“That’s true. I’m not sure what he’s been going through lately. He won’t tell me anything, which is nothing new.”
Laci’s plan was much bigger than simply helping Hannah keep her estate though, it was about saving Brad too. She knew in her gut that he was lonely, and unless he got out of Crystal Creek, he would never find anyone – and Hannah was perfect for him! But, she knew better than to share that part with Mitch. Once he agreed to send Brad up to look at the business, the rest would happen naturally… in God’s time, just like it did when Mitch sat next to her on the plane. Brad just needs a little push in the right direction that’s all. She gave Mitch her sad, pouty face, then smiled.
“What am I going to do with you?” He shook his head and returned a smile.
“Hmmm… I can think of a couple of things.” She gave him a quick, soft kiss on the lips.
“Laci Young, are you flirting with me?”
“How did you ever guess, Mr. Young?”
“I see,” Mitch laughed. “Bribing me with your feminine wiles,” he paused and smiled. “Well, it’s working, but I need to sleep on it first. If it’s something I think we should consider, I’ll call Brad after breakfast to get his input and have him run some numbers. I’m warning you though, don’t get your hopes up. He may not go for this. He’s not only stubborn, but isn’t a fan of spending our money.”
She leaned over and threw her arms around him, squeezing him tight, then whispered in his ear, “Thank you, Mitch. I love you.”
“You’re welcome, Darlin’. And thanks for the view.”
“What? Oh…” She blushed, realizing that the blanket was no longer wrapped around her. Still warm from the fire, she couldn’t waste a perfect opportunity to sweeten the offer with a few butterfly kisses.
“You are a very shrewd business woman, you know that?” he said.
“I know. It took you long enough to figure it out,” she smiled.
The next morning brought sunshine, and with it, Laci was filled with hope after last night’s rain and the ‘reunion’ between herself and Mitch. He’d slept on their little discussion and now it was time for his answer.
They walked downstairs to the dining room and Laci darted straight toward the coffee bar. Hannah had pulled out all the stops with a vast array of creamers and sugars to meet anyone’s taste choices. I think she picked up on my coffee fetish right away. I love this woman!
“Good morning you two! How did you sleep?” Hannah asked as they walked in.
Laci smiled and dropped her head, feeling the temperature in her cheeks rise as she recalled their night together.
Hannah laughed. “Never mind – no answer needed.”
“We slept well, Hannah. Thank you for asking,” Mitch smiled and kissed the top of Laci’s head.
“Good! I hope you’re both hungry because I made extra today.”
A sweet maple aroma swirled around the room making Laci even more anxious to eat than before. Although she was definitely hungry, the butterflies in her stomach made it hard to focus on food, anxious about Mitch’s call to Brad. He’s going to say ‘yes’… he has to! Her motivational self-talk normally helped, but even that had lost its edge today.
“Please help yourself to breakfast behind you on the bar, and I’ll be around to check on you shortly,” Hannah said.
They filled their plates with the delectable quiche and French toast, then sat down at a table. After a few minutes of staring at her food, Laci burst. She couldn’t wait any longer.
“Okay – the suspense is killing me! What’s your answer? I can’t wait until you finish eating. What do you think?”
Mitch took a sip of his coffee. “Wow. I’m actually impressed that I got a few bites in before you demanded an answer. You should eat first,” he smiled.
“Please tell me? I can’t eat unless you tell me,” she begged.
“Fine, fine! Yes… yes, I like your idea. So, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to finish eating now, then I’ll call Brad,” he smiled and winked at her.
Laci popped up out of her chair and ran over to his side, sitting in his lap and nearly toppling his chair over just to give him a hug.
“Thank you, Mitch. I know this is the right thing to do. This is why we are here!”
“Laci, Darlin’… God brought us here to help you remember what comes before, during, and after the rain… grace.”
His reply warmed her heart, and despite the fact that they were sitting at the breakfast table, she couldn’t let him go.
