Chapter Twenty #2
She nodded sagely. "Yeah. Mom doesn't often get peaceful time. We should let them enjoy it, right?"
"That's what I was thinking."
As they walked back around the house, the sound of a dog barking carried on the breeze, and Zia froze. "Do you think that's Homer?"
"I doubt it. He'll be tucked up safe and asleep at the shelter by now."
Her little eyebrows drew together. "He doesn't like it there, you know."
"What makes you think that?"
"Because there are lots of other dogs there, and they're all excited, and they want to play, and they bark a lot. They like to run around and play. Homer doesn't like to play."
"Maybe he does."
She smiled. "I think he'd like to play with me." She turned to look back over her shoulder. "But I think maybe he'd like to sit with Mom and Grandpa Grape and enjoy the peace too, you know?"
He ran his hand over her head. "Yeah. I think I do know."
"Can we go visit him tomorrow?"
Reaves let out a short laugh. "I don't know about tomorrow. There's a lot of work to do around here."
"I can help. I help Fairy Goodness in the kitchen.
She says I'm a good helper. Mom's making more design pictures for Lady Brambles and the wine men.
" She frowned. "Grandpa Grape goes to talk to the men in the fields and the cellar.
Maybe I can help you. Are you and Sunshine King doing business things tomorrow? "
"Yeah. But I don't think what we're doing would be much fun for you."
She sighed and was quiet for a few steps. Then she brightened and held her arms up to him. Once she was sitting on his hip she said, "Maybe I can decorate the grapes with my glitter. If they're shiny, they'll be happy. And if they're happy, they'll make better wine."
He let out a short laugh. "You think so?"
"Everything's better when it's shiny." She said it the way she said most things—as though it were simple, and he was a little slow for needing it explained. "That's just true."
"Huh." He pretended to consider it seriously. "So, a shiny grape is a happy grape?"
"Yes."
"And a happy grape makes better wine?"
"Yes."
"And how much glitter are we talking? For a whole vineyard?"
She spread her arms as wide as they'd go, nearly tipping herself off his hip. "All of it. All the glitter in the world."
"All the glitter in the world." He nodded slowly, like they were closing a business deal. "That's a lot of grapes to shine up one at a time, Z. You'd be out here till you're my age."
She considered that carefully. "You could help."
"Oh, I'm helping now, am I?"
"You have big hands. You'd be fast." She patted his cheek, settling the matter. "We'll start tomorrow. I'll do the low ones, and you do the tall ones."
He laughed properly at that—and then had to break the news. "I've got to be honest with you, buddy. I don't think we can glitter the grapes."
Her face fell so fast he almost took it back. "Why not?"
"Because I think the men who are going to sell the wine are kind of like Mrs. Faye."
She scowled. "You mean Fairy Goodness?"
"Yeah. Sorry. I do."
"How are they like her?"
"You know how she doesn't like glitter in her kitchen?"
Zia's shoulders drooped. "Yeah, I know. But I haven't taken any in there since she said. I promise."
"I know that. I'm just saying you need to keep your glitter away from the vines too." He knew Alara's gold leaf had been a hit with Aaron, but he couldn't see him—and certainly not Caleb—signing off on glittery wine.
She was quiet for a moment, absorbing the loss of her vineyard-shining empire. Then, with her usual resilience, she suggested, "What about just one grape? A secret one. To see if it works?"
He pretended to think hard about it. "...One grape?"
"One grape."
"Where nobody can see?"
"Where nobody can see," she agreed solemnly, and he knew he'd just committed to glittering a grape.
After they'd watered the flower beds at the front of the house, Zia came to take his hand. "When can we go and see Homer?"
He pursed his lips. He'd called the shelter this afternoon—and confused the girl he'd spoken to at first by using the name Homer. It’d taken him a moment to remember they called him Scruffy.
The dog was still there. But he couldn't go making promises to Zia.
Not until he'd talked to Alara about it.
And if he wasn't going to promise, the best he could do was keep his mouth shut.
"Things are kind of busy this week. I promise we'll go and see him when we can, okay?"
She nodded sadly. "Thank you."
He took her hand as they walked back around the house. "Come on, cheer up, little buddy. We'll do what we can. And he's okay there."
