by Amber Kelly
She was quiet the rest of the evening. Not angry quiet, just unsure.
I hate that I made her feel insecure at all.
I tell Corbin about our conversation.
“What did you say when she told you she was staying?” he asks.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing? That’s not good,” he muses.
“I just needed time to process,” I admit.
“And have you?” Corbin asks.
I look over at him as he checks the chimney in the cabin to see if it is safe for use.
“Have I what?”
“Had time to process?”
“Yeah, I have,” I admit.
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense, bro,” Weston calls from the kitchen, where he’s hooking up the new dishwasher Mom had delivered.
I look between them. “I’m happy they’re staying,” I admit.
Weston’s eyes go round. “Truly?”
“Yeah, really fucking happy for the first time since I lost my wife. I wake up, looking forward to seeing her face. Neither Leona nor I even make up excuses for me to go by the farm anymore. I just show up because I want to”
Corbin smiles at me. “I called it,” he declares.
I raise an eyebrow at him.
“We’ve been placing bets on whether or not you were falling in love,” Morris says as he emerges from the master suite.
“Falling in love?” I ask.
“Yep, Weston and I thought you’d cut and run when it got serious. Corbin and Langford said you were in it for the long haul, although Langford thought you’d try to deny it for a while longer.”
“Nice,” I say as I throw the towel I was wiping the walls down with at him.
“Hey, don’t take it out on me because you went and lost it over a girl,” Morris grumbles.
“At least I have a girl to lose it over,” I shoot back at him.
He huffs and tosses it back but misses me.
“I have several women on the hook, I’ll have you know,” he brags.
“I’ve seen them, and I’d throw them back if I were you,” Weston urges.
“Hey, I have some dope options. You’re the one with none.”
“By choice,” Weston tells him.
“Keep telling yourself that.”
They continue the bickering until Pop walks through the front door, lugging a drum sander behind him.
“Fuck, are we resurfacing the floor?” Weston asks.
“Yep,” Pop answers.
“Why? It looks fine to me,” Morris adds.
“Because your mother said so,” Pop tells him.
All three of them groan.
Pop shrugs. “You either do it or go tell her why you think it’s unnecessary. I dare you.”
Morris walks over and takes the sander from him. “You guys start hauling the furniture out, and I’ll start sanding,” he grumbles.
“I’ll be back with the wood putty and polyurethane,” Pop says before disappearing again.
“Your girlfriend is a pain in my ass,” Morris says as he passes me to plug in the piece of equipment.
My girlfriend. I like the sound of that.
It takes several hours, but we get the cabin emptied and the floor finished before we pack it in for the night and head out.
Langford and Tucker show up with a couple of sets of bedroom furniture on the back of his truck as I shut the door.
“I’ve got the stuff Mom wanted out of the storage unit. We need to unload it and put it together,” he says.
“No can do. You’ll have to take it back along with what’s on the trailer hitched to the back of my truck,” I inform him.
“Why?”
“Because she made us resurface the floor. We can’t move anything back in for at least four days.”
He hangs his head. “She rushed me to get this out here. The woman has no concept of how long any of this stuff takes,” he complains.
“I know, but in all fairness, she has been trying to get us out here to do some of these things for years now.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I’ll buy dinner,” I tell him.
“All right. Follow me, and we’ll take it all to my house and put it in the garage,” he suggests.
Langford lives just downriver, and it’s a lot closer than the storage unit or my house.
I do as he said.
He pulls his side-by-side out of the second bay of his garage and drives it under his back deck. Then, we carefully stack all the furniture in the space.
“Corbin called and said I owed him fifty bucks. You could have held out a little longer for me,” he says.
I shake my head. “I can’t believe you assholes were wagering on my love life.”
“We bet on everything. You know that,” he defends as he shuts the tailgate to his truck and closes the garage door. “I’m glad she’s sticking around. She’s good for you,” he says.
“I don’t know what will come of it, but I’m excited to get the chance to find out.”
“That’s a start,” he says. “Now, about dinner. Why don’t we order pizza delivery and open a couple of beers? I’ll fill you in on Corbin and Susanna’s latest drama.”
“Lead the way,” I tell him.
Taeli
Erin, Jena, and Ansley show up to celebrate us moving in.
The place looks so different than it did the day Sara-Beth showed it to me. The old appliances have been replaced with new stainless steel options. The floor has been stained a dark brown, which looks beautiful against the lighter wood of the walls and matches the ceiling beams.
Even though I promised Caleb to have his father send his bedroom furniture from home, Sara-Beth had a great set sent over for each of us until we can have it shipped.
“This place is the cutest,” Ansley says as she unloads the bags of groceries they brought for us.
“Isn’t it? I never imagined it’d look so good once it was cleaned up,” I admit.
“You can hear the river when you sit on the front porch,” Erin adds.
“I know. I’ll probably spend many evenings curled up out there with a book.”
“I don’t like to read, but I’d get a swing and listen to it while I napped,” Jena says.
