Entangled

by Melissa Brayden

  Joey took a moment to regard the audience. She clenched and unclenched her fists, probably nerves. Finally, she took a deep breath. “The Jade is coming whether we like it or not. Elite Resorts has heard our complaints, they saw our written petition, and don’t care. The question is, how are we going to handle it? As a representative of the vineyard closest to the hotel, I’m worried for the flavor of my business. I’m concerned about the effect such a commercial property will have on the rustic, secluded ambiance we’ve always made our goal. Hell, we even use those terms in our marketing materials.” Joey swallowed. She spoke with conviction. And though it seemed public speaking wasn’t her favorite, she gained momentum as she went. “I don’t want the hotel here and do not plan to support it in any way. I hope you’ll stand with me on that front.”

  Becca swallowed and her stomach turned over. Ouch. It was one thing to be unhappy about something. It was quite another to actively seek and hope for its failure. She glanced around at the faces of the audience members and watched as many took to nodding. This wasn’t going well.

  Joey shifted her weight and continued. “We have to look out for each other, protect the small inns and bed-and-breakfasts owned by friends and family. As you know, some of them are very nice places to stay, even if they don’t come with an Olympic-size pool with a waterfall.” Becca suppressed an eye roll. “I don’t want to see town square riddled with fast food restaurants, and Walmarts along our country roads. That’s not who we are. What I do know is that this town has a lot of heart. We’re unique. One of a kind. That’s why people love to visit. Let’s hold on to that charm no matter who shows up.”

  Nope. Uh-uh. Becca couldn’t let that slide. She stood, found the sign-up sheet, and waited for her turn to speak. She had to change the tone. It was the only way. She listened to another four speakers, each one met with emphatic head nods and applause. The tide was firmly against her, and she needed to change its course.

  Finally, Big Mitch returned to the podium. “Next we’ll hear from Ms. Becca Crawford.” He looked around the room as her name was likely not recognizable to him, nor to the majority of the attendees. She stood from her seat in the back and walked to the front of the room, feeling the curious gazes firmly on her as she passed. Joey, she noticed, shifted uncomfortably in her seat when she saw Becca and quickly looked away.

  She grasped the sides of the podium and relaxed into what she hoped was a warm smile. “Good afternoon, everyone. You may not know me just yet because I’m new to Whisper Wall. My name is Becca, and I’m a Florida transplant who loves wine and procedural TV shows, and is hopefully adopting a dog in about two hours from now.” She crossed her fingers. “Wish me luck on that one.” Many in the audience smiled back at that. “I’m always pumped for home decorating but somehow never get around to it. There are still boxes along the perimeter of my living room that have started to blend in with the furniture.” Several more people smiled. “I love to cook, but I burn things when I get distracted.” She shrugged. “Maybe you’ve been there, too. As for my day job, I’m the general manager of The Jade, the resort going in on the north side of town”—she gestured to Joey—“not far from Tangle Valley, a place I think might be the most beautiful on earth.” She tapped the podium. “I tell you all of this because I’m just a person like all of you, and I really happen to love Whisper Wall and everything that makes it unique. I don’t want to change anything about it. In fact, I want more people to experience its charm and am confident The Jade’s arrival will help that happen. More visitors, different visitors, who will enjoy your town, your wineries, and will hopefully come back year after year.” She looked around the room at the interested faces peering back at her. “Speaking as a person, I just want to be your friend. Speaking as the GM for The Jade, I just want to contribute to everything this town already has working for it, not take anything away. Thank you for letting me speak.” She pointed at the back table. “Now I have to steal one of those cupcakes for my ride to the farm to meet some dogs.” She was met with a smattering of applause, which, to her surprise, built to a medium-sized reception. She relaxed. It had been worthwhile to introduce herself, which was only reinforced when the meeting concluded and several individuals approached her.

