by Janet Albert
"I don't think any such thing. If you decide you're ready to start dating, you won't need any help from us. I only want you to like her because I put you two together."
"I do like her and she's perfect for us."
"Then I'm satisfied." Carolyn opened the passenger door.
WHEN SHE COULD no longer see their car on the road, Lucia gave in to a sudden impulse and walked to the cellars to see if Juliet was still there. She didn't feel like sitting in front of her computer or doing anything that required mental exertion. They had both said they might take the rest of the day off and beautiful days like this one invited you to be outdoors rather than cooped up in an office. Her line of rationale was persuasive, but the most compelling reason she didn't want to go to her office and work was because she wanted to spend more time with Juliet.
Juliet was in the lab washing beakers and test tubes when Lucia got there. She turned off the water and dried her hands when she saw Lucia come in.
"I felt like we didn't have a chance to talk much during lunch so I decided to come over," Lucia said. "I hope you don't mind."
"No, not at all. In fact I'm glad you did."
"I thought you were taking the rest of the day off," Lucia said.
"I was, but I really don't have anything to do at home."
"I don't have anything to do, either, and it's too nice to be inside. How would you feel about taking me out to the vineyards and showing me around a little? I can wait if you need to finish what you were doing."
"No, let's go. I'll let the rest of these soak."
"Do you want me to drive?" Lucia asked.
"We'll go in my car. I parked it out back."
JULIET DROVE ALONG a dirt road that withered down to the usual well-worn tire tracks they used to drive into sections of the vineyards. Once she reached her destination she stopped the car, got out and guided Lucia to a specific area containing neat row after neat row of immature vines.
"I wanted to show you the new vines Luke planted this past spring. They're baby riesling grapevines." Juliet squatted and touched one of them so gently it was as though she were stroking a newborn's cheek. "Aren't they amazing?"
"Yes. They're so small."
"Vines are a year old when they're ready to plant and they need another year or two of growing before they produce grape clusters. Luke and his crew train them to climb the trellises and they keep them pruned so they don't develop excessive leaf growth."
"Why do you worry about leaf growth?" Lucia asked. "Luke may have told me, but if he did, I forgot." Luke had probably told her a lot of things that promptly went in one ear and out the other. He'd asked her to go to the vineyards with him a hundred times and except for once or twice, she'd always found some excuse not to go.
"Too much leaf cover shades the grapes from the sun," Juliet explained. "They need full sun in order to ripen and they need to stay dry to protect them from molds and other diseases caused by excessive moisture."
"That seems obvious once you point it out."
"There's another reason, the most important one. Cutting away excessive leaf growth directs the plant's energy into the fruit." Juliet took hold of Lucia's elbow and guided her back to the car. "I want to show you something somewhere else."
Juliet drove to another section of vineyards and led Lucia to the vines she wanted her to see. "These are European vines Luke started after you bought the winery. He grafted them to the older native American rootstocks that were already here."
"I did know that," Lucia said. "I think."
"Those root stocks belonged to native grape vines that grew here for over a hundred years, like Niagara and Delaware. They're cold hardy and pest resistant, so Luke took the new, non-native vines and grafted them to the stronger roots. That way he ends up with more resilient vines that have fewer problems."
They progressed through the rows of vines a little farther until Juliet paused to pick up a handful of soil. She held it under Lucia's nose. "Sniff this, but be careful. I want you to smell it, not get a nose full of dirt."
Lucia sniffed a few times. "I smell grapes and the earth."
"I love that smell." Juliet let the earth fall from her hand and rubbed her hands to get rid of the residue. "Isn't it wonderful what you can get from the earth? Things look dead in the winter and in the spring they come to life again. It's nature's eternal promise."
Lucia was moved by Juliet's words. She could be so reflective and poetic when she spoke of things that mattered to her and Lucia loved to listen to her talk. Lucia wanted to share her zest for life, wanted to love her land and her grapes the way Juliet did. Instead of voicing her thoughts, she made an observation of her own. "That earth seemed dry. I get concerned when it doesn't rain, but Luke tells me not to. He said the grapes love hot weather and dry conditions."
"He's right. They don't do well in soggy soil and wet vines are prone to all sorts of diseases. They need rain as long as it's not excessive. They have long roots and can get water from deep within the earth. They use water conservatively, thrive in poor soil and you don't have to give them much in the way of fertilizers and nutrients." Juliet paused and studied Lucia as if something had occurred to her. "I hope I'm not telling you things you already know."
"I should know everything you're telling me. It's basic stuff and I'm sure Luke went over it at some point." If he had, Lucia hadn't retained much of the information. Being out here with Juliet made her aware of how terribly out of touch she'd been. "I own these vineyards and I haven't bothered to look at them. I need to change that."
"You're here now. This is a good place to start."
"Better late than never I suppose." Lucia saw compassion in Juliet's expression and it occurred to her that Juliet was much kinder to her than she had ever been to herself.
"Did you know that every vineyard has its own terroir?" Juliet asked.
"What's that mean in English?"
