Page 41 of Let it Breathe
15
Chai
With all thehellos and goodbyes going on at the airport, you wouldn't think a girl in tears would garner so much attention. The lady at the ticket counter handed me tissues as she tried to get me on an earlier flight.
A little boy in the terminal asked if I needed a hug before his mother pulled him away.
I almost ran after him and said yes.
The flight attendant was the best. She offered me a glass of champagne as soon as I settled in my seat and asked me if I wanted something stronger as soon as we took off.
I replayed our last conversation in my mind. I regretted the things I had said because it wasn't true.
What we had was real and good. Even when we were arguing, it was fun. Who had fun arguing with someone?People in love, that's who.
I pushed the thought out of my head, shook off the sadness that crept around the edge of my heart, and opened my laptop. It was time to get to work.
I didn't have Donovan to rely on anymore; I needed to save the vineyard on my own.
God, I hope I'm not too late.
* * *
When I arrived in Sonoma, it was early, but I was tired. I had found a few other prospects to research, and I sent a few emails to some of the potential investors we met at the conference. I even wrote up a little script to help me explain to my parents and CJ why Donovan was no longer interested in the vineyard—or me, for that matter. I left that part off.
I wanted to go home, crawl into bed, and sleep for the next twenty-four hours or days, but I stopped in at the vineyard instead.
I let myself into the side door to the offices.
"Hey, Lori," I said as I walked in and dropped my bag on my desk.
"Oh, hey." Lori stood up and then sat back down. "What are you doing here?"
"I work here, remember." I laughed and picked up the pile of mail on my desk and flipped through it, but none of it was interesting. When I dropped it back on my desk, I peeked up and found her staring.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing." She shook her head. "I thought you weren't coming back until tonight."
"I caught an earlier flight." I scanned the room. "Where is everyone?"
It was much too quiet in here.
"Oh, nowhere." I heard my mother's laugh from the other room and took a step toward the main lobby. "Hey, Jerry popped open that 2015 Shiraz. You should go and taste it. It's amazing."
She grabbed my arm and turned me toward the back door.
"Lori." I shrugged out of her grip. "What's going on?"
I heard my mom and dad laugh as they opened the office door and walked in.
They weren't alone.
"You take all the time you need to move out. I'm not in any hurry," a stranger's voice said.
"No, Mr. Sanders. We've been putting this off long enough. We are ready to let it go, believe ..." Dad's voice trailed off when he saw me.
"Chai, you're back." Mom gave me a hug. "You're just in time to meet Mr. Sanders."
