Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
T he wedding breakfast on Sunday was a bit subdued compared with the wedding the previous day, but still joyous as everyone celebrated the newlyweds. Hayden had never seen Sara so happy.
Dylan and Sara were opening gifts in the great room while people milled about—either sitting with them, nibbling on the buffet in the dining room, or hanging out downstairs. A lot of guests would be leaving today, and he realized that meant the house would be almost empty.
Almost. Bex would still be here.
Hayden went into the kitchen to refill his coffee. Even though it was past noon, he needed the caffeine after last night. He’d stayed up into the wee hours drinking with his brothers and the Westcotts. Several of them had spent the night in various places at the house. He’d been reminded of college days when they’d had parties here occasionally. Nothing major, just fun times with family and close friends. Times he couldn’t have in France.
Dad came into the kitchen. “Hayden, how’s it going?”
“Good, you?”
“Excellent. I’m getting the hang of this wedding business. Derek’s was a good introductory lesson last summer, then Evan’s in April, and now I’d say we’re in the swing of things.” He grinned and went to the tap to pull a beer. Dad eyed the mug in Hayden’s hand. “You still drinking coffee?”
“For now.” Hayden was also still thinking of the weddings. Kyle’s was in late September, which would be tough for Hayden to make with harvest. Hayden would have to fly in Friday morning and leave Sunday. He basically wouldn’t sleep for an entire weekend. No problem.
Then Liam was getting married on New Year’s Day. That would be far easier to manage, and it made sense for Hayden to just come home for Christmas and stay a week or ten days. He’d flown home for just a few days last Christmas because his mother had wanted all of her children with her during the first holidays after Alex’s death. And Hayden had wanted to be with them.
Alex’s absence had been very strange because he’d always been there—the one brother who had never left home. The family had talked about that, of course, but there was still a disconnect between Hayden and his siblings. He’d lived near Alex, had seen him regularly, had known him in ways they hadn’t, and had been there for him when just about everyone else had gone.
Dad leaned back against the counter and sipped his beer. “What’s on your agenda today?”
“Not much. I might take a nap.”
Dad chuckled. “I think that’s going to be a popular theme. We’re skipping Sunday dinner tonight. I think everyone’s wiped out.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
Dad looked him the eye. “It’s great to have you back. We really missed you here.”
Hayden sensed a hard sell coming. He and Mom had made no secret about wanting him to change his plans, dropping hints at every possible opportunity. “I’ve missed you, too.”
“I’ve been thinking.” He flicked Hayden an apologetic glance. “It’s hard not to. You really could start up your own wine label. You have the same entrepreneurial spirit that pretty much runs in all of us Archers.”
Hayden could start his own label. He didn’t need a vineyard or even a winery. He could buy grapes from a producer, rent space from a facility, and use a bottling truck. The valley was full of small winemakers looking to establish a name for themselves. Unlike most of them, Hayden had enough capital to make a serious go of things.
“I’ve thought of that, but I like working with a crew. I like the vineyard aspect, the camaraderie of the winery.”
“So start your own winery,” Dad said.
Hayden laughed. “Yeah, I’ll get right on that.” Little did Dad know, he actually could . . .
“I’m serious. Why couldn’t you do that?”
“I could, but right now I have the opportunity to rack up some terrific experience most people would kill for.” That was a bit melodramatic, but he wanted Dad to understand how important this was to him. Making wine at a Grand Cru winery in Burgundy would gain Hayden an international audience for his own wine, when the time came.
“I get it.” But he didn’t look happy about it.
“I’m not going to be gone forever,” Hayden said.
“You say that, but you never know. Liam said he’d never move back here, and now look at him.”
He’d relocated his life here and was now as involved in The Alex as anyone. Anyone but Hayden.
But Hayden.
He sensed a common theme here. Except he had to remember that he’d removed himself from everything on purpose. If he wanted to come back, to participate, he’d be welcomed with open arms. That wasn’t the point, however. Maybe he wanted them to ask—and not like Dad just had, for emotional reasons. No, it would be nice to be wanted. Needed.
Which he was in France.
“Dad, if you thought I’d come home and make wine, why’d you offer me a position at Archer Brewing with Derek?”
Dad shrugged. “I don’t know. Out of habit maybe? I loved working with you at Archer. I’d always sort of hoped you’d develop a passion for beer the way you did for wine. And when you were with Bex it seemed that might happen since she was so passionate about it.” He nodded once. “But I realize now that it was never your calling.”
Hayden appreciated the sentiment and understood Dad’s disappointment that not one of his kids had inherited his love of brewing.
Hayden’s back pocket vibrated, signaling a text. He pulled his phone out and glanced at the screen. It was from Cam, which was silly since he was downstairs playing pool or something.
