Hell, together they could make it thrive. They were that great of a team. She stared up at the heavens and smiled at her father, who she