Page 18 of Taurus

Chapter six

Austin

It’samazinghowquickly Parker has stepped into her role here.

It’s been over a week and a half since she arrived and it’s like she’s always been here. Like she never left and grew right along with us as a company.

She has questions, of course, but she is learning and the staff is falling in love with her more and more by the minute. She’s the essence of Warren and that’s something we’ve all needed since he passed.

I had planned on working side by side with her today, showing her the admin side of the daily operations, but that took a sharp turn when a few people called in sick and I had to step up and take on multiple other duties.

I’ve been shuffling between working out in the vineyard, tending the vines and fixing some equipment that was behaving a little wonky. Now I’m coming up from the cellar after checking on the team there and heading over to the gift shop where Parker is for the rest of the afternoon.

I need to check on her, make sure she’s managing okay today, but also… I think I just want to see her face. It’s becoming this annoying little ache in my chest that I need to placate more often than I thought I would.

When I push through the large, glass door, I sigh in pleasure from the blast of the air-conditioned breeze that escapes into the Georgia heat. It’s unusually hot today, and it’s apparent on my face because I can feel how red and sweaty it is without even having to see it.

The bell over my head jingles, alerting the staff there is a customer, and I see Parker’s head pop up from behind the counter where she was crouched down stocking something, I’m assuming.

“Oh, hi,” she says as she adjusts her ponytail that’s sitting slightly loose and askew on her head.

“Hi.” I pull my ball cap from my head and slide my fingers through my hair, scratching along my scalp before pulling the hat back on, this time backward. “How’s it going in here today?”

She licks her perfectly balmed lips and sighs with a smile. “Really great, actually. Danielle just ran to the restroom quick. I told her I could hold down the fort for a few, so I’m just organizing some of the stuff behind the counter. Trying to make myself useful.” She shrugs.

“You are more than useful, trust me.” I put my hands flat on the counter and stare at her. “You look happy.”

“I am. All of the guests who have come through today have said nothing but amazing things to me about Grandad. It’s making me sad, but so happy at the same time. It’s like he’s still here.” She crosses her arms over her chest and leans a hip on the wall behind her.

“He was a loved man.”

“Austin, I’ve actually been meaning to say something to you about him.”

She searches my face for a moment and opens her mouth to speak, but the bell jingles, stopping her sentence before it can even begin.

Parker

Thank you, Austin. Thank you for being with him when he needed someone. Thank you for being with him at the end when I wasn’t. Thank you for making Pesca bigger and better than anyone ever thought possible.

I want to say those things to him, right here, right now, because it’s all that I’ve thought all day long, but as soon as the courage appears and the opportunity presents itself, I’m effectively emotionally cockblocked.

“There you are,” Carrie says as she makes her way through the doors just ahead of a few patrons, who have just finished a tour and tasting with Linds. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

She approaches the counter where Austin and I are talking and makes a show of reaching out to squeeze his bicep. “I just wanted to make sure we were on for later?”

Austin clears his throat and looks down at her, shoving his hands in his pockets, “Mmm hmm,” he confirms. “We are. I’ll come talk to you later about details, okay? Parker and I were actually about to have a conversation and…”

I hold my hands up to stop him. The moment is all wrong now with Barbie staring at us. “No, no, it wasn’t important, and there are customers here now I need to greet. You two go ahead and go… chat.” I push away from the counter and walk around it and toward a group of customers mulling over some souvenir wine glasses.

“Parker, wait,” I hear Austin call for me, but I ignore him.

It’s not like I care that he’s going on a date with Carrie later. I don’t. We aren’t together anymore. We haven’t been for a long time. He can do whatever he wants. It’s not like I don’t date. Nope. I don’t care. Not even a little.

The gnawing in my gut and the twist of my heart is calling bullshit on all of the above at the moment, but we ignore her. We shut that shit down, no exceptions… Negan from The Walking Dead style.

Feelings + Austin = Heartbreak. Every time.

Even with this knowledge locked and loaded in my brain, I can’t help but glance over my shoulder to see them still talking at the front counter and there’s a smile on his face… and it sucks.

It’ sucks even more when I feel his gaze find me in the store and I have to pretend like I don’t have a care in the world, certainly not when it comes to how he is spending his evening.

---