Serves Me Wright

by K. A. Linde

  I chuckled. Hollin Abbey was our cousin on the other side of the family. My dad’s brother had five kids—Jensen, Austin, Landon, Morgan, and Sutton Wright. But my mom had two siblings, and we had been lucky to find the Abbeys—Hollin, Campbell, and Nora. Hollin and I had hit it off right away even though we were complete opposites. He was a burly, tattooed, motorcycle-riding cowboy to my city-slick, fashion-obsessed, sports car–driving businessman. But we just clicked.

  “Anything wrong?” Jordan asked, standing.

  “Nah, a reporter showed up. Probably don’t want me to do that interview,” Hollin said with a laugh.

  Jordan and I shared a look. Yeah, probably not.

  “You take it,” Jordan said.

  “What? Me?” I asked in surprise.

  “It’s all you!” Hollin agreed.

  I was still getting used to taking charge of the winery. Jordan had done so much of the prep to get us the place, and Hollin ran much of the day-to-day operations. But I was the real business owner, taking on more and more of the responsibilities. It was a whole new experience.

  “All right,” I said with a nod, dropping the problems with Dad for another day. “I got this.”

  4

  Jennifer

  “What’s going on?” Sutton asked with a concerned look as I scurried over with my camera.

  “Uh…I think Julian’s dad is here.”

  Her eyes widened. “Owen?”

  I shrugged. “Yeah.”

  “What does he want?” she snarled.

  Sutton had every right to hate her uncle. When Jensen had left as CEO of Wright Construction and Morgan had taken over before she was even thirty, Owen had shown up like a knight in shining armor. But instead of helping her, he tried to undermine her at every turn. He’d even tried to get the board of directors to throw her out and put him in her place. Owen might be their uncle, but he wasn’t welcome in Lubbock.

  “I have no idea. I left him with Julian.”

  Sutton sighed and rubbed her temples. “Should I tell Mor?”

  “I think Julian can handle it. It’s his place anyway.”

  “Right. I have to remember that my cousins are perfectly capable. I’m just used to going to Jensen and Morgan when things start going south.”

  “I wouldn’t say a text to them would be out of line.”

  She nodded and pulled out her phone.

  “Aww,” she gushed.

  She turned the phone to face me. On the screen was a picture of her husband, David Calloway, the CFO of Wright Construction, and their two kids—six-year-old Jason and one-year-old Madison. Only Jason was smiling at the camera. Madison was trying to eat Jason’s fingers, and David was attempting to stop her. It was too cute.

  “Too much.”

  She laughed and went back to texting.

  I stepped around her and pulled my camera back up to my face. Campbell Abbey was onstage, singing his heart out to an adoring audience. The rest of the band was rocking out like they were in Madison Square Garden and not a backwoods barn in West Texas. I’d been a fan of Cosmere for years. Even before they’d broken out. Their hit song “I See the Real You” really got me in the feels. I was always the girl who wanted the guy to see the real me, but it never happened that way.

  I snapped picture after picture of the show as they moved from one song to the next. I was completely in the zone that I didn’t even notice that others had gathered nearby until someone tapped my shoulder.

  I whipped around. “Hey.” Then my friends Piper Medina and Blaire Barker materialized in front of me. “Oh, hey!”

  I threw my arms around Blaire, and Piper fended off a hug.

  “Hey, girl,” Blaire said, tugging on her signature baseball cap. This one was for her wellness blog, Blaire Blush, which had started with her discussing things that made her blush. A makeup company had asked her to create her own blush on their line, but she wanted an organic, environmentally friendly company.

  “This seems to be a success,” Piper said diplomatically. She brushed her dark brown hair back from her sun-kissed brown skin and eyed the backstage area.

  Piper ran Sinclair Cellars, a rival winery in town that had originally been started by the Sinclairs but had been passed down to Piper’s father. He worked his way up in the job after immigrating from Mexico.

  “I think so,” I said.

