The Apple Orchard

by Susan Wiggs

  He poured the wine into a lovely goblet—another surprise. Most single guys drew their wine from a box and poured it into recycled jelly jars. These were fine crystal, as delicate as soap bubbles.

  “Was 2004 a good year?” she asked, eyeing the wine, a deep claret color in the glasses.

  “One of the best.”

  “You’re giving me a vintage wine?” He’d made the wine. This facet of Dominic intrigued her; creative people always did. Tess was in the business of finding things, not making them.

  “It’s not doing any good lying around in the bottle. Cheers.” They touched the rims of their glasses together.

  She brought the paper-thin rim of the glass to her lips and took a sip, letting a tiny amount pool in the cup of her tongue. Then she shut her eyes and swallowed, breathing in the afterglow of the wine’s complex flavors and aromas.

  “Well?” he asked.

  Startled by pleasure, she opened her eyes. “I was bracing myself for rotgut.”

  “Rotgut? I’m wounded.”

  “I don’t even have words for how good it is.”

  “It’ll be even better after it breathes for a little while.”

  She turned the bottle toward her and read the other side of the label. “Angel Creek. This is what Isabel served last night. Wait a minute, you’re a grower and a vintner?”

  “It’s a sideline.”

  “He’s gonna get famous for his wines,” Trini said importantly.

  “What’s rotgut?” Antonio asked.

  “Just an expression,” Tess said. “It means cheap wine that’s not very good. It doesn’t actually rot your gut.”

  “Not right away,” Dominic said, expertly folding a piece of pizza over and savoring a large bite.

  “How did you get so good at making wine?” she asked.

  “He can’t cook, but he can make wine.” Antonio took a big bite of pizza.

  “Hey,” said Dominic.

  “It’s true, Dad. You can’t cook.”

  “So sue me.”

  “Lots of people can’t cook,” Tess pointed out. “Very few can make delicious wine.”

  “It’s his passione,” Trini said with dramatic emphasis. “That’s Italian for passion.”

  “And yet you became a banker,” Tess remarked, savoring another sip. “Is that your passion, too?”

  “That’s my job.”

  “He’s really good at it. He’s got awards from the bank,” Antonio said. “He’s got a Navy Air Medal.”

  “That was from military service, moron,” said Trini.

  “Hey,” Dominic said in a warning tone.

  The pizza was incredible, just as the kids had promised. Paired with the wine, it was heaven. She felt an unexpected sense of comfort here, being with Dominic and his kids. It was...easy. Pleasant, in a way she’d never before experienced. “This is some wine,” she told him.

  “Thanks.”

  “You served in the navy,” she prompted.

  He reached over and refilled her glass. “That’s right.”

  “How did you earn a medal?” she asked.

  “His plane had a malfunction, and he had to do an emergency landing,” Trini said. There was a tremor in her voice. “He almost got killed.”

  “I’m here now,” he said, clearly not wanting to go into it. Tess didn’t press for details, not in front of the kids. Although she’d grown up without a father, she remembered the feeling of worrying about a parent. Each time her mom took off and forgot to call, or got caught in a third-world country, Tess used to worry, standing at the window in Nana’s Dublin flat, feeling her stomach twist into knots.

  After dinner, the cleanup was minimal—definitely a side benefit of not cooking. As he loaded plates into the dishwasher, Dominic turned to Tess. “Are you up for ten minutes of soccer?”

  “Eff, yeah!” Antonio said, punching the air.

  “Easy, Bud,” Dominic said.

  “Sure,” said Tess, following the three of them, along with the two dogs, out to the backyard. She was wearing ballet flats, hardly appropriate for soccer, but she knew she could last ten minutes. There was a goal set up at one end, aglow in the light from the porch. It wasn’t a game but a free-for-all, including the dogs. Dominic’s moves were executed with the smoothness of a professional. The kids were nearly as good, and Tess got into the competitive spirit of things, remembering how much she’d loved the game as a girl. When she drilled a goal home, the ball whizzing past Dominic, she danced a little jig of victory.

