“I gathered that with the liver and onions. I hate them. I hate them worse than any other food on the planet – I know she remembered that,” Brad laughed.
“Then you should feel flattered.”
“Flattered? Why would I be flattered that she made me eat my least favorite meal and almost caused me to throw up?”
“Men… when will you ever learn?” Lois laughed.
“You’ve got me, Lois. Help a guy out?” Brad smiled.
“She still has feelings for you, and you have them for her as well. I’ve been around the two of you for all of two hours and comes through loud and clear. I can't see, but I bet it's also written all over your faces. You ate liver and onions for crying out loud! Open your eyes, son. You’re both still in love with each other, and you know it,” Lois coughed. Brad laughed, anxiously watching for Hannah to come out of the kitchen, but she remained inside.
“I’m afraid love is the furthest thing from her mind, Ms. McRae.”
“So you don’t deny it then?”
“Deny what?”
“That you still love her… that’s what.” Lois took a sip of her water.
“I’m here at my brother’s request to get this business up and running. That’s it.” Brad stared down at the table, playing with his spoon.
“Oh pish-posh. You kids need to learn that life is too short to waste on something that happened years ago. It’s time to get over it.” Lois’ words were firm, but gentle and motherly at the same time. He already liked Lois – she had sass… which was obviously passed on to her granddaughter.
Hannah came out of the kitchen juggling three bowls of bread pudding. Rich with attitude, she slid Brad’s bowl across the table to him, as if it were a mug of beer being slid across the bar at a local saloon. She walked around the table, and gently set her grandmother’s bowl down in front of her, smiling.
“Nice! Bread pudding is my favorite dessert – for real!” Brad said in a lively voice.
Hannah twirled her pointer finger around in a little circle. “Well yippee… score one for the innkeeper.”
“You know, I think I’ll enjoy this dessert in my room. I’m pretty tired. You ladies have a good night.”
“Breakfast is served at nine sharp. We can start after that,” Hannah stated.
“Yes, ma’am. Nine a.m. sharp.” Brad gave her a little salute, then walked upstairs.
Hannah stared into her bowl, playing with her bread pudding but never taking a bite, then finally she pushed it aside. Lois was quiet and ate her pudding in silence.
“Are you ready for bed, Grams?”
“I guess so.”
Hannah walked Lois to her room, helped her into her pajamas, and then tucked her in bed.
Lois took Hannah by the hand. “Jules – you have to do this if we’re going to keep the winery. There’s no other way. I know this won’t be easy for you, but I believe God allowed this to happen for a reason. He brought Laci and Mitch up here, and even Brad, and the sooner you embrace the situation, the better off you’ll be.” Lois coughed, then took a sip of water from her glass on the bedside table. “I love you, Sweetheart. It’s all going to work out.”
Hannah squeezed her grandmother’s hand. “I love you too, Grams, and I’ll do my best, but I can’t make any promises. I’m not even sure God has enough grace to get us through this storm,” Hannah paused, “… but don’t worry, I’ll be fine. You get a good night’s sleep – it’s been a long day for both of us.”
Hannah returned to the kitchen, cleaned up the rest of the dessert dishes, and then made her way upstairs. As she sat on the edge of her bed, a strong memory of her mom came to mind. She could almost hear her voice – the voice was so loud in fact, that she almost thought her mother was standing right next to her. Her mom always said, ‘Don’t worry about the problems of tomorrow, for today’s problems are sufficient for themselves.’ She smiled, remembering that it was a verse from the Bible. It had been so long since Hannah picked one up though, she had no idea where to find it. Tears trickled down her face, unsure of why that particular memory came to her. She was grateful nonetheless. Memories of her mother were rare anymore, and it was getting harder to picture her face. Hannah wiped her face, then crawled into bed – her mother’s voice still ringing in her head. She whispered her words over and over, then fell fast asleep.