They gift me new towels and a faux white fur rug for the living room.
“Thank you, guys, although I have a twelve-year-old boy living with me, so I’m not sure the white rug will last,” I tell them.
“We didn’t consider that. They had it in off-white and chestnut too. You can exchange it,” Erin suggests. “Where is Caleb?” she asks.
“He and Mom had an errand to run. They’ll be here later.”
Ansley pops the top off a bottle of champagne and pours four glasses. She passes them out and then raises hers.
“To new beginnings,” she says, and we all repeat the sentiment and clink our glasses together.
We finish the bottle, and they help me unpack my room and make both of our beds. By the time we settle on the couch, it starts to feel like home.
“I talked to Damon last night,” I tell them.
“Why?” Erin asks.
“I had to tell him that we weren’t coming back to Illinois at the end of the summer and to warn him that I told Caleb everything, including the baby news.”
“How did he take it?” Jena asks.
“Not well. He wants to talk. He asked if he could fly out here.”
“What the fuck for?” Erin asks.
“I have no idea.”
“What did you say?” Ansley asks.
“I told him there wasn’t anything to talk about unless it had to do with Caleb and that coming out here would be a waste of his time and money.”
“And?”
“He disagreed. He thinks that there’s a lot to talk about. He asked me to come home and to see a counselor with him.”
“Therapy? Is he for real?” Jena asks.
“The funny part is, I wanted to see a marriage counselor years
ago, after his first affair, and he refused. He thinks psychology is a pseudoscience that has no merit, and he doesn’t consider counselors to be real doctors.”
“What a title snob,” Erin mumbles. “Why now? I thought he was in love with the office tramp,” she adds.
“So did I.”
“Men make no sense.”
“How is Leona doing? Is she sad you guys are moving out?” Jena asks.
“I don’t think so. I believe we were cramping her style and cutting into her and Mayor Gentry’s alone time.” I cringe at the thought.
“I bet she’s over the moon that you guys are staying in town though.”
“She is. She actually cried when we told her,” I confirm.
“That’s so sweet,” Ansley says.
“And how did Graham take the news?” Erin asks.
“He didn’t have much to say about it, to be honest, but Damon sure did. He’s planning on fighting me for custody of Caleb.”
“What?” Jena gasps.
“I don’t know what his game is. I left. I didn’t put up any kind of fight. I tried to get him to spend time with Caleb this summer, and he’s the one who flaked. Now, he’s angry because we’re staying here when I told him he could visit anytime he wanted and that we would work out a schedule for birthdays and holidays, so he could see Caleb as much as possible. I’m not trying to keep them apart, but I have to do what’s best for me and Caleb.”
“Is it a money thing? Like he doesn’t want to pay you child support?”
I shrug. “If that’s what it’s about, he’s a bigger asshole than I thought,” I say.
“Has his side chick given birth yet?” Erin asks.
“I don’t think so, but she is due any day now.”
“God help that baby. He doesn’t need to be bringing another child into this world,” she says.
I don’t wish that baby any ill will. It’s not the baby’s fault how his parents behaved while creating him.
“Hopefully, he does a better job this time around.”
One can hope this wasn’t all for naught.
Caleb comes through the door with a box in his hand and a smile on his face. Mom and Mayor Gentry follow behind him.
When he makes it to me on the sofa, he stops.
“I have a present for you,” he says proudly as he holds the box out for me to take.
“A present? It’s not even my birthday,” I tell him.
“I know. It’s a just because I love you present,” he says.
My eyes begin to blur before I even get the top off of the little box.
Impatient, he helps me lift the delicate chain and holds the necklace up in front of me.
“Oh, that’s beautiful,” Ansley says.
He grins at her. “It’s a topaz. I found it, and Granna and I took it to a jeweler. He cut it and polished it and made it into a pretty necklace.”
“I love it, Caleb,” I say through my tears.
“Do you want me to help you put it on?” he asks.
I nod and turn while holding my hair out of the way. It takes him a few tries to get the clasp in place, but when he does, it falls against my chest, and I place my hand over the stone.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
He throws his arms around my neck and squeezes. “You’re welcome. Next time, I’m going to try to find a ruby or emerald for you.”
Jena leans into him. “Hey, your auntie Jena could use an emerald too,” she tells him.
“I’ll try to get two,” he tells her.
“Hey, what about us?” Erin says, waving a finger between herself and Ansley.
Caleb throws his hands out to the sides. “Okay. I’ll try to get four. You guys are killing me.”
Mayor Gentry starts laughing. “Get used to it, kid,” he warns.
“Do you have your bag?” I ask Caleb.
“It’s in the car. I’ll go get it.”
He runs off, and Mayor Gentry follows him.
“The place looks amazing,” Mom says as she walks in and pops her head in every door. “Are you excited for your first night?” she asks.
“I am,” I admit.
Caleb comes in, carrying his suitcase, and lugs it straight into his new room.
Mayor Gentry appears at the door again.
