12. Elliot
ELLIOT
E lliot took the keys with a smile and a quick “thanks.” He was picking up their rental car while Lucy was on the phone with Monica, confirming their arrival.
It had been a long flight out to the San Francisco airport.
Although he’d been in first class, as usual, he’d been distracted by Lucy sitting next to him, somehow working constantly from takeoff to landing with only a small break when she had to put her tray table away.
It should have been fun to visit a vineyard, but he couldn’t help thinking of all the things he should be doing for both Borderless and Keype.
It didn’t make sense to take two whole days away from work for one client, but Lucy disagreed, and Elliot ended up agreeing just to avoid another client-losing fight.
She reappeared then. She was pulling a small wheelie suitcase, a thin laptop bag over her shoulder. In an instant, Elliot remembered going with her on the trip to the beach, when she’d shown up in leggings and a sweatshirt with a duffel bag. A mix of nostalgia and annoyance swirled in his stomach.
“Ready to go?” Lucy asked.
“Yes, we’re good to go.”
They got into the car, with Elliot in the driver’s seat and Lucy pulling up directions on her phone.
She turned on the radio and a classical song came on with a strong violin section and cascading piano melodies.
Lucy hummed along as she rolled down the window to let warm, fragrant air pour in as Elliot navigated them out of the airport and onto the road.
Despite himself, Elliot found his spirits lifting as they passed through San Francisco and onto the Golden Gate Bridge. Far below, the ocean sparkled blue and green, the wind was in his hair, and the music reminded him of happier days back in college.
“Can we stop for a picture?” Lucy asked suddenly. “I’ve never been to the Golden Gate Bridge before.”
“Sure.”
So, they pulled over at the parking lot on the far end of the bridge, and Elliot took a few pictures of Lucy pointing excitedly at the bridge. Then they got back into the car and were on the way again. Far from New York and the Borderless office, their animosity seemed to have eased.
Until, that is, they got lost. Lucy directed them onto the highway, but Elliot missed his on-ramp and ended up going back toward San Francisco.
“You have to warn me before we get to the turn,” he snapped, pulling onto the next exit.
“I did,” Lucy replied, equally annoyed. “You missed it. It isn’t my fault if you aren’t using your common sense.”
“Come on. How was I supposed to know the ramp would curve like that? This is going to add at least fifteen minutes to the drive.”
He expected a retort from Lucy, but instead, she began to laugh. He glanced over at her, surprised.
“What’s so funny?” If she was laughing at him, he wasn’t going to be happy.
“This just reminds me of driving with Dominic.”
Elliot’s lips twitched into a smile. “Because he was so terrible at giving directions?”
“ And at following them,” Lucy agreed. “Do you remember on the trip to the coast when he got in the wrong lane and ended up on a toll road?”
“I remember.” Elliot smiled. “I was so upset with him about that turn. We fought — just like you and I are fighting now.”
“I think he’d be happy to see you and me on a road trip together,” Lucy said, turning her gaze to the window. “Even though we’re fighting.”
There was a pause as they both thought about that.
Outside, rolling green hills and thick forests flew by in a blur.
Soon, Elliot knew they would all give way to the grapevines and little houses of Wine Country.
The radio was still playing, now with a sad pop song about lost loves and missed chances.
Elliot instinctively reached out and switched to another channel.
He didn’t want to reflect on lost loves or missed chances right now.
That thought reminded him of everything that had happened between him and Lucy — namely, her breaking his heart and now standing in the way of him successfully running his late best friend’s business.
It was their argument in front of their client that had led to today’s mess, too.
If Lucy had let him do the presentation, as she’d agreed to originally, they wouldn’t have had to make this trip.
He could have spent the weekend catching up on Keype and trying to get a foothold at Borderless. Now, he had no time for either.
Lucy looked like she wanted to say something else, but Elliot turned the new song, a classic rock melody about driving along the road to hell, up prohibitively loud. Lucy seemed to get the message because she sat back in her seat without saying anything else. If she was upset, she didn’t show it.
Soon, they began to pass vineyards. Tall trellises strained under the weight of vines covered in plump purple and green grapes with leaves that furled like cursive.
Elliot rolled down the window to take in a breath of fresh country air.
A few minutes and a few missed turns later, they arrived at the Pura Vida vineyard.
The long driveway was made of gravel, so Elliot carefully eased the rental car along the road.
Lucy looked out the window, seeming fascinated by the tall trees that lined the driveway and the rolling fields of grapes beyond.
In the far distance, large hills covered in scrubby Californian plants loomed.
The hotel was just what Elliot wanted it to be.
The old stone building was well-preserved and had a charming sign out front.
An outdoor eating area covered by an arch of vines sat atop a small terrace.
Elliot was surprised to see Monica herself sitting outside on a decorative wooden bench, a book in her hands.