  “Irene Strong,” a woman said, extending her hand for a shake. Becca accepted it. “We’re glad you came out and let us hear your side. It helps to see the person in charge up close and understand that you’re just a normal human being like all of us loonies.” She laughed. “Anyway, welcome to town.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you,” Becca said with a grin, mid cupcake swipe. Others approached, and Becca happily greeted each of them.

  “Not saying I love that hotel because I don’t, but I liked what you had to say.”

  “Nice speech. Welcome to Whisper Wall.”

  “Maybe try unpacking one box every day. That’s what I do.”

  “Well, I’m at least glad to hear you appreciate good wine. That’s step one to becoming a local.”

  Becca exhaled. Not everyone hated her, and that mattered so much, maybe more than it should have. She had to talk a big game at work and was always viewed as a go-getter in the corporate world, taking no prisoners, but underneath it all, she was a people person. She liked having friends. Feeling better, she scanned the space for Joey and saw her speaking with a man across the room. When Joey smiled, her whole face lit up and her cheeks dusted pink with exuberance. Warmth washed over her when she saw Joey laugh. She never did come over to say hello, and that took a bit of the wind out of Becca’s sails. She’d hoped they’d find a way to still be friends, even from different sides of this issue. But Joey, who was maybe even more beautiful today than the last two times Becca had seen her, adjusted the leather bag on her arm and walked right out of the room without even a glance in Becca’s direction. Becca deflated further but vowed to not give up completely.

  She could be patient and would definitely remain friendly. No matter what. Like good wine, sometimes things just took time.

  * * *

  Joey didn’t enjoy the ire or the awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. It wasn’t like her to carry anger. She was normally a happy, carefree, even cheerful person, but this hotel business had left a definite bad taste in her mouth that she didn’t enjoy. As she drove home from the meeting, she thought back on the speech she gave, and how Becca Crawford had taken the floor and done everything in her power to dismantle every shred of Joey’s argument, using her charm and charisma to do so.

  She’d done a half-decent job of it, too, as much as Joey hated to admit it. She’d spoken with eloquence and poise, looking so put together in that plaid jacket, which was of course accentuated by her chestnut hair, which she’d worn down. Joey gripped the steering wheel with extra force while her conflicting emotions about Becca duked it out like second graders in a playground scuffle. She didn’t know Becca well, but she certainly came with a list of impressive traits, if only she was using them for good and not evil. How was Joey supposed to reconcile the fact that she actually liked her opposition?

  When she returned to Tangle Valley, she found Gabriella staring dreamily at the new truck, which had been washed, detailed, and delivered to the vineyard with an actual giant bow on the side. He’d even found a guy to paint the Tangle Valley logo in place of the peace sign. Score one for Powell.

  “Isn’t she gorgeous?” Gabriella held up her hands in a gesture that reminded Joey of early morning game shows from her youth.

  Joey laughed. “You two look like you were destined for each other. I can just see all the memories ahead.”

  “There will be plenty. I think I’m going to call her Jolene because of your name and also because Dolly Parton would love this truck. That’s who this sweet but fierce little lady reminds me of.”

  Joey nodded, struggling to connect the two but loving every second of Gabriella’s enthusiasm. “Gabriella and Jolene has a nice ring to it. Do you think we’ll be up and serving by lunch?”

  “Eas
ily,” Gabriella said, patting Jolene gently. “All the paperwork with the city was submitted and approved. We’re in the food business now legally.” She pointed at Joey. “Just prepare yourself for the amazing aromas that will be wafting past the tasting room come eleven a.m.”

  Joey’s mouth watered automatically. “I’m going to be dreaming tonight about the arancini I sampled and fantasizing about our next one-on-one rendezvous.”

  “Oh là là.” Gabriella winked. “Take note. I’m making you and Madison a sampler platter of all the truck’s bites for lunch tomorrow, so leave room at breakfast. No heavy biscuits or anything.”

  “God, I don’t know, Gabriella. You make life so hard.”

