by Shirley Jump
Carrie returned to the lake cottage a little after ten that night. She stayed up for another hour or so, watching a television show that she didn’t remember as soon as she clicked off the remote. Her mind strayed between Daniel, what Faith had told her and what she was trying to accomplish here in the U.S.
What she needed was some sound advice. The kind that could only come from home. She calculated the time difference and picked up the phone.
“Cara! It’s so wonderful to hear from you,” her mother said a moment later. Just hearing Bianca’s voice, so effusive and warm, made Carrie miss home and her family. “I knew only one person would call me this early in the morning.”
“I’m sorry, Mama.”
“No, no. You know I like to get up early to watch the sun rise. It is such a magical time.”
Carrie could picture her mother, a world away, sitting on one of the castle’s balconies with an afghan tucked around her and a hot cup of tea and a stack of cookies on the table beside her. The same way she’d greeted every morning for as long as Carrie could remember. Bianca would be waiting for the sun to rise, and for the birds to begin their day, to take those few moments of golden splendor for herself before beginning her insanely busy day. It was a tradition that Carrie, the only daughter who never slept in, also liked to keep. Many times she’d joined her mother on the wide, cushioned chairs on the balcony. Some of the best, most intimate conversations she’d had with her mother happened in that quiet time between night and day. “I’ve watched the sun rise every morning since I arrived here,” Carrie said. “I’m so glad you told me about Winter Haven, Mama. It is a beautiful place.”
“And does your house face the lake?”
The very lake her mother had talked about often, many times with a tinge of melancholy. Her mother had come here shortly after the queen mother’s funeral, a particularly difficult time for the whole family, Carrie had heard. Bianca had left Carrie’s older sisters with her mother, and taken her first vacation in forever.
Although she loved her home country, Bianca had talked about the tranquility and peace of Winter Haven so many times, Carrie felt like she had been there herself. When Carrie had gone looking for a rental house she’d insisted to the Realtor that she had to have one on the lake, with a view of the water and the eastern sky. “Yes, it does, Mama, just like the one you stayed in years ago. And I watch the sun kiss the water every morning. Just like you did.”
Her mother sighed. “I do miss that sight. It was so beautiful.”
“You should come for a visit,” Carrie said. “You talked about this place so much when I was a little girl, I know you miss it.”
“I…I can’t. I’m happy here now. In Uccelli.” But her words lacked conviction. Was it because her daughter was here, instead of herself? “Is that why you chose that place? Because I talked about it so much?”
“Yes. It sounded like it was a part of you. And I wanted to see what it was all about. And apparently, you were quite popular while you were here,” Carrie teased. “I ran into Irma, who used to run the grocery store in town. She said to say hello.”
“Irma?” Did Carrie detect a note of alarm in her mother’s voice? Then Bianca let out a little laugh. “I remember her. A very sweet woman.”
“She said to stop by anytime you’re in town.”
“That was nice.” A pause. “Have you run into anyone else who remembered my visit?”
“A couple people. You were quite memorable it seems.” Carrie chuckled.
“I hadn’t intended to be.” Her mother sighed. “I wish you hadn’t gone to that town. Carlita, there are so many other places in America where you could go.”
“Why not? It’s a wonderful place, just like you said.”
“Sometimes I talk too much.” Her mother didn’t say anything for a moment. “Don’t you think you have stayed away long enough, cara? Your sister is engaged, and you should be here to help her with the wedding plans. Come home. I miss you.”
“Mama, there are no wedding plans. Allegra hasn’t set a date yet.”
When she’d told Bianca that Winter Haven would be the home for the first wine shop, her mother had been pleased. Proud even. But ever since Carrie had decided to come to America to run the store herself, her mother’s attitude had changed. Maybe it was just that her mother missed having her family together. Mariabella was more often in America than Uccelli, and Allegra was consumed with her royal duties. With Carrie out of the country, the castle probably felt very empty.
But her gut told her there was more to her mother’s attitude than that. What, Carrie couldn’t name, but there was definitely…something.
