Entangled

by Melissa Brayden

  Gabriella held out her hand, and Skywalker raced over like he’d won the sausage lottery. He took the chunk Gabriella offered and did his side-to-side dance with his front paws. Gabriella pointed at him. “He’s got nightclub skills.”

  “One of his many talents.”

  Gabriella joined Becca on the stairs. “You’ll be happy to know that I booked a massage at The Jade for later this week.”

  Becca grinned. “That’s fantastic. Marjorie is in charge over there, and I’ll make sure she knows you’re a friend and valued neighbor.”

  Gabriella sat a little bit taller. She always brought such a contagious sparkle that it made being in her orbit lots of fun. “That makes me feel incredibly fancy.” She gestured to her shoulders. “It’s my traps that are aching. I love the truck, but the fast turnaround on the food really takes its toll after a while.”

  “Does she have a name?”

  “You haven’t heard? I can safely report that she’s Jolene.” Gabriella then went on to belt a couple lines of the song, surprising Becca with her beautiful singing voice.

  Good God. She pointed at Gabriella. “I love the name and applaud it, but I’m really more pulled in by those pipes. You never mentioned you could sing.”

  “You never asked.”

  Becca shook her head. “A singing chef. Tangle Valley just gets more and more interesting, in a good way.”

  “You’re kind to say so. Now, what’s going on with you?”

  “Me?” Becca squinted. “What do you mean?”

  Gabriella moved her pointer finger in a circle. “Your aura, your vibe. Everything feels heavier. Is it work? Homesickness? Please tell me you’re not unhappy with how things are going with you and Joey.” She tented her hands under her chin. “You guys are the cutest.”

  “Definitely not. I like her a lot.”

  “Thank God.”

  Becca sighed, knowing exactly what it was. She was keeping a secret from Joey and she couldn’t stand it.

  “Then what is it?” Gabriella asked. “You have a friend in me, you know? Both new transplants to town and all. We gotta stick together.”

  She met Gabriella’s sincere gaze and knew it was true. In that moment, something in her gave way, and after carrying the information around for two weeks now, she had to release it. “Okay. Here goes.”

  “Listening.”

  “Do you know the agreement we were working toward, designating Tangle Valley as the official house wine of The Jade?”

  “Yes, which is thrilling.” Gabriella sat taller. “I can imagine that would mean lots of extra attention for the vineyard. Plus”—she held out her hand to announce a given—“the wine orders themselves.”

  “It fell through.” The words came tumbling out, and Becca jammed her fingers in her hair.

  Gabriella blinked. “Oh no,” she said quietly.

  Becca felt nauseous all over again. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around her knees. “It’s awful. Especially since I was stupid enough to let Joey think it was virtually a done deal. I thought it would be.”

  “Oh, Becca. No. This is bad.” She looked behind them, up at the Big House. “Joey is holding on to that deal like it’s the one good thing this place has going for it.”

  She covered her eyes. “I know. And I don’t know how to fix it.”

  Madison came around the side of the house, likely from the barrel room where she’d been checking the tanks. “Hey, guys. Is this day over yet?” Sky dropped a tennis ball at her feet and she gave it an impressive throw. He then turned into the gazelle he was apparently born to be, and Madison took a seat on one of the lower stairs. “What have I missed?” Her dark blue eyes looked to them curiously.

  “The Jade isn’t going through with the exclusive deal with us, and Becca can’t seem to break it to Joey.”

  The smile faded from Madison’s face. For a minute she didn’t say anything at all, and it killed Becca. Each of these reactions was only a preview of what she could expect when she told Joey. Not only that, but she felt exponentially more awful because she’d told Joey’s best friends first, which had been the total wrong order.

  “Why?” Madison asked, bewildered. “This is going to be a blow.”

  Becca shook her head. “Our VP, the one who oversees the restaurants, did some research and liked what he saw from Fable Brook. Felt they had a larger reach nationally.”

  “Well, that’s because they’re four times our size, but who cares about distribution anyway? I though the whole point was to feature good local wine? Emphasis on good.”

  “They think Fable Brook does both.”

