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“No. Not a problem. I just … I guess I need to get used to it.”
“You will. It won’t take long.” Hannah’s smile faded. “I wish it wasn’t that way, but it is. And you’re about to be subjected to another aspect of being part of the Jacobs family.”
“What’s that?”
She jerked her chin toward the main doors, where a large group of people who looked way too overdressed for a kids’ carol concert was standing. “The wine families. Some of them like to gather and be seen at all community events.”
“Shit. Are you supposed to be standing there as part of some welcoming committee?”
She laughed. “Nope. That’s Jacob’s job. And he only deigns to make official appearances at major events.”
“Yeesh. So, there’s a hierarchy? Are these folks the mid-tier wine royalty, and Jacob’s more top shelf?”
Hannah laughed again. “You could say that. Although, I wouldn’t say it where anyone could hear you. These folks don’t consider themselves mid-tier anything.” She stopped short. “And Alexandria DuPont is definitely up there on the top shelf with Jacob.”
Grady stopped walking, wanting to get clear about this before they reached the wineland royalty and he managed to put his foot in it somehow.
“Alexandria DuPont? As in, the matriarch of DuPont Wineries?”
“Yes, that’s her talking to Jacob.”
“Damn, she looks rough.”
Hannah slapped his arm. “Grady! I’m hoping to get us past them with as little fuss as possible. Saying things like that doesn’t exactly boost my confidence that we’re going to be able to do that.”
He chuckled. “Sorry. I’ll behave. But I’m not just being an asshole. Look at her. I’ve seen photos of her before, but she’s not the type to come into Molly’s. Either she has a damn good makeup artist, or a Photoshop wizard, or …” He looked at the woman again. She must be in her mid-fifties. She was in good shape. She’d probably been a real looker in her day. But she looked … “Or she’s ill. I think she must be sick.”
Hannah looked, too. “Oh. I see what you mean. You might be right.”
At that moment, Jacob spotted them, and beckoned them over. Hannah gripped Grady’s hand. “Come on. We can do this. And if I know Jacob, he’ll extricate us from that whole deal in under a minute.”
Grady grinned. “The better I get to know your brother, the more I like him.”
“Hannah, Grady!” Jacob smiled as they approached. “Has Ava gone in already?”
“She has.” Grady loved that Jacob looked disappointed not to see her. “She’s looking forward to seeing you afterwards.”
“Great. Perhaps we can all go up to the house for hot chocolate and Christmas cookies.” Jacob turned to the woman standing beside him. “Alexandria, I know you haven’t seen Hannah in a while, and I’d like to introduce you to Grady Pierce.”
Now that they were closer, the woman looked ashen, but she smiled warmly at them. “It’s lovely to see you back, Hannah. And I hear that you’re back to stay?”
“I am. It’s lovely to see you, too. I’m sorry I haven’t made the time to come over. Are the girls coming home for the holidays?”
Alexandria’s smile faltered. “Not this year. Willow’s in Bordeaux and Victoria …” She looked as though she had a bad taste in her mouth as she continued, “Torias we’re all supposed to call her now, is staying in Nashville. That girl who she sings for is doing some concert on Christmas Eve.”
“Aww, that’s a shame. But Bentley’s still here?”
“Yes.” Alexandria smiled again. “He’s still the mainstay of the family. And Jacob was just telling me that Xander might be coming. You know Bentley will be thrilled to see him if he comes.”
Hannah nodded. “We’re hoping.”
Grady was starting to feel like a spare part, but Alexandria turned her smile on him. He couldn’t figure her out. She was obviously wealthy, he wanted to dismiss her as a snob, but her smile was kind, and when she met his gaze there was genuine warmth in her eyes. “Forgive me, Grady. It’s lovely to meet you. It’s just been so long since I’ve seen Hannah – and you know what we women are like for catching up. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
He smiled back. “Not at all. It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“And I hear you work with Molly, and that your niece is going to be part of the concert tonight?”
He nodded, wondering if Jacob had told her that or if the Napa grapevine extended its reach even into the luxury homes that reigned over the large estates. “That’s right.”
