Finally Greer catches her breath. “Are you up for a cup of coffee? They have a Euro breakfast here if you’d like, too.”
“You don’t eat breakfast.”
“I don’t, but you do, and I’d love a cup of coffee.” I’m embarrassed. I don’t have my wallet, and we left so quickly that I forgot my Apple Watch back at her place.
She must see me struggle, as she states, “I have money.” She reaches into her shirt and pulls out a credit card and a folded-up bill.
“You must’ve been a Boy Scout once. Always prepared,” I tease.
I order coffee for both of us and pick up a few kinds of cheese, some meats and a nice piece of bread before grabbing a piece of pier far away from the crowds to enjoy our breakfast. I’m up this early every day, but I’m surprised at how active things are in The City. I’m used to the quiet of the vineyard, slowly filling with the sound of the crews arriving and the equipment. Here there’s the noise of the markets receiving goods, the grinding of the coffee beans, all the people wandering and the hum of the people talking and starting their day. It piques my senses but calms me at the same time.
My beautiful Greer points to a little girl who’s trying to feed the seagulls. We both smile at how cute she is.
Greer looks at me over the brim of her coffee cup. “What time do you pick up your family?”
“They arrive just before noon. They’ll need to clear customs, so it could be any time after one.”
“Are you nervous?”
I stop and think about the possibility of being nervous. “I probably should be, but I’m not. I want answers to my questions.”
“What’s the plan?”
“I’m not sure. I know they’re all converging in Paris and flying together, so chances are they’ll have one when they arrive.”
“If you need a place here, you know you’re welcome. I have the two guest rooms and my office, and we can also set someone up on the couch.”
“You’re very generous. I know they’ll want the element of surprise.”
Greer leaves for work, and I watch the clock. Following the plane’s arrival time according to the airport's website, I begin making my way to pick them up.
Sophia’s sent me a few more text messages about the company books; I don’t ever remember her being so on top of our numbers before. Giovanni’s the corporation's accountant, and he’ll spend days going through our books to see if everything is on the up-and-up. I have a pit the size of the Grand Canyon in my gut, asking myself how I could’ve been so blind.
Parking at International Arrivals, I take a seat and watch the people pushing their luggage carts overstuffed with bags and boxes from different parts of the world. I love the airport and watching all the various cultures collide. The colors seem more vivid in the international terminal.
It isn’t long before I see Chiara, looking as if she just walked off the runways of Paris or Milan with two large bags trailing behind her. My brothers and father are following her, each carrying a small bag. They silently scream Italian—big gold necklaces, expensive silk dress shirts with the first four buttons undone, high-quality loafers and cigarettes ready to be lit as soon as they’re outside. They may run vineyards all over the world, but they’re true to their Italian roots.
“Andreas!” My sister and I kiss on both cheeks. Then I greet my brothers and finally my father. There’s a lot of cheek kissing and back slapping.
“Welcome to America.” I’m happy to see my family, but there’s an undercurrent of disappointment among us. “Do we have a plan?”
“Because we bought the tickets last-minute we had middle seats in different rows,” my sister informs me.
I scoff. “Let me guess, except for you. You had a first-class seat.”
“How did you know?” She smiles, and my brothers and father all light up Italian cigarettes as soon as they’re outside. The smell turns my stomach. Chiara and I stand aside, careful to speak in low tones. Just because we’re in America doesn’t mean someone won’t understand Italian.
“Greer has been kind enough to offer us her home for the evening. We can meet up with Sophia tomorrow morning, or we can go up and confront her tonight. It’ll take us about four hours this time of day, so it’ll be close to five by the time we arrive if we leave right now.”
We’re all quiet while we wait for my father, because ultimately he makes the decision.
“We go now.”
I remember that look from my childhood. I was only on the receiving end once, and that was when I threatened one of my brothers with a vine pruning knife for harassing me. I never threatened anyone again, learning to be more discreet in my retaliation. He’s not happy, and I’m grateful his anger isn’t at me. I’d feel sorry for Sophia, except she stole from me, and because of her, I landed in the hospital.
I quickly text Greer and let her know we’re on our way to meet my sister.
Greer: Good luck. I know this will be fine for you. I’m here for you if you want to talk.
During the two-hour drive, we argue the merits of twenty different approaches, but by the time we make our way through San Francisco and to the villa in St. Helena, we have a plan ready to be executed.
Leaving the luggage in the car, Chiara heads to the tasting room while I walk my father and brothers to the warehouse. Michael’s there scrubbing out one of the barrels. He sees us and sends the interns out to pick up the trash from the earlier delivery.
“Michael, this is my father, Luigi, my brothers Matteo and Giovanni.”
He pulls his gloves off and extends his hands to each, and they shake.
“Michael started here three years ago as an intern. This year he’s been my lead intern. His father runs a neighboring vineyard, and he’s finished school to be a vineyard manager. He’s the one who installed the trackers, and he oversaw the installation of the stacking system,” I tell my family in Italian and then translate it into English for Michael. “It looks amazing. Because of their work, we’ve doubled our storage area. But also Michael found that while I was in the hospital, twelve additional barrels went missing.”
