Blush - Jamie Brenner Page 0,130

circle was complete, the contents of the glass jug resembled a bizarre sort of white sangria, the grape juice inside now mixed with flowers and fruit, small stones and twigs. The most interesting part would come over the next twenty-four hours, when fermentation would start. The juice would begin to look fizzy, with fine, tiny bubbles. Her father had taught her that this was not carbonation but “effervescence.” After a few days they would remove all the things they’d added to the juice, strain it using a colander and cheesecloth, and then take a cup of that fermenting juice and add it to steel tanks. But for now, they just had a colorful concoction that held the promise of what was to come.

Vivian stepped forward one more time, clanging her glass until the buzz of the crowd quieted down.

“I want to thank you again for your contributions here tonight. A wise friend once told me, when women gather, there is power.” She turned to look at Delphine, then back to the wider crowd. “And I’ve never felt that more strongly than I do standing here with all of you.”

The women broke into applause, and then the circle closed in, its members gathering around Vivian and Leah, pulling wallets out of their handbags, happily snapping photos of the glass jug, and asking, “Is there a limit to how many cases we can order?”

With her adrenaline pumping, Leah waved Sadie forward to organize a line and start processing the sales. Suddenly, in the shadows of the veranda, she spotted Mateo and Javier. Of course—they couldn’t wait to see Maria Eugenia. Leah beckoned them over, welcoming them. Mateo took quick, long strides to reach his mother, who laughed with delight at the sight of her husband and son. She hugged them both for a long minute, then turned excitedly to Vivian.

“Mrs. Hollander,” she said to Vivian. “I left this winery years ago, thinking my work here was done. My son was grown. When I got the phone call inviting me back, well, I originally just wanted to come to see my son and husband. But standing now with all of you, I see the reason for being here. Just because our children are grown, we are not done. Just because we are older, we are not done. I look at what you and your daughter and granddaughter are doing, and I think: the best is ahead.”

They embraced. Leah looked over at Mateo, but he was already heading over to help Sadie. He touched her shoulder, and the joy on her daughter’s face when she turned around nearly brought tears to Leah’s eyes.

That was when she noticed that Sadie wasn’t the only one getting support from her man: Leonard headed across the veranda straight for Vivian. He put a tentative arm around her mother. Together, they watched the buying frenzy.

Leah felt a pang that Steven wasn’t there to witness it. She pulled her phone out and texted him, Can you come down to the veranda? She waited while the dots appeared, and then:

Do you think I would miss your big moment?

He stepped out from the bushes just off the veranda steps. She hurried over to him.

“So you’ve been spying on me,” she said, smiling.

“Of course. I never know what you’ll get yourself into when we’re apart.” He hugged her. “I’m proud of you.”

She leaned into him, experiencing a flash of memory. It was something he said to her back in the spring, standing behind the counter of the cheese shop.

Change can be a good thing.

* * *

The view from the bedroom window was, for the first time in months, a source of pleasure instead of worry. Vivian stared out into the darkness; although she couldn’t see the fields, she was met by the bright half-moon. In the morning, she would open the curtains and look out at the vines, heavy with grapes, confident that the view would be hers for some time to come.

“Vivian, come to bed,” Leonard said. She turned to find him already tucked under the covers. It had only been a short time since he returned to her bed, and it was still a relief every time she saw him in his rightful place.

“I’m too wound up to sleep,” she said, well aware that it was close to eleven. The Harvest Circle had turned into a party that lasted for hours. Even the considerable amount of wine she’d consumed in celebration wasn’t enough to quell her energy.

“I feel the same,” Leonard