Page 29 of Just for Tonight

Opa continues the lecture with the part I’ve omitted, and I just stare at Jake for a minute. He’s wearing a navy suit that does great things for his eyes, but not like it’s an obligation or uncomfortable. He’s completely at ease. Maybe he dresses like this every day. His tie is loosened a little bit, which just reveals a little wedge of tanned neck – that I want to kiss. He has the best suits – or maybe it’s the sculpted lines of the body underneath that makes them look so good. He’s nodding politely at my grandfather’s story, but I sense that he’s agitated. Maybe not by Opa. His gaze flicks to me again, as if we share a secret (and we do), then lifts a piece of paper.

“Found it,” he mouths, not interrupting Opa’s lecture.

Found what?

I kiss my grandfather’s cheek and he beams at me, seizing my hand. “My Mackenzie knows all the grapes. This is my legacy to all of my grandchildren.”

Jake nods and I think he’s probably up to his eyes in legacies and parental expectations. He hands me the sheet of paper. “I found this today.”

I put down my tea and unfold it. It’s the title to the piece of land that Opa and Patrick Cavendish have been arguing about for as long as I can remember.

That land. It slopes south and has full sun exposure. It’s only five acres or so, but the Cavendish greenhouse, immediately to the west and north of it, would give any grapes protection from the elements. I want to plant the Vidal there, because I don’t want a lot of it. Five acres will keep us plenty busy when all the grapes have to be harvested between midnight and five AM. Adding ice wine to our list of products is part of my big plan.

I want this piece of land even more than Opa does, which is saying something.

I’m quiet too long because Jake speaks up. “Isn’t that it?” he asks and I nod.

“Just overwhelmed,” I admit and he smiles with relief.

I show the title to Opa who gives a little crow of delight. “My stolen piece of land!”

“I just wanted to double-check,” Jake says. “I’ll ask Richard Bradshaw to transfer it to you. Shall we say a dollar?”

Opa nods with enthusiasm. “That is fair. That is good. That land was stolen from me…”

“Wait a minute. Wait a minute.” I perch on the edge of the sofa. “That isn’t fair.” Both of them stare at me. “I offered a reasonable price for that land, and I’ll stand by it.”

“You offered to buy and my father wouldn’t sell it?” Jake asks, as if he knows the answer already.

I shake my head. “He said it was principle.”

“Principle!” Opa scoffs. “He stole that land and did not wish to surrender it…”

“You lost it in a poker game, Opa,” I say, correcting him and watching surprise light Jake’s eyes. He leans back then, looking a lot more interested. “You’re the one who told me never to gamble anything I couldn’t afford to lose.”

“I should not have lost. He cheated!”

I drop a hand to his shoulder. “Patrick is dead, Opa. We should not be unkind.”

My grandfather abandons his complaint with obvious reluctance. “But it was wrong,” he huffs. “It was my land. Dead or not, he stole it from me.”

“And what about your actions ever since?” I ask gently. Jake is watching me. I guess he’s out of the loop on all local events.

My grandfather blushes. “Pranks,” he says gruffly. “Patrick understood. He did the same.”

“Pranks?” Jake asks.

“Mud smeared on greenhouse walls. Vinegar in the intake ponds. Nails on the road where the trucks turn into the loading docks.”

“I did not do this!”

“Somebody did, Opa, and it had to have been somebody allied with you.” He looks down at my stern tone, utterly unrepentant. “And that means if we buy the land, we pay a fair price. Period.”

Opa glowers at me then, like a kid denied a cookie. “Patrick loaned us workers when he knew they were sick,” he grumbles. “He pretended to be a good neighbour, but he was ensuring that all our workers became sick.” He shakes a finger. “He was a sneak and a cheat!”

I turn to Jake, knowing I have to cut this short. If we review all the slights and insults done by one side to the other, we’ll be here until Christmas. I want that land while it’s being offered.

“I can’t change the past, but I’ll stand by that offer.” I’m remembering Jake’s concern about the lack of money in the estate and I don’t ever want to be accused of kicking someone when they’re down. I don’t expect Jake will stay in Empire long enough to start any rumors, but anything’s possible with Candace. I repeat the details of the offer, Jake asks a couple of questions and we agree in principle.