Cam: Luke scheduled a walk-through at a vineyard in thirty. You in?
In? For what? A tour? Or something more?
He cautioned himself not to get ahead of things. He was asking for a tour, nothing more.
Hayden: Where?
Cam: Quail Crest.
That was up in the hills over Ribbon Ridge. Hayden couldn’t remember for sure, but thought they had about eighty acres. They didn’t produce wine, but sold the grapes to area wineries and winemakers. It had a fantastic elevation, and in the right hands, the grapes produced some sensational wine. Hayden’s interest was piqued.
What would be the harm in looking?
Hayden: Sure.
Cam: We’ll be right up!
Presumably by “we,” he meant Luke and Jamie, who were also downstairs last Hayden knew.
A moment later, the trio spilled into the kitchen. “You ready?” Cam asked.
Dad looked between them. “You guys headed out?”
Hayden threw them all death stares and hoped they understood: Do not say a word.
Hayden set his mug on the counter near the sink. “Yeah, we’re going to stop in and visit a friend while Luke’s still here.” He cast another look toward the brothers, silently telling them to nod or at least not say anything contradictory. His primary concern was Jamie, who sometimes got lost in his own head.
“Have fun.” Dad smiled at them and left.
Hayden led them out through the back door. “Who’s driving?”
“I will,” Cam said.
They all piled into his Range Rover—Hayden in the front seat, Luke and Jamie in the back.
Hayden gave all three of them a pointed look in quick succession. “I would appreciate it if you guys would keep this reconnaissance, or whatever it is, on the down-low for now. If my folks found out there was a chance I was thinking of starting my own winery, I’d never hear the end of it.”
Cam looked over at him as he drove through the porte cochere and around the fountain. “Understood.”
“They giving you a hard time about not moving home?” Jamie asked. “I’m getting the same guilt trip from my mother. When I point out the fact that Luke lives in California and Cam travels all the time, she said I at least needed to live in the same country like they do.”
Hayden chuckled, glad that his mother wasn’t the only one with unreasonable expectations.
Cam glanced at the guys in back in his rearview mirror. “So are we serious about this?”
“We’re just looking at a vineyard,” Luke said from behind Hayden’s seat.
Hayden turned to look at him. “That you set up. Why would you do that if you weren’t serious?”
Luke cracked a lazy smile. “Same reason you’d come to look at it if you’re not serious.”
Cam laughed. “I think we’re all cautiously optimistic at this point. If it works out, great, if not, no harm done.”
Jamie leaned forward. “Hayden, is there any chance you could turn down the job in France?”
He’d planned to contact Antoine late tonight, when it was Monday morning in Burgundy. But he supposed he could delay at least a few days if he wanted to seriously consider this enterprise. Hell, this was not what he’d expected to be doing. He’d wrapped his mind around going back to France. Sure, but he’d also fantasized about making his own wine.
“Maybe,” he finally answered.
Luke thumped the back of his seat. “Vague much?”
Hayden laughed. “Yes, there’s a chance I could turn down the job. But I have to be damned sure. How’d you just happen to hear about this place anyway—if you aren’t serious?”
“I always keep my options open,” Luke said. “After we theorized this thing last week, I did a little poking around and found out that Amos was planning on selling. I wanted to get a leg up before he put it on the market. Here we are.”
Cam pulled into the small gravel drive leading up to the ranch-style house where the vineyard owners lived. They all bailed out of the car, and Luke took the lead going to the house while the other three waited in the driveway.
A few moments later, Luke returned with a man in his sixties. “This is Amos French,” Luke said. “Amos, these are my brothers Cameron and Jamie.” He shook hands with each of them. “And our kinda-sorta-but-not-really-brother-in-law Hayden Archer. His sister is married to our brother.”
Amos chuckled. “That’s a mouthful. Pleased to meet you. Let’s take a walk through the grapes.” He beckoned for them to follow him into the vineyard, which started maybe fifty feet behind the house. They had a stunning view of the valley beyond and a hillside of neatly marching vines.
He spent a good ten minutes telling them when the grapes had been planted and what farming methods he used. Then he covered production yields for the past five years—he’d owned the land for nearly twenty; it was his retirement project—as well as where the grapes were promised this year. He hadn’t signed any new contracts and had decided it was a good time to downsize.
“Are you planning to live in the house or are you going to put that on the market, too?” Cameron asked.
“Nah, you can have that, too. Well, not have it.” He laughed.
Luke and Hayden spent about fifteen minutes exploring, discussing the plants, sampling the very young grapes, and falling into long bouts of silence. Hayden knew his mind was traveling at about a thousand miles an hour and suspected Luke’s was doing the same.