8 –Rocking the Boat
Hannah woke early, hoping to get downstairs and enjoy her coffee in peace, but apparently Brad had the same idea. He had already made the coffee and was sitting at the table reading over the estate sale paperwork.
Hannah stopped at the table and stared; ‘bad attitude’ written all over her face. “Do I need to sign my life over before breakfast or will you allow me to eat first?” Hannah’s heart broke as she saw the papers under his hand, realizing this was really about to happen.
“For your information, we made an offer on the estate yesterday. I need to educate myself on everything, Jules.”
“Stop calling me Jules – I’m tired of telling you. I don’t want to hear you say it again.”
Hannah stormed through the kitchen door and started cooking breakfast, dreading the day ahead. Once everything was done, she made Brad a plate and suddenly felt her heart rate speed up rapidly – almost beating out of her chest, a subtle reminder that she had forgotten to take her blood pressure pill last night. She sat Brad’s plate down on the counter so hard it made a loud clank. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm down. It’s hard enough to give up my home, but why do I have to hand it over to the one man that crushed my heart, Lord? She thought. That makes it ten times worse!
Hearing the loud noise, Brad rushed through the kitchen door.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked. Hannah was so startled by his sudden entrance that she hit Brad’s plate with her hand and sent it flying off the counter – egg casserole and bacon hurled through the air. “I’m so sorry, Jules. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I told you to stop calling me Jules!” His insistence to keep calling her by that name – the name he used to say over and over – was like rubbing salt in an open wound. In a furious rage, she began cleaning up the mess.
Brad grabbed some paper towels and knelt down to help her.
“I don’t need your help – just leave!” She looked at him, the heat palpable in her cheeks, and realized he wasn’t leaving.
“You’re too proud, Hannah. “It’s okay to let people help, you know,” he said softly.
Brad’s deep voice was sweet. She always loved his voice, and for a second, he almost fooled her into thinking he actually cared. I can’t fall for him! He hasn’t changed. Hannah’s heart now raced for a totally different reason. One thing certainly hasn’t changed… he’s still stinking gorgeous! She thought to herself.
She let out an exasperated breath. “Thank you for helping. Now, please let me finish so I can get you a new plate of food. We need to get busy, and then you can do whatever it is you have to do and be on your way.”
Brad laughed. “Be on my way? Ha! I’m not going anywhere until this place is up and running at profit level again. That’s what I learned yesterday at least. I figured Mitch would have told you.”
Hannah stood up slowly, and the anger stirred in the pit of her stomach like liquid fire. She felt sick as his words sunk in – driving home the undeniable truth of what she was about to lose.
“I… no… he didn’t tell me that part. He didn’t tell me much actually.”
“Well, it makes sense if you think about it. We can’t just buy your place and leave you to run it without resources or staff.”
Hannah paused and stared down at the food. She filled a clean plate with eggs, fruit and bacon, then handed it to Brad. “Yeah. Of course… you’re right. You’ll be the new owner and I’ll be your employee. Forgive me. This whole losing-my-livelihood thing is kind of new for me. You enjoy your breakfast, Mr. Young. I’m going to take some food to my grandmother, then I’ll wait for you in th
e winery when you’re ready.” Hannah walked out without another word.
She walked to her grandmother’s room and looked in to find Lois still sleeping, so she held off on taking her breakfast inside. Hannah was actually grateful to avoid another lecture. She tiptoed away and closed the door behind her. As she made her way out to the winery, her head was spinning – so much hurt and pain. He is finally back in my life and all I can do is hate him for leaving me! She thought.
The fresh air was nice so she decided to walk around the estate for a bit before Brad came outside. Her favorite spot was around the back side of the winery – a perfect view of the hills behind the estate. It was no surprise when she found Clare there as well, sitting under the magnolia tree with her nose stuck in a book.
“Hey Squirt. How long have you been here?” Hannah asked.
“Not long. I ran down after breakfast and yes, my foster mom knows I’m here, don’t worry,” Clare replied.
“I wasn’t worried. Besides, I’m glad you’re here.”
