Destiny and a Bottle of Merlot

by Bria Marche

  “More?” Sasha asked, wiping her eyes. Inside the envelope was a gift card to have the first season of her very own grapes bottled into wine. All she needed to do was pick the grapes, deliver them to the company that fermented them, and name the wine when it was ready. She could even design the labels herself. “Oh my goodness. These are the coolest and most thoughtful gifts. I love them. I love all of you. Hurry, group hug!”

  They returned to the sofa, smiling at each other, happy with the gifts they received and gave. Sasha began crying again. “Okay, back to the problem at hand. What am I supposed to do now? Do I go to Josh’s house and ask him why he stood all of us up on Christmas, or blow him off, saying good riddance to men once and for all? I’ve almost had it with guys. I was sure he changed.”

  “Guys don’t change, Sasha,” Tina said, sarcastically. A sharp elbow to the ribs caused her to grunt unexpectedly. “What the hell, Vic? Can you give me a little warning before you knock the wind out of me?”

  “Can you have a little tact?” Vic shot the shit eye at her and shook her head.

  “Okay… we get it. Let’s help Sasha figure this out. You talked to Josh earlier today, right?” Mia asked.

  “Yes, and he even said he loved me, and would be here at four,” Sasha whimpered, snuggling back under the plaid blanket.

  Mia played the private eye role with the skill of a female sleuth. “And you tried calling him twice after he was a no show, correct? But he didn’t answer either call, is that right?”

  “Yes, to both questions.”

  “Alright, no more phone calls. He’s had his chance. You certainly don’t want to seem pathetic. You’re way too strong for that.”

  “That’s right, I am.” Sasha sat more upright on the couch with her head held high. “More wine, please. Should I go to his house?”

  “Didn’t we just say not to be pathetic? The only way you can go to his house is with us, and we have to stay out of sight, surveillance only. No knocking on the door.”

  “Isn’t that the same as stalking?” Karen asked, laughing.

  “Well… yeah in a way. So, who wants to go?” Mia was already putting her coat on when she asked the question.

  Everyone jumped up and grabbed their hats, coats and boots. They agreed to take Karen’s car since it was the largest. Daytime turned into night early in December. It was only six o’clock, but pitch dark already. They could easily hide under the cover of night. Cold air and slick streets engulfed Tarrytown as Karen drove through the residential neighborhoods to Josh’s house. She parked the car two houses down from his.

  “Who the hell’s car is that in his driveway?” Sasha whispered.

  “You don’t have to whisper, hon. I don’t think anyone in Josh’s house can hear you. But that’s a good question. The lights are on, and his car is in the driveway too. That means he’s home, and the jackass didn’t have enough courtesy to call you and say he wasn’t coming over. In my humble opinion, that’s a deal breaker.” Tina was pissed off, and adding fuel to the fire. “Don’t elbow me, Vic, or I swear I’ll bash your head in.”

  Karen and Mia spun around and glared at them in the back seat. Sasha was between the two, looking petrified. “Can I sit up front with you guys?”

  “There’s no room, and knock it off, you two. What the hell? Someone just walked past the living room window.” Mia grabbed the binos hanging from a strap around her neck and peered through them.

  “You brought binos?” Sasha squeaked. “Give them to me… hurry!”

  “I always have binos, or a camera with a telephoto lens. Hang on, Sasha, for crap’s sake. It’s a friggin woman. That’s it, I’m going to kick his ass.”

  Mia grabbed the door handle to get out. Karen pulled her back in. “Um… hello? You’re the one saying surveillance only, remember?”

  “Yeah, but we need to know what’s going on, don’t we?” Mia looked through the binos again. “Damn it, now she’s gone. C’mon, let’s peek in the window. We have to find out if this skank is anyone we recognize.”

  “They’ll hear us coming, for God’s sake. Five loud-mouthed idiots trying to sneak up to his house… yeah, great plan, Mia,” Tina smirked.

  “We can hide behind the trees. I’m going alone if I have to.” Mia jumped out of the car with everyone right behind her. “No talking, hand signals only,” she commanded like a SWAT team leader.