  “Awesome,” Trini declared. “Schooled you, Dad.”

  “Yeah,” said Tess. “Schooled you.”

  The sweetness of victory didn’t last, though. He grabbed her next shot out of midair, and kept her from making another goal. Mercifully, no one kept score. After a while, Dominic declared the game at an end. “Time to hit the showers,” he said. “You’re up past your bedtime, both of you.”

  “Aww,” Antonio began.

  “Hit the showers, and call me when you’re ready for bed,” Dominic said.

  “Can Tess come and tell us good-night?” Antonio asked.

  “If she wants.” He turned to Tess, one eyebrow lifted above his horn-rims.

  “I’d be honored.” She didn’t consider herself good with kids, but how hard could it be, telling them good-night?

  Harder than she thought. They stomped up the stairs and took their time getting cleaned up and ready for bed. There was some kind of toothpaste war in the bathroom, followed by a rambunctious chase involving Iggy and the Dude. Finally they were in bed, and she was summoned.

  They shared a room with bunk beds. The space was decorated with startlingly good taste, with sage-colored walls and modern bedding, plenty of cubbies for toys and books. “Your room is great,” she told the kids.

  “Bootsie was a room decorator,” Trini explained. “It didn’t work out for them, but she has mad skills.”

  “I can see that.” Tess already knew she was going to give far too much thought to Bootsie, and even more to the idea that Trini believed her parents would reconcile.

  The kids were finally snuggled in their bunk beds. Each was equipped with a reading lamp and an assortment of plush toys. Trini appeared to favor unicorns while Antonio went for jungle animals.

  “We get to read for half an hour before lights out,” Antonio said. He hugged a battered novel to his chest.

  “Good night, you pair of rascals.” Dominic gave each one a kiss on the forehead and tucked them in. Watching him, Tess felt her heart melt a little, moved by the simplicity of his affection and by the love that shone from his face.

  “Good night, guys,” she said softly. “Thanks for letting me see your room.”

  She and Dominic stepped outside. “No fighting, no biting,” he said, leaving the door slightly ajar. “Say when.”

  “When!” yelled Antonio. “That’s far enough.”

  Downstairs, he filled their glasses with the last of the wine. A faint air of exhaustion hung around him, though he was smiling. “So there you have it. Welcome to my life.”

  She looked around the living room, scanning the plain furniture, the nearly bare walls. The place was strangely devoid of personal objects.

  “I’m not much for decorating,” he said. “Bootsie and I parted ways before she helped me with the rest of the house. My ex took all the knickknacks and tchotchkes.”

  She waited for him to say more, but he fell silent. Most people liked surrounding themselves with reminders of who they were—history, family, continuity.

  “I’m sorry again about intruding,” she said.

  “You didn’t. It’s too bad we couldn’t go see Magnus. Tell you what. I’ll get you a schedule of visiting hours, and we’ll work something out.”

  “I’d like that.” She savored a bit more of the wine.

  He was turning out to be a lot more interesting than he should be. She reminded herself that he was a stranger still. She wasn’t supposed to think about how he’d looked with his shirt o
ff, or how cute he was with his kids and dogs. She wasn’t supposed to like him.

  In spite of her misgivings, there was so much she wanted to know about this man, yet at the same time, she told herself she couldn’t get involved. His “Welcome to my life” had been a stark reminder that they were worlds apart. She needed to conclude her business in Archangel and move on. Her job, her life in the city, was waiting for her. Yet she felt more and more pulled in, not just to her sister but to everyone at Bella Vista, and to this man with his lonely eyes and adorable kids.

  “Thanks for the welcome,” she said. “Honestly, I didn’t come here looking to be entertained, but I have to say, the pizza was great, and this wine is amazing.”

  He held open the back door, inviting her out onto a railed porch. The stars were just coming out.