She looked up when she heard the car crunching across the gravel and waved them to a parking area off to one side of the building.
“This is it,” Lucy said, half under her breath. Elliot wondered if she was talking to him or to herself.
“It is. Come on.” He got out of the car. Immediately, the warm and slightly humid air enveloped him. It was completely different from September in New York. Elliot followed Lucy to Monica, where they all shook hands.
“I’m a little surprised to see you greeting us personally,” he said as he held out his hand.
“I like to make sure all my guests have the best possible experience,” Monica replied with a wink. “Come on in. I’ll give you the fifty-cent tour, then show you to your rooms.”
“Wonderful,” Lucy said, falling into step beside her. “We’re really looking forward to seeing everything.”
“First, have a look at the stonework outside,” Monica began, stopping just outside the doors.
“As you can see, we preserved the structure of the original farmhouse as much as possible. Our guests appreciate the traditional architecture — as well as the modern conveniences we’ve installed inside.
” She winked at Lucy, who smiled, then let them through the large double doors into an open foyer.
“This is the entry hall,” Monica continued.
“Off to the right is our indoor dining and tasting room. We have a second tasting room on the second-floor terrace. Guests can choose to participate in wine tastings as well as eat three meals a day. We’ve signed you up for the full-board meal plan, of course, so you can sample the fare.
Oh, and we’ve booked you in for a wine-tasting session this evening. ”
Lucy and Elliot made eye contact, then looked away quickly.
Alcohol didn’t seem like a good addition to their already rocky partnership, though Elliot was looking forward to sampling the wine.
He didn’t know much about wine, but the bottles on offer must be good.
Perhaps a glass of wine or two would ease things enough that they could have a real conversation instead of sniping at each other.
Not that Elliot was sure he wanted to have a real conversation. He couldn’t let his guard down around Lucy, not after the way things had ended last time.
Elliot tuned back in to Monica’s tour just as she explained about the farm-to-table food served in the vineyard’s restaurant, based on partnerships with local farmers.
“We highlight in-season produce and local varietals,” Monica explained. “The local farmers often buy our wine as well, so it creates a very supportive farming community.”
The tour continued upstairs, where Monica showed Elliot and Lucy to their rooms. They were neighbors. Both rooms were beautifully decorated with antique furniture, modern appliances, and artists’ renderings of the vineyard and its surroundings.
“As you can see,” Monica said, “one of the Pura Vida principles is creating a unique, authentic experience. Everything ties into that, from our support of local artists and farmers to our preservation of original structures and practices.”
Lucy sent Elliot an I-told-you-so look, and he held back a sigh. Maybe she’d had a point that talking about how Borderless could highlight Pura Vida’s unique heritage might have been a better sell. Maybe.
“We have twenty-four Pura Vida vineyards across the United States,” Monica continued.
“I’ve personally visited all of them. Each has a unique twist that showcases the local region while still staying on-brand.
Now, I’ll give you both time to settle in.
There are schedules in your rooms of the various activities we’d like to show you while you’re here. ”
“Should we split up?” Lucy suggested. “We could see more of what you have on offer that way.”
Elliot felt both relieved and annoyed at Lucy’s suggestion.
It would definitely be better if they didn’t do their tours together, but he found it frustrating that she was equally unenthusiastic about being around him.
After all, she was the one who’d broken his heart and who was making his life difficult.
Either way, it didn’t matter because Monica shook her head.
“Don’t worry, you have a jam-packed schedule, so you’ll be able to fit everything in. Most of the tours will be private, and you’ll have more fun if you’re together.”
Lucy and Elliot exchanged another glance as if to say don’t be so sure about that, then turned to Monica.
“That’ll be great,” Lucy said. “We’re really looking forward to seeing everything.”
“And I’m looking forward to showing you. Now, I’ll see you in an hour or so for the vineyard tour. In the meantime, let me know if you have any questions about the agenda.”
Elliot and Lucy thanked her and then went into their rooms without saying goodbye to each other.
Elliot closed the door and ran a hand through his hair.
They’d had a very early flight this morning — or, perhaps, last night — and had a full day now.
Usually, that wouldn’t have bothered Elliot, but he wasn’t sure he could spend that much time around Lucy.
A glance at the schedule showed that they’d be spending a lot of time together over the next two days, from vineyard tours to wine tastings to meals to grape stomping to something called a dawn harvest. All the activities would be bookable through the Borderless app if the collaboration went through.
Elliot had planned to take advantage of the free hour to get a little work done, but instead, he flopped onto his bed and closed his eyes.
He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to be back in New York or Chicago, getting actual work done, not stuck in a remote vineyard with the last person he wanted to be spending time with.
There was nothing to be done, though. He was here. Lucy was here. They would both just have to deal with it.