The Vineyard at Painted Moon Read online

  “She can’t,” Barbara said aloud. “I won’t let her. I’ll take her to court. I’ll have her arrested. I’ll do something!”

  She reached for her phone only to realize her hands were shaking. Two attempts later, she managed to pick it up and place the call.

  Giorgio picked up on the second ring.

  “I was just thinking about you, my love,” he said, his voice full of affection. “But that’s how I spend most of my time, so I doubt the news is a surprise.”

  At the sound of his voice, she started to cry. The action shocked her nearly as much as the news about Mackenzie—she never cried. Not once in twenty-six years. The last time she’d cried had been at James’s funeral. Standing there as they’d lowered his coffin into the ground, she’d vowed to be strong, and she had been—until this.

  “What is it?” he asked, his voice thick with concern. “What happened?”

  “I need you. Can you come to my office?”

  “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Whatever it is, we’ll take care of it together.”

  She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her, and hung up. She was still shaking, and her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she thought she might throw up.

  She had to focus, she told herself. Start thinking about what this all meant and how to make the situation workable. She had to figure out what she—

  “Mom?”

  She looked up and saw Lori standing in the doorway. The sight of her middle daughter with her too-tight suit and hangdog expression annoyed her more than usual.

  “What?” she asked, her voice tense.

  “I heard what happened with Mackenzie,” Lori began.

  “Of course you did. God forbid I have one second of privacy in this damn place. Fine. You heard. Now keep the information to yourself. No one needs to know until I decide what to do next.”

  “Maybe I can help.”

  “How, exactly? How could you possibly replace Mackenzie? She’s a master winemaker. Your little foray into that side of the business was a disaster and cost me thousands of dollars. You have the taste buds of paint. So if not that, what other brilliant ideas do you have?”

  Lori’s lower lip began to tremble—a telltale sign that she was about to cry. Barbara deliberately turned away from her and opened her lower desk drawer. Behind a box of envelopes was a small bottle of tequila she kept for emergencies.

  She unscrewed the top and took a long swallow. The liquor burned the entire way down her throat. When she set the bottle on her desk, she saw her daughter had left. Thank God. She couldn’t take one more thing.

  She sat there, sipping tequila, staring at the wall until Giorgio walked in.

  “What happened?” he asked, holding open his arms.

  She rose and ran into his embrace, letting his warmth and strength give her a false sense of security.

  “It’s Mackenzie,” she said. “She’s betrayed me. She’s a horrible, lying, awful person and I never saw it until today.”

  The tears returned. Giorgio held her tight, murmuring soothingly until she had a little more control, then he led her over to the sofa in the corner.

  “Tell me everything,” he said.

  She told him about the divorce and how she’d assured Mackenzie that it wouldn’t affect her position at Bel Après. He listened attentively, holding her hands in his.

  “It’s just such a slap in the face,” she concluded. “What is she going to do? Work somewhere else?” She stared at him. “What if she steals our secrets? What if she steals our customers? She’s going to try to destroy us and I don’t know why. We’ve been her family, her life. To act like this tells me there’s something fundamentally wrong with her. Do you think I could get her committed somewhere?”

  Giorgio smiled. “I love how you try to see the humor in such a difficult situation.”

  Barbara didn’t bother pointing out that she hadn’t been kidding. Getting Mackenzie into a mental institution was probably a little far-fetched, but it would certainly suit her purposes.

  “I’m sorry about their divorce,” he said. “It’s always tragic when love is lost. Did you know they were unhappy?”

  Why in God’s name was he asking about that? She didn’t care about their feelings or their marriage. Bel Après was at stake! But she understood that Giorgio was much kinder than she was, and while she might find that tedious at times, it was one of the reasons she’d fallen in love with him.

  “Neither of them ever said anything,” she told him. “She said it’s a mutual decision and very amicable, so the winery is slightly more pressing. We don’t have a winemaker. I always meant to get around to hiring a backup, but with Mackenzie here, it didn’t seem necessary. None of the children can do it. I’ve stepped in before, but we were much smaller then. With how many gallons we bottle each year, I don’t think I’m qualified. I need a plan.”

  “You need to talk to Mackenzie. Why is she leaving?”

  “I don’t know. She’s a bitch. Isn’t that a good enough reason?”

  He squeezed her fingers. “My love, she’s like a daughter to you. You’ve worked together so closely. But maybe her decision to leave is about being unhappy. You and yours are the only family she has. She wouldn’t give that up easily, so there must be something else. Has she ever said anything to you about what she wanted from her life that she doesn’t have?”

  Barbara quickly tried to suppress the memories, but they were too strong. She recalled years ago when Mackenzie had asked if she would ever have a part of Bel Après. Barbara had explained about the will and how only blood relatives could inherit. Mackenzie had been desperate to somehow buy in or work hard so she could be one of the owners, but Barbara had told her that would never happen.

  “What are you thinking?”

  She pressed her lips together. “Oh, she talked about wanting to have a share of the winery. It couldn’t possibly happen, and I told her to never ask again. It’s not my fault,” she added, knowing she sounded defensive. “James’s will is very clear.”