  “They don’t,” Madison said. “And I’m not being biased in the least. I know wine, and I know what crap Fable Brook has been turning out the past few years. Notice they don’t even bother entering competitions anymore.”

  “I’m sure corporate doesn’t know any of that. But I’m not sure they care.”

  Gabriella looked crestfallen, her hazel eyes sorrowful. Madison shook her head in anger. Becca wanted to crawl into a hole.

  “You have to tell Joey,” Gabriella said, lightly touching Becca’s knee.

  “I just wanted to give her a little time that was free from any more bad news.”

  “You can’t protect her from this,” Madison stated matter-of-factly, setting emotion aside. “It’s her business. Her life. She needs to know what cards we’re dealt, so we can make plans. Without the money from The Jade, she’ll have to rethink everything. No restaurant. No expansion. Hell, we’ll barely be able to pay our employees.” She stood and walked a few feet away in the direction of the vines, speaking quietly. “Fucking Fable Brook. Seriously?”

  Becca swallowed and nodded numbly. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll tell Joey. I have to.”

  * * *

  The sweet smell of Christmas spices, the sounds of holiday carols, and tidings of good cheer were not only present, but the stars of the show that Saturday in Whisper Wall, Oregon. Wassail Fest was bigger and better this year than ever before, and Joey was thrilled to be right in the middle of it, selling hot mulled wine hand over fist. When she’d set up the Tangle Valley booth earlier in the day, she’d done a quick count of vendors on the map she’d been supplied and noticed ten to twelve new ones. Their little town was certainly growing, and she looked forward to the chance to peruse them all later that night when her shift ended.

  The streets in the center of town were full of locals and tourists alike, all flooding the area for one very important reason: the celebration of wassail, a beloved warm beverage of the holidays, and pretty much any and all other warm beverages known to man.

  Joey’d been working the Tangle Valley booth since the late morning, smiling and selling and reminding everyone she could to stop by the vineyard. The weather had certainly helped the holiday spirit, turning up a chilly afternoon and now evening. With the sun down and the millions of twinkly lights decorating anything in the streets that would stand still, the celebration felt crisp and vibrant. Dickensian carolers in top hats and bonnets strolled the streets, pausing here and there to offer a perfectly harmonized performance. She saw Clementine among them, which made her grin to herself. As someone who was relatively quiet, it didn’t seem like Clem’s normal fare to wear a bonnet and sing from a songbook, but she was actually quite good and, in an adorable turn of events, seemed to really enjoy it, too.

  “For you,” Joey said to her friend, who seemed to be on a break between carols. “On the house.”

  “Are you sure?” Clementine asked. Joey knew she couldn’t make much money at The Bacon and Biscuit, and that’s what friends were for.

  “Of course,” Joey said, waving her off. “You guys have kept me entertained and in the holiday spirit all night. Least I can do for the smile you put on my face.”

  Clem lifted her cup. “Very kind of you. Come by the Biscuit and I’ll set you up.”

  Joey grinned at her. “Deal. But I want my biscuit extra warm.”

  “You get any time off to enj
oy the festival?” Clem asked, sipping the warm wine. “Whoa. This hits the spot.”

  “Yep. In about twenty minutes, Scott and I”—she gestured to one of her part-timers—“are off the clock, and Loretta and Serena will take over until we close up. Scott will come back and handle that.”

  “Perfect. And thanks for this. I better fall in line for ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas.’” Clementine lifted her cup as she headed off with her perfectly coifed group for more caroling.

  When Loretta arrived to take custody of the booth, Joey rejoiced. She’d always enjoyed Wassail Fest, but this year she’d meet up with Becca, and that meant exploring it through her eyes. There was a carnival set up a couple blocks over in the grassy area adjacent to Pizzamino’s, the greasiest pizza joint known to man. She was scheduled to meet Becca, Madison, and Gabriella on the carnival grounds to hopefully play a little Skee-Ball and get their photo taken in the snow globe. What Joey had her heart set on? A giant s’more! She wondered how Becca felt about them. Maybe they’d share. The concept of Becca with marshmallow and chocolate all over her made Joey grin.

