Chapter 9
The alarm sounded before the crack of dawn. Harper’s head felt a little fuzzy from the previous night’s wine, but she had prepared for it with a glass of water and two Panadol tablets left on the bedside table. She quickly showered and dressed. When she went outside, her siblings and Georgia were already in the vineyard working.
‘Does the copious amounts of wine not have any impact on any of you?’
‘You’re out of practice. Don’t they have wine in the city?’ Zoe commented.
Harper ignored her.
Georgia said, ‘You know how it is. The early bird catches the worm. These three are competing as to who can get up the earliest and get more work done in the day.’
‘What’s the prize?’ Harper asked.
‘Bragging rights,’ Tyler said, slapping her on the back.
‘Fun,’ Harper said. ‘So what are we doing?’
‘Why don’t you sit on the sidelines? We wouldn’t want your city-hands getting a splinter or breaking a nail.’
Harper rolled her eyes. ‘Thanks Zoe, I don’t think I’m the one who has to worry about my nails.’
Zoe had always worn hers long and freshly manicured. Some people read books, tried fancy recipes, while Zoe had always enjoyed doing her nails and prettying herself up like a doll. She was attractive, and she didn’t hide it.
‘Whatever. Just don’t get in the way.’
Harper looked at Georgia, then at Leo. Neither of them commented. Today, she would have to fight for herself and the only way to do that was to do the work and not complain. Easy enough.
‘Harper, you go with Georgia and take this part of the vineyard. Tyler and Zoe, you take the southern end, and I’ll take care of the northern end.
She followed Georgia through the vineyard. Each row required attention. She watched as her aunt checked the vines, removed anything that looked dead or infected. Harper followed suit, taking her time with each one. Her family liked to do this by hand, and slowly, it gave a more personal touch to the vineyard and the wine at the end of the grape’s journey. In picking season, they hired backpackers to help.
‘Have you given some thought to what you’re going to do?’ Georgia asked.
Harper had thought about it half the night.
‘I’m not sure yet.’
‘Hmm.’
‘What are you thinking?’
‘It’s your choice, my dear. We all have to take responsibility for our choices and do what we feel is right for us. Even though sometimes the decisions are hard.’
‘It’s a shock. I just don’t understand how you could sit on this information for a year.’
‘They were the rules.’
‘Yes, but this isn’t a piece of jewellery. We’re talking about businesses and property and joint ownership. It’s not something that you can just take on overnight.’
‘Why not? People do it all the time.’
‘It just would have been nice to get some warning.’
‘Why?’ Georgia said. ‘Would you have come if you’d known?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Exactly. Besides, life doesn’t always give us a warning. It throws us in the deep end when we least expect it. The only choice we have is how we react to it,’ Georgia said. ‘I wasn’t going to say anything, but child, it’s been six years. Six years and you haven’t paid a visit. Six years and the only thing we get is a phone call once a month–which, mind you, I appreciate greatly, but your siblings, well, they don’t see it that way. Zoe feels like you’ve abandoned the family, Leo runs this place, and Tyler has his own thoughts that he keeps to himself. You left. It hasn’t always been easy, and some took it harder than others.’
‘Zoe does not care.’
‘Zoe looks up to you. When you left, there was a while that she seemed lost and confused.’
‘I’m sorry, I…’
‘Don’t say sorry when you don’t mean it, Harper. You’re not sorry. You wanted to leave and you’re glad you did because if you hadn’t, you would have probably resented everyone. There is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes we have to do these things for ourselves. But you now have to decide going forth and you have to consider all the consequences, and each decision will have a set of its own. I understand that you can’t do that overnight, but it’s going to have to happen sooner rather than later.’
‘Yes, it will.’ Easy to say, but so much harder to do. Harper knew what she had to do, though; she just wasn’t sure how she was going to do it. There was no other option. She didn’t belong here, not anymore.
‘There’s an envelope in your bedside drawer with a set of keys inside it. Go to Mathers Vineyard, see what’s there. Talk to Brookes. Whatever you decide will involve him.’
Harper nodded. She knew that, which made the decision even harder.