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“Not till ten.”
“And did he say why he’s coming?” Grant felt guilty. Mr. Hamilton had brought him in to do a specific job—to find ways to make Zosca more efficient. He had done that, but he still felt as though he hadn’t done his job. He felt like he was letting Mr. Hamilton down, although it beat the alternative, which would be doing exactly as Mr. Hamilton wanted and letting Chelsea down.
“Yeah. It’s crunch time. He and I talked a little on Saturday night, and knowing my dad, he mulled it over yesterday and now wants to put things in motion. He doesn’t do well waiting around. Once decisions are made, he likes to move straight to implementation.”
“So, this is it? You’re going to buy him out?”
“Yep.”
“And my work here is done?”
She shrugged. “That’s something we still need to talk about. I don’t want it to be.”
Grant nodded. Neither did he. At the same time, he thought it may be best if he moved on. “What do you need to do before he arrives? Is there anything you need to prepare?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not a formal meeting or anything, he just called to say he wants to stop by and talk it all over.”
“Still, I should pull everything together, show him my findings. I don’t have the full report ready yet, but it won’t take me too long.”
“Okay. Why don’t you go work on that? I want to do the rounds. I need to go up and see the foreman and then stop into sales. They’ve been working on a big new order, and I want to see how that’s going. Do you want to meet me back here a little before ten?”
“Okay.”
She reached up and planted a kiss on his lips. “I like feeling that we’re in this together.”
Grant nodded. He did, too.
~ ~ ~
Chelsea smiled to herself as she walked up through the vineyard. She loved it out here. This was the beginning and the end of it all for her—the grapes, the place where they grew. She’d known when she was just a little girl that she wanted to spend her time growing and producing great wines. Now it was all coming true. Granted, she’d been running Zosca for a while already, but going out on her own, that would make it so much more real. She’d succeed or fail all by herself. She pursed her lips. Would she be all alone, or would Grant be by her side? She didn’t know what he wanted—she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted. She’d told him last night that she knew her wines would have a great business to support them if he were running it, and she knew that was true. But would it work? She knew she could happily turn her back on the business considerations and just focus on making wine. But would Grant even want to do it? Would he want to stay in one place, work in just one business—with her? She didn’t know, but she did know they’d have to figure it out very soon. Her dad wanted to know what she planned to do. She needed to talk to Smoke and figure out the shares and the loan, there was so much to work out. Her dad wouldn’t expect all the answers today, she knew that much, but, as she’d told Grant, it really was crunch time.
By the time she got finished visiting with the foreman and going over the plan for the week and then checked in with Sally in sales, it was almost quarter to ten. She’d wanted a few minutes with Grant before her dad arrived, but as she crossed the foyer heading back to her office, she realized that wasn’t going to happen. She could see her dad’s car pulling up outside. She overcame the urge to run and find Grant, and instead, went out the front doors to greet her dad.
“Good morning, buttercup.” His smile told her he was in a very good mood. Better than she’d expected.
“Hey, Pops,” she went to hug him. “You’re very cheery, are you happy to finally be rid of me?”
He shook his head. “No, you know better than that. I’ve wrestled with my sadness that this little venture of ours isn’t going to be the daddy daughter project I’d initially thought. I’m happy because I’ve finally made my peace with the fact that my littlest bird is about to the fly the nest.” He put his arm around her shoulders, and they walked inside. “I’m happy because I know that in one way or another you’re about to spread your wings and soar.” He winked at her. “I have a feeling that I’m going to need to learn to appreciate the flight of the hummingbird.”
She gave him a puzzled look. “I’m a man who’s always aspired to greatness. I see greatness as an eagle soaring high in the sky. When you think about it, the flight of the hummingbird is much more impressive. It may not soar; it may not be the conventional greatness, but those little birds achieve miracles—just like you will.”
Chelsea chuckled. “Thanks, Dad. I think. You’re right, I don’t need to be one of those big, obvious birds in the sky who everyone admires while overlooking the fact that they’re killers.”
Her dad chuckled with her. “See, you are different because you think so differently.”
“I suppose so. Do you want some coffee before we get started?”
“Yes, please. I don’t have all morning. I have to meet your mother at lunchtime, but I thought we could sit down and have a chat and then bring Grant in?”
She nodded.
“Is that okay with you?”
“Of course it is; why wouldn’t it be?”
“I just wondered how the two of you are getting along if you’ve decided whether his future is with you.”
Her gaze flew up to meet his.