  “Over here.” He went down the porch steps and held open the back gate. Iggy raced after them, but the Dude stayed on the porch, sentinel-like, vigilant. “He refuses to leave the premises when the kids are home,” Dominic explained.

  “Did you train him to do that?”

  “I didn’t have to. He just started doing it. The vet says he’s got Akita in him.”

  “Japanese guard dog.”

  “Yep. He’s devoted to the kids.”

  “You have nice kids,” she said.

  “Thanks. I think so.”

  “I’ve spent too much time on airplanes with the sort of children who give all kids a bad name.”

  “You’ve been flying in the wrong birds, then.”

  “Yeah, about that. A navy pilot? Air medal? Sounds way more challenging than banking.”

  He hesitated. “Being a banker is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “In the navy, I followed orders, I flew my missions. There was a plan for everything and it never varied.”

  “What kind of plane did you fly?”

  “Jet, please. The EA-6B Prowler.”

  “Isn’t that carrier-based?” She had dated a guy briefly who was in the navy, stationed on a San Francisco–based carrier. Eldon had been a walking encyclopedia of navy trivia, and after a few excruciating dates she had stopped seeing him.

  “That’s right.”

  “So landing a jet on an aircraft carrier is easier than banking?”

  “Pretty much anything is easier than telling someone they don’t get the home of their dreams, or that foreclosure proceedings are starting.”

  She winced, thinking of Isabel and what she’d discovered about Magnus’s accounts. She wanted to talk to him more about it but didn’t feel right without Isabel present. “Then why do you do it?”

  “Stability for my family.”

  Iggy took off across the orchard, disappearing into the darkness.

  “Is he going to be all right?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I used to worry about coyotes, but Iggy’s smart. And fast.”

  “What’s that smell? It smells so good here.”

  “The orchard. This section is Magnus’s favorite.”

  “That’s Bella Vista land?”

  “Yep. We share a property line.” He led the way across the yard, which was bordered on one side by his vines and the other by a row of trees, heavy with apples. Reaching for a low branch, he picked a ripe one and handed it to her. “These are the Honeycrisps. Tastiest apples known to man.”

  She bit into the crisp flesh, and her mouth was flooded with fresh sweetness. “This might be the best apple I’ve ever tasted,” she said. “It might be the best anything I’ve ever tasted.” A cool wind swept through the rows of trees, causing the leaves to whisper. The moon rode high, brightening everything with a bluish glow. At moments like this, the city seemed so very far away, practically on a different planet.

  “So tell me about the navy,” she said. “Did you like it?”

  “Loved it. But hated being away from the kids.”

  And your ex...? She wouldn’t let herself ask. “Tell me about how you ended up with a medal. Trini said there was a malfunction...?”

  He nodded. “They’re too little to remember, and it’s just as well. The incident happened during a Show of Force mission over some poppy fields where the bad guys like to hang out. Should have been routine, but there was a mishap during midair refueling. We had to make an emergency landing. We were on the ground and were ambushed.”

  He spoke matter-of-factly, and the danger and chaos were so hard to picture, here in this starlit field. But she imagined the terror must have been immense. If she knew him better, she would ask him about that. But she didn’t know him; he was just giving her glimpses of his life, not letting her in. That was her impression, anyway. “What happened during the ambush?”

  “We all survived. I got shot in the head. The kids don’t know that part.”

  A chill slid over her skin. “Dominic...”

  “I pulled through. Made an almost full recovery.”

  “Almost?” No wonder he’d seemed so familiar with hospitals. She studied him in the moonlight. He looked like a marble sculpture, the planes and angles of his face almost inhumanly perfect, yet the kindness and emotion in his eyes transformed him from a cold and unreachable statue into a man she could barely take her eyes from.

  “I’m deaf in one ear,” he said.

  “That’s terrible. I can’t even begin to imagine what you went through.”

  “The worst part wasn’t giving up a navy career, or losing my hearing. The worst part was knowing my kids had almost lost me. It was one of those wake-up calls life throws at you. Made me rethink everything. I came to the conclusion that I belong here, close to them.”

