by Kimi Flores
“Hi, Auntie Dani.”
I hugged her just as tight as she held me. “Hi, sweetheart. How’s my favorite third grader?” I’d done the math earlier in my head to make sure I didn’t offend her by saying the wrong grade.
She put her little sassy hand on her hip and stared up at me with those beautiful brown eyes of hers. “I’m the only third grader you know. ‘Course I’m your favorite.” Then she put her hand up to her mouth and giggled.
I swear, Madison was the funniest kid I’d ever met. She was at that stage when her front teeth were too big for her mouth so, when she smiled, all I saw were teeth. Minus a few on the sides.
“Look.” She held something up that looked like a thin bookmark made out of colorful embroidery floss. When she handed it over, I realized what it was. “I made this friendship bracelet for you so we can all match.”
I looked over at the other adults to see each sporting a different macramé bracelet, including Stefen and Caleb.
I affectionately swiped my hand down Madison’s shoulder-length, ash-brown hair. “Thank you, sweetie. I love it.” I slipped it on as Leah gave me a knowing look. Between Stefen once painting his toes pink and Bri taking her on elaborate shopping sprees, Madison had all of us wrapped around her itty-bitty fingers.
She was the oldest of all the kids and would probably end up being their ringleader. Thankfully, she’d only used that power for good so far.
By the time Stefen and Caleb got all the gear out of their trunks and strapped the kids in, Bri and Josh were pushing Ella in her stroller up the driveway toward us. Madison bounced over to them, no doubt to hand over their bracelets.
Leah looked past me like she wasn’t sure how to proceed. I peeked over my shoulder and found Zachary helping Joel down the porch steps. Joel’s eyes caught the wind-chime above and a nostalgic look covered his face, making me wonder what kind of day he was going to have.
I turned back to her. “Don’t worry, we’re good.”
“Did you guys talk?” she whispered, still peeking over my shoulder.
“Yeah.”
Stefen eyed us suspiciously before Zachary and Joel greeted everyone. Madison had even made bracelets for them. After she’d delivered their friendship bracelets, Zachary and Joel directed us toward the field. I was on the tail end of our group, doing my best not to stare at Zachary’s ‘tail end’ while he walked alongside Joel. I was so attuned to what was under those jeans, I almost ran over Bri when the group stopped.
Eyeing Madison, Joel reached into the pocket of his work apron he used during the tour and called her over to him. With his hand outstretched, Joel handed a pair of child sized gloves and a small apron to her. They looked like miniature versions of the one he was wearing with the vineyard’s logo on it.
He smiled at her. “Every good boss knows he needs to surround himself with the best assistant possible.” He looked up at Zachary and winked. “This goofball has been slacking off, so I’m promoting you, Miss Madison, as my new partner.”
Madison took the apron from him, kissing his cheek with her sweet rosebud lips, then ran to Abby. “Mama, will you tie this on me?”
“Of course, pumpkin.” As Abby made quick work of the string, Madison beamed up at her father.
And Madison, being Madison, strutted past Zachary, eyeing him the whole way. “Don’t worry, Uncle Zach, you can still hang around and learn something.” She had a twinkle in her eye.
Zach? Yep, the little booger was the only one I knew who got away with calling him that.
With Madison glued to his side, Joel was on top of his game mentally today as he led us deeper into the field, pointing out the different varieties of grapes. His smile was the familiar glow that we had all grown to love. I was thrilled to see how overjoyed he was to be among his crops.
After a few minutes, I noticed Bri was not in front of me. As I searched the small group, I realized she had moved off the path to be with Josh and was rubbing her hand up and down his back. I could only imagine how touched he’d been, seeing his beloved uncle completely lucid, the way he used to be. I was blinking back tears myself. It was so beautiful to see Joel in his element.
Zachary was focused on playing the role of a slacker and had Joel and Madison laughing with his promises to be better. Even with his teasing, though, I saw him blinking heavily and knew he was compartmentalizing. It made me love him even more.
