CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
LORI
Lori woke up and blinked at the sunshine peeking through the small opening in the drapes at her windows. It took her a moment to realize where she was, and then it all came crashing back. The long trip, seeing Griff with Kayla, and the disappointment of knowing she’d made a huge mistake.
She got out of bed and stretched.
Walking to the window, she opened the drapes and gazed out at the countryside. It was a beautiful day with bright blue skies.
She checked the time and was shocked to see it was nine o’clock, a late time for getting out on the fields.
She took care of her morning routine, got dressed, and grabbed a cup of coffee and a piece of toast before heading outside.
Walking up to the house, she was glad for the jean jacket she wore over her long-sleeved T-shirt and overalls. She looked down at the black high-top sneakers and wondered if they would hold up for all the week’s activities.
She called Pete at the number he’d put into her phone, and he picked up.
“I’m on my way now,” she told him.
“Okay, I’ll meet you at the back of the house by the pool area and take you to the barn to show you around. And then we’ll go into the fields.”
“Great,” she said. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Pete was waiting for her on a small tractor that from the narrowness of the front and how the wheels were placed must be designed for work in vineyards.
“ ’Morning,” said Pete. “Climb aboard. It will be a tight fit but that makes it fun.”
Lori laughed at his teasing grin and climbed up onto the seat next to him.
“You must have passed the winery tasting room which sits on our property near the main road.”
“Yes, it’s beautiful, like the house,” said Lori. “And close to the road for business.”
“Exactly,” said Pete. “The house and the winery public areas are the more upscale parts of the property. The barn is down the hill on the backside. That’s where we keep the farming equipment, a few cows, sheep, and pigs.
Their droppings are used to help with special compost piles we keep nurturing.
Then we can use the compost for fertilizing the crops in a synergetic way. ”
“Oh, I like that,” said Lori with enthusiasm.
After they reached the barn, Lori climbed down and went over to the fenced area holding some sheep.
“Look! A lamb. How cute,” she said.
Kayla came out of the barn. “Hi, Lori. I’m here going over the schedule.
We’re still in the process of checking the rows of vines for bud break, new growth, winter pruning, and shoot thinning.
Not all the sections are in the same state of growth.
I’ll work with you on shoot thinning, which is removing excess shoots to control canopy density.
That will promote air circulation, which will help prevent disease issues. ”
“Okay. It sounds like important work,” said Lori.
“It is,” Kayla said.
“This afternoon, I’ll walk the rows of vines with you to check on bud break,” said Pete. “Sorry, I had an unexpected meeting come up later this morning.”
“No, problem. I just want to help and learn where I can,” said Lori. She was eager to find out more about Kayla.
A man came out of the barn.
Kayla waved him over. “This is Juan Perez, our new assistant foreman. He and his wife, Sophia, and their two children live in the house next to the cabin where you’re staying.”
“Hello,” said Lori. “I’m here to learn about grape growing.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help you, please let me know.” Juan turned to Pete. “I’m heading to the chardonnay section to see how that’s doing.”
“Juan has been working here for a couple of years,” Pete explained after Juan left.
“We’ve just recently been able to offer him family housing.
Down closer to the road there are a number of small, rustic cabins we can offer to some of our workers on a temporary basis, especially during picking season. Then, timing is critical.”
“I had no idea that the vineyard was this large and accommodated so many people,” said Lori.
“It’s grown over several years,” said Pete. He checked his watch. “I’d better go. Have fun, ladies.” He tipped his baseball cap at them, climbed onto the tractor, and drove away.
“Where does Pete live?” Lori asked.
“In the first of three buildings on your road, in the house closest to the main house,” said Kayla. “I was offered the cabin before we decided to rent it out. But I prefer to have my own private place away from work.”
“I was surprised to learn that Griff still lives at home,” said Lori.
Kayla chuckled. “It’s not like anyone else I know who is still living at home.
Griff has his own private wing of the house, all the amenities of a hotel with a spa and workout room, and the swimming pool outdoors.
Sarita is a fabulous cook, and he doesn’t have to worry about his meals, even though his wing has a private kitchen. ”
“Griff talked about how much he owes to his grandfather and Sarita. I’m sure that is part of the decision to remain close, too.”
Kayla studied her. “Exactly. You understand him.” She led Lori into the barn and handed her a pair of comfort gloves and a pair of pruning shears. “Because we’re pruning new growth, these shears will work well. Be careful, though, they’re sharp-edged for a clean cut.”
Lori accepted the gear.
Kayla pointed to equipment stored on shelves nearby. “For our winter pruning, motorized shears are used to cut through vines with clean and swift movement. We’ll be working with tender green growth.”
Lori pulled on her gloves, tested her shears, and slid them into the holster Kayla had given her. She put on her sunglasses as Kayla instructed.
“We need to protect our eyes while working with canes. We will be doing a different kind of pruning. Let’s head out,” said Kayla. “I thought we’d work in our pinot noir section, one of our fussiest areas. We’ll do the work carefully.”
As they walked, Kayla said, “At lunch time, workers head back to the barn. Sarita fixes a bunch of sandwiches and Carlos brings drinks and chips. We don’t have a lot of workers year-round, but those we do have are well treated.
Come planting, pruning, and picking, we use crews that travel from one vineyard to another during those times.
We’ve even used college students and occasionally younger students to help us, depending on weather and time commitments. ”
“Yes, I’ve read how important it is to harvest the grapes at a certain stage,” said Lori as they left the building.
Kayla looked at her. “I can see why you and Griffin became friends. You’re very down to earth. Many of the single women in the area want the prestige of being with him. They were furious when they learned about him and me.”
“So, how long have you been together?” Lori asked.
Kayla looked away and back again. “Very soon after he returned from Florida, Sam wanted it more than we did. But it’s turned out well, and it gives Sam a lot of comfort to think the vineyard will be taken care of if anything happens to him.”
“I see,” said Lori, surprised. It didn’t sound like a passionate affair. But then she’d been drawn to Griffin when he wanted nothing more than to be friends. This was different.
###
When they got to the section of grapes they were going to work in, Kayla explained that they had to put their shoes into a footwear bath holding a chlorine solution and to spray their shears with an ethanol solution.
“Every vineyard has a different protocol, but it’s important,” said Kayla, twisting from one side to another. “You might want to do these stretches as you’ll find the work hard on your back.”
“So, what exactly are we doing?” asked Lori.
“We are going to check to see if any shoots need to be secured to the cordon wire, thinning them lightly by removing those that are emerging from the bottoms of cordons. We can also remove suckers, which are shoots growing from the trunk below the vine head.”
“It’s a beautiful day to do this,” said Lori.
“We only do this work in dry weather because shoot removal does wound the vine, and we don’t want any pathogens in the rain to infect the vines,” said Kayla.
“Wow, you know a whole lot about this,” Lori commented.
Kayla laughed. “I worked on a vineyard as a kid and have a degree in wine making. I’ve always loved the process and the magic of it all.”
“I knew I wanted to be a teacher,” said Lori. “I love working with kids.”
“You don’t have any children of your own?” asked Kayla.
Lori shook her head. “No, my husband died just after we’d decided to try for a baby. But I haven’t given up on the idea.”
Kayla stopped and looked at her. “I can tell you’d make a wonderful mother. Me? I don’t want kids.”
Lori studied her. Griff hadn’t been in a time and place where it would seem appropriate to discuss having children of his own one day.
“Enough talk. Let me demonstrate what we’re looking for,” said Kayla. “First, I’ll give you a little course in terminology.”
By the time they stopped for lunch, Lori was exhausted, but she vowed not to show it.