Page 68 of A Vineyard for Two

‘I see an opportunity. I’m not going to jeopardise it. I’ll buy her out if I have to. Sell the house, get a mortgage.’

‘You think that would cover half?’

‘Maybe, I don’t know. The market has been up recently. Funnily enough, the ex that paid her a visit here is in real estate, should have asked him straight out.’

Pete laughed. ‘Is he still around?’

‘Apparently, he left this morning. Not sure what she saw in him, completely not her type.’

‘You mean not you?’

‘He didn’t really know her.’

‘But you do.’

‘I thought I did.’

They sat for a while longer after they finished the beer. Chatted loosely about the vineyard, about Georgia, about Pete’s business and plans for the future. He was happy and Brookes was happy for him.

After Pete left to return to his family, Brookes remained seated, staring at out onto the golf course. His thoughts drifted back and forth between Harper and Mathers Vineyard. He had a vision, and he wanted to realise it. No, he was going to realise it, with or without Harper. He just hoped that she would stick around to see it.

THIRTY-TWO

After returning to the family estate, Harper called the hospital and asked about Georgia’s medical file and, to her disappointment but not surprise, they refused to provide her with any information. The only person they could share the details with was Georgia and her significant other. Harper found this rather odd because in all her adult years, she never recalled Georgia having a ‘significant other’ as the nurse who answered the phone had put it.

‘And who would this significant other be?’ Harper asked the nurse, both intrigued and confused at the same time.

‘Umm, it’s…’ she was about to say something. ‘I can’t say.’

‘Can’t or won’t.’

‘Look, can I be honest with you? Your aunt is one scary woman when she wants to be. She is also very well aware of what she wants and doesn’t want. We are under explicit instructions not to provide any medical information to her family unless she is not of sound mind or has passed.’

Right now, Harper thought that Georgia was definitely not of sound mind. The family had a right to know what was going on with her. If she was dying, she couldn’t keep that information from them. It wasn’t fair. They had to prepare themselves for the inevitable.

‘I’m not certain this is in her best interest.’

‘We can’t go against patient wishes. I’m sorry, Ms McGregor,’ she said.

Harper knew she would get nowhere with the nurse and so she thanked her and politely hung up, but inside, she was furious.

Staring out the kitchen window into the vineyard where a kangaroo was hopping between the vines, and a young one behind it, she tried to figure out what Georgia may have been thinking. Was it that she didn’t want to bother the family with her ailments? And who could the significant other be?

‘It’s no use.’ Zoe said from behind. She hadn’t heard her enter the house.

Harper turned. ‘How much of that did you hear?’

Zoe opened the fridge. ‘Most of it.’ She pulled out a wine, closed the door, and retrieved two glasses from the cupboard above and to the left. ‘Georgia has always been set in her ways. If she doesn’t want us to know something, we won’t find out until she does.’

‘Is Georgia with someone?’

‘Like a man?’

‘Yeah. Or woman.’

‘What? No way. Georgia?’ Zoe said, pouring the wine into the two glasses and sliding one over to Harper.

They clinked glasses. It was after midday. One wine wasn’t a bad idea, even if she was planning to drive later on.