“By the way, I’ve met someone.” Carrie couldn’t keep the joy out of her voice. It lit the notes of her words, made a smile curve across her face. “A man named Daniel.”
“That’s wonderful!” She could practically hear her mother beaming on the other end. “Is he nice?”
“He’s amazing. Almost too good to be true.”
“Is he a commoner, then?”
An understandable question from a mother who would like to see her daughter settle down and start providing grandchildren. “Yes. But I’m not thinking about marriage.” Liar, her mind whispered. “We barely know each other.”
“I only knew your father for a month before I married him. And this year, we’ll be married forty years. I can hardly believe it’s been that long, or that I’m that old.” Bianca laughed. “Sometimes the fastest love stories are the most lasting.”
“One thing at a time, Mama. Right now, I’m focused on the wine shop.” Carrie dropped onto the window seat. Outside the nearly full moon danced sparkles of light across the lake.
“I know, cara. I want all my daughters to do what makes them happy. But I think you have been gone long enough. I…I miss you. That’s all.”
Carrie smiled. It was as she’d thought. Nothing to worry about besides a mother missing her daughter. “The shop just barely opened. We’re already surpassing our sales goals but I think I need to stay a while longer and establish the Uccelli presence in America. Before you can blink, we’ll all be home and around the table again, celebrating Christmas.”
“I’m looking forward to that,” her mother said softly.
“Me, too.” Carrie clutched the phone a little tighter, her heart longing for another country on the other side of the world.
“And when you come home, you’ll go back to working for the vineyard, yes?” her mother asked.
“I hope so.”
“I think you would do a wonderful job.”
Carrie snorted. “Tell that to Papa. He thinks I’m going to change my mind.”
“He’ll come around. He’s just concerned, as any father would be. He wants you to be sure of your path. All we’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy.”
“Me, too, Mama.” There was a long pause, one filled with love and concern flowing both ways across the phone lines. As much as Carrie loved her work here, she missed her family and her country, too.
“I hate to say goodbye,” her mother said, “but I have to give a speech at the annual Women’s Club breakfast.”
Carrie chuckled. “Still as busy as ever, even when you’re not queen.”
“The life of a royal never really cuts its ties,” Bianca Santaro said softly, with a note of melancholy. “No matter how far you run or how fast you leave.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“I think we have a winner.” Daniel grinned, and felt his grin widen when Carrie answered with a smile. “This should work to keep my boss happy, and you.”
She sat beside him in his car as they headed back to the shop after a quick brainstorming lunch on Wednesday. “Thank you. I appreciate you working with me on this. So many other reporters would just…”
“Go for the jugular?”
She nodded.
“That’s not me,” he said, then wondered how true that was. Hadn’t he been that kind of journalist before? And wasn’t he just waiting for the cha
nce to go back to that kind of work?
His father and grandfather had all been the kind of reporters who never backed down, who did whatever it took to get the story. Daniel had carried on that legacy, and with pride. But now, he wasn’t so sure. Maybe it was just being reduced to the “infotainment” ranks. Maybe it was something more.
Like the way Carrie looked at him with such trust in her eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to keep that look there.
Daniel parked his car a block away from By the Glass—because all the nearby parking was taken up by customers. Clearly, the little shop was a rousing success. It seemed as if every tourist in Winter Haven was in there today. And maybe a few from neighboring areas, judging by the number of out-of-state license plates.
“I better hurry up and get in there. We have a couple temps, but I’m sure Faith is going crazy.”
“Let me walk you.” They got out of the car and headed down the sidewalk. The weather was perfect—a slight breeze danced the fresh scent of the lake in the air, while the sun kept the temperatures at a balmy eighty-five degrees.
When they got inside, he saw that more than a dozen customers filled the small space. Faith was at the register, busy ringing and wrapping purchases. The two temps were on the floor, talking to customers about wine.
“Thanks again,” Carrie said. She pressed a tender kiss to his cheek, the kind that he knew would stay in his memory for a long time. “I have to get back to work.”
