Diego struggled to sit up. “I was wrong as well, mi amor. I lost my temper, and for that I ask your forgiveness.”
Julia leaned over his bed and gently embraced him. “I’ve been afraid to tell you this, Diego, but only because when I say it, I mean it. I love you. I love you more than I’ve ever loved another human being. You don’t have to love me in return. Simply know I want you and I need you more than ever.”
Diego did his best to put his arms around her in spite of the tubes attached to both his arms. “Oh, Julia, I knew I loved you from the day of Robert’s funeral, but I also have been afraid to tell you. I love you, Julia, and if you’ll have me, I promise I’ll love you the rest of my life.”
Tears slowly rolled down Julia’s cheeks. “Diego, there’s nothing left of the winery. We’ll have to start all over again, but only if you’re able and have the same desire I have to rebuild.”
He gently touched her cheek.
“Don’t cry, querida! James already told me about the winery. He also explained to me his role in its ruin. I’m grateful for his apology and understand the real villain’s Señor D’Angelo and, of course, that ass, Umberto Colon. I need time to heal as well as to figure out what it is I want to do next with my life.”
Julia pulled herself up from his embrace and stared into his scratched face. “I understand, Diego.”
From the sound of her voice, Diego was unconvinced. “One thing is certain however, whatever it is I do next, I want it to be with you. I love you, Julia. Marry me.”
Her heart leapt in chest. “Yes Diego. Oh my God! Of course I’ll marry you. But you have to get well first, because I refuse to walk down the aisle with a man wearing only a hospital gown,” she teased.
Diego grinned from burnt ear to burnt ear. “Well, if you put it that way, I could always take the gown off and stand up naked?”
“I’ll save that image for after the wedding, if you don’t mind.”
She then tenderly put the palm of her hand on his bruised and cut-up face. “I want to get married at the vineyard, Diego, no matter what shape it is in when we decide to do so. And I want both Pastor Knudson and Father Juan to officiate.”
Diego covered her hand with his. “I want that, too, Julia. Now seal your promise with a kiss and let me work on getting well as fast as possible.”
The two kissed as if they’d never kissed before. Yet now wasn’t the time for lovemaking. Not until Diego regained his health and Julia figured out what she was going to do next to rebuild the winery.
~ ~ ~
Before leaving the hospital, Julia needed to see how Gayle was faring and tell her about her decision to marry Diego. She’d been so worried about Diego she’d nearly forgotten about her dear friend. When Julia reached Gayle’s room, she was surprised to see James sitting by his wife’s side, holding her two hands in his healthy one.
“Gayle? I know it’s early, but I wanted to check in on you. How are you doing this morning?” Julia said as she tiptoed into the room. She was disturbed to see Gayle lying inside the oxygen tent and so forced her broadest grin to cover up her obvious concern.
“I’m doing fine now. They’re making me spend the day under this oxygen tent to make sure I’m in tiptop form when they release me, hopefully tomorrow. How are you doing?”
James stood up and offered his chair to Julia. “I’ll be right outside the door, Gayle. I know you and Julia need your privacy. But I’ll come back.”
“Thank you, James,” she acknowledged.
“Yes, thank you darling,” echoed Gayle.
“Of course, honey. No problem.” As he left the room, he closed the door behind him.
“So, how are you?” repeated Gayle.
“I’m fine. I spoke with Diego and told him how wrong I was. Gayle, he not only forgave me, but told me he loved me and wanted me to become his wife.”
“Well, I hope you were smart enough to say yes and not be the idiot you were yesterday!”
Both women laughed. Julia took Gayle’s hand and when she did, tears flowed again. “I’ve been so worried about you, Gayle. And the children. As it turns out, everyone got out of the winery in time, and we’re all safe. For the time being that is.”
Gayle smiled tenderly at her friend. “I was worried about you, too. But you’re stronger than you realize, Julia. I knew if there was any way for you to survive, you’d find it.”
The two women were silent for a moment. Finally, Julia spoke.
“James caught me in the hall and begged my forgiveness. I told him I accepted his apology, but that it’ll take time for me to fully forgive and forget.”
Gayle nodded. “I know what you mean, Julia. He apologized to me as well. It turns out he’s had a harder time adjusting to Robert’s death than any of us imagined. He has also run up some humungous gambling debts. Not leaving a single penny in his wake. That’s why he was so hell bent on taking over the winery. Duncan talked him into stealing it from you. They planned to redevelop the land into high-priced condos and some kind of destination resort.”
“My God, you’re kidding!” Julia was flabbergasted.
“No, I’m not. He swears up and down he had nothing to do with the fire, and quite frankly, Julia, I believe him. He now recognizes he has an addiction for which he’s finally getting help. I don’t know, I suppose I should be angry with him and cut him out of my life, but the bottom line is I still love him. I’ve never seen him so remorseful. So, as long as he’s getting help and staying on course with his rehab, I want to give our marriage one last shot.”
Julia closed her eyes to take in everything Gayle had said. “He told me you and he both want to help rebuild the winery. Is that true?”