Hannah plopped down next to her, pulled her knees in and wrapped her arms around them for warmth and comfort.
“Uh, oh. What’s up? You only sit in that position when you’re sad, contemplating life, or trying to resist the urge to dive into a tub of Rocky Road.”
Hannah laughed. “Wow. If you know all that, then you are spending way too much time hanging out with me, girl.”
“Seriously, Jules. What’s up? I know something is wrong.”
Fighting back tears, Hannah swallowed and then rested her head against the tree. “I’ve been better, kid. We need to talk.”
“O-k-a-y… now I’m worried.”
“You should know that things around here are going to drastically change soon – really soon.”
“That guy is buying Foxhead, isn’t he?”
“Yes. Him, and Mitch and Laci of course. This will be Brad’s newest conquest though, his new pet project… at least until he gets bored and moves on to the –”
“Wait a minute,” Clare interrupted. “You sound like you know this guy. Spill, Jules.”
Hannah dropped her head down on her knees then plucked a few blades of grass from the ground beneath her. “I do know him,” she said solemnly.
“What? No way! He just got here – how could you possibly know him?”
“He’s the ‘Putz’ from North Carolina, the one I told you about from a long time ago.”
Clare’s mouth fell open so wide that her gum fell out. She quickly picked it up, brushed it off, and then put it back in her mouth.
“That’s gross, Clare! You don’t put your dirty gum back in your mouth, girl…” Hannah felt more like a mother to Clare than a ‘sometimes-big-sister’. Clare was around almost every day, all day, except when she wasn’t in school. She had good foster parents, but Clare was one of six other foster kids in the same house, and the oldest. They weren’t very attentive at times, and it had been tough on her.
“Don’t change the subject Aunt Jules… out with it! How can he be ‘Putz’? It’s been what, like a hundred years since you’ve seen him, and he just shows up?”
Hannah laughed, half-heartedly. “Yep. I think God is punishing me for the sins of my past.”
Hannah and Clare had spent hours working together in the B&B and the winery over the last few years. One slow afternoon, Clare asked about Hannah’s love life, or lack thereof, and why she never remarried. So, Hannah filled her in on the very short but sweet ‘affair of the heart’ between her and Brad, including the part about Brad leaving her – thus earning him the nickname of ‘Putz’. It was easier than saying his name out loud – even that still hurt at times.
Brad stole her heart from the moment she set eyes on him, and Hannah knew deep inside that those feelings were still there – they had never left. The pain he had caused though, still hung on like a dark shroud that she feared would never go away. Seeing him again was something she had always wanted, but never let herself believe it would actually happen, least of all like this.
“So, now what? Will you have to move out?” Clare asked.
“I honestly don’t know yet. I don’t think so, but it depends on the conditions of the sale. If I want to save this place, I have to do what they ask. Mitch and Laci said I could stay on to manage the place, but I have a feeling that it might get rather sticky with ‘Putz’ in charge now.”
“This is wrong on so many levels, Jules! Why is this happening?” Clare was not only sad about Hannah losing her family’s estate, she was scared of losing the one person that had become her only family.
“Now you listen to me, Clare Robbins. You have nothing to worry about, okay? Whatever happens, it’s you and me and Grandma Lois. We are a family and that will never change – are we clear?” Hannah’s quiet, assuring voice seemed to calm Clare’s fears.
Clare smiled. “Yeah, we’re clear. And, since we’re family and all… my birthday is coming up soon.”
Hannah laughed. “Oh good grief – it still three weeks away! You’re getting a little anxious aren’t you?”
“Duh… it’s my birthday. I’m supposed to be excited! Besides, I don’t really want a gift. I want the two of us to go horseback riding together instead – like we used to. You haven’t been out to ride Storm or Molly in years, Jules. They probably miss you.”
“Wow, I haven’t thought about mom and dad’s horses in a long time. Once I left them at the stables, I had a hard time going back.”
