all day. She removed the whipped cream from her nose with a laugh and turned to her friends. “Where to next?”
“Gabriella wants to visit the reindeer stable at the North Pole,” Madison said and exchanged a wistful look with Joey.
Joey grinned because it had been her and Madison’s favorite attraction when they were kids. They would stand in awe at how realistic the stables seemed, with each reindeer able to actually move. As an adult, she could see the repetition in those movements and the slight stutters in the mechanics that she’d been oblivious to as a child. Back then, the stable was pure magic, and she and Maddie would sit and watch for long stretches. She was excited to share the stable with the others now. She turned to Gabriella. “Okay, but understand that Comet is the superior reindeer. You can tell just by watching the display and his adorable eyes.”
Madison scoffed. “You say that every year, buddygirl, but you’ve clearly never paid attention to Dasher, who is watching over all the others like a sweet big brother. Do not let Comet distract you from the main idea.”
Gabriella jumped in with a hand out. “Had no idea there was a reindeer war afoot.”
“How could there not be if she thinks Comet is the star?” Madison asked in seriousness.
“I can’t even with you,” Joey said, shaking her head.
Becca laughed and opened her mouth to speak just as Martin Hollis placed a hand on her arm. Joey squinted. Martin, who she’d never liked, grinned widely at Becca. “Ms. Crawford, just wanted to tell you how over the moon we are about partnering with you.” He nodded at the others. “Joey,” he said respectfully. But she was too busy decoding what he’d just said.
“Thank you,” Becca said, pursing her lips. Except she wasn’t a lip purser. “I hope you have a nice night.”
Martin nodded happily and set off with his wife, Beverly, arm in arm with a skip in their step. She watched after them. They looked like cats who’d been licking the cream. “What was that all about?” Joey asked with a laugh. But the look on Becca’s face told Joey there was nothing funny about it.
“Oh, um, stuff for The Jade.” Becca’s face was red.
“What kind of stuff?” Joey asked. She could feel her friends’ eyes on them.
“Maybe that’s something we could talk about later,” Becca said gently.
Something felt wildly off, and Joey couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, but she was close. She stared off after Martin and Bev, who—if she hadn’t been mistaken—had just gloated about something. They were on a high for two people who never smiled a lot and put up with a delinquent son. “Can we talk about it now, though?” Gabriella and Madison seemed to fade away. Whether that was simply Joey’s perception or if they actually did give them space wasn’t clear. She was too focused on the foreboding sense of dread that seemed to hover over her, a breath away.
Becca rolled her lips in. Joey had never seen her do that before either, which said she was wildly uncomfortable. “Joey,” Becca said carefully. Another bad sign.
“Just tell me what’s wrong, okay? I’m a big girl.” She smiled and shrugged like this was not a big deal. Deep down, she feared she was wrong but couldn’t quite look at it head-on. The sense of dread took a step closer, towering over her now.
Becca blinked, looked away and then back at Joey, meeting her gaze. “I wasn’t able to make the deal between Tangle Valley and The Jade come to fruition the way I thought I could.”
“Oh,” Joey said. The implications were upon her immediately. Fuck. This was bad. No, awful. She felt like the air had been kicked right out of her. Those big orders wouldn’t be coming their way. The vineyard’s name wouldn’t be dropped to every guest who sat down for a glass of wine. With the fire, and the lackluster insurance payout, which turned out to be even smaller than she’d expected, what was she supposed to do?
“Joey, I’m really sorry. We’ll, of course, still carry the wine.”
“I don’t understand,” Joey said, finally. “You told me it was as good as done.”
Becca shifted her weight. “It was. I thought. They loved the concept of featuring a local winery.”
“Until they didn’t.”
Becca hesitated. “No, that’s still true.” That’s when Joey remembered Martin Hollis and his grin. “They just decided to go with Fable Brook instead.”
“Fable Brook.” Joey blinked and