Page 4 of A Vineyard for Two

Georgia. No one dared disrespect that woman. He smiled as he pulled onto the New England Highway and headed towards Stanthorpe centre. He’d run into Harper soon enough.

Just as Brookes turned into the main street, a car pulled out of a spot in front of his favourite café. Maybe today would not be as frustrating as he first thought. He indicated and pulled in, considered leaving Rover in with the window down, but decided against it. He grabbed the lead and let the dog out. Rover gave his hand a lick as he attached the lead to the collar.

‘Let’s get something to eat.’ He didn’t have to mention it twice. Rover knew exactly where to go. Before he opened the door, Pete, the owner, stepped out.

‘The usual, Brookes?’ he said as they embraced in a bro hug and pulled away.

‘Sounds good. Make the coffee extra strong, please.’

‘Does Rover want some leftovers?’

‘He doesn’t need it, but I’m sure he’ll appreciate a piece of bacon. Thanks mate,’ he said as he rubbed Rover along his back. The dog wagged his tail in delight.

Brookes took a seat and looked around. The town was bustling with morning traffic. Stanthorpe was a country town with over five thousand people, and businesses did well for themselves from locals and tourists who came through. Sure, things had been tough in recent years, but things were picking up and the region was growing with still so much untapped potential. Brookes drove into Brisbane maybe once a quarter, sometimes he stretched to once every six months, preferring the pace of country living rather than the pretence of the big city. He never understood what Harper saw in it. Sure, it had its attractions for an occasional weekend, but beyond that, it just seemed like a robotic way towards an inevitable end without ever having really lived.

Ten minutes later, Pete returned carrying a bacon and egg wrap with hash browns on the side, and a flat white. In a separate bowl, there were meat offcuts which he placed on the ground for Rover. The dog sat waiting until Brookes told him it was okay to eat.

‘You’ve got that dog trained well,’ Pete said.

‘We just understand each other.’

‘Sure, it’s just that,’ Pete smiled. ‘How’ve you been, mate?’

‘Flat out and loving it.’ Which was true. Brookes enjoyed the business of the vineyard. It left little time for trouble. In his mind, when a man had nothing to do, he searched for trouble or trouble had a way of finding him. He had learned that a long time ago from his own father. It was one lesson he had never forgotten. He couldn’t remember a day since he turned fourteen where he hadn’t been working for someone or on something. ‘Just hoping we don’t get any more cold snaps this year. The vines are looking good, but if it falls below zero for a night or two, we’re in trouble.’

‘We’re looking forward to trying that new blend of yours.’

Brookes smiled. Word got around fast in this town. ‘That’s still some time off. But yeah, it’s going to be exciting bringing that variety onto the market.’ He didn’t want to reveal any more details so he changed the subject. ‘How are the kids?’

‘Teenagers. Fighting, bickering, then when you step in, they go against you. I can’t remember having that attitude with my parents.’

‘We acted out in different ways,’ Brookes said.

‘We climbed trees and run amok. These days all they want to do is stare into those damned phones. Life was much easier twenty-years ago.’

‘I don’t know. Simpler maybe, but not easier.’

Pete smiled. ‘You’re probably right. Listen, mate, Lisa was here asking about you earlier. Wanted to know when you’ve been in or whether we knew if you were coming in.’

Lisa had always shown an interest and he’d entertained the thought after they’d had lunch once and gone out for a few drinks at the tavern, but nothing eventuated. He just didn’t feel it and he didn’t have the time. Okay, so that was a lie. If he’d been interested, he would have made the effort, but there was nothing there, at least not from his end.

‘Hmm.’

‘Just thought you’d want to know. She might visit the vineyard.’

‘Ok.’

‘Well, with you know who being back and all.’

‘Right, you can say her name. Yeah, Harper is here, apparently. I haven’t seen her. She’s not staying, though. Apparently, only here for a few days.’

‘Apparently?’ Pete said.

‘That’s right.’

Pete was only looking out for him. He knew the hell Brookes had gone through when Harper had left.

‘Have you seen her?’ Brookes asked.