4 - The Past Revisited
Brad yawned and stumbled his way into the winery, starting his day exceptionally early, compared to other days, having been rudely awakened by a startling dream. It wasn’t just any dream – it was a reflection of his past and a picture of what could have been with a very special woman. Typically, he made every effort not to think about her, but today was the day – the day he would write the letter.
He looked at the orders on the desk and began working on them the best he could, but by eleven he couldn’t stomach any more. He took a piece of cold pizza from the fridge and walked outside to enjoy it on the front porch, taking in the sunshine. Although he did his best to think about other mindless things, like the pile of dirty laundry at home, and last night’s episode of ‘Castle’, it didn’t work. The image of her face was now burning in his mind, and for a brief moment, he allowed himself to stay in the dream, and paid a visit to that sweet familiar place.
*****
Growing up, Mitch and Brad were as opposite as oil and water. Mitch was ‘book smart’, polite, athletic, and always had a taste for the finer things, as well as a head for business. Brad on the other hand, though smart in his own way, preferred to work with his hands. He hated wearing fancy clothes, didn’t like to socialize much, and rarely cared about what others thought of him. One afternoon after school, Brad was tinkering around with the tools and wood inside his uncle’s barn, and that’s when he realized that he wanted to build things – create something. Brad’s uncle taught him everything he knew about woodworking, and eventually, Brad went on to college to pursue an architectural degree. Not long after that, he got his contractor’s license and began to take on projects from Crystal Creek all the way to Charlotte. He was a talented carpenter, and a natural when it came to creating new building designs. After a few years of successful ventures under his belt, he finally received an offer to bid on a new museum project in Highpoint, and got the job.
That’s where he met Jules – his first day on a new contracting job. He walked into the site office, took one look at her sitting behind the desk, and everything around him stopped moving. He remembered feeling like there wasn’t enough air in the room. The name block on the desk read ‘Jules McRae - Project Manager’ and she had long, beautiful, curly, red hair that hung down to the middle of her back – stark in contrast as it lay against her black sweater. She stood up and walked over to introduce herself. Her first words to him were, ‘You’re late, but I like your boots, so I’ll forgive you this once’. Brad was a goner from that moment on, and he recalled that her tight jeans and black knee-high boots were simply icing on the cake.
After a few flirtatious conversations, a couple of morning coffee chats and lunches together, it wasn’t too long before they were dating. He didn’t need much time to know that she was the one – he knew it from the moment they met. A proposal was imminent, and six months later, he finally popped the question, giving her a handmade wooden box with her ring tucked inside. Of course she promptly said yes and they set a date just six months later. Not long after though, Brad became consumed with doubt and fear, worried that he had moved their relationship along too fast. The museum project was nearing completion and he was already getting that antsy feeling, itching to move on to the next big job. It wasn’t long before the call came. It was the best offer of his entire career – a high-rise office building in Raleigh. When he broke the news to Jules, she had begged him to stay and even offered to go with him, in hopes that he would change his
mind, but he was scared. Brad agonized for days over his decision, but in the end, the money and prestige that came with the job was more than he could resist, and he accepted the job. He was too ashamed to admit that he was afraid of failing her as a husband. It was easier to leave and he figured it was the best decision for both of them. Besides, it wasn’t the right time. His career was finally taking off, and he was better off without her – or so he thought.
The night before he left, he wrote her a letter and tried to explain, hoping that one day she would forgive him. Instead of giving it to her in person and saying goodbye, he stopped by the office and slipped the letter under the door, knowing she was always the first to arrive and would find it before anyone else. That was the first of many letters he wrote to her, but the only one she ever received.
If he’d only known then that his decision to leave would plague his heart for years to come, he would have stayed. He was too stupid to realize back then that Jules was and would always be his forever love. He closed his eyes and kept her face pictured in his mind’s eye, longing to reach out and hold her. In the deepest part of his soul, he knew she was still the one. The one woman who managed to steal his heart – the only one with whom he’d ever fallen in love.
