Once Tasted: A Silver Creek Novel (5 page)

He’d just loosened Sirrus’s cinch when Thomas returned, two glasses in hand. “I bring you the nectar of the gods. Sit down and prepare to be transported.”

“Ready and willing,” he said, accepting the glass. Then he looked more closely at his friend’s face. Perhaps it was because Reid had been gone for several weeks, but something looked different about Thomas. His lined cheeks seemed rosier, and there was a bright sheen to his eyes. Was he feverish, Reid wondered with sudden concern. “So how are you feeling?”

“Taste this first. That’ll give you one hint as to why I’m smiling.”

“It’s your latest vintage?”

Thomas nodded, his smile growing broader.
“Salut.”
He clinked the rim of his glass to Reid’s.

“Salut,”
he replied. Raising the glass, he paused first to examine the purple-red hue against the midday sun and then to inhale the wine’s bouquet. Slowly, he tipped the glass’s bowl, letting the wine flow into his mouth and pool, awakening his taste buds. He swallowed.

“It’s got a nice, balanced body.”

“And the taste?” Thomas prompted.

“Cherries, vanilla, and oak.” Reid paused. “There’s something else—a lighter note. What is it?”

“You’re getting good. Violets,” he pronounced proudly.

“Violets?” Reid’s brows rose. “Damn, how did those sneak in there? And who knew violets could taste so good?”

Thomas took Reid’s teasing with good grace. “Mia did an outstanding job with the grapes. And to think she’d only just graduated from the enology program when this wine was on the vine.”

Reid gave a noncommittal “mm-hmm” in reply and
then raised his glass for another sip. “Congratulations on the wine, Thomas. It really is outstanding.”

Thomas nodded. “I’ve had Mia schedule the bottling company.”

“I want to order a hundred cases.”

Thomas grinned widely. “I’ll let Mia know. She’ll be delighted.”

Reid doubted that. With an effort, he put Mia out of his mind. Few things made him irritable; Mia never failed. “So, how are you feeling, really?”

Thomas reached for his wine, took a sip, and sighed. “Let’s just say I’m glad this wine is as superlative as it is, since it’ll be the last one I make here.”

Reid set his glass down on the table between them with a sharp
clink
. “Thomas, what the hell! Are you ill?”

Thomas slapped a hand on his thigh and barked in laughter. Still grinning, he said, “Good God, man, no! I’m in love.”

Reid blinked, feeling stupider and stupider. “In love?” he repeated.

“I’ve met someone, a wonderful woman. Actually, Pascale Giraud and I have known each other for several years. She and her husband, Michel, owned a small vineyard near Bergerac. I even went and stayed at their vineyard when I was touring the region five years ago. But Michel got sick, and unfortunately we lost touch while he was battling cancer. He died two years ago.” He gave a single shake of his silver head. “I saw Pascale again in late May at a conference in Napa, and, well, something clicked between us. We’ve been emailing and Skyping ever since.” The twin spots of color that Reid had noticed on Thomas’s cheeks minutes earlier deepened. “She’s amazing, Reid. Vibrant, warm, and giving. Pascale’s asked me to come and live with her in France. It’ll be a new chapter in my life.”

Reid looked at his friend. “I’ll be damned. I’m happy
for you, Thomas.” With a crooked grin, he leaned forward and slapped the bony shoulder beneath Thomas’s checked shirt. “Congratulations. When do you leave?”

“A week from Tuesday.”

Reid’s brows rose in surprise. “That soon?”

“To me it feels like forever. I find I’m as eager as a schoolboy. I want to be with Pascale. At my age it’s foolish to let time slip by. I bought the ticket on Priceline. Captain Kirk came through with a good deal.”

“A man you can count on. Wow,” he said, leaning back in the chair. It was hard to grasp that the days of sitting on the porch with Thomas, sipping Pinot and shooting the breeze, were at a close. “So what’ll happen with the vineyard?”

“Mia will take it over. The girl graduated at the top of her class from UC Davis. Time for her to come into her own and make a name for herself.” He cleared his throat. “That’s the other thing I want to talk to you about.”

Still absorbing the news Thomas had delivered, Reid answered automatically. “Sure, what is it?”