"I'm okay. And I know he's okay, really." She looked up into his eyes. "But being okay is different from being happy, isn't it?"
Her words landed square in his chest.
"It's not the same, no. But being okay is all right. Until you can figure out how to be happy."
"I know. That's why I'm trying to figure out how to make Homer happy. It's hard to be happy when you don't know where home is. And he deserves a home."
"Everyone deserves a home, Z."
~ ~ ~
Charles set his glass down with a sigh, and Alara tried to look at him without turning her head. They'd been sitting in the quiet for a while, and she didn't want to intrude on his thoughts.
"Sorry," he said with a small smile. "That was a little melodramatic, wasn't it? I'm afraid I always feel that way when the last of the sunlight has gone for the day." He turned to her. "I'm not going to worry about feeling foolish. I know that with your artist's eye, you'll understand."
"I do. I love the light here." She smiled as the thought struck her.
"I'd like to capture it—paint it." She nodded as it came together in her head.
She'd wanted to paint the view from here since the first day she arrived.
And now she had reason to. "I'd like to paint it for you, Charles.
And if you like it, you can hang it in your study.
That way you'll always be able to see the light, even on gray days. Or after the sun's gone down."
He reached across to give her arm a squeeze, his gnarled hand still strong, but gentle. "Thank you, Alara. I'd like that very much."
She covered his hand with her own. "I'll enjoy doing it for you." She glanced back out at the view. "I'll capture the light. And the house. I'll do it justice for you."
"I have no doubt." His eyebrows drew together. "And on the subject of you being able to do justice to things I care about—I have a request."
"Anything. Whatever you want, I'll do it, Charles."
"I'd rather you took your time to consider it first."
She let out a short laugh. "I will, if you want me to. But I'll still say yes."
He gave her a wry smile. "See if you still feel that way after I ask."
She leaned forward, eager to hear what he wanted. "Then fire away."
"The house." They both turned to look at it for a moment.
"I've known for a long time that I need to do something about it.
Now, I know what that something is." He picked his glass back up.
"It's been kept up. Jeff, who runs the cellar for me, keeps an eye on it, makes sure everything's in working order.
But it needs redecorating." He smiled. "Refurbishing.
I honestly don't remember what's in there, but whatever's left has been there for years.
I'm sure the kitchen and bathrooms will need updating. But…"
She nodded eagerly. "You want me to do it for you?
Charles, I'd love to." She wasn't about to tell him, but she'd always dreamed of being able to fix up a house.
Considering she couldn't even afford to live in one, she'd figured that updating one would have to stay a dream.
She smiled at him. "You could use it as an Airbnb, if you wanted.
I'm sure that'd bring in good money. People love to come and stay in Napa. "
She bit down on her lip when she saw the look on his face. It seemed he hadn't been thinking about turning it into a vacation rental.
"Or whatever you want," she added hurriedly. "If you want long-term renters in there, we can set it up for that too. But—listen to me. I shouldn't be spouting ideas. You tell me exactly what you want it for, and that's what I'll make it."
He smiled slowly. "I don't think I'd want vacationers over there. Although it was a very good idea. I was thinking more along the lines of you making it a home."
She should have known. It had been his first home with Marguerite. He'd want it to be that for whoever lived there next.
"I think that's perfect, Charles. I can make it into a home."
He chuckled. "That's my hope."
"I need to make the branding a priority. Although, Delaney thinks that we have enough to satisfy Aaron and Caleb already. So, I'd love to go and take a look around the place as soon as I can."
"Of course. Get Reaves to take you over there whenever suits."
"Great. And I'll start making notes, and then I'll bring you my initial thoughts, and you can tell me from there what you want."
He held his hand up. "It's not about what I want. I have no talent for creating a home. My request is that you pour yourself into it. Make it the ideal home. And don't spare any expense—I want it to be perfect."
She couldn't stop smiling. "Is that like Delaney said about the gold leaf? The more you put into it, the more valuable it becomes."
He smiled. "Yes. And not just in monetary terms."
She wasn't sure she understood that, but she didn't question him. Her mind was already racing. She was going to get to design a house.
A home.
She couldn't wait.