“Forget I mentioned it,” Nora said easily. “I’ll take care of the specifics for the wedding, Peyton. If you have any questions, feel free to message me at any time. I’m always available.”
“Thanks, Nora,” Peyton said.
“Seriously, thank you.”
“It’s no problem.”
“You all got the gala invite, right?” Peyton asked as we cleared the table and stood to leave.
“Got it,” I told her.
She was excited. Lubbock had acquired our first professional sports team, a Division II soccer team—FC Lubbock, the Prairie Dogs. Jordan had been in charge of the contract through Wright Construction, and Isaac had been the project manager alongside him. They were hosting a huge welcome event at the Buddy Holly Center. The ballet was performing a mini set for the audience and everything.
“August and I will be there,” Nora confirmed. “We’re excited.”
“Me too,” Peyton said.
We followed Nora outside to see a truck parked next to her CR-V. Her boyfriend, August, leaned against it in Wranglers, a gray T-shirt, and cowboy boots. His floppy surfer hair blew in the wind, but his heart-melting grin was all for his girlfriend. Nora squealed and trotted over to him as fast as she could in her heels. He picked her up and twirled her around, planting a firm kiss on her lips.
“Couldn’t wait for you to be done. Brought you Starbucks,” August said.
Nora looked up at him with hero worship in her eyes. “Gah, I love you.”
“Love you, too, baby girl.”
He passed her the coffee he’d driven out to the middle of nowhere to bring her and then waved at us. “Hey, y’all.”
“Hey, August,” I said.
Peyton waved next to me.
“They’re cute,” Peyton said.
“Young.”
Peyton laughed. “You’re so cynical.”
“Practical,” I argued.
“Whatever you say.” She faced me. “Are you sure you’re okay about Bradley?”
“Totally. It was a long time coming.”
“Well, if you need to talk, I’m around.” She checked her phone. “But I need to get to the studio. They knew I was coming in late, but still…things get out of control in a matter of hours.”
I hugged my sister and watched her leave, too. Maybe I was cynical. After all, wasn’t Peyton proof that young love could last? It’d just taken fifteen years for them to get back to it. Was it because I didn’t have anyone like that in my life that I felt so jaded about it?
Things hadn’t worked out with Bradley after trying time and time again. Was it me? Or was I over the bullshit? Over settling?
My thoughts were clouded as I walked back inside and grabbed another water. I didn’t have time to think about all of this. I had work to do. I was heading to my office when I nearly ran into a face I hadn’t seen in a good long while.
“Chase?” I asked.
Chase Sinclair blinked when he saw me. “Oh, hey, Piper.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked in confusion.
Chase was the grandson of Ray Sinclair, who had bequeathed Sinclair Cellars to my father. He was also a lawyer and Annie’s ex. I wondered if he’d heard about Annie and Jordan yet.
“Just meeting with your father.”
“About what?”
“Going over some paperwork,” he said with a shrug. “He wanted a second opinion on the legal documents. It’s a smart idea to keep everything up to date.”
“That makes sense. I didn’t see you at the Wright party last night.”
He shot me a pointed look. “I don’t go to many Wright events.”
“Did you…hear what happened?”
Chase sighed. “If you’re asking me if I know that Jordan and Annie got engaged, then yes.”
I held my hands up with a sly smile on my face. “I was just curious. I didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news.”
“It’s fine. Annie and I are friends. She called to let me know. I’m happy for her.”
“Well, good,” I said.
He hadn’t exactly sounded enthused. But I hardly blamed him. Chase wasn’t a bad guy. Not like his evil sister, Ashleigh. He’d just missed his opportunity with Annie. Someone else would come and steal his heart.
“Thanks for helping out my dad.”
“Anytime.” He patted my shoulder. “See you around, Piper.”
I found my dad’s office and knocked twice on the door. “Hey, just saw Chase.”
His head popped up. “Yeah? He’s a nice guy.”
“He is.”
“You could do well with a guy like that,” he said with a teasing smile. “Mira, a lawyer, too.”
I rolled my eyes. “You overheard that Bradley and I broke up?”
“Just looking out for you.”
“Ay Dios mio!”
He chuckled at my disinterest. “You’re coming to church tomorrow morning, right? Abuelita Nina misses you. You’re going to break her poor heart.”
I huffed out a breath. I adored my abuelita. She was in her eighties with more life than most people half her age. But church and I didn’t always get along, and it was her favorite place outside of the kitchen, where she admitted to worshipping Jesus with her cooking.
“I don’t know, Papa.”
“Don’t Papa me,” he said, pointing a pen at me. “Make your grandmother happy. Pray that we have many more years with her, but you need to spend the time with her now.”
“Fine,” I told him, feeling much younger than my twenty-nine years as he admonished me.
This was the best and worst part about working with my father. I loved him dearly, but the guilt trips sometimes put me over the edge.
I waved him off and returned to my own work. I had too much to do, and now, I had to attend church tomorrow instead of coming here like the workaholic I was.
7
Hollin
“Look at you,” Nora said when she entered the living room of our childhood home. “You almost look like an adult.”
“Almost?”
“You’d be a full adult in a tie,” she teased.
I ruffled her blonde bob, and she hopped away from me in her unbelievably high heels.
“Hey!”
“I put on a whole suit, and you’re upset over a tie?”
“Just saying,” she said with a grin. “Tell him, August.”
August, dressed in a black suit with a tie that complemented Nora’s teal dress, held his hands up. “Keep me out of this. I just do what she says.”
“See, he’s the smart one,” Nora said.
“Luckily, I’m not tied down to someone who requires a tie.”
It was a rare enough occasion for me to even be wearing a suit. A tie was next level. I’d do it for important nights, but I preferred to wear jeans and T-shirts. I liked cowboy boots and hats and belt buckles. It was Julian who had gone with me to get a few suits that were up to the Wright standards. I represented the winery now after all.
“You look nice,” my dad, Gregg, said as he ambled into the living room. He still wasn’t very fast on his feet and stepped into the room, clutching a cane.