“Dinner later?”
The smile that broke across her face seemed to light the entire state. “Yes.”
Daniel stationed himself in the corner, watching Carrie interact with the customers. She was pleasant, her features animated and friendly. She was wearing black capri pants with kitten heels and a bright pink short-sleeved sweater that emphasized her deep brown eyes and long dark hair.
Damn, she was beautiful. And everything inside him wanted nothing more than to kiss her and kiss her and kiss her, until his brain stopped thinking about work and deadlines and his boss’s expectations. Until the world closed in to become just him and her. She’d intrigued him, this princess who wasn’t a princess, and all he wanted was more of her.
But that would mean opening his heart and taking a chance on love again. He had Annabelle to think of, his job, and adding in a relationship was just one more risk. One he wasn’t sure he should take because he hadn’t been so good at the relationship thing the first time. If he ended up back in his old job, he’d be repeating everything he was trying to avoid. The what-ifs plagued his thoughts.
He knew he should get back to work. But his feet stayed cemented to the shop’s wood floors.
When the shop’s bell tinkled, Carrie looked up. Her gaze locked on Daniel’s and she smiled. A lightness filled his chest that he couldn’t remember ever feeling before and he found himself crossing the room to her, drawn to the flame of her bright personality.
“I don’t know,” said Carrie’s customer, an older woman wearing a nearly neon floral shirt and matching pants. She turned to her husband, a man completely opposite her in appearance. He was tall and thin and wearing head-to-toe beige.
Daniel chuckled. Mr. and Mrs. Miller, his mother’s next-door neighbors. Mr. Miller, whom Daniel didn’t think had been happy a day in his life, and Mrs. Miller, his long-suffering and very patient wife.
Mrs. Miller turned to her husband. “What do you think, Walter?”
Mr. Miller scowled. “I think I’ve had enough shopping for one day.”
“But do you think our guests will like this wine?”
“I think I’m going to go sit down on the bench outside. Guests. Nothing but a pain in the neck. Serve ’em water, I say.” He harrumphed, then turned and left the shop.
Daniel bit back a chuckle. Mr. Miller never had been especially friendly. Daniel remembered many times when he’d complain across the hedge that separated Greta’s house from his about silly things like leaves that had blown onto his lawn or a maple that was putting out too much shade, or, once, a rose that had peeked through the hedge and dared to bring beauty to his yard.
Daniel crossed to Carrie, who was clearly trying to be patient with Mrs. Miller. The older woman was still hemming and hawing about her purchase. “I can personally vouch for this wine, Mrs. Miller,” Daniel said. “In fact, I enjoyed a glass of the pinot last night.”
“You did?” Mrs. Miller asked. “And what did you think of it?”
“I liked the Uccelli wine very much. It’s a lighter, fruitier wine with a number of complex notes. I think it’ll be perfect for your guests. And a nice conversation piece.”
Carrie arched a brow and smiled again. “The bottle I left at the picnic? I didn’t know you drank it.”
“I wanted to know everything I could about you and Uccelli.” When he heard himself say those words, Daniel realized he was in deep. When had that happened? “What better place to start than with the wine you love so much? The ones you helped create with your own hands?”
A blush colored her cheeks. “I’m glad.”
“You worked in the vineyards?” Mrs. Miller asked Carrie, surprise in her arched brows.
Carrie nodded. “I did. I started as a little girl, and did almost every job there is to do in the vineyard.”
Mrs. Miller harrumphed. “What kind of princess does that?”
“One who wants to do more than wear a crown,” Daniel said. “And also one who loves her country and is very proud of its products.”
Carrie smiled at him, and in an instant, his world felt brighter, better. “Thank you.”
He nodded, then drifted away while Mrs. Miller picked out several bottles of wine. Was this what it felt like to have it all? The girl and the story?
He knew he was compromising himself. Knew his judgment was being colored by his relationship with Carrie. But for the first time in a long time, he didn’t care. The mantle of the Reynolds legacy weighed heavy on his shoulders, and he wanted nothing more than to shrug it off.