  They crept up, within thirty feet of the house. Each one found a tree to station themselves behind, and a window to watch. Mia made Sasha hide with her. As volatile as she was, Mia had to keep her close. The binos were passed off to Vic. If anyone would know a familiar face, she would. If this mystery woman couldn’t be identified, they were dead in the water. Vic caught some movement. Her arms began flailing, signaling to the others that she was on to something. With the amount of ruckus Vic was making, she could have shot off a flare gun to announce her presence. Mia launched a snowball at her, hitting her square in the eye.

  “Son of a bitch, Mia!” Vic growled, in a whisper. “Now I can’t see a friggin thing with these binos, my eye is frozen.”

  Mia signaled to Tina to take the binos from Vic. Tina got down low and scurried to Vic’s tree, grabbed the binos and peered through them. The woman and Josh just sat down at the kitchen table together, with paper and pens in hand. She had a glass of wine, he, a beer. Tina looked back at Mia and shrugged her shoulders. She shook her head as if to say she had no clue who this woman was. Vic rubbed her swollen eye, then looked through the binos again. She shrugged her shoulders too.

  It was time to fall back, as the commander would say. Mia motioned to everyone to head for the car. Back inside, with the engine running and heater on, they compared their findings. Nobody recognized this woman named Candy.

  ***

  Long after Candy and young Josh were asleep, Josh finally thought it safe enough to creep down the hallway to his home office. He had to email Sasha. There was no other way to reach her, now that his phone was coincidentally missing. Luckily, her email address was with his business contacts as information he collected when he contracted with her on the Victorian. They never emailed each other, but it was his only option now.

  Josh apologized for missing Christmas with her and their friends. His phone was lost in that abyss where everything missing accumulated. He had to see her, to explain the crazy turn of events over the last day. It was necessary to talk in person, and he begged her to meet him. He would wait for her reply. Josh hit the ‘send’ key and shut the computer down. He lay in bed, tossing and turning most of the night. There were too many questions and scenarios in his head. Why is Candy really here, and what is she up to? Does she expect us to reunite because of little Josh, and pick up where we were ten years ago? Josh felt bad. He had a son that he barely said a word to all day. The poor kid. None of this is his fault. They took me by surprise, that’s all. I’ll talk to him more tomorrow. He seems like a nice boy, maybe a little shy. Considering he’s been thrown into a ready-made family today, who can blame him? Josh gave the clock one more glance before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

  He waited until Candy took her morning shower to check for messages on his email. Nothing from Sasha at all. I’ve got to fix this before it’s too late. Maybe it already is. Purely out of habit, Josh reached in his pocket to grab his cell. He needed to call his attorney, and he wanted the conversation to be private. Damn it, I don’t have a phone. If he asked to borrow Candy’s phone, she would certainly want to listen in.

  “Candy, I have to go to my office for a while. I need to call my attorney and set up the appointment for us on Monday. I’ll be back soon.”

  “No wait. We’d love to see your office. Don’t you want to see your daddy’s office, Joshie? We can hang out while you make the call. Then we’ll go out for pancakes.”

  “Yay! I love pancakes. Can we go with you, Dad?”

  Josh heaved his shoulders in defeat and agreed. “Alright, let’s go.”

  The relief on Josh’s face was
evident when he saw Jake’s car at the office. He can distract her while I make some calls. “Hey, bro, I’m glad you’re here. Why don’t you explain to Candy and little Josh what our business is all about? I have a few calls to make.” The pleading look on Josh’s face spoke for itself.

  “Yeah, no problem. Follow me to my office, guys, and I’ll tell you all about this business.”

  Josh hurried to his own office and closed the door, locking it behind him. Finally a friggin phone. He dialed Sasha first. No answer. Shit! He called his attorney, Stuart Moore, and gave him a summary of why he needed to see him on Monday. It was urgent. He was blindsided and had no idea Candy was coming to Tarrytown and bringing Josh’s nine year old offspring. Now there was custody and visitation to arrange. “Stuart, she’s talking about child support too. Can she do anything about arrears?”

  “Whoa… slow down a minute, Josh. How do you even know this child is yours?”