Gayle pulled the tent away from her face and stared at Julia seriously. “Yes, it’s true. I can’t be sure, but I believe the old James, the James I married and fell in love with, is back. And I don’t want to lose him ever again. Nor do I want to lose our friendship either!”
Julia stood and gave her friend a long warm kiss on her cheek. “Then we’ll work this out together, you and me, as well as with James and Diego. Yes?”
“Sí, Señora Julia. Now get the heck out of here so I can at least get a few hours’ sleep.”
“Okay, dear friend. I get the message.” Julia placed the tent back over Gayle’s head. “Oh, and by the way, Mariela and Rafael have the children and are staying at your house for a few nights.”
“Where are you going to sleep?” Gayle yawned.
“Don’t worry. I know exactly where I need to be.”
As Julia passed James in the hall, he could see by the smile on her face that hope was in the air—not only for her and Diego, but for him and Gayle as well.
Sheriff Barbara had given Julia a prepaid cell phone to get her through the next few months until she could replace her old one. She took the phone out of her sweater pocket and dialed for a taxi. Right now, nothing sounded better than to be curled up in the back seat of a 1951 root beer-colored Ford Crestliner convertible with four spanking new white-walled tires.
~ ~ ~
Julia woke to the sound of the ringing of an unfamiliar cell phone. It took but a few second before she realized it was hers. It also took a few more seconds to remember exactly where she was and how she’d gotten there.
“Hello?” she asked tentatively.
“Julia, it’s me, Barb.”
“Oh, thank God it’s you and not the hospital with bad news.”
“Stop worrying, Julia. Everything’s fine. Gayle and James have been released and are on their way home. They offered their guest bedroom for an indeterminable amount of time to the Pasqual family and they accepted. And I guess Gayle’s allowing James back into her bed, so we’ll merely have to watch and see how all this turns out.”
“And Diego?”
&n
bsp; “He’s doing find as well. They took him off the ICU floor this afternoon, and he’s reported to be recovering at mach speed. What exactly did you say to him this morning?”
Julia laughed as she told Barb about the proposal and the promise she and Diego had made to one another.
“And how about you?” Barb asked. “How are you holding up?”
“Pretty good, I guess. All things considered,” Julia sighed. “I do need to call Alicia, however, and tell her about the fire. She’ll have a better idea as to what I need to do next, legally that is.”
Barbara chuckled. “Sorry to take the wind out of your sail, but I already gave her a call this morning and told her everything, including Duncan’s arrest. Apparently he was caught at the US-Canada border trying to get out of the country. I’d been afraid of that, so I sent out an APB as soon as I heard Umberto’s confession. Nonetheless, I think you should call Alicia and soon. She mentioned something about an insurance policy? Do you know anything about that?”
“No, it never crossed my mind.” The wheels in Julia’s mind began to spin. “Look, I want to thank you for all you did last night, especially for helping everyone from the winery find places to stay, at least for the time being.”
Barb smiled. “That’s my job, Julia. And don’t worry. No matter how bad things seem at the time, life has a way of working out.” Julia heard some noise in the background of Barb’s phone. “Look, I gotta go. Talk to you later?”
“Sure, and thanks again, Barb,” said Julia. “You’re a true friend!”
“You betcha!”
As soon as Barb hung up, Julia hurried out of the car and dialed Alicia’s phone number.
“Good afternoon! Alicia Treadaway speaking.”
“Alicia, it’s me, Julia.”
“Oh my God, Julia. I didn’t recognize the number. What’s going on? Are you all right? Barb called earlier this morning and told me about the fire. Good God, Julia, you could’ve been killed!”
“I know, but we all made it out okay, all that is except for the arsonist. Unfortunately he accidently died in his own fire. Look, the reason I called is Barb mentioned something about an insurance policy?”
“Oh my goodness, yes. As soon as she called, I did some investigating myself. As it turns out, both Robert’s dad and later Robert himself each took out separate policies, I guess not knowing the other guy had done so. Anyway, it looks like you’re going to come into enough money to not only rebuild the winery, but live off of the money for years to come. It’s millions, Julia. Millions!”
Julia gave her head a quick shake. She couldn’t believe her ears. “Millions?”
“Yes! The only stipulation is that the money’s to be used only by those who own the winery itself or live on its land.”
“Oh, my gosh! You’re kidding!” Julia started to laugh.
“Who’d have thought!” Alicia’s giggle joined Julia’s and soon the two of them were laughing through their tears.
“Not James, apparently, or he’d have burned the place down years ago!” Julia laughed so hard she could barely get her words out.
Alicia by this time had the hiccups. “Well, God sure does move in mysterious ways!”
“Yep,” answered Julia, “His wonders to perform!”
It took both women a few moments to pull themselves together.
“And I’ve something to tell you that’s pretty wonderful and astonishing too,” Julia said. “Diego asked me to marry him and I accepted. What do you think? Too soon?”
“Not at all! It’s about time somebody noticed what a great catch you are. I don’t know him very well, but if you love him, he’s all right in my book!”
