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“It’s called art,” Ivy said.
“I’d call it my life.” Nick glared at her.
“It’s not autobiographical.”
He laughed out loud. A crowd was gathering around them. Everyone wanted to see what would happen next. Ivy glared at them, about to say something when she noticed that Vera and Drew had returned from the other room. They were oblivious to what had just transpired between her and Nick.
“Are you the owner? This is an amazing winery,” Vera said.
“Thanks.” Nick smiled.
“That’s Vera. Our director,” Ivy told him.
Vera gave Nick anamastegreeting. Ever since Covid, she had stopped shaking hands with people. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Nick said. “Are you here for a tasting?”
“That’s a great idea. I bet you have amazing wine. But we’re also location scouting. And I’m really hoping that you’ll consider letting us film here. This is perfect for our movie,” Vera told him.
Nick didn’t even have to think about it. There was no way in hell he was going to let them film in his winery. Especially since Ivy killed him off in their movie. “Sorry, but we don’t allow filming here. This is a working winery.”
“Hi, I’m Drew. The producer. And before you say no again, please know that of course you’ll be compensated.”
“Sorry. The answer’s still no. Your money’s no good here.” Nick laughed.
Drew pulled Ivy aside. “What’s the deal with this Nick guy? Why’s he being such a dick?” He saw it all over her face. “Oh…so this is Rick. Why didn’t you say so?”
“There’s nothing to say. Everything with Nick is in the past,” Ivy said, trying to convince him. She knew that guys could hate being around a girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. “He means nothing to me,” she insisted.
“No worries,” Drew said. “I just really want this winery for filming. Vera’s set on it. Let me see what I can do.” He swaggered back to Nick. “Nick, let’s talk business. What can I do to make this happen? We’ll pay you well for the location. And I might even be able to put you in the movie.”
“Yeah,” Nick said, poker-faced, “that’s not going to happen. Besides, I’m already in the movie. I’m the guy who dies at the end.” He walked away. He was good at walking away, Ivy thought. And this time he did it with a pretty good exit line.
Drew and Vera stared at her.
“What?” Ivy said.
“Fix this!”
She walked outside, hoping to find Nick in the vineyard, but he was nowhere in sight. She was upset. Why was Nick being so mean to her? After all,hewas the one who dumped her. Yes, she killed him in the script, but in real life, he murdered her heart. And now he was refusing to let them use his winery as a location? She felt horrible. If she couldn’t get the winery, Vera would be furious with her. Ivy wondered if she could emotionally survive the filming of her story. She walked to the edge of the property and looked out at the shimmering lake. It was stunning that day. She found herself tearing up as happy memories of her childhood flooded back. Kayaking, paddle-boarding, and going out on the occasional motorboat. She’d forgotten how beautiful it was on the lake. Lost in thought. A voice called out to her. A familiar voice.
“Ivy? Ivy? Is that you?” a woman’s voice called out.
Ivy turned to see Nick’s mom, Frannie, walking toward her. She quickly wiped the tears off her face and put on a forced smile. “Mrs. Shepherd!” Ivy wondered if Nick had told his mom the true story of their breakup.
“Oh, you don’t need to call me Mrs. Shepherd anymore. Call me Frannie. It’s so good to see you, Ivy.” Frannie stopped in front of Ivy and lifted her arms in greeting. Ivy wasn’t sure if Frannie wanted her to lean in for a hug or not. For an awkward moment, she hesitated. She decided that she’d waited too long. A hug wasn’t going to happen.
“You too, Frannie.” She smiled.
“We’ve missed seeing you around here,” Frannie said.
“I’ve missed this place too.”
“Congratulations on the movie. Everyone in Geneva is really excited. Thanks to you, business will boom this summer,” Frannie told Ivy.
“Thank you. And that’s kind of why we’re here. At Shepherd’s. We were really hoping that we could use the winery as a location for filming,” Ivy explained. She wasn’t optimistic and assumed Frannie would agree with Nick and say no. Which was why she was so surprised when Frannie said—
“That’s wonderful!” Frannie was beaming. She actually looked thrilled by the idea.