"It means the sum total of everything that makes your vineyards unique, the soil, the elevation and slope of the land, the sun exposure, and every single nuance of climate and growing conditions. They all affect the grapes." Juliet touched Lucia's hand. "Tell me if I'm talking too much. I get carried away."
"I like when you get carried away and I'm enjoying this." Lucia was tempted to take Juliet's hand and tell her she loved listening to her talk about anything--water, sunshine, dirt, or anything at all--because she loved the sound of her voice, her accent, and the way her eyes sparkled. But in the end, she decided not to.
"Are you sure?" Juliet appeared to be searching Lucia's eyes.
"One hundred percent."
"Good because I have another saying along those same lines and it goes like this, 'The fruit speaks of the special place where it was grown.'"
"That's another way of saying the same thing," Lucia said. "Every wine region has distinctive characteristics and that makes their wines taste different from the same wines made in other places."
"Exactly. Our chardonnays would never taste like the ones made in California and our rieslings would never taste quite the same as the German ones. Our wines are unique because our climate is unique." Juliet began walking through the rows.
"I want to thank you for bringing me out here," Lucia said once they were standing in front of another section of vines.
"Why don't you come out here with me once in a while? I'll explain things and show you what we're doing."
"Are you busy this Saturday night?" Lucia asked abruptly.
"Excuse me?" Confusion registered on Juliet's face.
"Are you busy this Saturday night?"
"Did you want to come out to the vineyards?"
Lucia laughed as she understood how Juliet arrived at that conclusion. "No, that's not what I had in mind. It sounded like I was saying that, didn't it?"
"Yes, it did."
"I shouldn't have come out with it like that. I wanted to know if you were busy because I'd like you to have dinner with me at my cottage."
"I don't have
any plans." Juliet seemed genuinely excited. "I'm not going to work this Saturday. These six-day weeks are taking their toll
and I need to cut down." "Would you rather I came down to Ithaca since you won't be up
here? We could go out to eat somewhere instead." "I don't mind driving up to your place." "Good. I haven't cooked in a while and I thought I'd make one of
my favorite dishes. If it's nice out, we can eat by the lake." "Do you want me to bring anything?" "Just bring yourself."
Chapter Thirteen
ON FRIDAY NIGHT, Juliet fell asleep earlier than usual and slept soundly until ten-thirty the next morning. Sleeping in excess of twelve hours proved to her how right she'd been when she told Lucia her long days had taken their toll. The second her eyes popped open she began to anticipate her upcoming dinner with Lucia. She mulled over what she would wear, what topics they'd discuss and every possibility the evening held in store. It was a dinner invitation from a friend and yet she was more excited about it than she could have envisioned.
To make the day go quickly, Juliet did laundry, cleaned the kitchen and made a pot of vegetable soup for the upcoming week. All those activities helped and still the hours seemed to drag. After putting the soup away and sweeping the kitchen floor she ran out of busywork. Around three in the afternoon, she decided to get showered and dressed so she wouldn't make herself nervous leaving it to the last minute.
After blowing her hair dry she put on a pair of jeans and a shirt and headed into the living room to read. In the middle of an interesting article on a new method of making a pinot noir, she was rudely interrupted by the harsh buzzing of the intercom. She got up and pressed the speaker button. "Can I help you?"
"It's me, Andre."
"Andre? What are you doing here?" There was no mistaking the irritation she heard in her voice. Andre Du Bois was the French-Canadian wine distributor she had told Lucia about when they were having dinner at the Moosewood. He had entered her life when she was working at her previous winery and she had agreed to go out with him because she felt comfortable with him. He was interesting and easy to talk to and they seemed to have a lot in common. They dated whenever he came to Ithaca on business and in the interim they kept their casual relationship alive via e-mail and occasional phone calls.
"Let me in and I'll explain."
She pushed the button that opened the downstairs door and listened to his heavy footsteps as he climbed the stairs. Each approaching step made her more irritated. Why did he have to show up at her apartment today of all days? She had plans and she didn't want them interfered with.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him, blocking the doorway and making no effort to sound less angry.
"I had to make an unexpected trip to Ithaca to meet with one of my clients and I thought why not stop in and see you? They called me early this morning and I had to get on the road. I did try to call you on the way, more than once, but your cell phone was on voice mail. Didn't you get any of my messages?"
"I haven't checked it in a while." Juliet wished she had. She might have prevented him from actually appearing on her doorstep. She noticed he had a duffle bag in his hand. "Are you staying overnight in Ithaca?"
"I have to. I have a meeting tomorrow."
"On Sunday?" That meant he would want to spend Saturday evening with her.
"It's at one of the big wineries on Seneca and that was the only day the owner and I could meet this week. I'll head home as soon as it's over."
"Where are you staying?"
"Here's the thing. I know I don't stay with you when I'm here, but they're having a family weekend thing at Cornell this weekend and there's a big arts and crafts festival on the lake. I couldn't find a room in any of the decent places and I don't want to spend the whole day looking for a trashy room in some strip motel."
"I suppose that means you want to stay here?"
