Chapter 26
Twenty-six
Ginny
I’ve been so good the last two weeks, keeping my distance, keeping things simple.
But one look from Ryker and all that resolve crumbled.
We were supposed to be helping Sadie and Beckett with wedding stuff last night, not ending up tangled in Ryker’s sheets.
Now, I’m slipping out of his house all over again like this is some shameful secret.
He asked me to stay. I told him I couldn’t.
I’ve already been here too long. Tonight was a mistake, even if it didn’t feel like one.
Not with the way he kissed me like I belonged to him.
But this can’t be safe for either of us.
When I return, the caretaker house looks peaceful from the outside, porch light glowing like a welcome sign, windows warm with lamplight. But the second I step out of my car, my stomach knots.
Gran’s sedan is parked in the drive.
Waiting.
I square my shoulders, force my steps to remain steady as I cross the gravel, but my heart pounds. When I’m halfway up the walk, the driver’s door creaks open. She’s been standing there. She doesn’t look at me. Doesn’t say a word.
She just gets in and drives away.
Gravel kicks under her tires, echoing in the quiet night. I watch the taillights disappear up the road until it’s just me and the sound of the crickets and the sudden, suffocating weight of dread.
She knows. Of course. I always get caught.
I don’t move for a minute. I can’t. Eventually, I manage to wrap my arms around myself like that’ll hold me together.
But inside, everything is splintering. I fumble at the door, pushing inside with shaking fingers and locking it behind me, though I don’t know what I’m protecting myself from. It’s too late for that.
She didn’t yell. Didn’t make a scene. The silence said everything. There’s going to be hell to pay.
I stand in the kitchen, unsure if I should scream, cry, or pour a drink. My phone buzzes.
Ryker: Home safe? Miss you already.
I don’t reply. Instead, I set the phone down and close my eyes for a moment.
I take a shower and crawl into my bed, but I’m not tired anymore. My brain is on overdrive. Every time I close my eyes, I see Gran’s car pulling away. No words. No more chances. Just quiet, disappointed judgment in the dark.
Now, something inevitable is coming, and I can’t stop it. Hell, it was probably always coming, but now, I can’t buy myself any more time.
When my alarm sounds, I haven’t slept at all. I go through the motions of getting ready and grab my laptop and jewelry-making toolbox on the way out the door. I may be too nervous to do much work today, but I’ll at least be prepared in case there’s down time.
I park behind the tasting room and head toward the gift shop, trying to act normal. I don’t even make it to the front door before Josie steps out.
She doesn’t smile, just tugs the sleeves of her cardigan down her arms and meets me halfway. “She’s looking for you,” she says softly.
I swallow. “Is she…in a mood?”
Josie’s eyes soften. “She’s your grandmother. She loves you. No matter what.”
Which means yes. She’s in a mood. The shit is about to hit the fan.
I nod, not trusting my voice, and square my shoulders. One breath, then another. Then I start walking, —past the barrels, past the bottling line, and up the old wooden staircase to the office that’s ruled this vineyard for three generations.
I knock.
The door opens, and my mother slips out without a word. She doesn’t meet my eyes, just brushes past me like I’m a stranger. I don’t let myself flinch. After a moment, I step inside.
Gran is at her desk, fingers laced tightly together. Her back is straight. Her expression is calm, though the air is thick with tension.
She doesn’t ask me to sit.
“Where were you last night?” she asks instead.
“I was out with friends,” I say.
Her eyes narrow. “Was it Ryker Paradise?”
I hesitate. Then I nod. “We had wedding—”
She holds up her hand to stop me. “You’ve shamed this family,” she snaps, rising from her chair. “After everything they’ve done to us. After what they’ve taken. And you—” She jabs a finger toward me. “—you go and warm his bed like nothing matters. Like we don’t matter.”
My throat burns. “It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like, Genevieve?” she demands. “You sneaking around in the dead of night? Lying to my face? You think he cares about you? You think any of them do?”
“I care about him,” I say, before I can stop myself.
Her mouth tightens. “Then you can go be with him.”
I freeze. “What?”
“You’re no longer welcome in this house. Or at this vineyard. Your things will be packed for you at the caretaker house. You are to leave this property immediately, or we’ll call the police, and they’ll charge you with trespassing.”
All the air rushes out of my lungs. “You don’t mean that,” I whisper.
“I mean every word,” she says coldly. “I warned you, and you made your choice. Now, you’ll have to live with it.” She sits back down. Dismisses me with a wave of her hand. “Close the door on your way out.”
I feel something akin to my life flashing before my eyes, but I can’t think of anything to say, so I go. And I don’t look back.
My feet carry me to the gift shop. I’m desperate now. I need my mother.
The bells above the door jingle as I step inside. Mom is behind the counter, deep in concentration, rearranging a display of cookbooks and wine accessories like the fate of the entire vineyard depends on it. She doesn’t look up.
“I thought we were leaving the shop layout the way I planned it,” I say gently, for what feels like the hundredth time.
“I like it this way,” she answers, still not looking at me. “It’s more…functional.” She points to a box. “I believe those are yours.”
I step over to check, and inside are my jewelry pieces—pendants, cuffs, and wire-wrapped stones I was selling here. Now, everything’s tangled in a knotted mess.
I swallow, pulling the worn cardboard box tight against me. “I…” I hesitate and set the box back on the counter.
She finally looks at it. And then at me. “You should’ve known better,” she says. “You always knew how she felt.”
I blink. “So that’s it?”
Suddenly, I remember how when I was little, Mom used to braid my hair while I sat on the kitchen counter. How she’d hum without realizing it. That version of her is gone.
“I don’t have a choice.”
“I have nowhere to go,” I whisper.
Her face twists, not with cruelty, but with weariness. Like life has squeezed all the softness out of her. “I can’t take you in right now.”
“Why not?” My voice cracks.
“Because I can’t afford to upset your grandmother.” Her hands tighten around a stemless wineglass. “Without her, I have no home. No money. No safety net.”
I feel like I’ve been punched. She doesn’t even look at me.
“And I’m what? Disposable?”
She doesn’t answer.
I back away, tears hot behind my eyes. “Thanks for the support.”
She’s my mom, so I hoped for more, but I guess she’s right. And I shouldn’t lean on my sisters, either. If they try to help me, they’ll put their own jobs and places in the family at risk. So I’m on my own now, starting from nothing.
The bells jingle again as I leave. And this time, I don’t stop walking until I’m back in my car.
But I still have nowhere to go. Ryker would be a comfort right now, but this is not how I want to show up.
I don’t want him to think I choose him only because I have nothing left.
I can’t make this his problem as well. No, I need to sort this out first. Find my bearings…
So I drive around town with no destination, no plan. I follow the edge of the lake down to its southern end and the town of Black Bear, named by the indigenous nation and anglicized. I cry until I can’t anymore.
That’s it. This is the end. I’m cut off. Just like my dad.
Somewhere past the lake, surrounded by nothing but trees and old road signs, I pull over and scream into the silence. Because I’ve given everything up, and I have nothing left to lose.