The other store clerk came up and joined him. “You must be this Daniel I’ve heard so much about,” she said, and put out a hand. “I’m Faith.”
He shook with her. “You look familiar. Did you go to Winter Haven High?”
She nodded. “Graduated seven years ago.”
“Ah, a few classes behind me.”
Small talk out of the way, Faith got right to the point. “Carrie’s really crazy about you, you know.”
Warmth filled him. And he was sure he was wearing a goofy smile, as if he was fifteen again and found out the girl he was crushing on had secretly been feeling the same way. God, yes, he was surely in deep. “The feeling’s mutual.”
Faith pressed a paper invitation into his hand. “I’m having a cookout this Friday night. Carrie’s coming, and I think you should, too. She said you have a daughter—go ahead and bring her or anyone else you want. It’s just a big neighborhood party. We’ll have marshmallows for the kids to roast, and a beanbag toss.”
“Sounds great. I’ll be there.”
Faith said goodbye and headed off to help Carrie complete Mrs. Miller’s transaction. As more customers entered the shop, Daniel waved goodbye and headed out the door to work. Maybe a few hours at his desk would get him to refocus. He had a few more details to square up about Carrie before he wrote up his interview questions.
As he made his way back to his car, he felt the familiar vibration of his cell phone. The caller ID displayed the name of the previous editor of the Winter Haven newspaper. Joe Russo had retired a few years ago, moving up to Michigan to spend his retirement days fishing. He’d been harder than heck to track down. “Mr. Russo. Thanks for returning my call.”
“It’s raining cats and dogs here. First day I’ve had to be stuck inside all summer. I bet the fish are biting like crazy. Darn rain.”
“This shouldn’t take long. I only had a couple questions.” Daniel had reached his car. He hopped inside, pulled out his notebook and a pen, and balanced the phone on his sh
oulder. “Were you editor when Bianca Santaro came to town?”
“Sure was. I remember her. A stunningly beautiful woman, not the kind you forget easily.”
“I believe it. Her daughter is just as beautiful.” Daniel shifted the phone. “I was thinking of comparing the two women’s trips. Carlita is here to run the wine shop, but Bianca came for a vacation. Anything you can tell me about her visit here?”
“You mean the stuff I printed…or the stuff I didn’t?”
A bell sounded in Daniel’s head. “Stuff you didn’t print?”
“Twenty years ago, papers were different,” Joe explained. “Especially small-town papers. We weren’t running around, trying to give everyone their fifteen minutes. We just wanted to report nice, happy stories.”
“And there’s a not-so-nice story to go along with Bianca’s visit?”
“I wouldn’t call it that. More a rumor…and a hunch.”
The hairs on the back of Daniel’s neck stood at attention. He could hear it humming inside him—the secret that could change everything. It was an instinct, one that he’d honed over the years he’d worked as a reporter, and before Joe said another word, Daniel knew one thing.
This was the kind of information that was going to change everything.
By two, Carrie was more than ready for her break. She dropped onto one of the two stools behind the counter and let out a long breath. “That’s the busiest we’ve been since we opened. I don’t think I’ve ever had a day this insane.”
Faith settled onto the opposite stool. “Word is spreading about the wines here. That’s a good thing.”
Carrie pressed a button on the register—after all these days working here, she had finally conquered the dreaded machine—and a quick report of the day’s sales printed out on a thin strip of paper. The numbers she saw were more than great—they were incredible. She couldn’t wait to call home later today and tell her father and the vineyard manager about the big splash Uccelli wines were making in the U.S. market.
The marketing efforts she’d put in place a few months ago—advertising in local magazines, a billboard on the Interstate next to the Winter Haven exit and a few targeted radio spots—were finally starting to pay back the investment. She ran a mental list of the next things she wanted to do to capitalize even further on the sales surge. She’d order some promotional products like T-shirts, coasters, wine caddies, and she’d hold a wine tasting in conjunction with a local radio station sometime later in the month.