  She smiled as she made her way into the main building and the tasting room. Things were really starting to shape up. It was so gratifying to see one of her dreams for Tangle Valley begin to shift into place. She’d already had some contractors out to discuss that second tasting room and had a meeting set up with a designer who would be instrumental in making sure the space matched the vibe of the rest of the vineyard property. Next, she wanted to see what they could do about turning that old barn on the far side of the property into something romantic for weddings or special events. It honestly wouldn’t take too much work to convert it into something truly beautiful.

  Since it was just past lunchtime on a Friday, guests were few and far between. Business would pick up again in a couple of hours, but for now Joey could use this time to pull in more bottles and work on scheduling with Loretta, who she could hear washing glasses in the back. Joey paused. Alone at a table, not far from the bar, sat Madison. She stared out the window as she chewed on a pencil, so lost in thought that she’d not even heard Joey enter.

  Joey approached, grinned, and placed a hand on her hip. “There she sat, pondering the world’s great mysteries, ready to take on any obstacle that comes her way. She was Madison LeGrange.”

  Madison turned and didn’t miss a beat. Her blue eyes sparkled brightly. “If you’re talking about tannin concentration, then most definitely. About to make those suckers my bitch.”

  “Language, missy. You can’t fucking talk that way in here.”

  Madison covered her ears. “And now I’m scandalized. Joey Wilder is floating f-bombs like the tooth fairy dropping change. What is happening? This is not normal behavior.”

  “I’m fired up today,” Joey said as she rounded the counter to behind the bar. She checked the bottles below the counter and did a quick count. They also needed more tasting crackers.

  “And why is that?” Madison spun around and pointed her pencil. “Oh, right. The town meeting about the hotel you hate because Jack did. How’d that go?”

  “She was there.”

  “The beautiful, sophisticated sellout?”

  “Yes, and that’s the perfect word for her, a sellout.”

  Madison winced. “I was being playfully hyperbolic, but if you want to go there, I’ll indulge. What was she wearing? Did you notice? Because that would tell me a lot.”

  “Maddie,” Joey said, scolding her. “This is not the time and that isn’t the point.” A pause. “A really awesome brown plaid jacket with matching boots. The thing looked like it was tailor cut to her figure. It probably was.” Joey slapped her own cheek. “What is wrong with me?”

  Madison set her notebook aside and came to sit at the bar across from Joey. “You’re a smitten kitten. I know that flushed cheek look well, and it was that way before you slapped it. You had that look when you first started mooning over Simone back in high school. You’d stare at her across geometry class with pink cheeks and longing in your sweet little Joey eyes.”

  “Exactly.” Joey nodded. “And look where that got me. Publicly humiliated and alone. Best to avoid any and all flushing. Wouldn’t you say?”

  “I wouldn’t. You’re grown now and can handle it.”

  “But why would I want to?”

  “Pink up, buttercup.”

  Joey shrugged and uncorked a bottle of dolcetto to let it breathe. “It’s a nonissue. She works for The Jade, my least favorite thing.”

  “Her job can be your least favorite, but she can be your one and only.”

  Joey gestured with the cork. “She cannot. She can’t even borrow sugar.” She paused. “Well, maybe once, but there will be no ongoing sugar sharing. That would be over the limit.”

  “God, can you imagine someone pushing the sugar limits? Brown plaid jackets be damned. There will be no condiment back-and-forth.” Madison made her eyes wide and headed back to her table. “Now stop talking to me, I need to do some math if you want this wine to taste any good.”

  “Nah, mediocre wine is all the rage.”

  “Shut up.”

  “You shut up.”

  * * *

  The Moon and Stars Ranch was a twenty-two-minute drive from the center of town, and Becca made the whole trip with the windows down on her Nissan Juke, enjoying the chilly air as it rushed past. Her ears were now cold, but she didn’t care. Cold ears just got her excited to be smack in the middle of fall and the cooler Oregon temperatures, which she already preferred to Orlando’s. She savored the sunshine-filled drive as she hummed along badly to Taylor Swift, her total guilty pleasure, like her car. She could easily afford a Range Rover or a BMW, which would certainly be more fitting for the image of the general manager of a multimillion-dollar resort, but when she’d seen the Juke on the road, it had just looked so fun and festive that she had to abandon her professional persona and give in to the inner Becca. She’d gone with yellow and had never felt so at home in a car. It made people smile and children wave when she passed.