  As she walked the streets of the festival, she purposefully took in the pink-cheeked, smiling faces of everyone she passed. Everyone seemed so much friendlier during the holidays, and that helped, well, everything. Joey smiled back, snuggling into her puffy purple jacket. It had been a decent three weeks since the fire, and she was just starting to breathe again. Christmas was now upon them, just four days away, and if she focused on that, she could hold on to the newfound air. Plus, she found herself clinging to every last happy thing in her life, and trying desperately not to miss her father too much. She’d never experienced a Christmas without his loud Ho, ho, ho whenever she walked into the Big House, or the sound of his guitar strumming carols when he hadn’t heard her enter and was simply singing for himself. Instead of embracing the tears all the time, Joey looked harder at her blessings. This festival was one of them.

  She passed booths selling popcorn, funnel cake, banana bread, and even freshly smoked brisket plates that made her mouth water. The carolers sang “White Christmas” next from atop the makeshift stage in the center of the festivities. She stood a moment and listened by herself, letting the music envelop her. Powell Rogers from the car dealership sang bass beneath a top hat and muttonchops, like he was born to perform.

  Finally, she moved on and turned the corner and headed into the carnival section of the festival. She spotted Becca and her friends right off, standing a few feet away from The Scrambler. The riders on board screamed with horrified delight as they were whisked forward and then back and around again at a high rate of speed. Gabriella waved a giant turkey leg at her and leapt in the air to say hello. Madison grinned from beneath an adorable wool cap that had her curls on display as they tumbled down her back, and there was Becca, waiting patiently with two cups of hot chocolate, each under a pile of whipped cream she knew for a fact was homemade by Edith McHugh, who had perfected the art. Everyone talked about her prowess with a whisk.

  “Funny meeting you three here,” Joey said, strolling up, hands in her pockets. She’d found her people and relaxed automatically.

  “For you,” Becca said, handing one of the hot chocolates off to Joey with a happy smile.

  “It’s like you read my mind. Chocolate all the way.”

  Becca grinned and looked skyward. “It’s possible I’ve spent a little time with you lately.”

  Joey narrowed her gaze. “I think I’ve been accused of chocolate overindulgence.”

  “Well, you did eat about eleven of Loretta’s homemade chocolate chunk Santa cookies before the rest of them even made it to the platter,” Gabriella said, as if piecing together a puzzle.

  “That’s true,” Joey said nonchalantly. “I stand by and heartily subscribe to the you snooze, you lose philosophy.”

  Madison gaped. “Except it was nine a.m., and none of us had even been by yet.”

  “I don’t see the problem.”

  Becca laughed and pointed at Joey. “First of all, you definitely have one. Secondly, you have whipped cream on your nose, which makes just about anything forgivable.”

  Joey knew very well that if they weren’t in public, Becca would have kissed that whipped cream away for her, so she let herself imagine it even if only for a moment, because where would that lead them? She was pretty sure the answer was naked in front of the fireplace, where they’d spent a lot of time lately. The heat from the daydream did more to warm her than her coat and gloves had done all day. She removed the whipped cream from her nose with a laugh and turned to her friends. “Where to next?”

  “Gabriella wants to visit the reindeer stable at the North Pole,” Madison said and exchanged a wistful look with Joey.

  Joey grinned because it had been her and Madison’s favorite attraction when they were kids. They would stand in awe at how realistic the stables seemed, with each reindeer able to actually move. As an adult, she could see the repetition in those movements and the slight stutters in the mechanics that she’d been oblivious to as a child. Back then, the stable was pure magic, and she and Maddie would sit and watch for long stretches. She was excited to share the stable with the others now. She turned to Gabriella. “Okay, but understand that Comet is the superior reindeer. You can tell just by watching the display and his adorable eyes.”

  Madison scoffed. “You say that every year, buddygirl, but you’ve clearly never paid attention to Dasher, who is watching over all the others like a sweet big brother. Do not let Comet distract you from the main idea.”

  Gabriella jumped in with a hand out. “Had no idea there was a reindeer war afoot.”

