Page 44 of Blue Hawaiian
“Dad, Connor isn’t trying to betray you,” Victoria said. “He just has this idea he’s following some noble pursuit.”
Connor glared at her. “Will you stay out of it?”
“Why should I?” she said. “I actually like the concept. For years, I’ve listened to you bitch and moan about Blackwood Cellars—how you’re sick of working for a big, corporate winery that churns out wine by the truckload. How you plan to be all artisanal and produce wine for people with a discriminating palate.”
His father laughed. “Good luck with that. You know how many of those boutique wineries go under? Most of them end up selling their vineyards to me. Then they go back to San Diego or L.A. or wherever they came from before they decided they wanted to go ‘back to the land’ and live the simple, rural lifestyle. Simple, my ass. It’s hard work.”
Like I don’t know that?During his summer jobs, Connor had done a lot of physical labor, everything from working in the fields to boxing and loading pallets on the bottling line.
He kept his voice even, not wanting to reveal the frustration building up inside of him. “I’m not doing this on my own. I’m going into partnership with Tom Bartolli and Reb Larkins.”
“Both of whom used to work for me,” his father said.
“Right. They know their stuff. And I do, too. I know you think I’m a slacker, but in the five years I worked under Darren, I learned a ton about distribution and marketing. I want to take my shot.”
Connor flinched as someone clapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Brody Blackwood, his youngest cousin, clad in a bright red Hawaiian shirt. Connor stood to give him a hug and slapped him on the back. “Hey, man. Great to see you.”
“You too.” Brody went to hug Jess, who was already on her feet.
She pointed to the empty chair on her other side. “Sit with us. Gabi and Marc’s table is full.”
Brody eased himself into the chair and glanced around the table. “Why isn’t everyone wearing Hawaiian garb?”
Victoria trilled with laugher. “Only you and Connor fell for it.”
“Nice one, cuz. Joke’s on you because I love me some Hawaiian gear. I’m planning on buying a whole mess of shirts while I’m here.”
Brody’s timing was perfect. His nerdy humor was exactly what Connor needed to lighten up the conversation.
Brody held out his glass until a waiter came over and filled it. “What did I miss?”
“Connor’s abandoning us and going rogue,” Victoria said.
“You’re going forward with it?” Brody took a sip of wine. “That’s awesome. Let me know if you need any technical help—you’ll want a kick-ass website.”
His enthusiasm gave Connor’s spirits a boost. “Thanks. Maybe in a month or so, once everything’s finalized.” He glanced over at his father to see if he’d make another cutting remark, but he’d turned his attention to Victoria’s fiancé.
“Brody, where’s Taylor?” Victoria asked. “I thought she’d be here with you.”
Taylor was Brody’s girlfriend of six months—an up-and-coming interior designer. Like so many of the women his geeky cousin had dated, she was flat-out gorgeous. Connor just hoped she treated Brody better than his previous girlfriends had. The poor guy always got his heart broken.
“She’s in L.A., in the middle of a big project for one of her clients, but she’ll be here by Friday.” Brody took a piece of bread. “I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
“Think she’s the one?” Jess asked.
“I sure hope so. She’s an amazing woman.”
Connor envied his cousin. He’d felt that way, once, but after Natasha left him, he couldn’t imagine falling head over heels again. For now, he’d settle for great sex.
The servers whisked away their salads and brought out a series of family-style entrees: pork ribs, coconut shrimp, grilled vegetables, Hawaiian fried rice, and pineapple boats. Though his father didn’t bring up the winery proposal again, Connor knew the discussion wasn’t over. The old man always got the last word.
When dinner ended, Gabi stood at the other table and tapped on her wineglass. “Attention, everyone. Just a reminder the Mt. Haleakala tour will be leaving the hotel at 3:30 a.m. tomorrow. Be sure to pack warm clothes.”
Victoria recoiled. “What? Why would we get up that early?”
Marc stood up beside Gabi. “We’re going to catch the sunrise at Mt. Haleakala. It’s a Maui tradition.”
“Count me out,” Victoria said. “I need my beauty sleep.”
