Page 22 of A Vineyard for Two
‘No, it’s actually refreshing.’
‘A lot has changed, but much has stayed the same. Change is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to mean forgetting your roots. It’s about finding ways to make the past, present and future work coherently.’
‘Where did that come from?’ Harper said, laughing. ‘Too smart for an evening at the tavern.’
‘Oh, I pull out the smarts any chance I get. They’re too few and far in between.’
‘I doubt that very much.’
‘Let’s just say philosophy doesn’t pay the bills.’
‘You should tell that to some people in the city.’
‘Maybe I should have left instead.’
‘You like it too much here.’
‘I’m a country girl at heart. A weekend in the city is fine, but this is where I want to come home to. It’s where I hope to build a family one day.’
‘Anyone special on the horizon?’ Harper asked.
‘Some would like to think so, but no. I’m not going to just settle.’
‘Good on you. You should never settle. Make sure you find everything that you want.’
‘Cheers to that,’ Zoe said, and they clinked glasses again.
The atmosphere in the room changed suddenly. Harper noticed Zoe roll her eyes as she glanced at the entry. Harper looked in that direction, too. Lisa had just walked in as if she was walking into a nightclub. Tight dress, cleavage, makeup and high heels. She looked great and automatically, the room’s attention was drawn to her.
‘Why the eye-roll?’ Harper asked, finishing her beer. She really wanted a wine now and that game of pool.
‘She’s been after Brookes from the moment you drove out of town. I don’t think she waited even until the dust settled,’ Zoe said laughing.
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Lisa is in love with Brookes.’
‘And him?’
‘Oh, so you do care?’
‘No, just curious. You brought it up.’
‘The feelings are definitely not reciprocated. Brookes is still totally and completely in love with you.’
Harper felt her cheeks growing red. ‘I doubt that very much,’ she said glancing to the other end of the room. ‘Hey, looks like the pool table is free. Ten bucks says I kick your butt in under twenty minutes.’
‘Cocky, aren’t you?’
‘Overly confident is a better term.’
‘Sister, you’ve been gone a while. There’s a new pool queen in town.’
They grabbed the cues, set up the triangle, and started playing.
Harper couldn’t remember the last time she had this much fun, as her foot tapped against the floor to the beat of the music. Zoe won the right to decide who broke, and she gave the honour to Harper. After about ten minutes, Harper was two balls behind. She was out of practice but having fun, nonetheless. It didn’t take long for Zoe to hit the black in whilst Harper still had one ball remaining on the table.
‘How about a game of doubles?’