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I could see her passion and dedication. There was never any such thing as a plan B or a fallback. Ballet was going to be her life. And now it was. Thanks to all her incredibly hard work, she had her career in the San Francisco Ballet. I couldn’t be prouder of her. But I did miss her and wished we could spend more time together.
Our weekly chats kept us up to date on each other’s lives and ensured we didn’t drift apart. Even though she was an adult now, a year older than I had been when I started caring for her, I still felt protective of her. I still wanted to take care of her in any way I could, even if that was just being there to listen when she needed to vent.
“How are you doing?” I asked when she answered the phone.
“Exhausted. We’ve had long rehearsals the last few days. A couple of the new dancers just aren’t picking up the choreography as fast as they should. I don’t know why this new artistic director is so easy on them. When I first got started, messing up the way they do would have meant being shoved into the very back of the corps. If they got to stay in the company at all. Then this guy comes along, and he’s so warm and fuzzy with them. He gives them try after try, rehearsal after rehearsal. We have to go through the same segment of choreography so many times it takes the time away from learning anything else.
“All the primary dancers are getting worn down, and we’re at higher risk of injury now because they can’t figure out what they’re doing,” she complained.
“I’m sorry you’re going through that,” I said. “I’m sure they’ll get it together soon.”
“They better,” she snapped. “I don’t want my career put at risk because they shouldn’t have been allowed into the company in the first place and can’t hack it.”
I was surprised by the tone in my sister’s voice. She had always been a strong personality, but this was a little extreme.
“Is everything okay?” I asked. “I know you’re frustrated, but you sound really on edge.”
Jasmine let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired. What’s going on with you?”
I didn’t know if I actually believed her, but if I knew my sister, I knew that meant she was done talking about herself. Prodding would just shut her down. If there was something bothering her, she would tell me about it eventually. So, I told her about my upcoming trip, and we spent the next half an hour chatting about work and a little bits of hometown gossip that trickled in from old friends.
As soon as we were off the phone, I brushed my teeth and took myself off to bed.
3
Kane
The weekend had been slow and quiet, exactly like I needed. I hung around the house with my cat, reading and doing household chores but not much of anything else. Simon was content to lie in my lap while I watched movies that had been made before I was born or caught up on a thriller series that I was a few books behind on. He was pleased to get his meals regularly and to catch a few table scraps when I went into the kitchen to make things for myself. I even got into some of the imported wines that I’d had delivered so I could check out the competition.
Monday arrived with a bright, sunny morning, and as I stretched and got dressed, I decided I would walk over to the vineyard instead of driving. The weather was going to keep up, and I figured I would want to take the chance to walk the grounds on the way to my lab and check for a few places that hadn’t been seen by me in a while.
Putting on my mud boots, I made my way out of the house, my sneakers tied together and carried around my neck. I sighed as I stepped into the vineyard, looking around at the property as I headed toward the main buildings. It was absolutely gorgeous out there. The work our grandparents had done to build it up originally was impressive, and what my brothers and I had done in a short time to revitalize it was nothing short of amazing. It was still really early, and there was a lot left to do, but I could see so much potential. So much promise.
I was hoping I could verbalize that promise and potential. A grape inspector was on their way and due to arrive at some point that day. Their evaluation of the land and vines would be essential to our grade and the ability to sell the wine our vineyard made, both in the restaurant and to be able to bottle and sell it outside the grounds in stores around the country. It was the first hurdle to getting the vineyard back to its former glory, and I was looking forward to getting that approval and moving on.
