Page 50 of Taken With You
In a rush, all her work instincts kicked in. “That’s the Duchamps.”
Garrick murmured, “They’re nearly a half hour early.”
“They’re always the first to arrive. They like to check out the place, observe the parade of arrivals. Change place cards if necessary.”
He cocked a sexy brow. “Seriously?”
“They’ll be the first to leave, too. Be sure to gush to Mr. Duchamp about his earlier soiree, he’s the one who arranges his winery’s social events.” She pushed away from the rail, sweeping a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ll ask Mrs. Duchamp about the harvest yield. She crunches the numbers—”
“Can we help?” Marie stepped into the conversation. Her smile was placid, but her deep-brown gaze leaped between them, back and forth, back and forth. “George and I can escort the Duchamps to the tent, if you’d like. We’ll entertain them while you two greet other guests.”
“You’re on, Mom.” Garrick raised a warning brow. “So long as you promise not to tell that story of my acting stint in grade school.”
“Oh”—she slapped his hand playfully—“what’s the fun in that?”
Amanda and Garrick strode ahead to greet the Bentley, already stopped in the yard.
Under her breath, Amanda said, “Acting, huh?”
“Not a word.”
“You can’t hold me off forever.”
“We’ll have better things to do than talk tonight.” His grin lit the world right before he turned to the first guest. “Mr. Duchamp, thanks so much for coming…”
Amanda chattered with Mrs. Duchamp about the recent harvest, while Garrick asked questions about Mr. Brunichelli, whom Mr. Duchamp had known well. Garrick’s mom stepped up at just the right time and, introducing herself and Garrick’s father, she offered to escort the Duchamps to the tent. Another car roared up the hill, and from that moment on, it was meet and greet and meet and greet. Amanda complimented a dress or two, asked other wine owners about their harvest, while Garrick chatted about the Yankees with the CWA reporter who’d fulfilled his promise to come back for another story. She was cheered by the arrival of so many old-school winery vintners and important distributers. The dinner had clearly evolved into a larger event than she’d been led to expect. She allowed herself to enjoy standing shoulder to shoulder with Garrick, whispering the names of the new guests in his ear. She experienced a singing thrill not only to be beside him, but to be working with him toward a common goal.
They wandered with the last guests—two of Garrick’s college friends and their dates—toward the tent. Waiters carried trays laden with gorgonzola-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon, mini mushroom tarts, and flutes of crisp sparkling wine. When the sun just touched the opposite ridge of the valley, Shelley with a nod ordered the party lights to be turned on. In an instant, fairy lights sparkled to life all around the tent. The winding road that led to the winery glowed with golden lanterns. Amanda had seen Shelley’s troops set up the decorations but had not realized the effect would be so magical.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Garrick said, speaking into a mic. “If you could all take your seats, I’d like to say a few words before dinner is served.”
She stood at a discreet distance as Garrick thanked their guests for coming, introduced his family, and then made a joke that sent a ripple through the party. He talked about the honor of being part of the valley’s biggest industry and expressed gratitude for the welcome he’d received. Amanda listened with rising pride and possessiveness she tried very hard to hide.
“Many of you,” he continued after a pause, “may wonder why an East Coast investor chose to buy a historic winery.” He turned toward the family table and met his mother’s tearing eyes and Luke’s amused smile. “If you’ve done a Web search—and I know you all have—you know it’s not the usual sort of investment that Kane Enterprises makes. If I were you and saw an outside investor coming into this valley to sweep up an iconic piece of real estate, I’d be worried, too.” Another ripple, kindly, but also a little nervous. “One of the many reasons I invited you all here is to assure you of my commitment to the success of Cedar Ridge. I bought this winery in honor of my brother Dominic, my late partner in Kane Enterprises.” He swung his hand toward the cabin, the vista, the winery lit up below. “If he were here right now, and I wish he were, he’d be peppering all of you with questions. He would have insisted on three wines for dinner instead of the very special one we’ll be pouring in a few minutes. Dominic isn’t with us anymore, but in buying this winery, I’m keeping his dream alive. My goal is to bring Cedar Ridge back to life, for him.”
Applause filled the room. Garrick was so good at this, so very good. Her heart filled with gratitude, and a little fear, too. If she hadn’t taken a chance to apply for a position so far out of her league…she might have missed this dream.
She might have missed Garrick.
“Which brings me,” he said, raising his voice as the applause died down, “to the reason why I know Cedar Ridge will become a spectacular success.”
His look hit her like a spotlight. She froze, caught in his attention…and everyone else’s, too.
“Here’s a true story. When my partner Amanda Karlson first arrived at Cedar Ridge, I was clinging to the side of that cliff.” He pointed to the exposed rock just visible in the gloaming. “About thirty feet up, without a rope.”
She smiled, following the lead of the crowd, unsure where this was going.
“That’s more than a metaphor,” he said. “When it came to running this place, it didn’t take me long to realize I didn’t have a clue what needed to be done. Amanda sniffed that out in about five minutes…and yet she stayed.”
She gripped her wrist so hard that the tips of her fingers tingled. The room went silent, thick with expectancy.
“I was supposed to be interviewingher, but she started schooling me about the history of the place, what Cedar Ridge was all about, and what it could possibly be.” Fairy lights dappled his skin, the shadows not deep enough to dim the brightness of his expression. “Did you know that Amanda used to make wine with her family on a farm in Massachusetts? They harvested the grapes from their own land, crushed them under their feet, and labeled the bottles with the family name. Amanda Karlson was born to do this. On that day, I saw the dream on her face.”
Her breathing went shallow.
Why was she shaking?
“I knew right in that moment”—the crowd fell away—“thatthisis who Dominic would want to run his legacy. It was like he’d summoned her and sent her to me. I knew she had to be a part of Cedar Ridge.”
