“Hey, what are friends for? Besides, it will keep him wanting more, right?!”
I find myself relaxing a little , as I chuckle with her.
She picks up the wine bottle , holding it high, she asks, “Can I interest you in some Towers Private Reserve?”
Startled, I look at her and squint at the label , through exhausted eyes. I see that she does, indeed, have a bottle of Harrison’s wine in her hands. “When did you start drinking local wines? I thought you were a strict Italian import snob?”
She looks at me with a crinkle of her brow and tilts her head “Uh, hello! You sent me this a few weeks ago, remember?”
Shaking my head rapidly as my heart starts to race once again I inquire, “What do you mean I sent it? I swear that I did not send you that bottle of wine! When did you get it and how did you receive it?”
Her face is pale now , as she sets the bottle on the counter. “Dani, just what is going on here? This is starting to rattle even me. It came while I was on my last set in Bend. I found it on my front doorstep, in a wine basket with a burgundy satin bow tied around it.”
“Was there a card or note with it?”
She looks at me sheepishly, “Uh, well no. There wasn’t. I just assumed it was from you. I mean it was from Towers Vineyard, why would I think it was anyone else?”
“Shit ! Clarke! You never said anything to me!”
“Now , wait a minute!! Why are you getting mad at me ?! It was a reasonable assumption to make.” She puts her hand up to stop me from responding. “I think you just need to calm down. I would also like to remind you that I am an innocent bystander, being sucked into this melodrama.” She snorts with a look of disgust on her face.
My guilt is now overflowing , and I remember that I still need to call Harrison.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you. Honestly, Clarke, I don’t know what is going on. The last thing I want is for you to be caught in this web. I really am so sorry. I think, maybe, I should go stay at a hotel. Harrison said he would put me up in one of his.”
She crosses the kitchen to get a clean glass out of the cupboard and holds up a bottle of Jack Daniels , with a questioning arch of her brow. I shake my head rapidly no. She pours a generous portion in a small tumbler glass and throws it back in one quick motion. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and then turns to face me, square on.
“Dani, I too have to be honest. Ever since you started seeing money bags, all of these passive aggressive little threats have been making your life miserable. Now the asshole is engaged and you are standing here in the middle of my kitchen, virtually homeless.” She stops to pour herself another, smaller, portion of Jack and throws the second back just as quickly as the first.
It’s like she left out the part that she wanted to say , which is that it’s all Harrison’s fault. I tend to agree though. But, only in the sense that it because of Harrison that I am the recipient of all of this nonsense; clearly, this is not his doing.
“That said, I will not hear of you staying in a hotel!” She gives a fake giggle, “Besides, it seems I am already in the middle of this.” She nods at the single red carnation she had placed on the table after carrying it in from the car.
I feel a cold chill travel from the base of my neck , down my spine. A creepy reminder that things are getting worse, not better.
“If anything were to happen to you because of me, I would never , in a million years, be able to forgive myself!” I realize that I sound like Harrison. “This is getting far too complicated. When I put it out to the universe that I wanted a fresh start and a new life, this is not exactly what I had in mind. Perhaps, I should have been more specific.”
She laughs and comes over to give me a big, Italian-girl style hug. “I will help you get through this. I am optimistic that things will get better for you hun. Have some faith.”
I nod and feel hot
I find myself relaxing a little , as I chuckle with her.
She picks up the wine bottle , holding it high, she asks, “Can I interest you in some Towers Private Reserve?”
Startled, I look at her and squint at the label , through exhausted eyes. I see that she does, indeed, have a bottle of Harrison’s wine in her hands. “When did you start drinking local wines? I thought you were a strict Italian import snob?”
She looks at me with a crinkle of her brow and tilts her head “Uh, hello! You sent me this a few weeks ago, remember?”
Shaking my head rapidly as my heart starts to race once again I inquire, “What do you mean I sent it? I swear that I did not send you that bottle of wine! When did you get it and how did you receive it?”
Her face is pale now , as she sets the bottle on the counter. “Dani, just what is going on here? This is starting to rattle even me. It came while I was on my last set in Bend. I found it on my front doorstep, in a wine basket with a burgundy satin bow tied around it.”
“Was there a card or note with it?”
She looks at me sheepishly, “Uh, well no. There wasn’t. I just assumed it was from you. I mean it was from Towers Vineyard, why would I think it was anyone else?”
“Shit ! Clarke! You never said anything to me!”
“Now , wait a minute!! Why are you getting mad at me ?! It was a reasonable assumption to make.” She puts her hand up to stop me from responding. “I think you just need to calm down. I would also like to remind you that I am an innocent bystander, being sucked into this melodrama.” She snorts with a look of disgust on her face.
My guilt is now overflowing , and I remember that I still need to call Harrison.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you. Honestly, Clarke, I don’t know what is going on. The last thing I want is for you to be caught in this web. I really am so sorry. I think, maybe, I should go stay at a hotel. Harrison said he would put me up in one of his.”
She crosses the kitchen to get a clean glass out of the cupboard and holds up a bottle of Jack Daniels , with a questioning arch of her brow. I shake my head rapidly no. She pours a generous portion in a small tumbler glass and throws it back in one quick motion. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and then turns to face me, square on.
“Dani, I too have to be honest. Ever since you started seeing money bags, all of these passive aggressive little threats have been making your life miserable. Now the asshole is engaged and you are standing here in the middle of my kitchen, virtually homeless.” She stops to pour herself another, smaller, portion of Jack and throws the second back just as quickly as the first.
It’s like she left out the part that she wanted to say , which is that it’s all Harrison’s fault. I tend to agree though. But, only in the sense that it because of Harrison that I am the recipient of all of this nonsense; clearly, this is not his doing.
“That said, I will not hear of you staying in a hotel!” She gives a fake giggle, “Besides, it seems I am already in the middle of this.” She nods at the single red carnation she had placed on the table after carrying it in from the car.
I feel a cold chill travel from the base of my neck , down my spine. A creepy reminder that things are getting worse, not better.
“If anything were to happen to you because of me, I would never , in a million years, be able to forgive myself!” I realize that I sound like Harrison. “This is getting far too complicated. When I put it out to the universe that I wanted a fresh start and a new life, this is not exactly what I had in mind. Perhaps, I should have been more specific.”
She laughs and comes over to give me a big, Italian-girl style hug. “I will help you get through this. I am optimistic that things will get better for you hun. Have some faith.”
I nod and feel hot
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