beau
The hurton Piper’s face as she walked back to the front of the house stings. I’m not trying to blow her off. There are some things I need to talk to Pierce about.
Thoughts about how we were going to pull off this marketing ploy tumbled through my mind as I drove to my house earlier. We can’t. It’s the sad truth of the matter.
Piper will be furious with me when she realizes what I’m doing, but I can deal with that, maybe. What I can’t handle is seeing her be berated by her brother. A topic I’ll cover with him at a later time. She may be one of his employees, but she’s also his sister. He doesn’t have to treat her like shit to get his point across.
Now to find the brother in question. He was with our entire group moments ago, and he seems to have vanished. He’s like a freaking magician when he wants to be.
I pick up the roll of trash bags and pull out two of them. Shoving the end of one of them into my pack pocket, I open the other and begin my search for the eldest Summers’ sibling.
He’s nowhere near the main house where they see customers. That only leaves a few more places he could be. I peek into the building where the wine is made. It’s pitch black and no source of light can be seen. He’s not in here.
There’s another building with the shipping supplies and bottles. It looks dark in there as well. He has to be outside somewhere. I have no idea what the hell I’m going to say to him. Maybe I should have prepared for this better.
I round the corner of the building. “Holy shit.”
There are large pieces of metal sheeting littering the ground. Pierce said the damage was minimal. This looks anything but that.
“Keep it down.” Pierce hushes me. “I don’t want the others to see how bad it is over here. They’ll freak out.”
“Are you also not telling your parents?” It isn’t my place, but this looks bad.
He rolls his eyes because of course he does. The arrogance Pierce holds never ceases to amaze me.
“Of course they know. Until Dad officially retires, he’s still in on all the business stuff.” He points toward the metal pieces he’s stacked in a pile. “This is definitely business.”
“I’ll say.” Hopefully the repairs don’t take long or cost a ton of money. Not that they don’t have it. I may have fibbed a bit to my boss. They have the dollars. Pierce doesn’t want to put any of it into marketing.
“Why are you back here anyway? Shouldn’t you be helping my sister, or covering for her while you do all the work?”
See, these types of digs are unnecessary. Why does he always have to find something about her to put down? Unless, of course, he knows she could run circles around him.
The urge to fight back is overwhelming, and it takes everything in me to tamp down my anger. Getting into it withPierce isn’t going to make him agree to what I’m about to suggest.
Well, what I’ll eventually propose. Right now, I need to get him in a better mood. I’ve learned how to work him…for the most part.
“I was going to say y’all are free to use my house for whatever you need. Showers, cooking, a nap.” He doesn’t miss the slight jab.
“Are you sure? I know Mom will probably want to get a hot shower as soon as possible.”
“Of course. Your family has fed, clothed and dealt with me since I was thirteen. It’s the least I can do.”
He looks relieved. “Thanks. That means a lot. I’ll let my parents know as soon as I head back to their house.”
“No problem.” I dig my heel into the soft ground and stare at the plush green grass beneath my feet. “There’s one more thing.”
Pierce grumbles for a few seconds. “If this is about Piper’s plan, I already told both of you how I feel about it, and there’s no changing my mind. She really needs to stop sending you to do her dirty work. It may have worked when you were teenagers, but you’re grown now.”
He’s one to talk. “She doesn’t know the reason I’m here.”
“You aren’t going to go back up front until I’ve heard what you have to say, are you?” He knows me well enough to figure this out.
“No.” I shake my head. I have zero problems arguing with a brick wall if it means proving my point. Unless it’s to Piper. I’ll roll over for anything that woman says. Always have and will.
Resigned, he sighs. “Fine. Give me your spiel.”
I tell him about what my boss wants and how this could be big for Starlit Fields. The partnership doors this could open up outside of the ones he’s already formed.
