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That was easy. “I tell him, Neo confesses his love to me and we get married, making Min and me not only friends but sisters-in-law, and the two of us live happily ever after.”
“Jesus, that sounds horrifically dull. But okay, I’ll bite. Tell me that this best-case scenario isn’t worth a little risk?”
I sighed, debating how to respond. Garrett clearly didn’t get it, but I wasn’t sure I could even explain.
“It’s not just Min,” I said slowly.
“I mean, she would probably forgive me, but...” I was not sure how to say this without making the Grados sound bad.
“Spit it out.”
I begged him silently not to make me say it. But Garrett, in his usual way, did not relent. He knew I had more to say and was like a pit bull. Might as well put it all out there.
“They are all so accomplished. Mr. Grado has a PhD and Mrs. Grado was some kind of world-renowned chemist before they opened the winery. All of them went to college. Cos’s fiancée graduated from NYU.” There, I said it.
Garrett’s jaw was nearly on the floor. “You’re kidding me right now?”
I wished that I was. Garrett already knew that I’d have loved to go to college. But as it was, we were lucky to keep this house. And then Dad died, with no life insurance, and college just wasn’t in the cards for me. But working for Grado Valley paid well, and I loved the job and working at such a beautiful place. The only downside was, well, Neo.
Garrett stood. “Come here, bring it in.”
I hadn’t meant to be so dramatic. But it was the truth. And as Garrett hugged me, part of me wanted to pull away. Tell him I didn’t need a hug, I was fine, had always been fine. I hated being silly like this. And yet, I didn’t pull away. Instead, I let him tell me what I knew wasn’t true.
“None of that matters, Thayle. I can’t believe you think for a second that it does. You know the Grados better than that.”
I did, which was why it all sounded so awful to say aloud. They weren’t snobs. Far from it. But I couldn’t help feeling, just a tiny bit, that I was on the outside sometimes. Maybe it was just because they were family and I wasn’t, even though everyone pretended I was.
“It’s no big deal,” I said, about to pull away, when the door slammed open.
“You don’t use your...” Neo stopped, and I did pull back then. “Phone anymore?”
How embarrassing. I cleared my throat. Garrett, frankly, could not have appeared more pleased. He grinned from ear to ear. Ugh. He was going to get it.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, heading toward my luggage and picking up my purse. “I was waiting for you.”
Neo smiled. “Until you weren’t?” He closed the space between him and Garrett. “Sorry, buddy. I’m taking her away,” he said good-naturedly, shaking his hand. “We’ve got to hit the road to be at Angela’s by noon. We’re meeting with the owner.”
“Take her,” Garrett said as they shook hands. “She’s all yours.”
While Neo didn’t get the double meaning, I did, and the second Neo’s back was turned, I stuck out my tongue at Garrett.
Unapologetic, Garrett waved. “Have fun, kids. And yes,” he added, “I will turn off the coffee pot and lock the door when I leave. In that order.”
I laughed, mouthingthank youto my friend. Although he’d embarrassed the hell out of me, it was incredibly thoughtful of him to drive all the way out here this weekend, even if he did admit there was a woman here he’d been flirting long-distance with and so had made this a sort of two-for-one getaway.
“Talk to you later,” I said.
As I turned away from Garrett, I snuck a peek at Neo, who was already through the front door. Jeans, a tee, and an unbuttoned plaid shirt layered over it. . . no freaking way I was going to last two weeks. Garrett knew it too. His laughter trailed after me as I left my little house on the outskirts of town and followed Neo down the cobblestone path toward his truck.
SEVEN
neo
She’d dated before.Once, last spring, Thayle had invited her boyfriend to the estate. I’d mostly avoided him until it was closing time, on a Wednesday, which meant my family had gathered for our legendary Wednesday night get-together. My parents had started the tradition years ago after they realized they worked so hard that they rarely enjoyed the fruits of their own labor. So Wednesday nights after the tasting room closed, they began inviting a few close friends to hang out. Enjoy the estate. Drink some wine.
According to my mother, they’d only missed a Wednesday night gathering a handful of times before this summer, even planning vacations around it. Once was because of Marco’s birth. Another time, when my grandfather died. The other times were for less eventful reasons, but their point remained: Keep those nights sacred. Remember to enjoy the estate too, with family and friends. Work hard, play harder. It was the Grado way.
But that week last spring, I’d found reasons to venture down to the vines, where I typically went when I wanted to be alone. It hadn’t been the first time since I’d come back from college that Thayle had dated, but that relationship had seemed more serious than the others.