About a year after he left, Brad received word that Jules had become engaged to a high school science teacher, and as a man who was still in love with her, the news broke him. Not just his heart, but his spirit. That’s when he started writing to her. Every year, on what would have been their wedding anniversary, he wrote Jules a letter as if she were his wife, declaring his love for her and how much he adored their life together. Each letter a work of fiction. Each one sealed inside an envelope, and then tucked in a box… never to be opened again.
Eventually, his work suffered to the point where he could no longer effectively lead projects or his team. They even lost job offers due to his negligence. Everything he’d ever worked for up to that moment was gone, and there was nowhere to go except back home to Crystal Creek, broke and ashamed. A few months passed, and after he stopped feeling sorry for himself, he found a few odd jobs around town. Still, no one wanted to take a chance and hire him for bigger projects.
Mitch’s first wife was diagnosed with cancer not long after, and Brad found a new purpose for living; taking care of Mitch and his nephew Caleb. During that time, he even managed to land a good job with a local construction company and worked his way up, eventually able to buy the company. It was a difficult year – helping Mitch cope with his loss, but Brad did what he had to do. His personal life was a non-event.
About two years after Karin passed, Mitch found the winery and talked Brad into running it with him, and he had been by Mitch’s side ever since. He kept the construction company for a while, but later sold it and gave his full attention to the winery. Until recently, that had been enough. Not anymore. Something was missing. Someone.
Brad enjoyed working with his brother at the winery, but after Mitch met Laci, everything changed. He didn’t approve of Laci at first, but he could see how much they loved each other from the very first moment he saw them together – it was almost sickening at times. Even worse, it became a constant reminder of Brad’s choice to walk away from the love of his life, and left him wondering what his life might have been like had he stayed and married Jules.
Brad sat there with his lunch in hand and thought to himself, I want that. He finally admitted that he wanted the kind of love that Laci and Mitch had– to find that one person in life that would make him whole – who would fill the void inside – someone he couldn’t bear to be apart from, even for a short while. He once had that in Jules. When they were together, it was like breathing. Natural. Effortless. Easy. Unfortunately, a love like that rarely comes along once in a lifetime, let alone twice.
Brad’s phone rang, startling him out of his reflective state. Knowing it was Mitch, he smiled and answered. “You know, you have an uncanny knack for either interrupting my sleep, or my lunch,” Brad said in fun.
“Sorry big brother… did I interrupt your morning nap time?” Mitch laughed.
“Very funny… you know I don’t nap. So what’s up? Has Laci seen ‘her rain’ yet?” Brad’s sarcasm didn’t go unnoticed.
“Don’t start, Brad. You know as well as I do that we both needed this trip, and the rain.”
“Yeah… I know. Sorry. How are you doing, seriously?”
“We’re good. It’s been nice to get away and, interestingly enough, we’ve uncovered a potential opportunity on our little road trip. Do you have a minute?”
“Sure, I’m just taking in some sunshine – shoot.”
“Are you and your cold pizza sitting down?” Mitch asked.
“Very funny… and yes, as a matter of fact, we are. But now I’m worried. What’s going on?”
“Well, Laci and I ran across a foreclosure property up here– it’s a bed and breakfast, and an award winning winery. It’s nice, Brad.”
“And… why does this concern me?” Brad had one eye closed and tilted his head, awaiting the rest of the story as if it were a large blast about to hit.
“Laci thinks we should buy it to help the owner keep her family’s estate, and we could expand our label up here,” he paused to take a short breath, “and I think she’s right.”
“Wow… since when did Airplane Girl become such a budding entrepreneur?”
“Come on, Brad. I agree with her. It’s one of those opportunities that only come along once in a great while and I think we should take advantage of it.”
“This is the craziest idea she’s had yet, Mitch! Let me guess… it rained while you were at the winery and she took it as a sign. Am I right?”