  “Me too,” Sutton said. “Mor and Jensen are going to come back here after the show to see what’s up.”

  “What is up?” Piper asked.

  “Something wrong?” Blaire’s eyes were locked on the band.

  I didn’t think she was a Cosmere fan, but if I didn’t know better, I’d think she had a thing for Campbell. Not that I’d blame her.

  “Owen Wright is here,” Annie said as she walked up to the rest of us.

  “Oh?” Piper asked. She clearly already knew the history.

  “Yeah, Julian came to talk to Jordan about it. He looked pretty pissed.”

  “With good reason,” I said.

  Sutton nodded. “Agreed.”

  “Anyway,” Annie said with a wave of her hand, “what I really want to talk about is you disappearing with Julian!”

  All the girls faced me.

  My face turned as red as a tomato. “Uh, what?”

  “You disappeared with him. You were talking and laughing and then poof!”

  “Are you and Julian…” Sutton asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “No, no, no, no, no,” I said quickly.

  “I thought you were into him,” Piper said.

  Blaire nodded. “You always come to our soccer games.”

  The Tacos was a recreational soccer team that a bunch of my friends played on. Annie’s brother, Isaac, had started it. Annie, Julian, Hollin, and Blaire all played along with Annie’s friend Cézanne and her boyfriend, Gerome. I did attend all the games, but it was for my friends, not Julian. Or at least…not expressly Julian.

  “You and Annie play,” I grumbled.

  “And Julian!” Annie crooned.

  “I feel attacked.”

  Sutton laughed. “Let up, y’all.”

  “Oh, come on. Dish!” Annie said.

  “He wanted me to take some pictures.”

  I thought about telling them about the kiss, but what was the point? It hadn’t been real even if he said it was great. That was just Julian.

  “All right, fine,” Annie said, slipping an arm around my shoulders. “You’re still doing that whole no guys for ninety days anyway, right?”

  “I…yes, I am.”

  “Boys are overrated,” Blaire said.

  “True story,” Piper agreed.

  Blaire rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you on-again with Bradley?”

  Piper shrugged. “I need new shutters.”

  Annie cackled, and Sutton just shook her head.

  “It couldn’t also be the sex that you’re missing?” Blaire asked.

  “Could be,” Piper said with a wink.

  I laughed with the rest of the girls at Piper’s not-quite love life. It hadn’t been long ago that Annie and Jordan had similar relationship woes. Sutton and David had had their level of complications while she was dealing with the death of her husband. I’d had my string of bad dates. It was only Blaire who didn’t seem to date much. With her level of success, I didn’t understand that at all.

  My friends changed the subject back to Cosmere’s show. Annie danced around in a circle to their next song, singing all of the words perfectly. I could have joined in. I knew the lyrics forward and backward.

  But at that moment, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I fished it out and saw my mom’s number on the screen. I groaned. Maybe I could skip the call, but knowing my mom, she’d call back until I answered and then blame me for wasting her time.

  I held my phone up. “Going to take this.”

  The girls waved me off, and I headed away from the concert, answering the phone, “Hey, Mom.”

  “Jennifer Sue, it took you long eno
ugh.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Where are you?” my mom asked. “It sounds like a rock concert.”

  “Um…I’m at work. Remember I mentioned that I was photographing the Cosmere show at the new Wright Vineyard?”

  “You never told me that.”

  I bit my lip. I definitely had. Not that she cared about anything to do with my photography.

  “What can I help you with?”

  “What, a mom can’t want to talk to her daughter?”

  Not my mom.

  “Of course, Mom. But again…I’m at work.”

  My mom scoffed, “Taking pictures isn’t work.”

  I swallowed back a retort. Here was the company line: photography wasn’t a real job. I’d been hearing that for years from my mom. Four years ago, I’d been nannying Sutton’s oldest, Jason, and applying to pharmacy school. They hadn’t approved of the nanny job, but at least I was on the right track. Then I hadn’t gotten into pharmacy school. Now, I was a failure.

