Page 5 of A Vineyard for Two
‘Nope.’
‘I’m sure she’ll pop in.’
News travelled fast in the town, especially gossip. As much as Brookes wanted to stay out of it, he knew it was inevitable. He was a bachelor and Harper had broken his heart in more ways than one. Everyone who knew them would want to know the fall out once they ran into each other.
‘Good luck, mate. Enjoy the wrap before it gets cold.’
He knelt and picked up the bowl that Rover had happily guzzled down in moments, and gave the dog a pat between the ears.
‘Beers, Friday afternoon?’
‘I think the wife mentioned something about going into the city for the weekend. The kids have sports. Rain-check?’
‘Sure thing. Enjoy the big city.’
‘I always want to leave the moment I get there. But you gotta do what you gotta do.’
‘Ain’t that the truth?’
Brookes ate the breakfast wrap, and it was delicious. What annoyed him was that he was once again thinking about Harper. How did she look? What was she doing now? What would she say when she saw him? It was childish and stupid, but still his mind kept at it, and the harder he fought the thoughts, the more came at him. So, he stopped fighting, and let them flow as he ate and finished his coffee. He couldn’t keep putting off going to the vineyard for much longer. He’d stop at the hardware store and supermarket, then head back and get to work. Running into Harper was inevitable. The sooner he ripped the band-aid off, the better.
FOUR
The winter nights in the Granite Belt were cold, but the sun during the day still had the potential to burn. Harper was glad she’d put on the wide-brimmed hat to cover her face. Her hands were dirty, and the soil had gotten stuck under her nails. It had been a while since she’d done this sort of work — an honest day of work. It was hard labour but strangely satisfying. Had it always been that way, or was it because she had been away for that long that now something that was mundane had transformed into a novelty? She was going to enjoy the moment, regardless.
She pulled out weeds and removed dead and decaying vines, handling each one with care so not to hurt the healthy ones. Leo had been hesitant at first to let her touch them, but she had insisted. She might not have touched a vine in years, but thankfully the knowledge of what to do had stayed. It was like riding a bicycle, and after all, she had done it for the first twenty-eight years of her life.
‘You look very relaxed here, my dear.’
Harper turned to see Georgia standing over her. She hadn’t heard her aunt walk up. Had she been lost in thought that much?
‘It’s hard not to relax here.’
Georgia smiled. ‘Have some lemonade. Home made with our own lemons. The trees were very generous this year.’
Harper took the glass and had a sip. There was a slight burn to her throat. ‘Georgia, there’s something more than lemonade in this.’
The old woman smiled cheekily. ‘It’s after ten o’clock. It’s not illegal.’
Harper laughed and took another sip. ‘It’s deliciously refreshing.’
‘And there’s more where that came from.’
‘I think this is enough for me,’ Harper said. ‘Otherwise, I might need a midday nap.’
‘What’s wrong with that?’ Georgia raised her arms. ‘The Italians do it, as do the Spanish. Nothing wrong with us, Australians doing it too.’
‘You’re absolutely right,’ she said and took another sip.
‘I’m going into town in a bit, if you want to join me,’ Georgia said.
Her hands hurt a bit and after two hours in the sun she could use a break, and it would give her one-on-one time to chat with Georgia.
‘That sounds great. Let me just freshen up. But Georgia…’ Harper started to say.
‘I haven’t taken a sip. I’ll see you in the car in twenty minutes.’ Georgia, as usual, had to have the last word.
It took Harper eighteen minutes to clean up and put away the tools she’d been using, shower off the dirt and sweat, and brush her hair so she didn’t look like a scarecrow herself. She quickly dressed, grabbed her purse and was standing by the car when Georgia came out of the house.