“I’ve offered your family a stake in the winery.”

“A stake? Why?”

“That’s simple. Money. I’ll need substantial funds of my own when I’m in France, and Jay will of course require a sum. That won’t leave much of anything in the till for operating costs.” His answer was accompanied by an embarrassed grimace.

“What about a bank loan?” Reid asked.

“In this economic climate? It’d be a miracle if I could get one—I haven’t exactly been turning a profit on the winery, and Mia doesn’t have a proven track record as a winemaker yet. Besides, your parents and I worked out much better terms than any bank would offer.” Thomas shifted in his chair, leaning forward. His voice mirrored his eagerness as he continued. “Our lawyers
have already drawn up the papers. But Adele and Daniel wanted to make sure you’re okay with the plan.”

Reid shrugged. “If my parents want to diversify the ranch’s investments, I’m not about to object.”

“Good,” Thomas said with nod. “Because we all agreed this would only succeed if you were willing to work with Mia.”

“Whoa. Wait a minute.” Reid held up his hand. “Why would I be working with Mia? I’m not a vintner.”

“No, but you know more about wine than anyone else in your family, and you know how to run a business—that’s what Mia really needs.”

Reid was tempted to retort that Thomas could have used a business adviser himself these years; then he might not be in this awkward financial position. But what was the point? What mattered was he had to figure out a way to let his friend down gently. “Thomas, this isn’t—”

“A good idea? Sure it is. All you have to do is give Mia a hand to get the business ball rolling, so to speak.” Thomas’s expression was earnest. “I’m asking you as a friend, Reid. You’re a good man and someone I trust. It’ll ease any worries I have about leaving if I know you’re watching out for her. She hasn’t had an easy time of it.”

The words were a kick in the gut.

Reid was all too aware how hard Mia’s life had been. Her older cousin, Jay—Thomas and Ellen’s only child—had seen to that.

Reid was certain Thomas had never learned what happened when Mia, Reid, and Jay were in high school. Reid was equally convinced that if he’d done the right thing that day and confronted Jay, Mia’s teen years would have been a whole lot easier. But discovering that Mia had a major crush on him and had even written about him in her diary had embarrassed Reid. Funnily
enough, he’d been a late bloomer. At sixteen he was just beginning to think about girls.

What had actually been in Mia’s diary—whether the descriptions were like Cinderella fairy tales or far more racy and explicit fantasies—quickly became immaterial once word about the journal spread through school.

Mia had been a freshman. Girls had difficulty shaking certain labels; “slut” stuck like superglue. “Pathetic” was just as hard to shake.

The memory still had the power to make Reid feel like shit. Maybe if he helped her out with the business end of the winery, it would ease the guilt he carried.

“And Mia? Is she okay with our working together?” He had a good imagination. Picturing Mia happy about doing anything with him defied it. Then another thought occurred to Reid. “How did she take the news of your leaving?”

Instead of answering, Thomas stared off in the direction of the vineyard.

“Thomas?”

The older man’s gaze shifted to the sage-green floor beneath his canvas sneakers. “She doesn’t know yet.”

Christ, he thought, rubbing the side of his face. “You mean you haven’t told her yet? About any of this?”

“No. No, I haven’t.” A defensive note entered Thomas’s voice. “I haven’t wanted to share my relationship with Pascale with anyone. I told your parents only to explain the situation. My feelings are too new and special. I’d almost forgotten what it’s like to fall in love. It’s the bluest sky, the clearest note, the finest vintage champagne, perfectly chilled and crisp.” His blue eyes became dreamy. “When I’m talking to Pascale, everything dances inside me. When I close my eyes, I can feel her in my arms, remember the softness of her skin, the scent of roses and bergamot that clings to her. Surely
you of all people understand, Reid. You’ve had so many women.…”

Yeah, he’d had women. But while he adored looking at them and loved having sex with them, none had ever moved him to rhapsodize about blue skies and champagne bubbles. For a second he felt a twinge of something like envy. It passed.

Thomas was still speaking. “…  so, no, I haven’t told Mia. It would be awkward. Besides, I wanted everything settled first. Giving her an incomplete picture would only upset her. I hate scenes.”

