At Wits' End - Kenzie Reed Page 0,50

to finish what I’ve started.” He glances at his watch. “I’ve got plenty of time.”

We fall into a rhythm, moving down the rows, soaking the roots of the vines with the fertile spray. The air is cool, and a breeze ruffles my hair, and the vines stretch out in endless rows. It’s easy to lose ourselves in the work.

Finally, I glance up at the sun and realize he’s going to be late to his presentation if he doesn’t get a move on. I tap him on the shoulder and remind him to go.

“Thanks for a fun day,” he says, and kisses me on the cheek. “I’m not even being a smartass. I mean it.” It feels sweet, and sincere, and it fills me with a warmth and a yearning that threatens to choke me.

I smile back at him. Being out here with him, just silently working side by side, has been the most restful experience I’ve had in a very long time. “Bonding over cowflops. There’s nothing like it.”

I head back to the house with him, and we lock Aceto and Ducktape up on the back porch so they can’t crash the presentation. “Behave,” I say to them sternly. “Or no treats.”

Donovan shakes his head. “They know you’re lying.”

“Well, now they do!” I smack him on the arm. “They have ears, you know!”

I have agreed with Donovan that I’ll stay out of the house until the presentation’s over. I go to the winery, where I take a quick shower and change out of my manure-fragranced clothing. When I walk out onto the winery floor, Pietro approaches me with the kind of apologetic wince that always foretells bad news.

“What is it?” I ask.

“You know your aunt’s wine bottling equipment was very old, right?”

“No,” I say faintly. “I mean, yes. I know that. I was just hoping not to have any more disasters this season. I assume something broke?”

“You assume correctly. And the timing is not great.”

I try to swallow my rising feeling of panic. “Can it be repaired?”

“It will cost about five hundred dollars. And really, you’d be better off putting the money into a new bottling system.”

Except that it would cost me five or six grand on the cheap end, if I can even find a used bottling machine that fits our needs. I simply can’t spare it.

I’ve just hired four new employees. That five hundred for repairs will be the last of my money. We’re already getting streams of new customers from the website and social media sites and the local ads I’m running, which is why we’re still able to keep our doors open, but I don’t have any wiggle room in my budget.

I cast my mind frantically over my assets. My car. I can sell my car. It’s almost new. It’s a Subaru – they have excellent resale value. That’ll tide me over and cover any new emergencies. I can get rides from Pamela and my family when I need them.

At the end of the summer, when the sale goes through, I can use that money to get another car.

I head into the office and start making some phone calls. The local used car dealership offers me a price; we haggle and finally come to an agreement. I’ll sell my car tomorrow.

After I tell Pietro to go ahead and arrange the repair of the bottling machine, I head back home. Donovan will be done with his presentation by now.

I see that a nice cushy living room set was delivered while I was out. It’s a tufted brown leather sofa, and two recliners with rounded, knobby feet. They’re arranged around a cream-colored leather ottoman. I hope the delivery of the furniture didn’t mess up his presentation.

I find him on the back porch, kneeling on the floor with Aceto and Ducktape. He’s had some furniture delivered there as well – a farmhouse-style wooden table with round turned legs, and four straw-backed chairs. He’s hand-feeding Aceto a sardine, and Ducktape’s diving into a bowl of mealworm duck treats.

“Who are you?” I marvel.

“What?” He grins at me. “We’re celebrating. And I’m luring them over to my side. You think they’re loyal to you, but they’ll sell out for treats in a hot minute. Be warned.”

I laugh, sitting down on one of the new chairs. “So it went well, I take it.”

The sun pouring through the window bathes him in a warm, golden light. He turns to face me, and I smile…then I see something on his forehead that wipes the smile