Joel’s eyes were trained on a thick, bare vine as he began to demonstrate a process called grafting. “See we cut a small bud like this—” he explained, while holding up what looked like a thin branch, and sliced a tiny piece off, using his pocket knife. Then he caught it midair like the expert he was.
Madison was right there, with her studious look, soaking in every word he said. Occasionally she would give a quick nod like this made perfect sense and then look up at Zachary, making sure he was paying attention. “Did you get that or do we need to show you again, Uncle Zach?”
Zachary gave her the tickle growl as she squealed and demanded for him to stop. “We have work to do, mister.” When he pulled away, she frowned down at her apron and pressed out the invisible wrinkles.
I caught Caleb placing his hand on Abby’s baby bump while she rolled her eyes at him like they were hoping we didn’t keep encouraging Madison. Although we were all enjoying the high-spirits she brought to the group, Caleb and Abby had to live with her hilarious little ‘tude twenty-four, seven.
Joel bent forward, still bracing himself on his cane. “Then we make a small cut on an older, more established plant that already has deep roots, slip the bud between the now exposed flesh and the bark of the rooted vine, then secure them together.” He demonstrated each step as he went.
“Why do you have to do that?” Madison asked. I was curious about his answer, too.
“Well, you see, sometimes these obstinate old grape vines,” he pointed to the rough, cracked bark, “have given all they possibly can on their own, so they need some new life implanted into their sides. That’s what the young bud is there to do. They work together, drawing from the vibrancy from one and the solid foundation from the other.” He leaned just a bit closer to Madison and acted like he was giving her the secret to success in grafting vines. “But we have to keep a close eye on them at first. Sometimes the old ones are stubborn and bleed their sap, rejecting the little bud. It pushes away the only thing that’ll help it survive and flourish.”
Leah whispered in my ear, “Sounds like some guy I know.”
I gave her the stink eye as Madison asked her next question. “What do you do to help them?”
He smiled wistfully. “We wipe them clean and secure them all over again until they accept the gift from each other. The secret is to never quit trying, because maybe the reason it failed was that it wasn’t the right time.”
He placed another small bud in Madison’s hand and let her do the next one. I noticed the nostalgic look on Zachary’s face, as if he was remembering the first time his father had shown him the same thing. As I watched him, I wondered if he might be wishing he’d pass this tradition on to his own child someday, just as Joel had done for him and now with Madison.
I would do anything to be able to give him that. If only he would just let go of whatever was holding him back. With a lump in my throat, I turned around, needing a break.
Both Stefen and Josh had taken their daughters out of their strollers and now had them strapped to their bodies in baby carriers. Watching the new doting dads hold onto their little girls like that made my ovaries explode, but an underlying sadness also seeped in.
If I was pregnant right now, I would not get to experience a partner taking care of my child like that. Everything would lie on my shoulders alone. I thought I’d already accepted that fact, but it was going to take some getting used to, I supposed.
A moment later, I felt Zachary’s hand in mine and I naturally squeezed back. He noticed that I’d teared up and turned to swipe his free hand across my cheek. “Are you okay?”
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“Yeah.” I nodded. “Just a little emotional today.”
Continuing to brush his thumb back and forth on my face, he glanced at the adoring fathers then at his own dad and gave me a knowing look. I could tell that he wanted to give me words of encouragement, but what could he say?
Madison ran up as my chest began to tighten. “Auntie Dani, come see what I found.” She grabbed my other hand and pulled Zachary and I toward a vine thick with leafy foliage and grapes that were ready to be picked. “Look.” She bounced up and down and pointed to a teensy nest nestled between the vines. Inside were two little blue egg shells.
Zachary moved the leaves aside so we could get a better look. “Oh, I missed this one. We have several nests on the property and leave them alone in case the birds want to come back.”
“This place has so many magical things.” Madison looked up at him as if she had just walked into one of her storybook tales.