“I know, but that’s why you need to go see them. It will be good for you and we’ll have so much fun! Please?” Clare smiled, then folded her hands folded together in a prayer-like manner and begged.
“How can I say no to that?” Hannah pulled Clare into a playful hug.
“Sweet! We are going to have so much fun, Jules!”
“I hope you’re right…”
“It’s like riding a bike, or something like that, right?” Clare laughed.
“Yeah, something like that. Now, I have work to do kid, and you need to do your homework. It’s time to go schmooze the ‘Putz’.”
“Sounds good! You have fun schmoozing… I’ll watch your back.”
Hannah laughed out loud, “Deal.” They got up and walked back to the winery. Brad was already inside and seemed anxious to get busy – his clipboard in hand.
“Wow, you don’t waste any time do you?” Hannah gave him a look that could freeze ice.
“Look, Hannah… I have a very short time to turn this place around and get it up to profit level – hoping our offer is accepted and the sale goes through, of course. There’s really no time to waste.”
“Fine, then let’s get to work… boss.”
“I think that’s the best idea you’ve had all morning,” he replied sharply.
That day was the beginning of several long weeks for Hannah as she tried her best to get along with Brad. Between showing him all the day-to-day business operations for the B&B and the winery – what worked, what didn’t work – and caring for her grandmother, she was physically and mentally exhausted. The hardest part was sharing all of her parent’s wine stories with him – their techniques and how each blend meant something to their family. Hannah was relieved when he decided to spend an afternoon away from the estate to visit a few local wineries and restaurants. She didn’t quite understand what he was up to, but was grateful for the time alone to clear her head. Hannah grew more upset every day having to work around Brad – forced to remember how they used to be years ago. Every now and again though, she would catch a glimpse of the man she fell in love with, then dismiss it as quickly as it came.
By the end of the third week, they had established a fairly good routine. Hannah would review a few things about the winery or B&B operations each morning, then they would go their separate ways in the afternoon. Brad would work on the estate, fixing things up, and she would work inside and take care of the few guests that came in and out. It was Friday, and unfortunately no guests were coming in that weekend. By six o’clock
, Hannah realized she hadn’t even thought about dinner. She hurried downstairs and scanned the cupboards for something to fix. Brad walked in the kitchen and Hannah did a double-take, trying to stare inconspicuously, but lingering the second time. He had cleaned up and changed clothes, and was now wearing khaki shorts and a black polo shirt – her favorite. He’s doing this on purpose – he remembers that I always loved it when he wore black. It’s not fair!
“Do you need any help?” he asked.
I need you to go away so I don’t fall in love with you again! She thought. “No, but thanks for offering. I’m trying to decide what to fix for dinner, but so far I’m at a loss. It’s just you and me tonight – Grandma didn’t feel like eating so she went on to bed. You changed clothes. Are you going out?”
“Well, I thought I might treat you to dinner out tonight. What do you say?”
“That’s really nice, but I couldn’t.”
“Why not? Come on – it will be a nice break and you need it. I know this week hasn’t been easy on you,” he added.
Hannah was reluctant, but she was tired and the thought of not having to cook was worth the price of putting up with him for a few more hours. “Okay, I guess you’re right. It does sound nice. I’d like to change first, if that’s ok. I’ll be right down.”
“Take your time, but wear something warm. We might be outside for a short time.”
“Outside?”
“They have outdoor seating. It’s a nice place – don’t worry.”
She came back a few minutes later and Brad couldn’t help but stare. She wore black leggings with leather trim on the sides, tucked neatly in her black leather boots. Her gray and black sweater had a few sparkles on the front and was a little snug in places, but he liked that. Realizing his jaw had dropped a little, he closed his mouth.
“You look really good. I hope it’s okay if I say that,” he said politely.
“It’s okay, and thank you,” Hannah smiled, very happy with his pleasant reaction.
After a few minutes of driving, passing every restaurant in town – all of two – Hannah wondered where he was headed.
Grace After the Storm Page 10