Chapter 23
twenty-three
. . .
piper
Betrayal doesn’t even begin to explain what I’m feeling.
How dare my parents spring this on us like this.
I did think it was weird we didn’t do a cookout on Labor Day.
Instead, they put it off for a couple of weeks.
Just enough time to drop the news and gallivant off to wherever it is they’re going.
They may have said where, but I wasn’t listening.
Not great, I know. But I was trying to process the news.
Hell, I’m still trying to process it. The fact they’re retiring isn’t why I’m upset.
We all knew it was coming. It’s the timing.
They said it would be a few years. Mostly because they have control issues and want to make sure we don’t run the business into the ground.
There has to be a reason they are fast tracking this. Something must have happened. Whatever it is, I intend to get to the bottom of it.
I can hear the conversations from the house drifting on the breeze. They don’t sound nearly as upset as I am. They should be. It’s even more painful because Parker knew. We’ve always told each other everything, and this feels like a slap in the face from him especially.
I needed to get away for a bit. Beau got up to follow me, but I’m grateful for whomever told him not to.
There’s no clear path I’m taking. Wandering around the property is something I’ve done since I was a kid.
The massive amount of land we own gives me just the right amount of space to think.
I can get lost in my head without getting in anyone’s way.
And, let’s face it, if I had stayed on the patio, I probably would have lost my shit on someone.
The sky is darkening and I make my way to the one place I always end up…
the swing set from our childhood. Honestly, I’m surprised this thing is still standing.
My parents got it when Pierce and Paula were little.
We’ve made so many memories on this thing.
I got my first scraped knee after Parker pushed me off the slide because I wouldn’t let him have a turn.
I plop down into one of the swings, hoping like hell it doesn’t break. Falling to the ground would be the cherry on top of this crappy day.
How can Dad even threaten to sell the winery.
Our entire life is on this piece of land.
Not only that, we all live here, except for Paula.
She does have her own plot of land if she changes her mind.
Every milestone, every memory we have is tied to this place.
If we can’t get along and keep the winery afloat, we’ll all have to move.
Or have actual property lines drawn up. I can’t let that happen.
“I thought I might find you over here.” A voice I wasn’t expecting comes from behind me.
“Why aren’t you eating with everyone else?” He is the family kiss ass after all.
“I didn’t much feel like it.” Peter sits in the swing next to me. The only difference is, he pushes down on it to make sure it will hold his weight.
“So, you really didn’t know Dad was announcing his retirement tonight? I figured being so close to Pierce would make you privy to this sort of information.”
He has to feel as betrayed by it all as I do, even if it’s not for the same reasons. That’s the only reason both of us would be slowly swinging back and forth with our eyes on our feet.
“Yeah, I thought so, too.” He shuffles his feet in the dirt, making two tracks.
“It sucks being on this side of information, doesn’t it?” It’s a dig. I know it as soon as it leaves my mouth. Guilt runs through me at the low blow.
“Yep.” I can see his shadow nodding on the ground. “Maybe I’ve been putting too much of myself into the winery and being at Pierce’s beck and call.”
“I could have told you that.” I snort and swing a bit higher. “You’ve been so far up his ass since we were kids I didn’t know where he ended and you began.”
He makes a puking sound. “That is not a great visual. You could have put that more eloquently.”
“Not really.” I shake my head, but I doubt he sees me. “It’s literally the only way to describe your relationship to our elder brother. Take a step back, you might realize you’re a completely different person.”
Peter sighs. He doesn’t say anything, though. Hopefully, he’s letting the words resonate. I love all of my siblings, but him and Pierce are the hardest to get along with. Peter is always looking for our big brother’s approval, and always managing to fall short.
The only difference between us is it matters to him what Pierce thinks. I don’t care, or need approval. Which is why I’ve been working on the marketing without his knowledge, and quietly taking the wins. I could rub it in his face, but I don’t.
I drag my feet to slow myself down. I can’t guarantee this swing won’t break, and the last thing I want to do is have the seat come out from under me while I’m in the air.
“Do you think we should get back?” He nudges my shoulder once I come to a stop. “I’m sure they’ll send out a search party for us.”
“You can head back.” I nod my head toward the house.
One of the things I loved growing up is they put the swing set further away so we could have our own space should we need it.
It’s like Mom and Dad knew we’d need to come here to find solace.
“I’ll be up in a minute. Just need to fix my expression and gather my wits. ”
“Okay, don’t be too long or I’ll be back to drag you to the house. You need to eat something.”
“You act like I haven’t been stealing bites the whole time we’ve been here.”
He shakes his head as he stands. “Why am I not surprised? Somehow, you’re the only one who gets away with it. At least, without getting your hand smacked.”
“Gotta have quick reflexes, big brother.” I wave my hands to show how fast they are.
“You are such a dork.” He turns back in the direction he came from. “You’ve got ten minutes. If you aren’t at the house, I’ll send reinforcements.”
I give him a salute before he walks off.