"Is that okay?" he asked.
Now that he was standing in front of her what was she to do? He needed a place to stay and it would be impolite to turn him down. Her heart sunk as she realized it would also be impolite to leave him alone while she went to Lucia's. How would she explain to him that she would rather have dinner with Lucia than spend the evening with him? How was she going to explain that to herself?
"Juliet? I asked you if I could stay here tonight."
"I guess so."
Andre's look was quizzical. "You guess so?"
"Yes, of course you can."
"That's great. I already met with my first client so I don't have any more business to take care of today. Why don't I take you out to dinner?"
He came off as smug and self-satisfied, a common male trait she'd always detested. And she knew it was because things were going the way he wanted them to. Her mouth opened to speak, but before she could say anything, he held his hand up.
"Hold that thought. I have to use the bathroom."
Juliet folded her arms across her chest and tapped the floor with her toe. What gave him the right to drop in unannounced and take control of her weekend? The last time they went out, she had ended up spending the night with him in his hotel room. They'd gone out a number of times, she was in the mood and it seemed the timing was right. The sex proved pleasurable on a purely physical level but on an emotional level it was lacking, at least for her. That's how it had always been with men and after it happened, she was left wondering if she wanted to see him again.
When he sauntered back into the living room, she confronted him. "I'm not sure I like you coming here without telling me first. We don't do this."
"I tried to tell you and besides, what's the problem? We haven't seen each other for a while and I've missed you. Didn't you miss me at all?"
"I've been too busy to miss anyone." His question implied he had made assumptions that made her even more irritated. She tugged at her shirt, more annoyed than she thought she ought to be, definitely more than he deserved. "Please don't come here again without talking to me. How did you know I'd even be here?"
"Christ! Okay, already. Honestly, I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this. I'm only asking to spend the night." For a moment, Andre seemed to be going over the situation in his mind. His tone mellowed and he pulled out the charm that had enticed her to go out with him in the first place. "You're right. It won't happen again." He leaned over as if to give her a kiss.
Juliet turned away, avoiding his kiss. "I wanted to take it easy this weekend. I would have told you that had you given me the chance and I also would have told you I already made dinner plans with a friend this evening."
"What friend?" Andre asked as if it never occurred to him that she had any. "Hold on. Is this friend another guy? Are you seeing someone else?"
"We never said we wouldn't date other people, Andre," Juliet pointed out. "And for your information it's not a guy or a date. It's my boss, Lucia Parisi."
"Your boss? I thought you said a friend."
"She's my boss and my friend." Why is it after you sleep with a man he thinks he owns you, she thought? Apparently, having allowed her relationship with him to progress to a sexual level had altered it more than she had anticipated. Their boundaries were now blurred and he was acting as if he had gained access to every aspect of her life.
"Do you think that's a good idea? You shouldn't be friends with your boss. You have to work for her and take orders from her."
"I hardly think you need to worry about it."
Andre came close and encircled her in his arms, his voice low and seductive against her ear. "You can have dinner with her any time. We don't see each other very often and I've missed you. Call her and tell her you can't make it. She won't mind."
"How do you know she won't? She'll probably be disappointed and I was looking forward to having dinner with her." She wiggled out of his embrace. "I promised her I would come."
He stepped back and stared at her as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Tell her your boyfriend is here. What woman wouldn't understand tha
t?"
Juliet backed up to put more distance between them. "I don't need advice on what to say to my friends. I can say whatever I please."
"Sorry. Did I push your personal freedom button again?"
"Last time I checked, I didn't have any buttons! And what's wrong with wanting my freedom? I'm sure you want yours. Every man does and they have it, too."
"Hey, calm down. I'm only teasing." Andre moved close and put his arm around her. "I didn't come here to fight. I wanted to spend time with you. Is that a crime?"
Juliet took a few calming breaths. She needed to re-group. Short of kicking him out, she didn't know how else to handle the situation other than to give in. Tomorrow, once he was out of the picture, she'd sort out her feelings and find a way to make the situation up to Lucia. "Wait here while I go call her."
"I'll look over my notes for tomorrow."
Juliet went into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. She leaned her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands. This had to be the hardest phone call she'd ever had to make. She wasn't sure how much this dinner meant to Lucia and she didn't know how disappointed she'd be. From what Lucia had told her, Juliet surmised that it had been some time since Lucia reached out to anyone other than her family.
Everything about Lucia spoke of the immense pain she'd suffered and Juliet hated like hell to let her down. Most of all, she didn't want Lucia to think she didn't care, that she was tossing her aside without a second thought. Her hands shook as she reached for her cell phone.
Lucia answered on the third ring. She sounded happy when she told Juliet how much she was looking forward to their dinner. "I'm making a dish my mother taught me how to make. And it's nice out so we can eat outside."
"That sounds wonderful, but--"
"What's wrong?" Lucia's voice fell.
"I can't come." There it was, out in the open.
"Oh." After a long pause, Lucia said, "I'm disappointed to hear that."
"I'm sorry. I hope you didn't go to a lot of trouble."