“It sure does, look.” I’d finally composed myself and pointed to the end of the field where a rainbow had appeared next to the sprinklers that had gone off.
Joel called our attention, “Okay, if we're done with the rainbows and magic, let’s head over to the crowd favorite.” He paused for dramatic effect, eyeing everyone around. “Let’s go stomp on some grapes.”
Bri and I almost squealed as loud as Madison. On our way home from the clinic, we’d talked about how excited we were about the stomping. As we strolled toward several large open barrels, I reached for Abby and Caleb’s one-and-a-half-year-old son, Max, to free them up for a while and to get my baby fix.
With Max propped on one of my hips, I gestured for Madison to follow me. “Come on, sweetie. We can team up in this one.”
After chucking off my shoes and stepping in a bowl of clean water, I climbed over the side while Caleb helped Madison in.
“Eww, they’re all squishy, Auntie Dani. They feel like eyeballs poppin’ between my toes.” Holding the edge of her frilly skirt, she giggled as she lifted her knees and stomped down.
Max wiggled and grunted, reaching down and trying to break free to get into the action. I exaggerated my movements while making funny faces at him, causing those loud, sweet baby belly laughs I loved so much.
“Look, Mama, I’m like Lucy!” Madison yelled out to Abby, proceeding to exaggerate her stomps while making a goofy smiley face, just like Lucille Ball had in the episode of I Love Lucy when they were in Italy.
We all laughed at that. Abby was a huge Lucy fan, so it didn’t surprise me that her daughter knew who the actress was.
Madison was one hilarious kid and kept us laughing with her silly antics and humor. Well, all of us except for Max. He was apparently done being this close to the fun, without actually being part of it. Suddenly cranky, with the biggest boo-boo lip ever, he reached out to Caleb who was in the barrel with Abby right beside us.
Caleb got out and was just about to reach his little guy when Max’s body stiffened and he let it rip. The surprised look on his little face cracked me up, which of course made him cry.
Maybe I wasn’t as good with babies as I’d thought.
“Sorry,” Caleb apologized. “I figured that’s why he wanted me. I’m the only one he wants when his tummy hurts. Apparently, he feels like those are male bonding moments.”
Madison made another funny face before waving her hand back and forth in front of her nose. “Why do boys stink so much?”
Squeezing the tip of my nose, I joined in on making a scene about the stink. “That’s what boys bond over—farts, burps, and sweaty socks.”
Feeling a little goofy myself, I laughed again and joined in with the silly antics, stomping around in circles with her. We were having the best time. At one point, I threw my head back and exhaled a very unladylike snort, which made us lose it even more.
Tears were coming out of my eyes and I was trying to catch my breath when the smack of grapes hit me in the face, slithering down until they landed on my chest. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but definitely enough to make a thwacking sound.
What the hell?
I looked at Madison as she was reaching down for a handful. She froze and had no problem pointing her finger. “He did it.”
Everyone stopped and watched as I spotted Zachary leaning against a tree a few feet away, juice was dripping from his fingers as he feigned innocence before admitting, “Hey, I was just continuing with the whole Lucy theme.”
Madison looked back and forth between us before she chucked her handful at Zachary, hitting his leg. I was quick to follow with my contribution of stomped-on grapes and nailed him on the chest.
Madison screeched, jumped out, and ran away as he prowled toward me. “You’re on your own, Auntie Dani.”
Traitor.
I reached down and threw several more dripping globs before he had a chance to climb in beside me.
It was on. Grapes were flying back and forth, saturating both of us. I didn’t dare take my eyes off him to see what everyone else was doing.
At one point, I lost my footing and slipped, falling flat on my ass and almost whacking the back of my head on the edge. Zachary didn’t hesitate as he reached for me.
“Are you okay?” His expression was filled with concern. A squashed grape was stuck to his eyelid, moving up and down as he blinked and sending me into another fit of hysterics.
