really see anything missing," I admitted.
"Maybe we caught him before he could take anything?" Ava said hopefully. Then she added, "Was it a he?"
My breath quivered as I let out a sigh. "Honestly? I really don't know. They were wearing a mask. And baggy clothes."
Her hope morphed into a sympathetic smile. "Maybe we should call Grant."
As much as I hated calling on him to come rescue me for a second time that day, she was right. This was way out of our league.
We backtracked to the terrace, where we'd both left our phones along with our abandoned food, and Ava poured more wine with a shaky hand as I dialed Grant's number. This time he picked up on the first ring.
"You okay?"
One of these days I wanted our relationship to be in a place where he didn't feel compelled to ask me that kind of question. And, I also hoped that one day my answer wouldn't be, "No, not really."
"What's wrong?" His voice immediately took on an edge.
"I, uh, had a break-in."
"A what?"
I gave a nervous laugh. "I know, right? What are the chances of a car accident and a break-in on the same day?"
"Where are you?" he asked, not even attempting a laugh at my lame humor.
"Oak Valley."
"Are you alone?" I could hear keys jingling on the other end.
"No, Ava's here. The intruder ran away."
"Don't move. Don't touch anything. I'll be right there."
"Okay, but I don't know what the guy was after, because it seems like—" I stopped abruptly, realizing I was talking to no one. I looked up at Ava. "I think he hung up on me."
Ava shrugged. "You are kind of a handful." She sent me a grin.
Normally I loved that her brand of humor could lighten any mood, but there was a little too much truth in that statement for my comfort.
"I am, aren't I," I said, sinking back down into my wicker chair.
"Oh, honey," Ava said for the second time that night. She walked around the table and put her arms around me from behind. "And we love you that way," she said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks," I said. Though my voice came out more like Eeyore than my usual self.
"Don't worry. Grant will be here soon, and he'll know what to do."
I nodded, grabbing my wineglass again. Only, the smooth, aged Sirah seemed to stick in my throat with the thought that even Oak Valley wasn't safe anymore.
Both of us were feeling antsy and neither of us had an appetite anymore, so we took our glasses to the front of the winery, waiting in silence on the steps for help to arrive. It was only a few minutes before we heard the sound of Grant's car coming up the drive and the black SUV pulled into the gravel lot with a crunch of earth beneath his big tires.
Ava patted my knee and sent me a smile.
I tried to return it, but I was pretty sure it didn't reach my eyes. I wondered if it was normal to feel numb after enduring this kind of violation. Maybe by not feeling anything, it would magically disappear. It was either numbness or anger. And, honestly, I worried anger would be entirely too exhausting.
I stood as Grant approached. It only took him a second to close the distance between us, pulling me tightly into his arms. For just a moment, I let myself exist in the warmth of his body, the heat radiating from his chest melting away some of the numbness. I'm not sure how long we stood like that, but eventually I heard Ava awkwardly clear her throat beside us.
I reluctantly pulled back. "Thanks," I managed, looking up into his dark eyes.
He nodded before his gaze cut to Ava and he took a small step back from me. "Can you tell me what happened?"
I relayed the events of the evening, Ava jumping in now and then to add her perspective on them. I tried to give him as much detail as I could, which, I realized as I got to the end, was precious little.
"And you didn't see this person's face?" Grant clarified.
I shook my head. "It all happened so fast."
"No idea if they were male or female?"
"They were wearing a puffy jacket," Ava offered. "I saw that much as they took off into the trees."
"Which way did they go?" Grant asked, his eyes scanning the grounds as if the foliage could bear witness.
"Around the back," I said. "Toward the north field."
He nodded.