  “There must be ways around that.”

  Possibly, but why would she want to look for them? Instead of saying that, she murmured, “I’m not sure it would help.”

  “Mackenzie’s alone in the world. It makes sense she wants to feel connected to something as wonderful as Bel Après. Perhaps a tiny percentage of—”

  “No.”

  “But my sweet—”

  “Giorgio, no. She can’t have any ownership in the winery. That’s just how it is.”

  “But you love her.”

  “Not anymore.”

  He drew back. “You don’t mean that. She’s the daughter of your heart.”

  “She’s a lying bitch who wants to leave us.”

  He studied her for a few seconds. “You’re still upset. I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have pushed you. Forgive me?”

  “Of course. You’re not the problem, you’re never the problem. It’s Bel Après. Everything could be ruined.”

  “Then focus all your incredible talents on finding a new winemaker. I would imagine there are dozens who would jump at the chance to work for such a prestigious label.” He leaned close and kissed her. “How can I help?”

  “Just being here makes me feel better.”

  “Good.” He pulled her into his embrace. “Sweet, sweet Barbara. We’ll get through this together.”

  She nodded, because it was the kind thing to do, but knew in her heart that there was no “we” when it came to this problem. There was only her and finding a solution to a horrible situation.

  Damn Mackenzie, she thought grimly. Damn her straight to hell.

  fifteen

  Stephanie was not happy to be summoned to her mother’s house, especially not on the day Mackenzie had told Barbara she was leaving. But the text had been specific enough that she couldn’t
figure out a way to get out of going.

  Be at my house at 7 p.m. I will accept no excuses.

  Stephanie stared at her phone, hoping for a reprieve, but sadly the screen stayed dark. In fifteen minutes she was going to have to walk the too-short distance between their homes and deal with whatever crap her mother wanted to send her way.

  She debated getting drunk before heading over. A coward’s way to deal, but she could live with that. Only there wasn’t enough time, and in the name of self-preservation, she should probably keep her wits about herself—as much as she could, under the circumstances.

  “Mom?”

  She looked up from her place at the kitchen island and saw Avery standing in the doorway. Her daughter was still a little pale and there were shadows under her eyes, but she seemed to be on the road to recovery. Oh, to be young again, and bounce back quickly, she thought. Stephanie, on the other hand, kept flashing back to the conversation from a few days ago when her daughter had matter-of-factly mentioned she knew about Kyle’s cheating and was doing her best not to be the fool her mother had been. Humbling, humiliating, but wise on Avery’s part.

  “Madison invited me over to her place,” she said. “I’ll be back by eleven.”

  Stephanie forced a smile. “I’m glad you’re getting out.”

  “I heard from Alexander. He’s sorry and wants me to meet him tomorrow.”

  “What are you going to do?” she asked, careful to keep her tone and expression neutral.

  “I told him we were done and that I was blocking him on my phone.”

  Stephanie relaxed. “You’re amazing. I’m so proud of you, sweetie.”

  Avery nodded without much enthusiasm. “I know it’s the right thing to do, but it still hurts.”

  Stephanie risked rejection and wrath by hugging her daughter. “I know it’s hard to believe now, but eventually you’re going to feel better. Then you’re going to find a great guy who treats you the way you deserve to be treated.”

  Avery returned the hug before stepping back. “Am I? You never have. You don’t date or anything. Your whole life is here. You work for Bel Après, your best friend is your sister-in-law. Don’t you ever want a bigger life?”

  Stephanie did her best not to flinch. “I have a good job and I spend my days with the people I love best.”

  The words came automatically. It was only after she spoke that she remembered she hated her job and working for her mother, and that not saying that to her daughter was ignoring the truth and a chance to share an important life lesson.

  “If you say so,” Avery murmured before walking to the back door. “See you later.”

  “Wait!” Stephanie called, but it was too late. Her daughter was gone and she was left alone with her half-truths and regrets.

  Ugh. Not the best frame of mind to go deal with her mother, she thought as she walked across the courtyard and into her mother’s house.

  Of the four homes clustered together, Barbara’s was the most traditional. A two-story foyer opened into a formal living room. The dining room had a long table that could seat twenty when all the leaves were put in. High ceilings were decorated with elegant molding, and expensive rugs covered hardwood floors.

  Stephanie walked into the family room at the rear of the house. Large sofas formed a U shape in front of a huge stone fireplace. There was no television—that was upstairs, in the media room. One did not visit Barbara Barcellona to be distracted by a cartoon or a football game.

  She saw her mother and Lori already seated on one of the sofas.

  “Hey, Mom,” Stephanie said as she approached.

  “You’re here. Good.” Her mother waved a crystal highball glass. “What would you like to drink?”

  Stephanie eyed the liquid already in her mother’s glass and had a bad feeling it was tequila. Wine was Barbara’s usual drink, but when life got tough, she opted for the serious liquor and things generally went downhill from there.

  Stephanie saw Lori had a glass of white wine in front of her. “I’ll have what Lori’s having.”

