it on twenty-six, still pay our workers, and make the restaurant happen?” he asked.
She sighed. “You’re asking about money.”
“Yeah. That was always my brother’s department. I grow the grapes. He makes the juice and runs the business. Less grapes now. That’s a real problem.”
“There’ll be the insurance payment, but overall, this is really going to hurt. Dad was an optimist and his policy covered the bare minimum. He didn’t keep a lot in the bank, either. You can’t instantly replace ten acres of mature vines.” She shook her head.
“Damn well can’t. Damn it.” Bobby squeezed the ball cap he held in his hands, dropped his head back, seemingly in as much disbelief as she was. They’d been hit so hard lately. This latest blow didn’t seem fair.
“The restaurant will have to be put on hold. I don’t have any room to breathe now.” Joey had never been more preoccupied with money in her entire life, and in just twenty-four hours, things had gotten exponentially worse. She knew her options. Buy grapes from another farm to replace what they would have yielded next year, or scale back their operation. A death sentence. She would need to consult with Madison first, but she had a feeling they’d be purchasing those grapes. She sighed and so did their bank account. At least she had the deal with The Jade in the works. She had guarantees on a portion of this year’s bottles, and that went a long way.
“You know what? We’re gonna be okay,” she said, placing an arm on her uncle’s shoulder. “We just have to get creative for a while.”
“I trust you, Chipmunk. You know that, right?”
She nodded. “I do. You take care of those fields and let me worry about the rest.”
He met her eyes tearfully, which hurt. Bobby wasn’t the emotional type. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He tried again. “I see my brother in you.” He pointed at her heart. “He’s right there.”
Her throat ached with emotion, and she placed a hand on her chest, gripping the fabric of her shirt, and nodded. Finally, out of necessity, Joey turned away, refusing to break down. She had to stay strong for the vineyard and the people who worked hard every day for it to thrive. She squeezed Bobby’s hand as she passed him and made her way to the window where the smoke still hovered and clung.
* * *
Becca woke feeling emotionally hungover and a little nauseous. When her conversation with Maria came rushing back to her, she remembered exactly why. The Tangle Valley deal was a no-go, and she was going to have to find a way to explain it to Joey, who needed it now more than ever. She pushed herself out of bed with a dry mouth and a headache, not looking forward to the day ahead. She made her way to her bathroom, where she turned on the local radio station to that lively couple that liked to argue way too much for the morning hours. Today, they were arguing about who brewed the best cup of coffee in town. She knew the answer. The Jade did, but the resort was unfortunately not included in the debate. She vowed to make sure that changed with time. In the end, The Bacon and Biscuit won out, which was fine.
She finished getting ready for work, gave her now blow-dried hair a final fluff with her fingertips, and reached to turn off the raucous morning show, when Darby, who was also known as Tater Tot, strangely, segued with a more serious tone. “If you’re wondering about the fire last night, we are happy to report that no one was injured.” Becca paused, her interest piqued. What fire? “The air is still a little smoky if you’re anywhere near Tangle Valley, but that should ease in the next twenty-four hours. Keep those folks in your thoughts, will you? They’ll have some rebuilding to do.”
Becca went still and then sprang into action.
What in the world? She looked for her phone, fumbling now, her brain ahead of her body. She reminded herself that the report said no one was injured. She focused on that and found space enough to breathe. It didn’t kill off any of the dread as she searched her phone, finding a message from Joey that was short but essentially told her not to worry, that they were all okay. Like not worrying could ever happen.
Finally, abandoning the idea of sending a