Peter may try to take a step back and focus on himself a bit more, but I don’t think he’ll ever stop being so bossy.
Though, I guess if you think about it, all of us Summers’ kids are bossy in our own way.
I just hope he knows he’s worth more than Pierce will ever let on and do something outside of the winery that makes him happy.
Going back to the house is the last thing I want to do, but Peter is right.
I need to go spend time with the family.
Even if I’m annoyed with half of them at the moment.
Taking the same path Peter did would get me there the fastest, but I still need to make sure my face is hiding any emotions I’m still feeling.
When I get to the fork that will take me to the house or to the metal buildings where all the magic happens, I take a left to go around the buildings. It’ll add an extra five minutes. Let Peter come searching for me. He knows I’m not going to be on time unless I absolutely want to.
It’s full on dark now, and I’m glad I know this land like the back of my hand. I don’t want to use the flashlight on my phone and ruin the serenity I’m starting to feel. There’s just something about being out in the open to make your problems seem significantly smaller.
Voices coming from one of the buildings slows my steps. That sounds like Pierce, and…it can’t be.
No, I should not eavesdrop on this conversation. It’s none of my business. Beau will fill me in on any details later. But…I can’t help myself. I tiptoe closer the slightly ajar door. Nobody can say I’ve never been curious. The trait is usually why I end up in trouble.
“…shouldn’t have stormed off like that. Does she have any idea how our parents must feel?” Pierce’s voice is angry and I don’t blame him. It was a shitty move. Better than turning my frustration out on them, though.
“Maybe you should have given her a heads up,” Beau argues.
“You know how much she loves this place and your parents.” There’s silence for a few seconds.
Pierce clearly doesn’t have anything to say.
He doesn’t think anyone should know anything until he deems it necessary.
“Why are they retiring so soon anyway? I thought that was at least a couple of years away.”
I can hear the sigh my brother gives. It sounds tired and defeated. Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on him. He is expected to carry the weight of so much since he’s the oldest.
“They’ve been impressed with the sales and all the work Piper is putting into getting Starlit fields out there. We’ve doubled our earnings in the time the two of you have been implementing your marketing strategy.”
Excuse me, what? This whole time Pierce knew. I’ve been doing all of this with his approval and didn’t know. It’s not a bad thing, but still. He shot down my idea when I first presented it to him.
“You need to tell her you’ve known this whole time. I can’t keep this secret any longer.” He pauses before taking a deep breath. “It also shouldn’t have taken me coming to you about it for you to even consider it.”
The gasp that falls from my lips can’t be helped. Both of their heads whip toward the door. Shit. I need to get away from here. My feet pound the dirt as I haul ass back to the house with my name falling from Beau’s mouth.
Peter is the first person I run into. He puts both hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay? Did you run into a snake or something?”
“C-can you please take me home…right now?” I glance behind my shoulder to see how far behind Beau and Pierce are. “Please, Peter.”
“Let’s go.” He pulls me toward the golf cart and starts it as soon as I slide into the seat. “Is everything okay?”
“No.” I take another peek behind me to make sure Beau isn’t following me. “And I don’t really want to talk about it.”
He nods at me and presses the gas pedal to make this thing go as fast as possible. It doesn’t take us long to get to my house. I probably could have run the whole way but I know Beau would have caught up and he’s the last person I want to see right now.
As soon as he’s parked, he turns off the golf cart and waits for me to get out.
He’s done something he’s never done and walks me to my door.
Any other time he’s gotten me home, he’s always just dropped me off and waited until I got inside before peeling out of my driveway.
I swear my brother can be a gentleman when he wants to.
The door jingles as I push it open. I completely forgot I have that as my intruder mechanism. “You need to actually lock the damn door. If you’re in one of deep sleeps, you’ll never hear that.”
“I know, I know.” One day people will stop riding me about it.
“Do you want me to stay with you?” He knows something is up with Beau, and I’m grateful for his protective big brother act. He’s been an unlikely ally tonight, and I love him all the more for it.
“No, I’m good.” Before he has a chance to come all the way inside, I add, “And I promise I’ll lock the door as soon as I close it. I just want to be alone tonight.”
“Okay. Call me if you need anything. I can be here in less than five.”
“I will.” I start closing the door and stop. “Oh, Peter, thank you for tonight. It really helped with some of what I’ve been feeling. You’re a good big brother.”
“I try.” He shrugs and backs off my porch. “I’ll be back to check on you in the morning.”
“It better be with breakfast.”
I watch him shake his head as he rushes back to the golf cart. Even though he drives me up the wall, he’s there when I really need him. Who knows, our talk tonight could lead to a stronger relationship than we’ve ever had.
More than anything I want to crawl into bed and figure out how I’ve been so blind to the fact Beau has been lying to me all along, but I still need to eat dinner.
Looks like it’s another night of frozen pizza and wine for me.
This is why I never open my heart. Even if it is to my best friend.
Sadly, I’m not shocked about Pierce’s role in all this.