Mitch hesitated to answer. “Okay, technically you’re right. It did rain, but she had this idea just shortly after we arrived which was long before it rained.”
Brad laughed, knowing full well that Laci’s ‘thing’ with the rain had spurred the idea. “Do you know how much work this will take? How do you propose running two wineries and adding a bed and breakfast on top of that? Last I checked, we don’t have any hotel and restaurant experience on our résumé. And why would she want to help the owner save it anyway? Is she a friend of hers?”
“Calm down! One question at a time Sherlock! It’s actually not that crazy. We’ve been talking about expanding anyway, and her business is fully functional. She could stay on and manage the place – she just needs the capital to back the operation, and a new set of eyes to help her market the property. And, no, she isn’t a friend of Laci’s. We just met her on this trip, but we both took a liking to her. You should also know that she is down a winemaker, so I admit that this will be more work for you than me at first.”
“Yep… there it is. I was wondering when you’d finally get around to the part where my life is interrupted by this little venture. Not that I’m surprised.”
“Look… you know as well as I do that you are the better winemaker out of the two of us.”
Brad thought about it, and surprisingly, was quite intrigued by the potential opportunity, although he hated to admit it. “Okay fine, it’s not a horrible idea, but I won’t commit to anything until I see the place, Mitch. It could be too risky.”
“I know. We won’t sign anything until you have looked over everything and given it your full approval. I’ll look at her financials while I’m here and make a call to the real estate broker. How soon can you get here?”
“Well, that depends on you, Romeo. How soon will you two love birds be home?”
“We fly back this weekend… pun intended,” he laughed at himself. “I’ll call you in a few days with an update in case something changes, but I would plan on being here within the next couple of weeks if you can. I don’t want to waste too much time.” Mitch was relieved by his response and anxious to tell Laci the news.
“You know me. I’ll be waiting on pins and needles for your call. But wait… where are you anyway? And you said the owner was a ‘her’. Does this ‘
her’ have a name?”
“We are in a little town called Carson, Washington. And her name is Hannah Blake – she’s the owner of Foxhead Estates.”
Brad laughed. “Foxhead? That’s a ridiculous name. We’ll have to change that first.”
“No we won’t. She’s done a lot of work to market her name and the brand. We’d be foolish to change the name and you know it. Stop being a jerk. Besides, her parents named it after Hannah and her ‘foxlike’ red hair. It’s a family thing and we’re going to keep it, okay?”
Brad perked up a little when Mitch mentioned the red hair and shook his head. Great… another red head, he thought to himself. “Maybe her parents should have reconsidered the name – that’s probably why it went under,” he replied in a heartless tone.
Mitch lowered his head in response to Brad’s callous comment and began to wonder if this plan was such a good idea after all.
“Listen. Her parents died about six years ago in a boating accident. Will you have some respect for crying out loud?”
“Sorry, sorry! You could have led with that you know!” He paused and let out a sigh of surrender. “Fine. I’ll come up there and check it out. Is she at least good looking?”
“Is that all you can think about? You are a piece of work! If you must know, then yes. She is very attractive, but I’m warning you… she’s a feisty one.”
“Like I’m worried about that.” Brad’s over-confident tone made Mitch worry all the more.
Brad hung up the phone and finished his cold pizza, then went inside and pulled out pen and paper and began to write. This letter would be different though – a culmination of his desires for her expressed in a simple list of wishes. He added the last word, then folded it gently and slid it in the envelope. Another one sealed forever. For the rest of the day, the memory of Jules remained in his mind, as did the curious opportunity that now lay ahead.
*****
Mitch was still outside on the porch talking to Brad, so Laci decided to go out and join him and listen in on their conversation. When she opened the door, all she heard was ‘goodbye’. Dang it! I have the worst timing sometimes. Naturally, she couldn’t wait and immediately grilled him about the call.
Grace After the Storm Page 6