Julia spoke softly into the receiver. “I knew you’d say something like that. Now, if you’ll help me with this insurance business, I’ll do my best to spend the money as prudently as possible. Agreed?”
“Agreed, sister of mine!”
Julia hung up the phone and proceeded to get ready for her visit with Diego. The man had everything he owned in that garage, including his guitar and clothes.
Not having anything of her own at the garage, Julia speedily picked out some of Diego’s clothing to wear. A pair of jeans over a pair of baggy boxers, a long-sleeved cotton plaid dress shirt, and a brand new pair of white gold toe socks. She also packed an overnight bag for Diego—some toiletries, his wallet, as well as something to wear should he be released from the hospital.
Julia hummed happily as she went about her activities and chuckled at the irony of the situation. The winery destroyed, Diego in the hospital, her piano and recordings and concert mementoes gone, but never had she ever in her life been as happy as she was now. Never! And it had everything to do with second chances, forgiveness, and the power of redemption.
When finally ready to leave, Julia did the unthinkable. She grabbed Diego’s keys, opened the garage door, and climbed into the front seat of the Crestliner. She fired up the engine, pulled the car out onto the driveway, closed the garage door behind her, and headed off to the hospital. All the way through the streets of Salmon Run she could be heard singing what sounded like Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” at the top of her lungs.
Chapter 17
For the first of January, it was a beautiful day, even by Washington State standards. The temperature outside still reminded the populace of Salmon Run it was winter, but the sky was a clear, crisp blue with not a single cloud in sight.
The inhabitants of the Nooksack Valley Winery and Vineyard, which included nearly everyone who worked either in the vineyard, the production plant, or the admin offices, had been up since the crack of dawn readying the place for the afternoon guests. Who were certain to come early to be assured of a good seat for the wedding.
It’d been all of five and a half months since Diego proposed and Julia accepted, and during that time not only had the entire winery been rebuilt, but the workers’ living quarters had been constructed, as well as four separate homes—one for the Pasquals, one for Joaquin and his daughter Gabriela and her children, another for the Reynolds family, and, of course, the last for Julia and Diego.
Once the insurance money rolled in, the displaced workers at the winery turned their skills toward construction, and with their combined help, everything went up seemingly overnight. Diego had explained to them that without the winery, little or no work could be offered to them, that was, unless they were willing to assist in the rebuilding of the compound. Needless to say, everyone voted to stay on board.
Of all those who experienced the fire first hand, Diego’s injuries took the most time to heal. The wallop he’d received on the back of his head translated into some vision problems, and although he was completely healed, he found his impaired vision now forced him to wear glasses.
Julia thought he not only looked quite handsome but studious as well in his new spectacles, and she told him so every chance she got. The truth was Diego hadn’t been well enough to go back to managing the vineyard right away, so instead he enrolled at Western, the state university in Bellingham, to pick up the few college courses he needed to update his Washington State teaching credential.
He was happy to then pass the orchard management position on to Joaquin Lopez, who was already doing a bang-up job on replanting the vineyard, readying it for an upcoming mid-summer harvest. In turn, Joaquin taught his daughter Gabriela how to oversee production, the job he’d previously held before the fire. Loyalty and a dedicated work ethic must run in the Lopez family, for Gabby met the requirements of her new position quickly and everyone at the winery noticed how well she excelled at it.
Mariela continued her directorship of the retail end of things, including the overseeing of the wine club, while Rafa took on the role of the compound handyman. Julia was still in charge of PR, but something new had been added to her job description, and it had to
do with the new building which was in the process of being added to the property. A charter school for the children of the immigrant workers at the compound whose ages met the criteria for grades K through Eight.
This new enterprise captured Julia’s imagination once she recognized how much insurance money she was actually going to receive as a result of the fire. The school still had to be built, but already the construction crew had broken ground with a projected grand opening date of August first, right on time for the new academic year.
At first, Julia imagined becoming the principal of the school. Then something happened which forced her to gleefully change her mind. She and Diego were pregnant. Four months along, as a matter of fact. Even though she was reluctant at first to give up the projected position as principal, she realized after the first challenging trimester she needed to put her child first—at least over and above her usual workaholic whims. Besides, she rationalized to herself, she could still teach music, both privately and at the school, keep her attention on the PR for the winery, and still be a semi-stay-at-home mom.
Yeah, sure!
That meant someone other than Julia and Diego had to take over the job of principal, and in Julia’s mind, that could only be one person: James. It was unfortunate that as a result of the fire he’d been disbarred. James had in the past been a darn good lawyer, but breaking the law was simply that—breaking the law. However, the judge in this case had known James for some years and had taken his stellar work as an attorney into consideration.
The judge also couldn’t help but be swayed by the fact James had stayed true to his word and met all the requirements necessary in recovering from his gambling addiction. In fact, he was currently being trained by his sponsor to gradually take on that role himself sometime in the near future.
Love's Harvest (A Salmon Run Novel Book 1) Page 24