  She pulled the Juke onto the long dirt road that led to the ranch and smiled as a handful of happy-looking dogs ran and skipped along the fence as she drove. It made her happy to see how much space they had to exercise and play. Luckily, her house came with a fairly decent sized yard for whoever she might adopt. She imagined herself with a smaller dog, though, so she didn’t need acres of exercise space. Just enough for some good running.

  “Hey, there. Are you Becca?” a man in an actual cowboy hat and boots asked. He removed the hat as she approached, and she saw that he was incredibly handsome. Calendar worthy.

  “Yes. That’s me. Are you Stephen? Hi.”

  He held out his hand. “Yes, ma’am.” Just then, a border collie mix approached and sniffed her hand timidly. “That’s Livewire. She’s always the first to vet a new guest. It’s pretty much your background check.”

  Becca offered her hand for sniffing, and Livewire gave her the once-over before wagging her furry tail and scampering off, clearly trusted off leash.

  “You’ve been approved,” Stephen said. He had crystal clear blue eyes that carried kindness. “Follow me out to the corral, and you can meet the pack. They’re an eclectic crew but friendly.”

  Becca raised her shoulders to her ears as they walked. “I’m excited and nervous at the same time. I’ve wanted a dog for so long but knew I needed to wait until I was settled. But today is that day.”

  Stephen smiled as she spoke. “I know exactly what you’re talking about. I feel the same way every time we foster a new rescue.” He touched his chest, acknowledging his feelings. “You just want it to go well.”

  “Yes.” She laughed. “I very much do, and I feel it here,” she said, touching her jittery midsection. “But it’s a good feeling. Anticipation.”

  “Totally normal.” He gestured with his chin to the large open fenced-in area in the distance. “You’ll notice some are a little more shy than others. Don’t let that fool you. They’re all good pups. Just a matter of figuring out if one fits.”

  “Got it.” Becca followed him past the large ranch-style home where they ran into another man along the corral fence. He wore crisp jeans and boots, an honest-to-goodness cowboy.

  “Hi there. Welcome,” he said and tipped his hat to her.

  “Becca, this is my partner, Monty. He’s the dog whisperer around here, but
don’t give him too much out loud credit. The pups can’t get enough of him, and he calms the scared ones when they arrive.”

  Monty flashed a perfect smile. “What can I say? I’m a cuddler.”

  “Great to meet you.” Becca shook Monty’s hand, struck by how handsome he was as well. Truly. What was with this place? She didn’t know what they were drinking, but she wanted some of it. Monty could be the model for one of those sultry romance novels with the shirtless cowboys on the cover. She also wasn’t sure if partner meant sidekick, like on a ranch, or partner in life. These two would make an unbelievably striking couple. She secretly hoped for it.

  “Nice to meet you, ma’am. You’re looking for a new best friend, I hear.”

  “That’s my hope.” Right on cue a group of excited dogs approached the gate, sensing they were about to get some attention.

  “We’re currently fostering ten dogs out here on the ranch. All have been hard to place for various reasons.” Monty pointed. “This adorable goofball sheds a ton and barks a bit too much for his own good. That gorgeous girl likes to chew things. That one doesn’t like being on his own for too long, just to give you a sampling.”

  Becca shrugged. “We all have our hang-ups. I forget to call my friends on their birthdays. I’m working on it.”

  “Aren’t we all?” Stephen said, joining them along the fence. Monty placed a hand on his lower back, and Becca grinned to herself. Definitely not just ranching partners, which warmed her heart. “Ready to say hello?”

  “God, yes. Just look at all these cuties.” She laughed at the silly shepherd with the tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

  Monty tossed her a cautionary glance. “Just be prepared to be overrun and jumped all over. Part of life around here.”