Chapter 24
Brookes remained in the cellar door finishing his wine as he lifted boxes and rearranged the glasses and bottles. Moving around and being productive kept his mind in check and stopped him overthinking the situation with Harper. The woman drove him crazy but in spite of that, he wanted her even more. He forced himself to think of something else, and when that didn’t work, he started counting the wine bottles. At least that way he wasn’t making up conversations in his head. Why couldn’t he just be honest with her? Tell her how he felt and be done with it? Probably because putting his heart on a silver platter to be cut up into little pieces didn’t sound appealing. She’d done it before, she could do it again and he didn’t want to go through that, because this time it would hurt even more. Before he said anything, he had to be certain she wanted the same thing.
He stopped counting when he got to three hundred boxes. Each box contained a dozen bottles, giving them over three and a half thousand bottles of wine. Plenty to last the season, maybe even two, depending on how busy they got. With the two acres of vineyard, they’d be able to produce double the amount next season provided the variables were right. The opportunity here was astronomical, he just needed to make Harper see it too.
He locked up the cellar door, then did the same with the inn. Twenty minutes later he was pulling up in front of the driveway where Georgia stood with a hose watering the herb garden. The sun was setting behind the house, giving the sky a tinge of orange, red and pink.
‘You just missed her,’ Georgia said turning off the hose.
Damn it. Was she really that determined to avoid him? ‘Do you know when she’ll be back?’
‘Didn’t say. I assume a little later. Girls’ night out or something like that. They invited me, but I figured they could use some solo sister time. Zoe drove them into town.’
He checked his watch. It was a little after five.
‘Brookes, I know what you’re thinking, and I know it’s hard for you. It’s hard for all of us. We want her to stay permanently. But we both know Harper is not one we can force anything on because that’s exactly what will push her away. Harper needs to find her way back home on her own. Nothing I or you or anyone else says is going to make her do what she doesn’t realise she wants to do.’
Brookes put his hands to his hip and shifted his gaze before returning it to Georgia. ‘You think she wants to come back?’
‘I think she’s scared of coming back. Something pushed her away from us, something else will need to bring her back. I don’t know what that is. Maybe you do?’
He’d thought about it a lot the past few days. He still didn’t have the full story of why she left. It might have been career aspirations six years ago but it was something else now. The more he thought about it, the slashed tyre and brick though her window, were acts that may have been premeditated, and not a first. Had someone scared her out of town six years earlier? It seemed ludicrous but then again nothing else made sense.
‘I’m not sure anybody does.’
‘Give her some time, Brookes. I know she’s had plenty, but she’s only been back a week. Talk to her tomorrow.’
‘Thanks Georgia.’
‘Oh, and Lisa was here earlier too. Brought over some apple pie. She was looking for Harper too. I’m not sure about that girl.’
‘She’s definitely persistent.’
‘That she is,’ Georgia said. ‘Before you go, can you give me a hand with this. I need to sit down for a bit.’
‘Are you okay?’ He rushed towards her side and grabbed the hose.
She waved her hand to shoo him away. ‘Just a little lightheaded, that is all. Probably should have had a little more to eat today. I’ll be fine after a minute.’
‘I’ll get Leo before I go.’
‘No need to fuss.’
Brookes shook his head. Georgia was stubborn, but he was not going to leave her alone right now. ‘Come on, let’s get you in the chair.’
He helped her up onto the veranda and only when she was seated and with a glass of water, did he reach for his phone to call Leo. Five minutes later the hum of the quad bike grew louder. Leo parked it out front and jogged up the steps.
‘I don’t need a babysitter.’
‘I beg to differ.’ he said before turning to Leo. ‘She said she was lightheaded. Probably too much sun today, but better to keep an eye on her,’ Brookes said.
‘Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here.’
‘Georgia, you know you can’t go on exerting yourself like that.’
‘I’m not going to be rotting away on the couch while you do all the work.’
‘You’re not going to be any use to us if you pass out,’ Leo said.
‘It’s just a little head spin.’
‘Whatever it was, you shouldn’t be left alone. Maybe call a doctor in the morning and get checked out,’ Brookes suggested.
‘I have to prepare the house for a business dinner. We have important guests arriving in a couple days.’
‘We can all help out. You won’t have to worry about anything,’ Leo said.
‘I’m going to try and catch Harper in town,’ Brookes said. ‘Georgia, please take it easy.’
In the car, he checked his watch and hesitated. Should he go looking for her? Wasn’t that a little bit desperate? Maybe a little, but what did he have to lose? He’d regret it if he didn’t at least try, and so that’s how he found himself driving into Stanthorpe and only stopping when he spotted Zoe’s car parked across from the brewhouse.