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I chuckled, pushing my best friend. “Don’t be mean.”
“Fine,” Sutton said with another laugh. “And you haven’t told Jordan?”
“No,” I said on an exhale. “He already doesn’t like Chase, and he’s dealing with so much. I planned to, but now, I haven’t seen him, and I don’t want to pile more on.”
“I think that makes sense,” Sutton said. She stepped away from the counter and pulled something out of the glass. She placed a double-chocolate cupcake on a small plate and slid it over to me. “I think you need this.”
I groaned. “Is it that bad?”
“Chocolate makes everyone feel better.”
“Thanks, Sut.”
“Anytime. Just know that Jordan is going through something that you can’t fix right now. As much as you want to. The best thing is to be there, ready to catch him. He’ll come to you eventually about this, and it’ll be fine. I’m sure of it. Grieving is hard, and it’s different for everyone.”
“I know. I remember,” I said softly.
“I bet it’ll all be better after this winery party. He’s probably bombarded with work, and he doesn’t want to think about anything else.”
“You’re right,” I said, digging into the cupcake.
“I’m always right,” Sutton said with a wink.
“Brat.”
“Eat your cupcake. Try not to worry too much about your boyfriend. Everything will be fine in time.”
Sutton returned to work while I finished my cupcake. I hoped that she was right. Sutton was the expert on all of this. I had to defer to her judgment. Even if my instincts were to barge into his house and demand for him to talk to me. I didn’t want to push him away either. Love was so damn complicated.
Part V
Complicated Love
31
Annie
Jennifer snapped my photograph, and I threw my hands up.
“Stop it!” I cried through a laugh.
“I wanted the honest reaction!” Jennifer said as we both stared up at the new exterior of the winery. “You really haven’t been here since they started working on it?”
I shook my head. I really hadn’t been here. Before the last week of Jordan being MIA, I’d been too busy at the hospital to come over. He’d mentioned that they were doing new construction work and gutting the interior. That Hollin and Julian were heading up most of the renovation work and hiring people. But I hadn’t imagined this.
The barn had been reinforced and stained a lush brown. The drive, which had previously been gravel, had been paved a solid black, and there was a new parking lot with freshly painted white lines. All the walking paths had been cleared, and a coat of small rocks filled them all. They were lined with flowers and carefully tended bushes. And the pièce de résistance was the enormous sign erected at the entrance—Wright Vineyard.
“It’s stunning,” I told her. “I really love it.”
“I knew you would. Julian had me come in earlier in the week and take photos for the website.”
“I bet he did,” I said with a wink.
Jennifer flushed. “It’s not like that.”
“It could be.”
“He’s dating someone.”
I laughed. “I’m just messing with you.”
“Anyway, he’s trying to convince me to be the on-site wedding photographer.”
“Oh my God! Would you want to do that?”
“Well, I’d love to still travel for elopements. They’re my favorite. But I wouldn’t mind something more stable. As much as I love to travel, it’s hard being gone all the time.”
“Well, I, for one, would love to have you home more.”
Jennifer grinned. “Same. Plus, Hollin’s sister, Nora, is graduating this semester and coming on as the wedding planner full-time. So, I’d like the people I’d work with, too.”
“Did Nora plan the party?”
“Yeah, and wait until you see what she did inside. She’s so talented.”
“I can’t wait to see it.”
And my boyfriend.
I followed her across the parking lot and into the barn. My jaw fell open with shock. I’d been inside this barn more times than I could count when this place was West Texas Winery. It had been a rickety, ramshackle mess. But this was something else altogether. A fully-functional stage had been erected against the far wall for weddings or small concerts. The dirt floor had been replaced with smooth hardwood planks, polished and shiny. The rafters had been strung with crisscrossing lights that lit up the high-beamed ceiling. Two crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, bringing everything together. It was refined, sophisticated, and gorgeous.
“Nora did this?”
“She did!” Jennifer gushed.
“Hey y’all,” Nora said, appearing then. “Heard my name.”
Nora barely grazed five feet with bleached-blonde hair and a warm, welcoming smile. She was only twenty-one and the baby of our circle, so I hadn’t had much interaction with her except when she showed up to our soccer games.
“This is so stunning!” I told her. “You did an amazing job.”
She beamed. “Thanks, Annie. Just glad to get to do what I love. And to have both of my big brothers here!”
