Chapter 41
FOUND FAMILY MATTERS
Ginny
I arrived at Makepeace physically battered, emotionally broken, and with my heart and my life in complete shambles.
But this house, this winery, the vineyards, my found family here—they healed me.
Mostly.
Declan?
Declan’s been the missing piece.
And it’s obvious more than ever now that he’s gone.
“Hey, Ginny.” Cricket pops her head into my office and smiles at me. “Do you have lunch plans? Heath and I are going to the Pubic House. Dori’s coming too. And maybe Samantha and Olivia.”
The Pubic House.
It’s impossible to keep from smiling when she calls it that. The first time she went to the Foxwood Public House, the L was out on the neon sign.
It’s been known as the Pubic House around here ever since.
“I’m good,” I tell Cricket. “But thank you.”
Her brows bunch together, worry coming through her brown eyes.
“I’m good,” I repeat. “Promise. We didn’t break up. We’re supporting each other in our passions.”
She beams at me. “I’m so happy for you, Ginny. And also absolutely here anytime you need to have feelings when you miss him. Oh! Is that a new mug?”
I smile and lift it for her to see. “Declan made it.”
“Ginny. That’s the cutest.”
It’s clunky and the handle is weird and it has black and white and orange splotches, just like Flow, and I love it. He put one of his other mugs in the mail for his mom when we picked them up from Verona yesterday afternoon.
And then he was gone.
Flying across the country to try out for a hockey team.
Make another documentary.
Be as comfortable on camera as I am at home with him and my family of friends.
My phone buzzes on the desk, and I smile as his name lights my screen with a text message.
“He’s headed into the arena for his physical,” I tell Cricket.
Flow whines at my feet.
She’s staying with me.
Because he’s coming back.
He wouldn’t leave his dog with me if he wasn’t.
“And you’re okay?” Cricket asks me. “You’re sure?”
“Did Mabel send you in?”
“No. But probably only because I haven’t seen her yet this morning. I heard from Olivia that Pip’s saying she needs a personal assistant to write her memoirs. So I think Mabel’s very occupied right now.”
That tracks.
“So, you’re sure you’re okay?” Cricket says.
I nod. Am I? Not really. But my life isn’t going to fall apart because my boyfriend—my boyfriend!—is across the country for work for a couple weeks.
Or months.
“I miss him, and I have all of you and lots of work to do, and Flow’s here for me too,” I reply.
“If you want to go visit him but don’t want to go alone, any of us would go with you,” Olivia says behind Cricket. “All of us would go with you if that’s what you needed.”
And now my eyes are watering. “I love all of you so much,” I tell them.
They crowd into my office and tackle me with hugs, Samantha and Dori and Heath coming in too.
“And we love you,” Mabel says from behind all of them.
“Who has the glove flu?” Pip asks.
“No one, Aunt Pip, but Ginny just got a massive basket of oatmeal walnut chocolate chip cookies.”
Flow whines louder.
“Yes, there are doggie biscuits for you too, Flow,” Mabel says.
“He’s the absolute best,” I whisper into the group hug.
“If you have to fall for a man, I suppose he’ll do,” Olivia replies. “Oh. Is that our new website?”
I gesture to my screen. “First pass. I’m making notes for our designer. Isn’t the logo amazing?”
While they all turn their attention to our website draft, I text Declan good luck and emoji smiles and kisses.
And then we all get back to work.
We have a winery to save.
A home to save.
Where Declan will come back to me after he’s reached for his dreams.