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Sophie clears her throat and gives Lauren a meaningful look.
“Okay, I only tried to flirt with him once. You know how sparkling wine goes to my head. That blanc de noir made me say silly things.” Lauren looks back at me. “Trust me, he did not flirt back, I’m not his type. Does he even have a type?” She directs her question to Jackie, who shakes her head.
It’s like watching a tennis match, the way these three volley words. Sophie doesn’t talk as much as Lauren and Jackie do, but what she does say sparkles with wit. I have found my people.
“I know you said you were here to work, but now I’m dying of curiosity about you.” Sophie smiles in a way that’s hard to resist. “I’m Sophie Sutton. I suppose technically I’m the owner of the winery, although really that’s just a title. Theo gave it to me as a birthday present right after we got married, which is truly the most ridiculous thing. Who gives someone a winery?”
“A tech billionaire who’s head over heels in love with his wife, that’s who.” Lauren interrupts. “She resisted him for so long and wouldn’t let him buy her anything that he had to make up for it with a ridiculously extravagant gift.”
A tech billionaire named Sutton…where have I heard that name before? “Well, I think it’s absolutely romantic.” Kel’s story about how Nathaniel reacted tickles the back of my mind. “Was that before Kel started working here?”
Jackie leans her elbows on the counter. “Sort of. Kel started working here right after it changed owners. Olive was only three at the time, and the poor man was so lost when June left him.” Jackie shakes her head and I recognize the sad look in her eyes. I know what’s coming next. “Nathaniel made it extremely clear he wasn’t coming home after he found out we’d sold to Sutton, and refused to listen to any of our reasoning. We’d been scraping by with him gone, but we needed help desperately and Kel…”
I want to reach between Lauren and Sophie to hug Jackie but can’t, so I settle for a sympathetic noise. “He told me a little about why he left the hospital.”
“There was just nothing left of the kind-hearted boy I used to know. It was heartbreaking. He was such a gentle boy—he was always taking care of his little sister. And Nate, too.”
If I came here hoping to keep my stupid little heart safe, it’s no longer an option. Of course he was the kind of kid who took care of the people around him. I heard it in his voice how much nursing broke him during the pandemic. I’ve seen him in action, taking care of me, Olive, Jackie and Greg. If I wanted to keep this casual, I picked the wrong guy to do it with.
“Nate complained to me once about this little girl in their class at school who was always a little dirty and never had a lunch. Gosh, they must have been in third grade or so at the time. And then one day, when he and Kel came home—Kel’s parent’s both worked long hours, so he and Sydney often came here after school—Nate insisted I make them a mountain of PB&J sandwiches. I thought they were just really hungry, but it turns out that Kel had been giving his lunch away to the little girl for weeks and never said anything. Nathaniel, bless him, was not the most observant kid.”
“Most kids aren’t, Jackie. Emma, bless her, would never have noticed either.” Sophie interjects, patting Jackie’s hand. Turning to me, she adds, “Emma is my daughter. She’s almost twenty-one now—”
“Do not remind me of how old our girl is.” Lauren interrupts. Then her voice drops down to a whisper. “The wrinkles will hear you and come for us.”
After we all manage to get our snorts of laughter under control, Sophie is the one who picks the conversation back up. “I think I’ve just learned more about Kel in the last ten minutes than I have after knowing him for years. He’s very private.” Sophie gives me a knowing look. “You must be special.”
Warmth fills my chest and even though I want to be cool, a stupid grin breaks out on my face. “I really like him.” The admission is a release for the feelings that have been building inside me ever since that first, perfect kiss, but also ratchets up the anxiety that’s been building in me ever since I got out of my car. What if I’m the only one feeling this way?
There’s some more gushing and exclaiming over my blushing cheeks, but finally I manage to extricate myself from the conversation and retreat to a corner to pretend like I’m working. Of course, every time I think I hear someone on the gravel outside, my eyes fly to the front doors. I’m worse than our old family dog, who would go from a dead sleep to high alert anytime he imagined the neighbor’s dog was breathing in the direction of our fence.
I manage to pull together four or five different invitation options when a door behind me opens. “Do you know if you can get a backhoe down that hill? Is it a backhoe?” I don’t recognize the deep voice asking questions, but I recognize the one that answers.
“Yes, sir. If we can get a backhoe down there to do the heavy lifting, I can use the tractor to move the dirt around and level things out.” Kel enters the tasting room, followed by a tall man who looks vaguely familiar. His cheekbones are sharp enough to cut glass and he has the lean build of a runner, emphasizing the broad reach of Kel’s shoulders.
Sophie’s face lights up and she slides off her stool to greet them with a cry of, “Teddy!”
His face transforms at the sight of her, softening into a smile that makes me feel like I’m intruding on something intimate. From my vantage point across the room, the dynamic of the group is obvious. I’ve observed people at parties and weddings so often, it’s second nature to pause and watch them for a moment.
Sophie and Teddy are utterly at ease. She’s curled into his side like it’s her designated spot, her body language showing that she feels safe with him. Lauren is still seated, elbow on the bar and glass in hand, also at ease. She says something to Jackie I can’t hear, making the older woman laugh. It breaks the slight tension in Jackie’s spine as she falls into easy conversation with the others.
But Kel holds himself apart. His hands are buried in his pockets, his feet planted wide and back ramrod straight. There’s none of the softness I’ve seen in his body when he talks to Greg and Jackie, telling me that Teddy, Sophie and Lauren are not in his inner circle.
I’m already on my feet to come to Kel’s rescue when my name catches my attention. “—Maggie.” Lauren’s voice drifts across the room toward me as all eyes land on me. The women are all smiling in my direction, welcoming me as I cross the tasting room in a few long strides.
“Maggie?” Kel’s voice cracks on my name, his face full of confusion. When he doesn’t move to make space for me beside him, I stop short. It leaves me standing across from him, Sophie and Teddy on one side, Lauren and Jackie at the bar on the other. An awkward silence fills the space when Kel doesn’t say anything else.
“Hi, Magnolia Moore. But please, call me Maggie.” I reach out my hand, offering to shake. Anything to break the tension.
“Theodore Sutton.” He grips it back, firm and businesslike, confirming my assumption that this is the man who bought Sunshine Cellars for his wife. The disparate bits of information I’ve gathered about him snap into place.
“I didn’t realize you’d added winemaker to your long list of accomplishments, Mr. Sutton.” I wave a hand around the room, nerves from meeting the man who founded Mailbox, Inc., making my voice shake. “Do you keep this place a secret on purpose?”
Kel hasn’t moved, his eyes boring into me. If his back goes any straighter we’ll have to call in a chiropractor. I shift on my feet, easing the weight on my still sensitive foot. Kel’s eyes drop to it for a second before he goes back to attention.
“Please, call me Theo.” Mr. Sutton laughs and squeezes Sophie into his side, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. “And you’ll have to ask my wife—it’s her winery, not mine. I am merely the pocketbook, she’s the brains of the operation.”
Sophie laughs, pushing playfully at his chest. “Greg, Jackie and Kel are the true brains of the operation—I just drop by and pester them. Generally, we keep it private that we own the winery. Lauren and I would be devastated if we showed up and this place was overrun by people wanting to drink all my wine!”