  I could have retaken the PCAT until my score was where it needed to be and reapplied until I got in. Plenty of people did it. My mom had expected that of me. I kept thinking I’d go back. It wasn’t like it was a forever decision.

  But then I’d lucked into an amazing second-shooter position for a wedding and never looked back. My business had taken off, and now, I was here. Not that my parents acknowledged this as anything but a passion project. Not a reality. Nothing I said that would change that.

  They’d both struggled and come from nothing to give me and my brother, Chester, the comfortable lives we enjoyed. My mom just couldn’t understand me giving it up to go backward. At least as far as she saw it.

  “Okay, Mom,” I said quickly. I needed to end this call before she went off on one of her rants.

  “Well, I don’t mean to interrupt your little concert,” she said, “but I wanted to confirm that you were coming to Austin next weekend for Chester’s graduation. He and Margaret have been planning this party for months. He even got a two-bedroom Airbnb near campus. You know how Dad hates hotels.”

  “I do,” I said, my throat tightening.

  My brother was…a genius. There was no other way to put it. He’d started winning chess tournaments at seven. He won the National Spelling Bee at twelve. He graduated from high school two years early and had three bachelor’s in four years from Baylor. They’d offered him the most amount of money, which was how he’d chosen them from the two dozen universities that had recruited him. He was only two years older than me and graduating from University of Texas-Austin with his PhD in biochemistry.

  I’d never measured up, and going to Austin to celebrate his latest achievement felt like another knife in the chest. But how could I deny them?

  “I’ll send over the details to your email. It’ll be good to see Chester and Margaret. I’m so happy he’s in such a stable relationship.”

  Unlike me. Though she hadn’t said it, I clenched my teeth together.

  “Anyway, we can all drive together on Wednesday.”

  “Wednesday?” I asked.

  “Yes. Is that a problem?”

  “I have to check my work schedule. I think I’m shooting a senior portrait on Wednesday. I can probably come down Thursday though.”

  My mom huffed, “Fine, Thursday then.”

  “Okay, Mom. I have to go. Looking forward to it,” I lied.

  She tried to keep me on the phone for a few more minutes, and after saying good-bye twice more, I finally got off.

  I hung my head. What the hell was I going to do?

  5

  Julian

  “I think that’s all. Thank you so much for your time,” the reporter said.

  “It’s my pleasure,” I said.

  Jessie lowered her microphone, and the camera stopped rolling. Her smile was bright as she brushed her hair back off her neck. The Texas summer heat was definitely uncomfortable.

  “That was great,” she said. “You’re a natural on camera.”

  I laughed. “Nah, I’m sure I looked nervous.”

  “Were you nervous? You didn’t look it.”

  “Thanks. Is there anything else that you need?”

  She shook her head. “We’re good. I’ll take this back and edit. Should air tomorrow. We’ll send you a link and the write-up.”

  “Perfect.”

  “Good to see you, Julian,” she said and then sauntered off with her cameraman.

  I blew out a breath as soon as she was gone. I actually hated being on camera. Jordan was the one who did well with public speaking. He was better in front of a camera. Even though I had the charm one-on-one, it was a different matter in front of a crowd. But I was the face of Wright Vineyard. Jordan was counting on me. He’d handed over all the responsibilities, and I had to take up the mantle. That included getting over my nerves with public speaking.

  I shook out my hands. A problem for another day.

  I headed back inside and watched the end of the show. Our new manager, Alejandra, had tours set up for after the show along with coupons for customers to come back another day for a tasting. She was handling the rest of her team beautifully as Cosmere’s show ended and people streamed out of the venue.

  “Congrats, cuz,” Morgan said as she strode backstage with Jensen on her heels.