Reid’s brows rose. “You don’t think you’re going to cause a bigger, messier one this way? What do you expect her to do when she finds out you’re decamping half a world away in ten days’ time? You’re like a father to her, Thomas.”

His lips flattened in a grim line. “I know. But the fact is that I’m
not
Mia’s father. Not a day passes when I don’t wish I knew who he was, so she could have someone else to depend on, another family member to love.”

Like everyone else, Reid knew the stories. Serena Bodell, Thomas’s little sister by twelve years, had been a wild child, and their elderly parents quite conservative. After one too many blowups, seventeen-year-old Serena had run away. Thomas, apprenticing at a vineyard in Europe, wasn’t even informed by their parents that she’d left home. They refused to speak her name.

“You never were able to discover anything about Mia’s father?”

“There wasn’t a single clue as to his identity. Much as I hate the idea, it’s possible Serena didn’t know it herself.” He sighed. “She and Mia were in Florida when she drowned. The neighbors who’d been watching Mia for the night could only find two documents that held any relevance: Mia’s birth certificate—with the father listed as
unknown
—and the telephone number here.”

“Nothing else?”

Thomas gave a heavy shrug. “Serena had become a drifter, living on the fringes. Their worldly possessions amounted to little more than some photos of Mia and Serena, a suitcase of clothes, and a few hundred dollars in cash. When we got the call, seven years had passed since she ran away. By then my parents were dead, and Ellen and I were living here. Jay was six. As Ellen and I were Mia’s only known family, we brought her home. Then Ellen passed, and I was left to raise Jay and Mia alone. I did the best I could—maybe better with Mia than with Jay.”

For a moment Thomas sat lost in memories. Reid, unwilling to cause his friend more pain with his questions, remained silent.

With a shake of his head, Thomas roused himself. “But that’s water under the bridge. Both Jay and Mia are grown adults, and I want something for myself now. If that’s selfish, so be it. Don’t get me wrong, Reid. I love Mia.”

“I know you do. But I still think you should tell her as soon as you can.”

“I disagree. Holding off will shorten the inevitable unpleasantness.”

It always amazed Reid how smart people could be dumb. “Blindsiding her is not the solution, Thomas.”

“She’ll get over it,” he said mulishly. “After all, I’m handing over the vineyard and the winery to her. She’ll be busy from dawn to dusk calling the shots from vine to wine. All she needs is a little guidance in the area of marketing and so on.” He gave a vague wave of his hand. “With you helping her, she’ll have it.”

Reid wasn’t often angry, but right now he felt like shaking the older man. “You apparently haven’t noticed this, but Mia’s not too fond of me.”

“Oh, she likes you well enough.”

The man needed his eyes checked.

A sly grin stole over Thomas’s face. “See, Reid, you’re doing it already.”

“Doing what?” he asked, exasperated.

“Looking out for Mia. Now all you need to do is advise her on how to get our wine into more people’s glasses. Simple.”

Yeah, right. Sure, he felt as if he owed Mia. And, sure, he’d been feeling a restless itch this morning, as if he needed a challenge, a change from the normal routine. But this was not the solution. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

“So can I count on you, Reid?”

Hearing the worry in Thomas’s voice, Reid shifted in the wide-planked chair and wished that, instead of wine, he had a few fingers of whiskey in his glass. He suppressed a sigh. “I’ll do what I can.”

Thomas stretched out his hand. For a second Reid hesitated. What the hell, he thought, and shook it.

With a relieved grin, Thomas said, “I really appreciate this, Reid. I’ll call Daniel and Adele—”

“No, I’ll speak to them.” He had a few choice words for his parents about springing this deal on him. “I’ll go talk to—” His sentence went unfinished, for just then Mia’s voice called out.

“Thomas?”

Damn, Reid cursed silently. He didn’t want to run into Mia. Not now especially. He wasn’t sure he could act as if everything was fine and dandy.

What would shock her more—learning that Thomas was leaving or that he’d fallen in love? And if by some chance she managed to take that news in stride, how would she react, he wondered, when Thomas finally got around to telling her she was going to be working with her least favorite person in the whole world?