Chapter 5 #3
Or it would have been if it weren’t for the raised voices occasionally coming from the back of the trailer.
Darwin couldn’t pick up more than a few words, but it sounded like Rhett and the other men were arguing over a business deal of some kind.
While Silas was pushing to change the original deal they’d agreed to, Harold was attempting to convince Katrina’s brother that they needed to stick with the deal they’d already signed.
It was impossible to tell which direction Rhett was leaning.
As for Upton, he nodded and agreed with whatever everyone else said, like he was just happy to be there.
“Any idea what they’re getting all fired up about?” he asked Katrina when she glanced that way. “They sound a little heated.”
“Who knows?” She sighed. “This kind of stuff––like people hounding my father and brother in the middle of Khloe’s wedding––is part of the reason I didn’t want to go to work with my family. It never ends.”
Darwin nodded, but didn’t push her on the subject. Hell, if Silas and Harold weren’t so familiar-looking, he wouldn’t have even asked.
“But since you’re curious,” Katrina continued, “it sounds like Silas and Harold want to change the terms of whatever deal they’re trying to make, and Rhett is on the fence about it.”
Darwin nodded, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he went back to listening to the tour guide’s voice, enjoying the feel of Katrina cuddled against him.
“When I was little, I adored Rhett,” she said, her voice soft.
“He’d read me bedtime stories and attend the tea parties I had with my dolls.
But somewhere along the way, he stopped caring about that stuff and started caring about making money like our dad.
That’s when I realized I’d lost my big brother. ”
The pain in her voice tugged at Darwin’s heartstrings.
“It’s not too late to reconnect with him, you know,” he said.
Her gaze went to Rhett again as she considered that. “There are times I think about what it would be like to be as close as we used to be. But then I remember I’m not that little girl, listening to my older brother reading me stories. Fairy tales like that are for kids.”
Darwin winced. He’d always been close to his family and couldn’t imagine what it would be like to know one of your siblings wasn’t there for you like they used to be. He was about to say something he hoped would be comforting but was interrupted.
“What are you two talking about?” Upton asked exuberantly as he flopped onto the bench seat beside Katrina. “Have you told Darwin that we dated in high school?”
Darwin wasn’t sure if he should be irritated or amused. Part of him wanted to grab Upton by the collar of his designer polo shirt and toss him off the trailer. The other part wanted to drag the guy off to the side and explain how badly he was embarrassing himself.
“We didn’t date, Upton. We went out once,” Katrina said. “We were friends more than anything, and you know it.”
“Friends?” Upton echoed, but rather than looking devastated, he grinned. “I can definitely live with that. All the strongest romantic relationships are based on a foundation of friendship. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.”
“And who told you that?” Katrina asked, her tone suggesting she already knew the answer.
“Your mom.” Upton’s grin broadened. “She mentioned it when we were talking about you and I spending time together at the wedding. She told me you’re thinking about moving back to Escondido and working at the resort.”
Katrina’s jaw fell open before she snapped it shut again, her expression hardening. “I’m sorry, Upton, but my mother was mistaken.”
“Or maybe she knows we’d be good together.” Upton gazed at her for a moment before looking at Darwin. “No offense, but I’m sure even you realize that you live in a completely different world than Katrina.”
“No offense taken,” Darwin said.
But only because it was true. Katrina came from money.
Even if she didn’t have any interest in all that wealth at the moment, it was still there.
And as much as Darwin wanted it to be otherwise, Upton was from that world, too.
He and Katrina did make some kind of sense, at least on a purely superficial level.
That didn’t mean the little nerd wasn’t starting to piss Darwin off.
“Well, I’m offended for him, because I happen to like the world Darwin comes from,” Katrina snapped, glaring at Upton.
“I have no interest in whether you, or my mother, think we’d be good together.
I’m with Darwin, and if you can’t accept that, then I don’t see any reason for you and I to speak to each other the rest of the time we’re at the wedding. ”
Upton held up his hands in surrender. “Whoa, I didn’t mean to upset you, Katrina. I honestly thought your mother was serious when she said you were interested in getting back together, but I’ll back off if you want.”
Before the moment had the potential to get any more awkward, they were all saved from that agony as the trailer came to a slow stop in front of a big building.
“This is our main pressing shed where we do much of our wine production,” the tour guide announced over the speaker.
“We’re going to stop here and take a tour of the facilities as well as sample a few of our locally produced wines.
There will also be various snacks as well, so don’t be shy about helping yourself. ”
Upton chose that moment to jump up and bolt for the stairs of the trailer, saying something about catching up with someone.
Darwin certainly didn’t mind seeing him go.
“You really think he’s going to give up on the two of you?” he asked Katrina. “Seems like he capitulated a little too easily to me.”
“I agree,” she said with a frown. “That seemed more like a strategic retreat to give him time to find my mom so he can get further instructions.”
Darwin snorted out a laugh as they got to their feet. “Strategic retreat and further instructions? You make it sound like Upton is part of a military operation.”
“Upton might not be, but my mother certainly is.” Katrina took his hand. “Come on, enough talking about them. Let’s get inside the pressing shed before we miss something.”
Darwin had seen a lot of sheds in his life, but the building in front of them definitely didn’t meet that definition. This was a large sparkling two-story structure of glass and metal, with multiple roll-up doors and a loading dock along one side.
As he and Katrina walked inside, he saw that the interior of the building was even more impressive than the outside, with miles of stainless-steel pipes and dozens of huge fermentation tanks.
Large monitors displaying various numbers and graphs were positioned around the space, giving him the impression the entire operation was controlled by computers.
Upton was nowhere to be seen, so that was good.
“Weber Vineyards is one of the most modern wineries in southern California,” the tour guide told them as she led them around the inside of the building.
“It uses four small batch bladder presses in combination with a high-output continuous press system to produce over a thousand gallons of wine per year.”
The woman then told them about the software that controlled the entire process, from the blending of the grapes to the air pressure used to inflate the rubber bladders that crushed the juice from the fruit.
While Darwin found the detailed description interesting, he had to admit it was the table of snacks at the far end of the room.
Yeah, there were also dozens of bottles of wine there, too, but seriously, he could do without that.
It was official. The whole vineyard experience was wasted on him. But the food he could handle.
“I’m going to get us something to eat,” he whispered to Katrina.
She smiled and nodded. “Sounds good.”
He was skirting along the wall lined with floor-to-ceiling shiny, stainless steel pressing equipment when he heard two voices in the midst of a heated conversation. They were tucked back among the winery equipment, obviously trying to avoid being overheard. So much for that plan.
“Are you threatening me?” Rhett demanded, his tone hard.
“Not at all,” the other man said. Unfortunately, Darwin couldn’t see who it was.
Nor did he recognize the voice. Maybe Silas or Harold?
“I’m only saying that trying to back out of the deal we’ve already signed is stupid.
I don’t care how much money we’ll make if we aren’t around to spend all that cash. ”
It sounded like Rhett and the other men were involved in a shady deal and were now contemplating doing something that’d make them more money, not to mention might get them killed.
His earlier comment about finance being a dangerous business might not be as offhanded as he thought.
Darwin hoped for Katrina and her family’s sake that Rhett didn’t do anything stupid.