  My Wright cousins were a blessing. They were the part of my family that I’d never known I was missing. It was like having five more siblings. Always up in our business and meaning well and joking and laughing and ready for a good time. Jensen was the oldest and ran Wright Architecture, a passion project that he paired with Fortune 500 Wright Construction, which Morgan ran. Austin also worked there as a senior vice president with Jordan. Landon was the quintessential middle child and a professional golfer. He’d even started a PGA course here in town. Then, there was Sutton, who had rebelled against it all and ran a local bakery in town, Death by Chocolate.

  “I didn’t know you were here,” I said, hugging Morgan. Then I shook Jensen’s hand.

  “Wouldn’t have missed it,” he said with a smile.

  “We’re excited to build on the Wright brand,” Morgan said.

  Jensen nudged. “No work talk.”

  She arched an eyebrow at him. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

  Jensen crossed his arms in the typical big-brother move. “I’m older than you.”

  She held her hand up. “Don’t care.” She winked at me. “Heard your dad showed up.”

  I sighed. Of course that was why they were here. “He did. Yeah.”

  “Everything all right?” Jensen asked.

  “I don’t know. Jordan invited him.”

  Morgan balked at that. “What? Why?”

  “Crisis of conscience,” I volunteered.

  Morgan laughed. “That’s something. So, is he here to stay?”

  “I don’t know. He said that he’s a changed man.” I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t believe him, and I told him to leave. I’d guess he wants something, and he’s trying to get in with me and Jordan to get it.”

  “Sounds like his MO,” Morgan said.

  “I agree. He’s trouble. But maybe he’s being sincere,” Jensen said.

  Morgan shot him a look of disbelief.

  “I don’t support him. just mean…if I could have our parents back,” he said, his eyes meeting Morgan’s, “I’d do anything.”

  “He’s not,” I insisted.

  Jensen nodded, backing off.

  Their mom had died from cancer when they were young, and their dad had died when Jensen was just out of college. He’d had to take over the mantle at a young age. I appreciated what they meant, but their dad wasn’t like my dad. Just because they were brothers didn’t mean anything.

  “Well, congrats on the opening,” Jensen said. “Can’t wait to come back and do some wine tastings when I can get away again.”

  “How are Emery and Robin?” I asked.

  Emery had delivered a healthy baby girl last month by emergency C-secti
on. Both were fine, but Emery had taken longer to recover.

  “They’re both great. Her mom has temporarily moved into our guest bedroom. She’s been a big help with Robin,” Jensen said. “I know Emery’s ready to get up and get moving again.”

  “I bet.”

  “Well, we’ll get out of your hair,” Jensen said, shaking my hand again and then disappearing with Morgan.

  I waved them good-bye and went to find Nora to help her close down the event. Nora was Hollin’s younger sister and the in-house event planner. She’d graduated from Texas Tech earlier this month, but she’d been interning with an event planner in town for a few years. She was a pro, and I was lucky to have her working with us.

  “We’re all good here,” Nora said, patting down the bar top over an hour later when almost everyone had gone home. “I’m heading out for the night. I’m exhausted.”

  She’d been working on the event night and day since she’d graduated. She’d gotten to the venue this morning at five a.m. and not stopped since then. She was a champ for only being all of five feet tall.

  “All right. Have a good night. Take tomorrow off.”

  She saluted me with a yawn and headed out. Jordan and Annie followed her, leaving just me and Hollin behind.

  I took a seat on a barstool as Hollin hopped behind the bar.

  “What’ll you have?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “Too tired to drink.”

  “That’s not the energy I’m looking for here, Wright,” he said, cracking a smile. “You don’t want me to choose for you.”

  True. I really did not. “All right. Just a beer then.”

  “Boring,” he said as he popped the top on a Blue Moon, poured it into a glass with an orange slice, and passed it to me. “Enjoy.”

  I tipped the drink to him and took a good, long sip. Maybe I needed this more than I’d thought. Between Ashleigh, my dad, and the interview, I was wrung out.

  “Good news, boys,” Alejandra said, striding forward in her mile-high heels. She’d worked all day in them, paired with a tight-fitting top and jeans. Her headset dangled from one hand.

  “Yeah?” I asked.