  She retreated to the kitchen and found an open bottle of chardonnay in the refrigerator. She poured herself a glass. She chugged half of it, then refilled it before putting the bottle back. She’d just settled across from her mother when Four walked in.

  “Tell me you didn’t start without me,” Four said cheerfully. “I hate to miss anything.”

  Stephanie held in a groan. She’d texted Four earlier to warn her that Mackenzie had told Barbara she was leaving and had then been fired, so she couldn’t say her sister didn’t know she was stepping into a minefield. But that was Four’s way—she often sailed unafraid into troubled waters.

  “I can’t believe you don’t know what happened today,” her mother snapped. “Stop acting so ridiculously happy and get yourself a drink.”

  “No thanks.” Four sat next to Stephanie and tucked her feet under her. “I take it from your tone that you’re upset about Mackenzie.”

  Barbara glared at her. “Why did I ever think you had a brain?”

  “I must have a brain. I’m alive and fully functional. My nervous system and brain seem intact.”

  Stephanie couldn’t decide if Four was the bravest person she knew or the dumbest.

  “Besides,” Four continued with a winning smile, “it’s not a surprise that Mackenzie would want to leave. This was never her dream. She has to find where she’ll be happy.”

  “She should be happy here,” Barbara said, her tone a low growl. “I gave her everything and she betrayed us.”

  “She did,” Lori echoed.

  “Not everything,” Stephanie said before she could stop herself. “She wanted to be a part of the winery and you wouldn’t let that happen.”

  Her mother turned her cold, angry gaze on her. “You do realize how ridiculous you sound.”

  “Actually, I’m making sense. Everyone deserves to feel they belong to something. She wanted to be more than an employee. You made sure that wouldn’t happen and now she’s leaving. Do you think that makes any of us happy? She’s my best friend, Mom. I see her all the time. We’re in and out of each other’s houses. We work in the same building and now all that is going to change. She was good for Bel Après and she was good for our family.”

  Four reached across the cushions and took Stephanie’s hand in hers.

  Barbara finished her tequila. After holding the glass out to Lori for a refill, she slid to the edge of the sofa, her gaze intense.

  “You take that back.”

  “Take what back? It’s the truth. She was devoted to you and the wines, she’s a wonderful friend, and she loves us all.”

  “Not enough to stay.”

  “I go back to my original premise. What is she supposed to stay for? A paycheck? She can get that anywhere.”

  Lori got up and poured more tequila and handed the glass to her mother.

  “She’s a terrible person,” Lori said. “I hate her. I always knew she was going to be trouble.”

  Stephanie rolled her eyes. “That is so much crap. You’ve always resented that Mom liked her best. There’s a difference.”

  “Did not.”

  Four squeezed Stephanie’s fingers, as if reminding her what was important.

  “Barbara, what did you want to tell us?” Four asked.

  Their mother swallowed a good portion of her drink. “She has to be punished.”

  “Flogged?” Stephanie asked, her tone snippy. “Are you going to take out a contract on her? You’re being ridiculous, Mom. You made this happen and now you’re having to deal with the consequences. She’s going to leave and I don’t blame her.”

  Her mother leaned back in the sofa. “You’re very free with your opinion tonight.”

  Probably because she was trying to make up for not telling Avery the truth, Stephanie thought, still disappo
inted by her earlier behavior. Plus, she hadn’t been supportive when Mackenzie had first told her about the divorce.

  “I’m telling the truth.”

  “You’re being disloyal. I would be careful about that if I were you.” Her mother glanced at all three of them. “As of today, none of you will have any contact with Mackenzie. You’re not to speak to her or text with her. As far as you’re concerned, she’s dead to all of us.”

  “Gladly,” Lori said quickly.

  “I don’t think so,” Four told her.

  “Not happening,” Stephanie added. “She’s my best friend, Mom. That’s not changing. I love her and I want her in my life. I want her in my kids’ lives. Whatever she needs, I’m going to help her get.”

  Her mother stared at her, her expression stern. “You say the words so easily, but know this. There will come a time when you have to choose. Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to cross me, Stephanie.”

  Despite the shiver that rippled down her spine, Stephanie remained defiant. “Or what? I’ll be punished, too? We’re all adults, Mom. You can’t ground us. Besides, you’re wrong about how you’re handling this.”

  Four leaned toward their mother. “We’re a family, Barbara. No matter how angry you are, that doesn’t change.”

  “And you two need to remember your places in my world. I can make things uncomfortable.”

  Stephanie stood. “I’ve had enough. I know you’re upset, and yes, it’s awful that she’s leaving, but it’s also your fault. You did this to yourself and to us. We’re all going to suffer because of you. I don’t care about your threats. I care about losing someone who matters to me. While Mackenzie and I will always be friends, everything is going to change. So threaten me all you want, but know that it’s going to take me a long time to forgive you for this. For how you’re acting. You’re giving mothers everywhere a really bad name.”

  With that, she walked out of the house. Her defiance lasted until she was into her own place. Once there, she closed the door, then leaned against it, trying to ignore the trembling that started in her hands and worked its way down to her legs.