My father asks him a few questions in broken English, then asks me to translate, “Did you suspect Sophia of being the thief?”
“I prefer not to say, sir,” he replies sheepishly.
My father turns to us. “So, that is a yes.”
I’m angry. I’m ready to find out why she did this. “Let’s go get Sophia and drive her to her home. Michael, do you have a truck?”
“I do, sir.”
“Good, can you join us?”
“I have an idea, sir. We have a trailer we can load the forklift in. That will help with loading the barrels in the truck bed. It’s going to take a few trips.”
My brothers and Michael leave with the forklift, and my father and I walk into the villa. Sophia is so excited to be visiting with Chiara that she doesn’t see us at first. As soon as she sees my father, her face falls, and she attempts to run away, but Chiara reaches for her arm and holds her, saying something to her we can’t hear.
My father walks up to the women, standing next to Sophia. “Matteo and Giovanni have gone to your home to retrieve the barrels you’ve stolen from this vineyard.”
Panic runs through her eyes in a matter of seconds, and then they’re black with anger. “I only took what I deserved.”
I couldn’t hold back. “What you deserve? I treated you as my partner, and I promised I would sign over half the vineyard once it was mine to share.”
“You were never going to do that. Our family would never have allowed that.”
Chiara cocks her hand back and slaps Sophia hard across the face. “You fool. Upon Papa’s death, Bellissima Grande becomes mine. You would’ve received what you’d earned, but instead you were a spoiled brat. Now you get nothing. I’ll make sure of that.”
Holding her cheek while her eyes pool, she turns to our father. “Papa, are you going to let her treat me like this?”
I’m floored by her
audacity. How did she treat me?
Chiara’s hands are on her hips, and my father is calm and clear when he tells her, “Sophia, you have two choices. You can come back to Montalcino, or you can remain here, but if you do, you’ll no longer be a part of this family.”
“I’m not going back.”
I hold my hand out. “Fine, give me your keys. All passwords will be changed, and I will be reporting to the police that we found the wine barrels at your home. They can investigate if you’re involved in the other thefts around the area.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Terror rips through her eyes, and she looks like a caged animal searching frantically for an out.
“Actually, I already have.” I want to punch her in the face, I’m so angry. Instead, I turn and walk upstairs to my apartment, calling Greer as soon as I’m inside.
She answers on the first ring. “How did it go?”
“Not good. She did it because she felt she deserved it. The good news is that my parents have always planned for Chiara to take over Bellissima Grande.”
“I guess since everyone deferred to her at your parents’, I always thought that was what was supposed to happen when they passed.”
I laugh. Of course, it takes an outsider to see what was in front of all our faces for so long.
“How long is your family in town?”
“I figure they’ll stick around for a few days and then head back. Chiara will stay and we’ll figure out how we move forward.”
“Without any help, how is your life going to change? What will happen to Bellissima Valle?”
“I will run it by my father, but they met one of my employees who was instrumental in catching Sophia. I believe I can promote him without any issues, and I’ll work with our staff to cover the tasting room full-time.”
“Great. I knew you had a lot going on, and I waited to ask, but Sara and Trey are getting married next week in Hawaii. It’s very under the radar because of Trey’s celebrity status, so don’t say anything, but would you like to come with me? We’re chartering a flight, so there’s plenty of room. We can bring Genevieve, too.”
“If we can talk her mother into it, I think she’d love it, and I’d love to get away with you. I’ve never been to Hawaii, so it sounds like fun.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Greer
Andy’s been busy with his family, trying to figure out the depth of deception of Sophia and her husband, Luke. When they arrived at their home, they found more than just Bellissima barrels, so they called the police, who arrested the couple. They’d been stealing from multiple vineyards over the years, delivering the wines to a bottler in the Central Valley before selling them under their brand to a middleman, who would then sell them to various restaurants and liquor stores. With Andy’s help, the police moved the wine into a temperature-controlled evidence lockup, and Andy and his family donated a stacking system until they’re able to return the over two hundred barrels they confiscated from Sophia and Luke’s property.
I can hear how tired Andy is over the phone. I have no doubt he’s pushing himself, and the monster headaches are probably overwhelming. “I’d like to come visit my mom this afternoon before I go out of town. I know it’s last minute, and you still have your family visiting, but I’d love to see you. May I stop by?”
“Of course. Chiara would love that. And of course, I would love that, too. Come and stay the night.”
Before I dash out the door, I call the Italian restaurant, explaining that Andy’s family is in town and asking them to make up some dinner for about eight of us that I can reheat easily in a few hours. They’re wonderfully accommodating. I think if I’d asked them to deliver in St. Helena, they would, but they agree to have it ready for me before I leave.
The smell of dinner permeates my car and overwhelms my senses: the sauces loaded with spices and herbs made of the finest plum tomatoes, onion, and basil; the butter and lemon smothering the shrimp in the scampi; the earthy smell of the mushrooms in their natural broth-covered risotto; the freshly made warm bread. It takes all my willpower to not dip into the food. The bad angel on my shoulder keeps whispering in my ear, “Just a small bite. They’ll never know.” But I also know if I start, I may not stop, and I want to see my mom and check in on her.
