bad moment.”
“Sweetheart, you were punching your best friend in O’Rourke’s
the other night.”
Honor paused. “I didn’t actually punch her.”
“I heard in school that you tackled her,” Abby said.
“I didn’t.”
“And threw wine in her face.”
“Um, I did do that, yes. More on her chest, but...” She glanced
at Levi, who was still in uniform. He raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
“What kind of wine?” Jack asked.
“A pinot noir from California. Flat body, too much pepper, high
acidity.”
“It’ll be cool, Honor,” Ned said. “You can be my boss.”
“I’m already your boss,” she pointed out.
“I’ll just be more useful. It’ll be good for me. I can mend my
sinful ways.”
“You’d better not be sinning, sonny,” Pru said. “But yeah,
Honor, he can help.”
“Sure. Fine.”
“I hired Jessica Dunn to be your assistant,” Dad added.
“What?” Jessica Dunn? The waitress? “That’s fine, Dad. No. Ned
is more than enough. He’s very helpful.”
“She has a marketing degree and wants to get some experience.
Figured she could do some of the media and whatnot.”
“Dad, do you even know what media is?”
“No, not really, but she said she could handle it.”
“Well, so can I! I don’t need her. No offense, Levi.” He and
Jessica were childhood friends. Everyone knew that.
“None taken,” he said, stroking Faith’s neck.
“She starts tomorrow,” Dad said.
“Dad—” Honor’s jaw was locked again. She loved that aspect of
her job—the press releases, articles, updating the website, running Twitter and
the vineyard’s Facebook page, schmoozing with the tourism bureaus, wooing
reporters, travel writers and wine reviewers. “I don’t need an assistant. Ned is
more than enough.”
“I don’t mind,” Ned said. “Jessica’s wicked pretty.”
“Not to you she’s not,” Pru said. “She’s way too old for you.
Got it?”
“Maybe she’s a cougar,” Ned said.
“Ned, you’re so disgusting,” Abby said, raising her head from
her textbook to glare at her brother.
“Honor, child,” said Mrs. Johnson, “whatever this media is, you
do too much of it. You work constantly, you eat at your desk, you have no
children for me to spoil, and it’s a shameful and terrible way to live.”
“No one was complaining last week,” she protested.
“No one was rolling on a filthy tavern floor last week,
either.” Mrs. J. gave her an arch look.
“You have an assistant now, sweetheart,” Dad said. “Enjoy
it.”
“But media is about half my job, and sales is the other half.
What am I supposed to do?” Honor asked, not liking that edge of hysteria in her
voice.
“Live a little,” Dad said. “Get some hobbies.”
“Watching World’s Biggest Tumor doesn’t count,” Jack said.
“You’re the one who called me last week to make sure I TiVoed Cottage Cheese Man, you hypocrite!”
“The Black and White Ball is coming pretty soon,” Faith pointed
out soothingly. “You’re chairman this year. That’ll be a lot of work.”
“Jessica starts tomorrow,” Dad said. “Family meeting adjourned.
Who’s hungry?”
“I’m starving,” Prudence said.
“I made ham,” Goggy announced, beating Mrs. Johnson to the
punch. “If you feel like coming down, not that any of you visit anymore, but
there’s also a Walnut Glory cake if you do decide to drop by.”
“We’ll meet you there in a few minutes,” Dad said. “Honor, stay
here, honey.”
They waited till everyone had tromped out. “About Ned and
Jessica, sweetheart. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you first, but I felt like I had
to do something definitive. And I didn’t want it to take forever, so I did it.”
He paused, taking off his old baseball cap and running a hand through his
thinning hair. “Mrs. Johnson and I are worried about you, Petunia.”
Yes, she’d heard them talking late last night, which was a
shock in itself, as Mrs. J. usually retired to her apartment above
“Sweetheart, you were punching your best friend in O’Rourke’s
the other night.”
Honor paused. “I didn’t actually punch her.”
“I heard in school that you tackled her,” Abby said.
“I didn’t.”
“And threw wine in her face.”
“Um, I did do that, yes. More on her chest, but...” She glanced
at Levi, who was still in uniform. He raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
“What kind of wine?” Jack asked.
“A pinot noir from California. Flat body, too much pepper, high
acidity.”
“It’ll be cool, Honor,” Ned said. “You can be my boss.”
“I’m already your boss,” she pointed out.
“I’ll just be more useful. It’ll be good for me. I can mend my
sinful ways.”
“You’d better not be sinning, sonny,” Pru said. “But yeah,
Honor, he can help.”
“Sure. Fine.”
“I hired Jessica Dunn to be your assistant,” Dad added.
“What?” Jessica Dunn? The waitress? “That’s fine, Dad. No. Ned
is more than enough. He’s very helpful.”
“She has a marketing degree and wants to get some experience.
Figured she could do some of the media and whatnot.”
“Dad, do you even know what media is?”
“No, not really, but she said she could handle it.”
“Well, so can I! I don’t need her. No offense, Levi.” He and
Jessica were childhood friends. Everyone knew that.
“None taken,” he said, stroking Faith’s neck.
“She starts tomorrow,” Dad said.
“Dad—” Honor’s jaw was locked again. She loved that aspect of
her job—the press releases, articles, updating the website, running Twitter and
the vineyard’s Facebook page, schmoozing with the tourism bureaus, wooing
reporters, travel writers and wine reviewers. “I don’t need an assistant. Ned is
more than enough.”
“I don’t mind,” Ned said. “Jessica’s wicked pretty.”
“Not to you she’s not,” Pru said. “She’s way too old for you.
Got it?”
“Maybe she’s a cougar,” Ned said.
“Ned, you’re so disgusting,” Abby said, raising her head from
her textbook to glare at her brother.
“Honor, child,” said Mrs. Johnson, “whatever this media is, you
do too much of it. You work constantly, you eat at your desk, you have no
children for me to spoil, and it’s a shameful and terrible way to live.”
“No one was complaining last week,” she protested.
“No one was rolling on a filthy tavern floor last week,
either.” Mrs. J. gave her an arch look.
“You have an assistant now, sweetheart,” Dad said. “Enjoy
it.”
“But media is about half my job, and sales is the other half.
What am I supposed to do?” Honor asked, not liking that edge of hysteria in her
voice.
“Live a little,” Dad said. “Get some hobbies.”
“Watching World’s Biggest Tumor doesn’t count,” Jack said.
“You’re the one who called me last week to make sure I TiVoed Cottage Cheese Man, you hypocrite!”
“The Black and White Ball is coming pretty soon,” Faith pointed
out soothingly. “You’re chairman this year. That’ll be a lot of work.”
“Jessica starts tomorrow,” Dad said. “Family meeting adjourned.
Who’s hungry?”
“I’m starving,” Prudence said.
“I made ham,” Goggy announced, beating Mrs. Johnson to the
punch. “If you feel like coming down, not that any of you visit anymore, but
there’s also a Walnut Glory cake if you do decide to drop by.”
“We’ll meet you there in a few minutes,” Dad said. “Honor, stay
here, honey.”
They waited till everyone had tromped out. “About Ned and
Jessica, sweetheart. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you first, but I felt like I had
to do something definitive. And I didn’t want it to take forever, so I did it.”
He paused, taking off his old baseball cap and running a hand through his
thinning hair. “Mrs. Johnson and I are worried about you, Petunia.”
Yes, she’d heard them talking late last night, which was a
shock in itself, as Mrs. J. usually retired to her apartment above
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