Page 107 of Let It Breathe
Larissa looked thoughtful as she sloshed wine into the glasses. “How about your new boyfriend, Reese? He’s loaded, isn’t he? Maybe he’ll loan us the money.”
Reese froze. “Boyfriend?”
Larissa grinned, not meeting Reese’s eye as she picked up a glass. “The veterinarian? Aren’t you two dating?”
“Right,” Reese said, regrouping. “I hardly think one date that involved picking my cousin up at the police station is grounds for requesting a six-figure loan.”
Axl shrugged. “Maybe if Larissa showed him a little leg?—”
“Enough with the sexy talk about Larissa!” The second the words left her mouth, Reese regretted them.
Everyone stared at her oddly, so Reese took a shaky breath and tried again. “I’m sorry, ’Riss. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“No, you’re right.” Larissa squeezed her hand. “Now’s not the time to joke about it.”
“I just don’t know what the hell to do.” Reese let her head fall into her hands. “We can’t get a loan, our construction project is screwed, our wine club hates us, the media is starting to figure out we’re hacks, and our winery barn has a giant fucking hole in it.”
“The documentary might not happen.” Larissa winced when Reese gave her a sharp look. “Sorry. Thought I’d slip that in there while you’re listing things.”
Reese’s head throbbed. “You mean they’re no longer making a documentary about women in the wine industry, or we’re no longer invited to be part of it?”
“The last one.” Larissa held up a hand. “Don’t worry, I’m working on it. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“Great.” Reese hadn’t realized she could feel worse, but contemplating her cousin’s tricks left a sour taste in her mouth. She swallowed some wine to make it go away.
“Maybe all of this is some kind of sign, hon,” Sheila said, touching her arm. “Maybe you’ve taken on too much.”
Reese shook her head, but couldn’t think of a snappy retort. She was just too damn tired. Sheila patted her hand and took a sip of wine. “Let’s talk about something else. I want to hear about the boyfriend! Eric said you were seeing someone, Reese, but I didn’t know it was serious.”
“It’s not serious,” Reese said. “I’ve seen him exactly two times. The first time he stuck a thermometer up Leon’s ass, and the second he took me to the police station to get my drunk cousin.”
Larissa grinned. “Romantic.”
“So you’re bonding,” Sheila said brightly.
Axl looked up from his wine. “Bondage?”
Reese sighed and stuck her nose in her Pinot glass. “I don’t know where things are headed. It’s complicated. And it’s early. Let’s talk about wine instead.”
Sheila rolled her eyes. “Why would we talk about anything else?”
Reese shrugged. “You’re in a winery. You married the winemaker. Our topics for conversation are a bit limited. Does Eric think we can save most of the stuff that was in the barn when the fire started?”
Larissa nodded. “The Sauvignon Blanc wasn’t as bad as he thought but still not worth putting our label on. We can maybe wholesale it.”
“For less money,” Reese muttered.
“Not as bad as it could’ve been,” Larissa pointed out. “We got lucky.”
Axl grinned at Reese, but she cut him off before he could make a crack about getting lucky. “That reminds me, Axl, I saw your girlfriend at the First Friday Art Walk last night. Francie? She seems to be under the impression that you’re in the hospital.”
“Aw, fuck. What’d you tell her?”
“That my grandpa is a skanky man-whore. Not something every granddaughter gets the chance to say.”
“Beats sitting around a nursing home playing pinochle,” Larissa said. “Who’s the other woman?”
Axl grinned, unperturbed by the insult or the prospect of having to make excuses with his girlfriend. “A stripper I met at Stars the other night. She gave me a free lap dance and I told her about my Harley.”
