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My girl. Yup, I called her that.
I pull a cap low on my head and put on my sunglasses. I’m looking forward to a day of anonymity, a day away from the city. I am desperate for a reset.
“So what’s your story?” I ask as we start to climb.
Petal warned me the hike has a lot of uphill, and she wasn’t kidding. And to her credit, she’s keeping up with me just fine. It doesn’t take long for sweat to start dripping down my temples, and it feels great.
“Until the great wedding debacle, I’d been working as an accountant. The whole thing hit me so hard, I quit my job, moved out of our apartment, and went into hiding at Mom’s cottage at the winery.”
We get high enough so see the Pacific Ocean in the distance, the view taking my breath away. “Unbelievable,” I mutter, taking in the rolling hills and ocean.
Petal takes a deep breath and looks around, nodding. “This is my happy place. Always has been. You’re fifteen minutes outside the city and yet it’s like you’re worlds away. So many people who visit never see this. It’s my favorite part of the Bay Area.”
Petal’s face, and even her posture, are different here. She’s relaxed and confident. Like she really feels at home. It’s good to see a side of her I haven’t before.
I like what I’m seeing. A lot.
We huff up the steep trail until we reach a flat spot and stop to take a breather. “Hey, when are you taking me on a tour of your mother’s winery? I figure since I’m sleeping with the owner’s daughter, I might have an in. What do you think?”
She looks at me coyly. “I might be able to help you with that. Let me call a couple people, see if I can pull some strings.”
We start walking again and I take her hand. “I’ve never been to a winery.”
She stops short. “You live in San Francisco and you’ve never been to a winery? They’re only an hour away.”
“Lame, huh. I’m always so busy with practice, games, and travel. I’ve been meaning to go, but never got around to it. Say, did you ever want to work there, at the winery? You know, after you quit accounting?”
“I could get a job there if I wanted. I always thought it would be fun. But I don’t want to be a nepo baby. There are enough of them around.”
“What about your other family businesses? I read that your family practically founded San Francisco.”
“Well, a lot people made that happen. My great, great grandfather founded San Francisco Ironworks, where they made steel for the ships, railroad, cable cars, all that. He hit it big, asyou might imagine. Back in the day, his mills ran day and night to keep up with the demand. Or so the stories go. But they were all sold off a long time ago. That’s how my mom afforded the winery… and everything else.”
“That’s so fucking cool. I mean, your family built the city.”
“I guess. But not single handedly. My great grandfather and grandfather kept the companies running for years, but my mom wasn’t interested in carrying things on, so they sold. Their old buildings are still around. I’ll show them to you some day.”
We reach the top of the first hill, and I lead her to a patch of grass to check out the view.
“This is incredible, Petal. Thanks for bringing me here. I can’t believe I’ve never seen this place.”
She looks into the distance, where a few fishing boats circle their nets.
“Incredible,” I say.
“It is,” she whispers, closing her eyes and taking in the breeze.
I lean over and brush my lips against her ear. “I’m talking about you.”
“Yeah. I am incredible too,” she snickers.
I drop my head back and laugh. Like really laugh, in a way I haven’t in too long, like there’s no black cloud hanging over my head, like there are no black clouds anywhere. As if everything is as beautiful as the place we’re hanging, right now, together.
38
RAKE
Something about being outsideand getting my sweat on fires up my libido like nothing else. When Petal and I finish our hike, all hot and sweaty, I get us back to the city as fast as I can.