  “I’m taking her word for it, I guess.” Josh peeked through his office blinds to see if Jake was still entertaining them.

  “That my friend, isn’t good enough. I’ll order a paternity test for next week. There’s no point to go further until we know for sure. I’ll call you when it’s set up.”

  “Better yet, email me. My phone has suddenly gone missing. Stuart, I need this done and behind me as soon as possible. There’s no way in hell I want Candy in my life. It’s been almost ten years since I saw her last. Having her pop up now is really bad timing.”

  “I hear you. Expect an email from me by the end of the day. Take a deep breath. We’ll get everything straightened out.”

  Josh tried Sasha one more time, still no answer. A knock on his office door made it clear there wasn’t much more Jake could say to entertain Candy and Josh Jr. He was done.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  “Okay, who’s ready for pancakes?” Candy asked, happily.

  Little Josh grabbed his coat, ready to dash out the door.

  “Hold on, mister. Where’s your manners? You need to thank Uncle Jake for telling us all about real estate. Jake, would you like to join us for breakfast?”

  “No thanks, Candy. Gotta keep this office running. Josh, are you coming back later? You’ve got clients to call, don’t you?”

  Thank you, thank you. There is a God. “Yep, I do have callbacks to take care of. I’ll be back before lunch.” Josh opened the door for Candy and little Josh. He glanced back at his brother, and gave him a thumb’s up in gratitude. There might be a chance to explain this mess to Sasha after all.

  Sasha ran back in the house with Kismet. The pup was getting very good at alerting Sasha when she needed to go outside. Kismet usually stood in the foyer with her head cocked, staring at the front door. If Sasha didn’t come then, the pup would yelp to get her attention. With Kismet’s morning job done, Sasha dried her off making sure there weren’t any snow chunks between her toes. Kismet bolted through the house looking for the perfect, sunny spot under a window to nap.

  Back in the kitchen, Sasha noticed she missed two calls. Since they weren’t programed as contacts, she had no idea who called, and deleted them. With a cup of vanilla chai tea, she lay on the small bed upstairs, remembering the times she and Josh snuggled there and made love. She remembered all the work he helped her with, the laughs they had, and the trip they took to Beacon. Tears slid down, past her hairline and pooled in her ears. Against everyone’s advice, she tried his phone again. She loved the man, and wasn’t going to give up that easily. He owed her an explanation, and a damn good one. The call went straight to his voicemail. Sasha hung up, sipped her tea and dabbed her eyes with a tissue. With a few pillows bunched up behind her head, she fell asleep.

  She woke to the sound of her cell phone ringing on the night table. It must be Josh. She leapt from the bed and grabbed the phone, only to realize it was the Department of Agriculture calling about her soil tests. The news was good. Sasha’s soil would grow wonderful Concord grapes for red wine. I wish I had the right soil for both red and white, but any wine will do. It’s all about having a vineyard, regardless of the grapes I grow. I need to wake up and get myself together.

  Sasha showered and dressed. It’s nice having short hair. I’m ready to go in fifteen minutes. Kismet’s water dish was full, and she slept soundly as Sasha tiptoed past her and out the front door. She scraped the icy windows as the Tundra idled in the driveway, warming up. Sasha drove to Hair Brained and went inside to tell her friends the good news. She could have called, but right now she needed companionship.

  “So in spring you’ll get everything rocking with the vineyard. That’s so cool, Sasha. I’m happy for you, babe,” Vic said, keeping the vibe upbeat. “Will your parents still come for a few weeks?”

  “For sure. My dad knows everything there is to know about planting grape stock. I’m going to send him a copy of the report as soon as I get it. He can do a little research on my behalf.”

  “Have you told ‘you know who’ yet? Have you talked to him at all?” Tina questioned. She had to ask in code, given the abundance of perked ears in the salon.

  The lip came out, and the pout began to form.

  “It’s kind of amazing how big you can get that lower lip, girl. Truly amazing.”

  “Shush, Vic… and no I haven’t talked to him.”

  “Well, somebody needs to talk to somebody. I’m just saying…”

  “I read if you let too many days go by, the scales tip in the favor of the relationship being over,” Tina added.

