Page 108 of Let It Breathe
Reese took another sip of wine. “That’s a sweet story, Axl. Remind me to save it for the grandkids.”
“Mmmph,” Axl said. He sipped his own wine for a moment, eyeing Reese over the rim of the glass. “You’re really shook up about this loan thing, aren’t you?”
Reese looked up at the ceiling. “I’ve put everything we’ve got into this construction project,” she said. “If we can’t get the money, it’s not just a matter of losing ground on the construction. It’s not even about our reputation with the wine club and the rest of the public. Do you know how many special events we’ve got on the books for the pavilion?”
Larissa bit her lip. “Now’s probably not the time to tell you we had another wedding party cancel this morning.”
Reese closed her eyes, but all she saw were dollar signs swimming on the backs of her eyelids. “It’s like we’re taking handfuls of hundred dollar bills and flushing them down the toilet. We can’t host any of the things we’ve booked if we don’t have the pavilion done.”
Axl nodded. He started to lift his wineglass, then stopped. “Let me see if I can come up with a plan, Peanut Butter Cup.”
“Axl,” Reese said, shaking her head. “I don’t want anything illegal tied to the vineyard. Really, we can just?—”
“It’s not illegal!” Axl insisted. “Not much, anyway.”
“Illegal?” Sheila asked. “What are we talking about here?”
“Long story,” Reese said. “Suffice it to say, Axl is either growing perfectly legal medical marijuana or perfectly illegal street-worthy weed.”
“Recreational pot is legal in Oregon!” Axl insisted.
“Not in quantities large enough to bail like hay,” Reese retorted.
“Where?” Sheila asked, mystified. “Not here?”
Reese sighed. “Out in the pole barn. Axl says it’s all on the up-and-up. The jury’s still out on that. I just don’t want things to get out of hand.”
“Because things never get out of hand in this family,” Larissa pointed out.
Reese rolled her eyes and looked at Sheila. “We’re trying to keep it kind of quiet.”
“Mum’s the word,” Sheila said. “My aunt had cancer a few years ago. She was living in Idaho, so of course medical marijuana isn’t legal there. She ended up having to get my teenage nephew to hook her up when the pain got really bad.”
“See, Reese?” Larissa said. “It’s a charitable thing. Axl is just acting out of the kindness of his heart.”
Reese glanced over at Axl, who had taken out a switchblade and was using it to trim his fingernails. He sliced off one nail, which went flying and landed in Sheila’s wineglass.
Reese shook her head and reached for the bottle. “That’s Axl,” she said. “A regular Pope Francis.”
Clay was at the carwash cleaning vineyard mud off the floor mats of his truck when he found the shoe under his seat.
He held it up, examining it. An impossibly high stiletto with silver sequins across the toes.
“Larissa,” he muttered.
The old guy parked beside him frowned under the brim of a filthy baseball cap. “You one of those fellas who likes dressing up in lady clothes?”
Clay dropped the shoe on his seat. “No, sir.”
“Because there’s a bunch of us that get together every Friday night over in McMinnville. You look like you’d be about a size twelve, right?”
“Um—”
“Gary’s been looking for someone to trade with.”
“Right,” Clay said, clearing his throat. “Thank you for the invite, but I’m okay. Have a nice evening.”
Clay shoved his floor mats back into place and got into the truck. He sat there for a minute studying the shoe. Larissa must have dropped it last night when he’d driven her home. He had no idea where she lived now, but he knew where Reese lived.
