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“Everything okay?” Ellen asks as a way of greeting me, not even realizing this has nothing to do with the vineyard and everything to do with her nosiness. Wonder where her kids get it?
“Here at the vineyard, yes, but with you and me, no,” I snap, but as annoyed as I am with her for lying to me, I’m finding it difficult to keep up this feisty persona. Every time I want to lay into her, Jack’s beautiful face pops into my head and I’m stunned into silence.
“What are you even talking about?” Ellen asks, letting out an annoyed huff and sounding very much like our mother.
“I’m talking about you lying to me.”
“Lying to you about what?” she asks, but I know she’s scanning her brain for all the times she’s bullshitted me in the past.
Being the younger sister means you get shit on. It’s the way the world works or at least the way it worked in our house.
Ellen outgrew clothes, and they became mine. Ellen stayed out past curfew, so mine was moved up an hour. Because she was the oldest she was privy to all the quiet little details that were whispered between her and our mother.
“You set me up and then you lied to me about it. You knew you hired Jack because you had to sponsor his visa. You knew it was him all along and you played dumb.”
I hear Ellen exhale hard into the phone, the sound of her breath loud in my ear, as she says, “Listen Lauren, yeah, I knew it was him, well at least I thought it was, but there’s way more to this…”
“More to your lies? Holy fuck, is this like one of those shitty teen comedy romances where you and Jack are in cahoots, like you paid him to date me but then he really falls in love with me.” I’m pacing my tiny office, coming to the end of the room in about six steps and having to turn back around instantly. “For fuck’s sake, Ellen, you better not have made me the next nerdy outcast!”
“Jackisin love with you,” Ellen cuts in trying to distract me from the real reason for my call.
“So you did set this up with him?” I ask, my voice coming across in a high-pitched whine, hating the fact that this wasn’t possibly as organic as I thought it was.
“No. Shit, Lauren, settle down. Can you let me explain?” I nod my head in response to Ellen’s question even though I know she can’t see me. I’m trying to process this whole thing.
“When you asked me to find someone to fix the crusher I called Dad. I know we don’t like to involve them in the business any longer, but we clearly had no idea who to contact to help us get that damn thing fixed. That’s when Dad suggested I reach out to Tony, Jack’s dad.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” I ask, wondering why she would keep this all from her business partner.
“Seriously, Lauren? I kept it from you because I knew you would be irrational, since you were still carrying around your unrequited crush on Jack Wilson.” She laughs a little and I don’t find her teasing funny in the least.
“Whatever,” I respond, dismissing her and the idea that I would be irrational about anything.
“Can I finish now?” Ellen scolds, like she’s talking to one of her kids.
“Yes,” I reply annoyed.
“So, I was able to track down Tony through some old business associates that he and Dad have in common. Which led him to tell me he’s also retired, but to contact his son. Now he didn’t tell me his son’s name and in my defense when I filled out the paperwork to sponsor Jack’s visa, his name isn’t actually Jack, it’s John. I assumed it was possibly his brother or something.”
“He’s an only child,” I tell her growing more annoyed with her stupid lengthy explanation. “Can you get on with it? You’re getting old, Ellen. You tell stories like Mom does.”
“Well, whatever. I felt like you could use a distraction from all the bullshit with Nate, something to remind you that you loved the vineyard and that you once loved someone other than Nate. So, I went through with it and hoped like hell it was Jack.”
“That’s the same thing he said to me,” I mutter, my voice catching in my throat at her words as I realize maybe this was exactly how everything was supposed to play out.
“Said what?”
“That he hoped like hell it was me.”
“Maybe some things are just meant to be,” Ellen says, a kindness in her voice, a soothing tone that makes me feel like I might cry. “I didn’t set you up, Lauren. I promise I didn’t. I just wanted you to be happy again and if going out on a limb with a hunch I had was the way to it, I was willing to give it a try.”
I don’t know if I should thank her or cry or run and find Jack and confess that I do love him. I’m huge fucking mess right now thanks to Ellen and her meddling.
“Do you really think he loves me?” I ask her and she busts out laughing.
“Oh my god, not this shit again. You sure you don’t want to send me a million emails detailing everything he’s said to you so I can analyze it?”
“Fuck off,” I say, laughing through the tears that have pooled in my eyes.