  “How many days does it take?” Sasha asked.

  “I forget.” Tina’s mouth was full of bobby pins as she styled Kelly Adams hair for her sister’s engagement party taking place later.

  “You’re no help at all, Tina. Does anyone want to do lunch? It’s almost noon.”

  “Sorry, babe, were booked up. Come over for dinner tonight around six,” Vic said, as she walked to the shampoo bowl with Lacy Mills.

  Sasha left feeling lonely. Tina’s okay being by herself. Karen is working on Mario, so she isn’t alone. Then there’s me, the loser whose boyfriend doesn’t even spend Christmas with her.

  Sasha absentmindedly drove through town with no real place to go. She found herself sitting on the street in front of Redmond Brother’s Real Estate Company. The agony overwhelmed her as she stared at the large poster of Josh and Jake on the window. The time Mia drove there to show her what Josh looked like, seemed like ages ago. Sasha smiled at the memory. The knock on the passenger side window startled her back into the present. She hadn’t seen him pull up behind her and park. Her head spun to the right. It was Josh. He was knocking on the glass with a look of relief written across his face.

  He called to her through the window. “Sasha, please. I need to talk to you. Let me in, honey… please.”

  The wait seemed forever before she flipped the door lock to let him in. Josh grabbed the handle and pulled himself up into the passenger seat.

  “Oh my God, finally.”

  “What does that mean?” she asked, sarcastically. “You can’t stand outside for three seconds?”

  “No, honey. I finally have a chance to see you and explain everything.”

  “Really? It better be a damn good explanation then.”

  “Can we go somewhere private, other than your truck? Jake is in the office. I don’t want an audience right now.”

  “Fine… my house?”

  “That’s perfect, I’ll follow you.” Josh climbed out and barely closed the door before Sasha roared away, not waiting one second for him. He ran into the office to tell Jake he wouldn’t be back after all. “I saw Sasha, Jake. I’ve got to explain this mess to her. If Candy stops by for any reason, say I’m out showing properties.”

  “Will do. Good luck, man.”

  ***

  The nervousness kicked into high gear. Sasha didn’t know if the urgency in Josh’s voice held good news, or bad. She decided to expect the worst, so the disappointment wouldn’t be as great. Who am I kidding? I don
’t want to hear any bad news. I need a glass of wine before he gets here. Luckily, she didn’t need to crack open a new bottle. That would take too long. A tiny bit of Merlot remained from last night. Sasha popped the stopper and guzzled right from the bottle. The knocker banged against the door. She took another swig. Kismet cocked her head and whined. “It’s okay, baby. Mommy will be alright… sooner or later.”

  Sasha wiped her mouth with her sleeve in case there was a telltale stain of wine on her lips. She opened the door. Josh had a bouquet of twelve red roses in his hand.

  Wow… somebody drives like a bat out of hell. How did he get those roses and make it here in less than ten minutes? “Hello, Josh, come in.”

  There was a definite chill in the air.

  “Sasha.” He panted the words, trying to catch his breath. “Can I have a glass of water?”

  “Yeah, sure. Let’s sit in the kitchen.” Sasha jammed her hands deep in her jeans pockets so he wouldn’t notice the shaking. She had no intention of giving away her nervousness. He was the one that had explaining to do. “Merry Christmas, Josh. Oh yeah, that was a few days ago.” She deliberately wanted to make him squirm. She handed him the glass of water as he sat down. Kismet retreated to the living room once again, to lie under that warm, sunny window. “So?”

  “Please sit down, Sasha. I’d appreciate it if you’d hear me out before you throw me under the bus.” He took a few gulps of the water and looked at her hopefully.

  “Fine, go ahead and talk.” Sasha pulled a new bottle of wine out of the pantry and opened it. She already polished off the remnants from last night. She sat down and stared blankly at Josh.

  “You aren’t making this easy on me.”

  “Seriously? Now you’re a victim? I don’t need to make anything easy on you, and if you think I do, you can leave right now.” Sasha had gone from Nervous Nellie to Pissed Off Patty, in sixty seconds flat.