How can Dad even threaten to sell the winery. Our entire life is on this piece of land. Not only that, we all live here, except for Paula. She does have her own plot of land if she changes her mind. Every milestone, every memory we have is tied to this place. If we can’t get along and keep the winery afloat, we’ll all have to move. Or have actual property lines drawn up. I can’t let that happen.
“I thought I might find you over here.” A voice I wasn’t expecting comes from behind me.
“Why aren’t you eating with everyone else?” He is the family kiss ass after all.
“I didn’t much feel like it.” Peter sits in the swing next to me. The only difference is, he pushes down on it to make sure it will hold his weight.
“So, you really didn’t know Dad was announcing his retirement tonight? I figured being so close to Pierce would make you privy to this sort of information.”
He has to feel as betrayed by it all as I do, even if it’s not for the same reasons. That’s the only reason both of us would be slowly swinging back and forth with our eyes on our feet.
“Yeah, I thought so, too.” He shuffles his feet in the dirt, making two tracks.
“It sucks being on this side of information, doesn’t it?” It’s a dig. I know it as soon as it leaves my mouth. Guilt runs through me at the low blow.
“Yep.” I can see his shadow nodding on the ground. “Maybe I’ve been putting too much of myself into the winery and being at Pierce’s beck and call.”
“I could have told you that.” I snort and swing a bit higher. “You’ve been so far up his ass since we were kids I didn’t know where he ended and you began.”
He makes a puking sound. “That is not a great visual. You could have put that more eloquently.”
“Not really.” I shake my head, but I doubt he sees me. “It’s literally the only way to describe your relationship to our elder brother. Take a step back, you might realize you’re a completely different person.”
Peter sighs. He doesn’t say anything, though. Hopefully, he’s letting the words resonate. I love all of my siblings, but him and Pierce are the hardest to get along with. Peter is always looking for our big brother’s approval, and always managing to fall short.
The only difference between us is it matters to him what Pierce thinks. I don’t care, or need approval. Which is why I’ve been working on the marketing without his knowledge, and quietly taking the wins. I could rub it in his face, but I don’t.
I drag my feet to slow myself down. I can’t guarantee this swing won’t break, and the last thing I want to do is have the seat come out from under me while I’m in the air.
“Do you think we should get back?” He nudges my shoulder once I come to a stop. “I’m sure they’ll send out a search party for us.”
“You can head back.” I nod my head toward the house. One of the things I loved growing up is they put the swing set further away so we could have our own space should we need it. It’s like Mom and Dad knew we’d need to come here to find solace. “I’ll be up in a minute. Just need to fix my expression and gather my wits.”
“Okay, don’t be too long or I’ll be back to drag you to the house. You need to eat something.”
“You act like I haven’t been stealing bites the whole time we’ve been here.”
He shakes his head as he stands. “Why am I not surprised? Somehow, you’re the only one who gets away with it. At least, without getting your hand smacked.”
“Gotta have quick reflexes, big brother.” I wave my hands to show how fast they are.
“You are such a dork.” He turns back in the direction he came from. “You’ve got ten minutes. If you aren’t at the house, I’ll send reinforcements.”
I give him a salute before he walks off. Peter may try to take a step back and focus on himself a bit more, but I don’t think he’ll ever stop being so bossy. Though, I guess if you think about it, all of us Summers’ kids are bossy in our own way. I just hope he knows he’s worth more than Pierce will ever let on and do something outside of the winery that makes him happy.
Going back to the house is the last thing I want to do, but Peter is right. I need to go spend time with the family. Even if I’m annoyed with half of them at the moment. Taking the same pathPeter did would get me there the fastest, but I still need to make sure my face is hiding any emotions I’m still feeling.
When I get to the fork that will take me to the house or to the metal buildings where all the magic happens, I take a left to go around the buildings. It’ll add an extra five minutes. Let Peter come searching for me. He knows I’m not going to be on time unless I absolutely want to.
It’s full on dark now, and I’m glad I know this land like the back of my hand. I don’t want to use the flashlight on my phone and ruin the serenity I’m starting to feel. There’s just something about being out in the open to make your problems seem significantly smaller.
Voices coming from one of the buildings slows my steps. That sounds like Pierce, and…it can’t be.
No, I should not eavesdrop on this conversation. It’s none of my business. Beau will fill me in on any details later. But…I can’t help myself. I tiptoe closer the slightly ajar door. Nobody can say I’ve never been curious. The trait is usually why I end up in trouble.
“…shouldn’t have stormed off like that. Does she have any idea how our parents must feel?” Pierce’s voice is angry and I don’t blame him. It was a shitty move. Better than turning my frustration out on them, though.
“Maybe you should have given her a heads up,” Beau argues. “You know how much she loves this place and your parents.” There’s silence for a few seconds. Pierce clearly doesn’t have anything to say. He doesn’t think anyone should know anything until he deems it necessary. “Why are they retiring so soon anyway? I thought that was at least a couple of years away.”
