“So this is where the magic happens?”he asked.
“This is one of the places.”
We made our way down one row and across to the open space at the back where a set of double doors spilled out to behind the barn.I unlocked it and opened them, revealing the concrete slab space where we crushed the grapes and destemmed them.That all happened in September and October.
I explained to him the process, pointing out the machines we used, that were currently stored, clean, and ready for the end of summer, and how much sugar and yeast we added to things, how we had to stir the mash in the big plastic barrels, then strain the wine from the mash into the carboys.The mash was great fertilizer, and we offered it up to several of the farmers around.Those with livestock just had to be careful since we didn’t want anybody’s pigs getting drunk off the mash and crashing a tractor during a joyride.
“Huge process,” he marvelled.“And it’s just the four of you?”
“The kids help.And we hire seasonal staff that we train.Some of them have been returning to work here every summer since our aunt ran the place.Those people are invaluable.Not sure we could run the place without them, honestly.”
“I’d love to see the process when it actually happens, if you allow that kind of thing?”
“I’ll let you know, and you can come by.Though, if you’re here, you’re put to work.This isn’t a spectator sport.It’s an all-hands-on-deck thing.”
“Happy to pitch in wherever I can.”His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out, frowned, then stowed it away again.
“Everything okay?”I asked.
A big, fake smile flashed across his face.“Yeah, totally.”He glanced around the shaded space, and his eyes widened before he walked ten paces toward the hidden shelf of plants I had on a shady ledge against the rocks.The flower itself was protected by a cage of galvanized metal wire cloth so nobody could touch it.“This is a pretty flower,” he said, wrinkling his nose before poking his pinky finger through one of the small square holes.
I was on him like a squirrel on a nut, grabbing his shoulder and hauling him away.“Don’t touch that.”
“Uh …” His expression was more of surprise than concern.“Is it poisonous or something?”
“Very.It’s wolfsbane.You need to handle it with gloves.”
“Then why the hell do you have it on the property, where you have children?”The concern in his eyes made me take a step back, but I made sure to put myself between him and the plant.
“The kids know not to touch it.It’s hidden back here because it likes shady, wet spaces, and it has the wire cloth over it.”
“But that still doesn’t explain why you have a poisonous plant on your property.Is it invasive?”
“No.But we just do.Leave it at that, please.”
His brows narrowed.“The kids all know not to touch it?”
“Of course they do.And tourists aren’t allowed back here.The staff all know not to touch it too.It’s usually hidden better than this, but the rocks we had concealing it must have been moved or fallen.”I quickly searched the area for more fist-sized rocks and began placing them on the ledge to better conceal the wolfsbane.
He didn’t help.He just stood there and watched me.
Eventually, I’d stacked enough rocks that to anybody that came back here, unless they really tried to look for it, wouldn’t see it.
“So, tasting room?”I asked, desperate to change the subject.
“Sure …”
I led him back through the barn, neither of us saying a word, but I could feel his curiosity.Why the hell did four single moms have a poisonous plant like wolfsbane growing on our property?Maybe he didn’t know what kind of effects wolfsbane had on a person who consumed it, but I would bet my freedom and this vineyard that he was going to go home and Google it.
Shit.
My reaction had definitely been over the top.And I probably shouldn’t have told him what it was.I just freaked out.I’d already smacked him in the face today; the last thing I wanted was for him to touch a plant on my property and have a heart attack.Though just touching it with a pinky finger probably wouldn’t cause cardiac arrest.He would need to ingest a fair amount of the stuff.
I opened the door to the tasting room and let him go inside first.
“This place is really cool,” he murmured, glancing around the low-ceiling space with the exposed beams, big windows on three sides of the building, and shiny brass fixtures.
“I know you’re driving, but would you like a small glass of something?”
