Page 93 of Let It Breathe
Reese shook her head. “’Riss, we can’t afford that.”
“Let me see what I can do,” Clay said. “I might be able to get them for free, or at least for a really discounted price.”
All of them stared at Clay. Jed was the first to speak.
“That’s mighty kind of you, son. We appreciate the help.”
“Yes, sir,” Clay said. “I know things haven’t gone the way you wanted with the bid and construction is moving a little slowly. It seems like the least I can do.”
Reese caught his eye and looked away quickly, her cheeks flushing. Larissa gave him a knowing look, but said nothing.
It was Sheila who finally broke the silence. “I need to get to work,” she said to Eric. “Call me if anything else happens?”
“Will do.”
“Do you want to meet for lunch?”
Eric shook his head. “Gotta work straight through.”
“Be careful, okay? I’m really worried.”
He nodded and pulled her close. “Have a good day.”
“You too, sweetie.”
They kissed, and everyone averted their eyes except June and Jed, who exchanged knowing smiles and laced their fingers together.
Jed kissed his wife’s temple and whispered something Clay couldn’t make out. The two embraced, and Reese looked away, suddenly very interested in inspecting the charred edges of the building. Clay wanted to touch her hand, to do something to let her know he realized how awkward it probably felt to have parents whose affection for each other seemed so overwhelming.
But he didn’t want to draw attention to anything unusual between them.
“I’m gonna taste a few of the wines before I start moving barrels,” Eric said to the group as Sheila disappeared down the driveway.
“I’ll join you in a minute,” Reese called to his retreating back.
“I have to do some damage control with the media,” Larissa muttered. “Ten bucks says our asshole neighbor makes it on the morning news saying something about unsafe practices or subpar wines or some bullshit like that.”
“Fix it,” Reese said. “We can’t keep taking hits like this. How many wine club members have we lost?”
Larissa shook her head. “I’m not sure, but the LA Times called yesterday. Said they’re not going to include us in that feature on eco-friendly wineries unless we can guarantee by the end of the week that we’ll be LEED certified with the new building.”
Reese closed her eyes. “I’ve got an appointment with the bank today. We’ll get the money somehow.”
Larissa nodded. “I’m going to get a press release ready to go. I’ll e-mail you a draft.”
Everyone drifted away in opposite directions, leaving Clay and Reese standing alone on the hillside above the vineyard. Farm equipment whirred, birds chattered, and the tension between them felt so thick, Clay wanted to shove it away like a low-hanging branch. He glanced around, making sure none of her crazy relatives were hiding in barrels nearby.
Then he looked back at Reese, who fingered the soft edge of a grape leaf and looked more than a little lost. He touched her hand.
“You okay?” he asked.
Reese nodded and looked up at him. “Everything will be fine.”
“I’m sure it will. If there’s anything I can do to help?—”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
They stood there in awkward silence for a few moments longer. Reese shuffled her feet in the grass.
