Page 36 of A Vineyard for Two

‘My thoughts exactly.’

‘He probably knows what he’s doing.’

‘Let’s hope so,’ she said. ‘Georgia, while you’re here, I was hoping you could help me out with some of Hugh’s things. I’ve gone through two of the rooms, but they were mostly empty. There’s one that appears to have been Hugh’s. There are things I don’t want to throw out in case they have sentimental value. Would you have the time to go through them with me?’

Georgia smiled. ‘I would love to. But first you have to eat. I’ll come back tomorrow and we can go through everything. I have to get to an appointment this afternoon.’

‘Is everything okay?’

‘Absolutely fabulous, my dear.’

SEVENTEEN

True to her word, the next day, Georgia came to Mathers Vineyard with Harper. She drove a little fast for Harper’s liking, but her aunt seemed to know the roads like the back of her hand and, she had to admit, sitting in the Mustang was exhilarating. It didn’t surprise her that Georgia enjoyed it so much and refused to let anyone else drive it.

When they entered the inn, Brookes was already hard at work and instead of the wall that separated the living and dining area, there was now a gaping hole. He must have worked on it half the night. But she had to admit, even with the mess, it added so much more open space and she imagined the long dining table here with room for at least twenty. Could they make it magical? She wasn’t certain, but there was a ray of hope.

‘It looks worse than it is,’ Brookes said as soon as he saw them.

‘You made the right decision getting rid of that wall. This space has so much potential,’ Georgia said. ‘Back when this was built, it was more common to have smaller, separate areas. Now it’s all about open plan living, isn’t it?’

Brookes put down the hammer, leaning it against what was left of the wall, and wiped his forehead with the back of his palm. ‘The open space will work well for the long dinner table. I still think we should leave the small room with the fireplace. It’s cosy and lovely for a glass of wine or sitting back and reading a book. To make it work, we have to think outside the square. It’s not just a Christmas in July event or an accommodation venue and cellar door. There’s ample opportunity to grow this venue and make it a hub for organised events. Weddings, group birthday parties, retreats, conferences, and so much more.’

The excitement in his voice was evident, and it was obvious that Brookes had thought about it a lot. She could see it all too, but to make it happen, someone had to be here, running everything and organising it all. It was a full-time job, a double full-time job, and she already had one of those back in the city. Brookes was already looking beyond the next ten days, where she was thinking that in ten days it was the end and life would go back to normal.

‘That sounds wonderful, Brookes,’ Georgia said, looking up. ‘I’m sure that Hugh is smiling down on us right now.’

‘No doubt about it, and hopefully enjoying a glass of Tempranillo while he’s at it.’

‘He did enjoy his Tempranillo.’

Hugh, it seemed, enjoyed life to the best of his abilities. He didn’t do anything in halves, whether it was running the inn or the cellar door, or organising events until his body no longer served him. Even then, he made sure that his legacy lived on, or at least he hoped that was the case by leaving Harper and Brookes the inn.

‘Christmas in July was his favourite event,’ Georgia said, staring at the picture Harper had admired only the day before. ‘He loved being surrounded by people. He lit up when in the company of friends and strangers alike. I don’t think there was anyone he didn’t leave an impression on. He was a visionary, a dreamer and a doer. He was stubborn, but it worked to his advantage most of the time. And he hated being told what he should or shouldn’t do.’

‘That must be something the two of you had in common,’ Harper jested.

Georgia smiled mischievously. ‘No more than you, my dear. Maybe it’s something in the Granite Belt water that makes us all so special.’

‘Were the two of you close?’

‘We were good friends.’

‘Just friends?’

‘You should never kiss and tell. No matter who asks you.’

She wanted to ask her aunt more questions, but she also knew that pushing would not get her anywhere. She, of all people, knew that if Georgia wanted to keep her mouth shut, not even Guatemalan torture tactics would get her to open up, and that was no exaggeration. There had definitely been something between her aunt and Hugh, but there was equally a chance that she would never find out what that was. There might be assumptions and speculation, but never any certainty, and if that’s what her aunt wanted, that’s how it would remain.

They spent the better part of the morning sorting through the items in the room, the majority of the time was going through photo albums and Georgia telling stories of parties and wine tastings and the things that guests got up to. It was all fun and entertaining, but nothing that revealed more than she already thought she knew about her aunt’s relationship with Hugh.

‘You know, our family came to the first Christmas in July event here. It was in the 1980s. Everyone thought Hugh and his wife were crazy for putting up a Christmas tree in the middle of the year. But they wouldn’t listen to any of it. Both of them had travelled far, especially Europe, and they loved the festive season in the winter. Here it’s always a heatwave because Christmas falls in the summer months and just doesn’t have the same feel to it as it does in northern hemisphere. They had a vision to make Christmas in July feel a bit more European. Forty years later, it continues to be a special event. The wineries, restaurants and breweries all do something, locals and tourists alike get involved. It’s become more than just a tourist attraction. It’s a part of the heart of this region.’

Harper smiled. She understood the importance of it. Restoring this inn, reopening the cellar door and hosting Christmas in July wasn’t just Hugh’s wish, it was also Georgia’s, and potentially the town’s, too. It meant a lot to a lot of people, and that alone made it worth doing.

By the time they had finished going through the room, it was lunchtime and Georgia had another appointment that she had to attend, which meant that Harper was left alone with Brookes once more. She’d avoided spending any one-on-one time with him over the last two days by keeping herself busy, but she knew that was not going to last much longer. He’d been busy tidying up the torn-out wall downstairs too, and she didn’t want to get in the way. Now that she looked at it, he’d plastered up the sides and the space opened up even more, adding light to the previously dark and gloomy room. She pictured the long table there, people sitting and standing around it, a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments in the corner as the fireplace glowed on the other side. The image was as clear as the photos she’d been looking at upstairs.

In less than forty-eight hours, the inn was already visibly improved. There was still much to do, but it was incredible what ripping out one wall could do.