Hayden ended up wandering off away from them and wasn’t sure how long he’d been on his own tramping through the vineyard when Cameron caught up with him.
Cam wiped the back of his wrist over his forehead. “Should’ve brought a hat.”
Hayden put his hands on his hips and looked up the hillside toward the house. He envisioned it transformed into a tasting room and next to it, a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility designed by Tori.
“What do you think?” Cam asked.
Hayden’s mind was churning with possibility. “Too much.”
Cam quirked a smile. “Luke said the plants are fantastic. Amos runs a good vineyard.”
“I agree. And I’ve drank enough Quail Crest varieties to know the grapes will make good wine.” Or great wine. Hayden’s pulse thrummed with excitement.
“The three of us can’t afford to buy the property and start the winery,” Cam said matter-of-factly. They’d been friends long enough not to mince words. “And of course none of us can actually make wine.”
Hayden turned toward him. “You’re saying you need me.” And my money.
He knew it was more than that. He hoped it was more than that. Hadn’t he just thought about wanting to be needed?
“Of course we need you. This project doesn’t happen without you. I mean, it could, I guess. But we’d have to find some second-rate winemaker with enough money to put in his quarter stake.”
Hayden’s brain tripped up. “You only want me to put in a quarter?”
Cam frowned slightly. “Yeah, what did you think? With three of us, we can’t quite afford it—according to the numbers guy.” That would be Jamie. “But with four of us, it’s doable. Did you think we wanted you to front the money?”
“I wasn’t sure.”
“Wow, did France turn you into a dick? For as long as we’ve been friends, you’ve been rich, affluent, well-off, whatever. Have I ever expected you to be my sugar daddy?” When Hayden shook his head, he added, “Yeah, didn’t think so.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a douche. I’m just . . . I’ve just been feeling like a fifth wheel since I came home. Like I don’t really belong.”
“That’s ridiculous. Especially with me.” Cameron took a step forward and while Hayden couldn’t see the expression in his eyes behind the sunglasses, he could hear the genuine concern in his friend’s tone. “We’re good, right?”
“Absolutely. It’s me. I’m off-kilter. Can I still blame jet lag?”
Cam lifted a shoulder. “Blame whatever you want. Blame your siblings, your parents, hell, blame Bex.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because she’s back in your life fucking things up.”
Hayden dropped his hands to his sides and started walking back up the hill. “She’s not fucking things up.”
Cam fell into step beside him. “She’s not the reason you’re maybe off your game or whatever?”
That could be part of it, he supposed. Okay, yeah. Last night he’d had every intention of meeting up with Kayla, his cousin’s cute friend, but then he’d gotten caught up with Bex and her shoe and stroking her damned silky flesh, and he’d completely missed the opportunity. And he hadn’t felt bad about it. At least not about Kayla. About Bex . . . he didn’t like that he still found her attractive, that she distracted him in ways he didn’t want her to.
“I’m going with jet lag and the fact that I’ve missed out on a ton of stuff the past year.” That was completely true. So much had happened while he’d been gone. It’s like life had been catapulting forward while he’d been sitting still. Which wasn’t true at all. He’d been busy, he’d been moving forward, too. Then how come he felt left behind?
“So what do you think? Really. Don’t give me any bullshit answers. I’m your best friend and hopefully your business partner.”
Hayden paused. “Would that be okay? Us being business partners?”
Cam lifted a shoulder. “I think so. I can’t make wine. You can’t market it.”
“Well, I can . . .”
Cam punched him lightly in the bicep. “Shut up. You get your area of expertise, and I get mine.”
Hayden grinned at him. “I thought yours was philandering.”
“Ha ha. I’m still waiting for your bullshit-free answer.”
Hayden was afraid to say it out loud. He’d been ready to commit to France, to the next chapter in his life away from Ribbon Ridge. Coming back meant dealing with whatever issues he had with his family, and then there was Bex. He hated that she factored into this decision at all. He’d spent so long getting over that whole situation.
He chose his words carefully. “I’m not saying no. And that’s not a bullshit answer. I’m . . . intrigued. I have a lot to think about. We need a business plan before we can talk seriously.”
“Jamie’s going to start working on it ASAP.”
“Luke’s going back to California tonight.”
“Right, but we can talk things through over the next week or so. Amos isn’t putting the property on the market until at least next week. We have a little time to crunch numbers and process everything.”
They continued walking up the hill, the afternoon sun beating on them. Hayden took a deep breath. He loved being out here, rain or shine. The smell of the ripe grapes in September would be amazing. His grapes.
“Admit it,” Cam said softly. “This would be pretty incredible.”
It would be more than incredible. It would be everything he ever wanted.
Maybe not quite everything .