She no longer has a cell phone, and she won’t answer the phone in her room. I make a quick stop for a bouquet of yellow tulips and head over to the hospital to visit with her.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart.”
“How are you feeling today?” I extend the bouquet to her.
“Thank you for the flowers.” She reaches for them, but I hold them back.
“I’ll ask again, how are you feeling today?”
“If you must know, I’m angry. They’re making me take these medications, and I know it isn’t right. I don’t feel happy when I’m on them.”
This is why she stops taking them every time. If we didn’t have the resources, she would be like so many others with bipolar disorder, homeless and not on medication, eating out of trash cans. Or her depression might claim her and she’d be dead. I know she hates it, and I understand wanting to be happy. I want that for her, but she needs the medications because the lows are pretty low. “Mom, the lithium levels you. It means you don’t get as many of the manic episodes or the depression episodes. That’s important right now.”
“I hate the medicine, and I don’t want to take it.”
“I love you, Mom.” It isn’t worth arguing with her because she’ll never fully understand the importance of the drugs.
We sit and watch the ducks, and she sneaks pellets out of the pocket of her dress. “Are you going to make me stay here?”
I want to put my arm around her and pull her into a hug to comfort her, but she’s never really liked personal contact when she’s like this. Instead, I reach for her hand and turn to look her in the eyes. “We can’t make you stay, but Mom, you do like it here. We can work with Dr. Phillips to regulate your meds better, and you can continue your art classes and stay here for a while. What do you want to do?”
I hold my breath, knowing if she leaves now, she’ll go off her meds and will probably become homeless. Not because she doesn’t have a place to stay, but her lack of medication will cloud her mind and she won’t want to be confined by her condo.
She murmurs, “I don’t want to live alone in my condo.”
“I know, Mom.” I pull her into a big hug. She’s hesitant at first, then holds onto me as if she’s going to fall if she lets go.
“I’m scared,” she whispers.
“I’m here for you, Mom. Always and forever.”
She releases me and sits on her bench. “Come visit me again soon.”
I’ve been dismissed. I know she isn’t happy about remaining here, and I understand it’s hard for her. When the time comes that she checks herself out, it’ll be a death sentence. Her depression has become too great without meds.
I hug her and whisper in her ear, “Trey’s getting married in Hawaii, and I’m going to be out of town for a few days. Can you stay here until I return?”
She nods, and I blow her a kiss. Before leaving, I fight back the tears and head to Dr. Phillips’s office. I tell him about the conversation, then beg him to make her happy and able to stay at least until I return.
“Greer, your mom already knows she’s staying. She’s working on coming to peace with remaining here. Enjoy your trip. She really is in a good place mentally right now.”
A weight I didn’t realize was on my shoulders is lifted, and I tear up. “Thank you.”
When I arrive at the villa, it’s a blur of activity. The grapes have bloomed, and everyone is in the fields trimming so they can control the production.
I grab the untouched dinner from the back of my car and walk into the tasting room. Chiara is busy helping people and charming the pants off them. When she sees me, she waves and rushes over. “My love, Greer. You’ve come to help me balance the male energy f
or a few days?”
“I’ve brought a good dinner from a restaurant close to my house in San Francisco.”
“At least I don’t have to cook tonight.”
“I’ll start getting this warmed up, and then I’ll come down. I’m happy to help you here in the tasting room.”
“I’m good. You take your time.” She reaches for both of my hands and squeezes them. “Andreas is very excited about your visit.”
“I’m excited, too.” I’ve missed him since our visit a few days ago, which now feels like weeks.
“There she is.” Andy comes in and gives me a deep kiss before possessively wrapping his arm around me. The tasting room is nearly empty, only a few couples remaining. Once they all leave, and Andy’s father and brother return from the fields, we’ll eat.
“I have dinner ready to be heated. Where shall I set the table?”
“How about in the private tasting room in the back? When will it be ready?”
“Whenever everyone’s prepared to eat. Don’t worry about me. I can visit with Chiara, or I can work.”
Three hours later, we’re all sitting around the table. Andy’s father has not left my side. As we enjoy the dinner Filippo made for us, the feeling is somber. The conversation is in English for my benefit.
Giovanni says, “I’ve gone through the receipts and the books. It looks like Sophia was taking close to $20,000 a month.”
“How could I have missed this? $20,000 is pretty significant.”
“It was the revenues from the tasting room.”
My heart breaks for Andy. Not only did she steel the barrels, but she was skimming off the receipts as well. I hear them vaguely talk about two hundred barrels of wine. How did no one notice? “I don’t mean to sound dense, but how were they able to remove these barrels of wine without anyone knowing?”
“They were taking one here and one there. They had a contraption that was used in the old days to move the barrels around. We believe Luke would case the vineyard and figure out how to break in under cover of darkness. Because it was so little each time, no one could point to when exactly the barrels went missing.”
Temptation (Billionaire Venture Capitalist #4): A Second Chance Billionaire Romance Page 22