  “Stuck in a job you hate.”

  “I didn’t say I hated it. I said it was hard. The schedule is predictable. I don’t miss soccer games or scavenger hunts or dentist appointments or anything else they’ve got going on in their lives. That’s huge. My marriage didn’t survive the separations, but this is my chance to make sure my relationship with Trini and Antonio stays intact.”

  “You have lucky kids,” Tess said. “My mom wasn’t around much when I was growing up, and I missed her.” She wondered, if her own father had survived, if he would have shown that kind of devotion.

  Dominic caught her staring at him again, but for some reason, this didn’t bother her, and she didn’t look away.

  “What?” he asked.

  She watched his lips, and that made a flush rise to her cheeks. “You’re a nice guy, Dominic. I like talking to you.”

  “You sound surprised.”

  “I am. A little.”

  “What, that I’m nice, or that you like talking to me? Miss Delaney, I think you need to get out more.”

  She laughed. “I stay really busy with work.”

  “If you’re serious about following doctor’s orders, you’ll need to change that.” He was standing so close to her, she caught the scent from his freshly showered body. He leaned toward her, and everything, breath and heartbeat, the wind through the trees, the clouds sailing across the moon—everything slowed down and the world narrowed to nothing but him.

  Yes, she thought. Oh, yes. She wanted to touch him, wanted it in the worst way, with an intensity that startled her.

  Snap out of it. She wasn’t here for this. Taking a step back, she said, “I have to go.”

  “No, you don’t,” he said softly.

  “You’re right. I don’t. But...I’m going to go.”

  He hesitated, and then he stepped back, too. “I’ll take you to see Magnus tomorrow.”

  Eight

  When he showed up at Bella Vista the next day, Dominic looked even better to Tess than he had the day before. She felt self-conscious about the moment that had passed between them the night before, and hoped he wouldn’t bring it up. She also felt out of place in her jeans, half boots and black silk top. People around the estate wore work attire or casual clothes made of airy prints and hand-knit sweaters, sandals of braided hemp. Dominic seemed perfectly a
t ease as he greeted people on his way across the courtyard to the house. There was something about the way he carried himself—with confidence but no swagger—that captured her attention, made it hard to think about anything but him.

  It was a silly crush. She didn’t get crushes anymore, did she? Yet all the symptoms were there—the heat in her cheeks and the speeding up of her heart. Her fixation on his mouth and then his hands. The way she reacted, deep in her gut, to the timbre of his voice.

  “How are you doing?” he asked Isabel. It was not a throwaway question; he really did seem to want to know, moving in close as though prepared to catch her if she fell.

  Tess wondered how long these two had known each other.

  Isabel glanced away, lowering her head as though embarrassed by the intensity of her grief. Dark tendrils of wavy hair coiled around the nape of her neck. “I keep having conversations with him in my head, questions I never got around to asking him. For some reason, we both acted as though we had all the time in the world.”

  Tess’s heart gave a lurch. She used to feel the same way about Nana, when she was a girl. She never once imagined what life would be like without her. That was probably a good thing, though. Nana would never approve of being afraid of whatever was around the corner.

  “Take it easy on yourself,” she said to Isabel. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us to visit him?”

  “Not today. But promise you’ll call me if there’s a change.”

  “Of course.”

  “You ready?” asked Dominic.

  “Sure.” As ready as she could ever be, under the circumstances. She followed him out to the driveway and got into his car. “I appreciate the ride.”

  “No problem.”

  Tess felt cautious around him, particularly after last night. She was so new here; she didn’t know where the boundaries were. She was still the outsider, possibly the interloper. “Isabel should come, too,” said Tess. “He’s her grandfather. Her only remaining family.”

  “Only?”

  “I don’t count,” Tess said. “We’re strangers, don’t you get it? The one thing we have in common is a father who slept around.” She checked her phone to see if her mother had tried to call or send a text. “What do I have to do to get a signal around here?”