Page 20 of A Vineyard for Two
Harper glanced at her. ‘Whose side are you on?’
Her aunt raised her hands. ‘I’m Switzerland, my darling, so I do not take sides. I’m just the deliverer of news. But I am curious, though. What are you so afraid of, Harper?’
Fear. Is that what it was? Was she afraid of taking on this project, or was she afraid of staying in Glen Aplin and facing up to her past, to her heart, to the truth? ‘Christmas in July is a big deal. People come here from all over southeast Queensland. It’s not an event that you put together in the space of a week on a property that you have no idea whether can even handle a crowd safely.’
‘I can give Pete a call. His brother is a town planner to come out to check the place. Tyler is an electrician by trade thanks to the army. He can take a day or two to look at the wiring.’
‘Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out, Brookes. You don’t need me.’
‘Sounds like you’re full of excuses.’
‘I can’t exactly put my life on hold for however long this might take.’
‘What a load of bull, Harper. Of course you can. You don’t want to. That’s your problem. You’re afraid, you were always afraid of something.’
She folded her arms. ‘I’m not afraid.’ The words came out with little conviction. Revamping the vineyard in the space of ten days was a big job, and she just couldn’t see it happening. If they had a month, then maybe, but even then, it was ludicrous to think they could do it. Most of all, she was afraid of staying here and falling back into Brookes’ arms.
‘We can all contribute. It’s a community effort. We can make Hugh’s vision come to life,’ Georgia said.
Harper noticed a hidden smile behind Georgia’s words, an admiration, maybe even love, and it made her wonder of the relationship her aunt really had had with Hugh Mathers.
THIRTEEN
Harper told Brookes and Georgia she would think about it, but she didn’t want to think. She wanted to get drunk and forget it all and go back home to the city. Was that what she really wanted? Her own thoughts and feelings were confusing.
She’d come back to her family home not only because Leo had called, and Georgia had insisted. Her job had placed her in a compromising position and staying in the city wasn’t exactly the safest option. A few days in the Granite Belt meant she could concentrate on finalising her extensive investigative report and finally submitting it to her boss so she could dust her hands off and move on to the next project. Instead, she was focusing on something else, someone else. Brookes was not an easy man to forget about or ignore, and she was fooling only herself if she thought she could.
It was Friday night and if she was in the city, what would she be doing? Getting dolled up and heading out to dinner somewhere with friends or colleagues — probably — although she’d stopped doing that all that often, too. The life she imagined for herself didn’t transpire, and while she was successful at what she did, there was always something missing, something hanging over her that was just out of reach. It was like she was punishing herself.
Being back here at the vineyard, breathing in the fresh country air and seeing the people, it brought memories and feelings back to the forefront. She missed it all, although until now she had never really admitted it to herself. After visiting Mathers Vineyard and seeing the potential of the place, then running into Brookes, well, it made her realise that the place couldn’t go to waste. Harper staying in town and her and Brookes not even being able to make small talk, was not going to be any good for the vineyard’s future. They’d have to find a buyer, someone with a vision, someone who could make Mathers Vineyard the beauty that Hugh had imagined it to be. But she had to talk to Brookes first. They had to have a conversation before they made a decision. The lawyer had said that they had to accept the inheritance. But there had been nothing to say they couldn’t sell it, eventually. After the Christmas in July event, it could sit there for two years, then they could put it on the market and split the profits. That made good business sense because if they couldn’t have a civil conversation, there was no way they could run a business together. Could they manage two weeks without driving each other crazy? She wasn’t so sure. But it seemed they weren’t going to really have much of a choice. Tomorrow she would make an effort to talk to him. She’d put her feelings aside, compartmentalise everything, and have the conversation they needed to have. She laughed at the idea.
‘What’s so funny?’ Zoe’s voice startled her.
‘I didn’t realise anyone else was here.’
‘Georgia’s gone to her crocheting group. Apparently, they invited her back as soon as they heard you were in town. Obviously, it’s all about the gossip. She wants to know what they’re spreading.’
‘Some things never change.’
‘What are you doing here, Harper? You seemed to be happy in the city, not bothering to come back in six years.’
The same question that Brookes had asked her, and she couldn’t answer. She’d thought about it for years, analysed it night after night, but leaving had been the only rational conclusion. Her and Brookes wanted different things out of life.
‘Georgia wanted us all here, so I came.’
‘She’s asked you before.’
‘Not like this.’
‘You hurt a lot of people when you left.’
‘That wasn’t my intention,’ Harper said. Her intention had been the exact opposite. She wanted to avoid hurting people, so she left. It was better for everyone in the long run. Now she wasn’t so sure. Zoe remained standing in the doorway.
‘You left us, just like that.’
‘We’re all adults, Zoe.’
‘Yeah, and yet everything we do, every decision we make in this family, impacts everyone in one way or another. You hurt Brookes too, broke his heart to pieces that he’s still putting back together.’