Page 79 of Bottle Shock
“Everything okay?” My mom asks
“Yeah,” I say, even though my voice sounds distracted. “I just need to make a quick call.”
I step outside and dial Sandy’s number. She answers on the second ring.
“Hi this is Scottie with James Realty. I just got your email.”
“Oh great! Maggie and Carl loved you guys so they’re hoping you can make it.”
“I’ll confirm with Gavin, but I’m pretty sure we’re available. What is the expectation? What should we be prepared for?”
“It’s an informal weekend—a chance to spend time on the property, let the owners get a feel for you, that sort of thing.”
“So like an audition?”
“Something like that. They’re very particular about who takes over the estate. I’ll send you more information this afternoon. Just confirm if you and Gavin are free.”
I glance down the street toward the bakery, toward the direction of the winery beyond it. “Yeah,” I say slowly. “I’ll talk to him, but I think it’ll work.”
When we hang up, I don’t move right away. I should be excited Gavin is one step closer to getting the house but all I can think of is having to act like a married couple for an entire weekend. Pretending is way too easy with him, and the line keeps getting harder to see.
CHAPTER 22
Gavin
I CAN KEEP A SECRET
After eighteen long months, my secret project is finally close to being complete.
On the bench in front of me sits the latest test bottle—cold, beaded with condensation. I’m almost tempted not to open it because it’s taken this long to get here; if it’s a failure, I’ll have to start over from scratch. I tilt the glass and pour a few ounces. Tiny streams of bubbles rush upward, tight and fast. I release an exhale—so far, so good. Looks like the secondary fermentation held.
If this one passes, it’ll be a first for Ledger—a house sparkling wine, made here start to finish. We’ve done whites, reds, rosés. But bubbles? That’s a new frontier.
I bring the glass to my mouth and take a slow sip.
Bright. Crisp. The acid cuts clean through the center, the bubbles sharp before softening into a smooth finish.
And best of all, it’ll have the lowest carb count of anything we’ve ever bottled—just under a gram per glass.
When I started playing around with the idea of a bubbly, low-carb wine, it was to appeal to the current health trends. I wanted to create something light but still worthy of the Ledgername. What I didn’t expect was how much I’d start thinking about Scottie while doing it—especially lately.
It’s one thing to be aware of her diabetes, but it’s another to actually see how much it impacts her life. Every single thing she consumes has to be accounted for. It’s a never-ending balancing act.
It’s silly, really—because even if the carbs are low, she’d still have to keep an eye on her levels. But maybe with this, she could actually indulge a little. Not worry so much about having to fix a spike or a crash later.
I take another sip to confirm my first impression and set the glass down just as my phone lights up beside me. Wiping my hands on a rag, I glance down.
Ethan
My office. Now.
I rack my brain trying to think of what he could want. It’s probably something to do with harvest—an emergencythat isn’t really an emergency.
I tuck the bottle into the fridge so it doesn’t warm and head for the stairs. The lab is far enough from the main building that I have to grab one of the company trucks to get there.
Inside, the winery is buzzing. Guests are lined up outside the packed tasting room while others wander the grounds, wine in hand.
I weave through the crowd and make my way upstairs to Ethan’s office.