“Seriously?” Joel called our attention as he threw his hands in the air. “We always have a least a couple of people, but I didn’t think it would be you two.” He shook his head, trying to hide his smile. “Should’ve known.”
Zachary was bent in front of me while I sat in the oozing grapes. We looked at each other and laughed even louder. Then he took his fingers and moved the mushed-up fruit off my nose. Leaning forward, he instinctively placed a soft kiss on the very tip. It was such a natural gesture as we shared a tender look. My heart swelled and I still felt the tingle of his lips on my nose.
Breaking away as if to save himself, he clapped his wet hands together and asked the crowd, “Okay, who’s hungry?”
Chapter Sixteen
Dani
I sat on the edge of the bathtub, restlessly staring at the three little sticks that would tell me if I was closer to becoming a mother or not. Even though my doctor assured me all three were reliable early detection tests, I was still nervous about taking them just three weeks after the insemination appointment. I’d been feeling crampy the last couple days and started to spot this morning, but I was still hoping for the best.
Between the rollercoaster of Joel’s ups and downs and the handful of other patients I was still treating, I hadn’t had time for much else the last several weeks since everyone had visited. Something had to give, but I wasn’t about to turn away from the man who’d quickly become a father figure to me.
As much as I hadn’t wanted to, excluding Joel, this morning I divided all my cases among the other nurses and respite caregivers. The one that had killed me the most was Philomena, but I figured I could still go visit her when I wasn't working. Then again, she and Joel had hit it off. It might do them both some good if Zachary and I planned an outing with them together.
Trying to keep my mind off the results, I left the bathroom and began biting my thumbnail as I paced the living room with Stella quick on my heels.
I peeked through the wooden slats that covered the front window and aimlessly stared at the field when I noticed Zachary heading toward the villas. On his way, he stopped and looked up at the sky. Even from where I stood, I could see his long lashes. It almost looked like he was sending up a silent prayer. Man, he was handsome.
Lifting the collar on his jacket, he adjusted the coat and continued on his path. Sadly, we hadn’t spent much time together lately while he worked the harvest festivals and I took care of his dad. Always the worker, I imagined he was on his way to check on the villa attached to mine since the occupants had thankfully checked out this morning. I wasn’t sure how many more of the woman’s fake ‘ooo’s’ an
d ‘ahh’s’ I could stomach listening to through our connected bedroom wall.
I stepped away, just out of sight, and continued my pace. The results should be ready by now, but I couldn’t make myself go look. I didn’t want them to say I wasn't pregnant, but something in my gut told me to accept it.
After a quick pep talk, I forced myself to step in the direction of the bathroom when I heard a knock on the door.
“Dammit,” I whispered under my breath. My heart beat nervously in my throat as I wondered what the sticks revealed in the next room.
Cool air rushed in when I pulled the door open and found Zachary. He was leaning one hand against the door frame and his thoughtful expression almost looked as if he was a little unsure of himself.
“Hey, what’s up?” I could immediately sense that something was off.
“Dani, can we talk?” He rubbed his thumb along the wooden frame, tapping the toe of his shoe on the porch. “Please?”
I ran my palms along my jeans, a little unsure, but I stepped aside. “Of course, come in.”
He was hesitant. “Actually, do you mind if we go for a walk?”
“Sure.” I thought about the tests on the bathroom counter, but he clearly needed to get something off his chest.
Stella followed us out after she spotted Buddy lounging under my truck. It usually bugged me when she hung out there, getting grease all over her white fur, but I was anxious to hear what was going on in Zachary’s head.
He rubbed his hands together anxiously as we walked in silence toward the mostly harvested rows of vines.
“So I wanted to give you a real apology for being such a jackass to you a few weeks ago.” He turned to the side, peeking at me before blowing out a lungful of air. Something really big seemed to have him on the edge. “I had no right to act that way just because of how I feel.”
“Okay—” I nodded slightly. “Zachary, what’s going on? You seem really worked up about something.”
