Page 31 of A Vineyard for Two

‘I know, it’s just…’

Leo shook his head. ‘Stop overthinking everything, Harper. I know, coming from me it might not mean much. I overthink everything to the point that my marriage ended because instead of doing something and communicating, I kept it all in here.’ He tapped his forehead with his index finger.

‘What happened between you and Sara?’

Her brother sighed, gripping the steering wheel. ‘Some relationships aren’t meant to be. I didn’t put in the effort that she deserved. I took her for granted and put the vineyard first.’

‘Did you talk about it?’

He nodded. ‘She tried. I was too stubborn or too proud or too stupid to listen.’

‘You’re not stupid. Stubborn maybe, but I think that runs in our family.’

They both laughed.

‘You still have a chance,’ Leo said. ‘Look, I know we haven’t talked much over the years, sis. Like I said, I’m not big with words, but I can see that you’re not a hundred percent happy. That fire in your eyes isn’t there anymore.’

‘What do you mean?’ His words surprised her. Was she that transparent?

‘When you left, you had passion. We all saw it and we understood why you thought you had to leave. You dreamt big, and you wanted to see the world. And you’ve done that, and maybe you loved it. But now, there’s something missing. You’re you, but not really. Like all the world that you saw was great, but at the same time it took something away from you. The past few days here, well, I think that spark is coming back into your eyes. I just can’t figure out why you’re fighting it so much.’

Harper gazed out the window and towards the cascading boulders enveloping the perimeter of the property, like it was giving it a giant embrace.

‘I…I’m not sure.’

‘You don’t have to have all the answers right away.’

‘Since when did you get so philosophical?’

Laughing, he said, ‘I get a lot of time to think when I’m in between the vines.’

‘Have you tried to contact Sara? Talk to her. Get her back.’

‘It’s too late.’

‘Is it, though?’

‘Yeah, I think so.’

‘You’ll never know if you never try, right?’

‘Hmm.’

She opened the passenger door and hopped out.

Leo leaned over. ‘Call me if you need picking up.’

‘Thanks Leo. I’ll talk to you later.’ She shut the door, and he pulled away.

Harper breathed in deep and walked up the path overgrown with wildflowers and weeds. A spider spun a web underneath the wooden arch. The sun rose from behind the property. It was just above eye level now, its rays illuminating the inn in the morning magic. She hadn’t noticed it before, but she could see the potential that Brookes saw. Once upon a time, it had been a stunning venue and maybe they could make it so again. A week and a half was overzealous, but maybe, just maybe, there was a chance.

Rocks crunched behind her, and she turned to see Brookes approaching.

‘Not bad, is it?’ he said.

‘Where did you come from?’

‘Just walked around the perimeter of the property. There’s a nice spot up above the boulders. Great view and perfect for a picnic.’