Mom walks over and kisses my cheek. “We’ll get out of your hair. We’re going to listen to the bluegrass band down at Blue Mountain Distillery. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Be careful and don’t get too crazy,” I tell her as I kiss her back.
“No one’s getting crazy. We’re too old for that,” she states.
“Oh, Mom. You’re only old when it’s convenient for you. Go have fun.”
She takes Ralph’s arm, and he leads them out.
“I can’t believe Leona has a beau, and I’m still single,” Ansley mumbles.
“Graham has a couple of single brothers. Maybe Taeli can fix you up,” Erin suggests.
“No way. I know Weston too well, and Morris is too young for me.”
“What about Corbin?” Jena asks.
“Who would want to deal with Susanna?”
She makes a valid point.
“All I’m saying is, marrying into the Tuttle family would be the answer to all of our middle school dreams,” Erin says.
“I outgrew those fantasies a long time ago. I want something real,” Ansley tells her.
“Then, we’ll find it for you now that we got Taeli here squared away,” Erin says.
“I am?”
“Yep. You might not be ready to acknowledge it yet, but you are.”
“Well he is taking me out for our second official date tomorrow,” I tell them.
“See, you’re a taken woman. Taken by a Tuttle,” she says, and we all crack up laughing.
But I think she may be right.
The next day Graham picks me up to take me to the winery my mom suggested. It’s the perfect place to celebrate my decision to stay in Balsam Ridge.
We enter the gates and drive along the gravel road between vines heavy with plump purple grapes.
A rustic building with a large deck is set in the middle of the vineyard. The deck is dotted with wine barrel tabletops and rich leather stools.
We pull into the parking area, filled with vehicles, to the left of the structure. Employees wearing Shining Rock Winery shirts are milling around on ATVs or sitting atop tractors mowing the grounds between the vines.
There is a small pond in the back of the winery with an old canoe resting on its bank. A couple of elderly gentlemen are sitting on a fallen log beside it with their fishing poles in hand.
“This place is gorgeous,” I say, as we exit the truck and walk to the building. The breeze carries a fruity aroma to my nose and I breathe deeply.
“Isn’t it?”
He leads me up the steps and to the double glass doors. He opens one side and I step into the large room.
There is a bar to the right with two young ladies attending to a group of women who are tasting the different varieties.
The space has a dozen oak tables with folding chairs. All with a bright floral centerpiece. A stone fireplace is against the back wall with doors on each side that lead to a sunroom that also has tables that line the windows.
A portly man with a round stomach and salt and pepper hair emerges from a side office and greets us.
“Hi, Graham. Who’s your friend?”
“Larry, this is Taeli, she’s Leona Tilson’s daughter.”
He grins and extends his hand.
“Well, look at you. I haven’t seen you since you were knee-high to a grasshopper.”
I place my hand in his and smile.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” he asks.
“I’m sorry. I don’t,” I admit.
“I used to own a cabinetry business in town. I installed the ones in your parent’s house when it was built. We also attend the same church,” he explains.
“Oh, yes, I remember you. Your
wife plays the piano. She gave me lessons when I was little.”
“Yes, ma’am that’s us. I’m a little long in the tooth now, though. I’m really sorry about your dad. He was a good man and we miss him terribly,” he says.
“Thank you.”
He releases my hand and looks at Graham.
“Come on in. Have a look around. Once these ladies are finished, we’ll set you two up with a wine tasting. The cafe will be opening in about thirty minutes and you can enjoy lunch out on the deck,” he invites.
“I was hoping you or your Dad were available to give us a tour,” Graham interjects.
“Dad’s at home today. Mom had hip replacement surgery and he’s playing nursemaid, but I’ll be happy to. Just give me five,” Larry says, before disappearing back into the office.
When he returns, he takes us down a flight of stairs into the basement. There he shows us the darkroom where the grapes are sorted into white and red. He explains that white grapes are pressed and the juice is immediately sealed into large barrels, yeast is added and the fermentation process begins. However, red grapes are sorted and stored in cold soak tanks to extract the color and flavor from the skin of the fruit before they are pressed and fermented. It’s all fascinating. He explains how much sugar is added to qualify the wine as dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, and sweet. All of their wines are aged in oak barrels to absorb the natural tannins of the wood and the grape to create a perfectly balanced wine, and after eighteen to twenty-four months of storage, they are bottled. We see a bottling demonstration before he leads us outside to the vines.
We walk the property as he gives us the rundown of the planting and harvesting procedures.
“How do you find the time to do this and cabinetry?” I ask, as I pluck a grape and pop it into my mouth. I moan as the sweet juice burst on my tongue.
“I retired from my other job a few years ago. My father suffered a heart attack, and as he was recovering I started researching ways to help him get stronger. Wine, especially the red varieties, is high in resveratrol. Which is a natural antioxidant and helps prevent and manage cardiovascular disease and protects blood vessels from damage. Dad started having three ounces every night while recovering from his by-pass surgery. He started walking and gets stronger every day and now the man can run circles around me. He swears it’s the results of the wine.”