  “How could there not be if she thinks Comet is the star?” Madison asked in seriousness.

  “I can’t even with you,” Joey said, shaking her head.

  Becca laughed and opened her mouth to speak just as Martin Hollis placed a hand on her arm. Joey squinted. Martin, who she’d never liked, grinned widely at Becca. “Ms. Crawford, just wanted to tell you how over the moon we are about partnering with you.” He nodded at the others. “Joey,” he said respectfully. But she was too busy decoding what he’d just said.

  “Thank you,” Becca said, pursing her lips. Except she wasn’t a lip purser. “I hope you have a nice night.”

  Martin nodded happily and set off with his wife, Beverly, arm in arm with a skip in their step. She watched after them. They looked like cats who’d been licking the cream. “What was that all about?” Joey asked with a laugh. But the look on Becca’s face told Joey there was nothing funny about it.

  “Oh, um, stuff for The Jade.” Becca’s face was red.

  “What kind of stuff?” Joey asked. She could feel her friends’ eyes on them.

  “Maybe that’s something we could talk about later,” Becca said gently.

  Something felt wildly off, and Joey couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, but she was close. She stared off after Martin and Bev, who—if she hadn’t been mistaken—had just gloated about something. They were on a high for two people who never smiled a lot and put up with a delinquent son. “Can we talk about it now, though?” Gabriella and Madison seemed to fade away. Whether that was simply Joey’s perception or if they actually did give them space wasn’t clear. She was too focused on the foreboding sense of dread that seemed to hover over her, a breath away.

  Becca rolled her lips in. Joey had never seen her do that before either, which said she was wildly uncomfortable. “Joey,” Becca said carefully. Another bad sign.

  “Just tell me what’s wrong, okay? I’m a big girl.” She smiled and shrugged like this was not a big deal. Deep down, she feared she was wrong but couldn’t quite look at it head-on. The sense of dread took a step closer, towering over her now.

  Becca blinked, looked away and then back at Joey, meeting her gaze. “I wasn’t able to make the deal between Tangle Valley and The Jade come to fruition the way I thought I could.”

  “Oh,” Joey said. The implications were
upon her immediately. Fuck. This was bad. No, awful. She felt like the air had been kicked right out of her. Those big orders wouldn’t be coming their way. The vineyard’s name wouldn’t be dropped to every guest who sat down for a glass of wine. With the fire, and the lackluster insurance payout, which turned out to be even smaller than she’d expected, what was she supposed to do?

  “Joey, I’m really sorry. We’ll, of course, still carry the wine.”

  “I don’t understand,” Joey said, finally. “You told me it was as good as done.”

  Becca shifted her weight. “It was. I thought. They loved the concept of featuring a local winery.”

  “Until they didn’t.”

  Becca hesitated. “No, that’s still true.” That’s when Joey remembered Martin Hollis and his grin. “They just decided to go with Fable Brook instead.”

  “Fable Brook.” Joey blinked and swiveled her head in the direction she’d seen the Hollises walk. “Tell me why?” It didn’t add up. “Why in the world would they choose Fable Brook over our wine? It pales in comparison. No character at all.”

  Becca’s voice sounded flat when she replied, “Corporate did their own research and liked that Fable Brook had broader distribution.”

  This couldn’t be the end of it. Joey went into recovery mode, the wheels in her head turning, searching for anything she could do to fix this. “Can I put together a proposal myself? Highlight for them all the ways we’re the better choice? I can have it ready in three days. Sooner even, if they need it.”

  Becca shook her head, stricken. “It’s too late for that. They’ll reevaluate once the contract is up in a couple of years. For now, it’s a dead end, and I feel responsible.” Joey had never seen Becca looking so disappointed, but it was as if her brain couldn’t focus on that right now. She’d been punched in the eye, and she had to figure out how to see through it first.

  Joey let one arm drop, having trouble stomaching the hot chocolate. Her troubles at the vineyard just tripled. A new thought hit. She looked up at Becca, the dread now at full intensity. Her hands went numb, and her stomach turned over. “When did you find out? Yesterday? And you didn’t say a word.”