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“I shouldn’t have gone to Cabrera Wine without first consulting you. I know you’ve always had your heart set on running Fox. I wanted to give you that legacy, and I know... I know you would have done me proud.”
He walked over and knelt before her, clasping her hands in his. Hot tears filled her eyes. She brushed them away with the back of her hand even as one escaped and trailed down her cheek.
Adrian Cabrera cleared his throat and stood. “Perhaps I should leave. This seems like a private matter.”
Her dad leaned forward, kissed her forehead and stood. “It is, but it also involves you. Everleigh deserves to know the reason why I’m selling to Cabrera Wine. And, as you pointed out, if you’re to lead the business we all need to be on the same page.”
Everleigh frowned. “You’re still going to sell?”
Her dad sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yes. Not because I want to, Everleigh. Because Ihaveto.”
Her heart started to pound against her chest. “What?”
Her dad turned away and looked back at the fire.
Her fear ratcheted up another notch. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He finally looked back at her, and she barely resisted the urge to shrink back in her chair. His skin had gone gray, as if every drop of energy had been leeched from his body. His shoulders curled in and he gripped the edge of the mantle.
“Everleigh, the winery is bankrupt. If I don’t sell to Cabrera next month we’ll have to shut down.”
Adrian watched Everleigh as her father’s words sank in. She stared at him for a moment, the color slowly draining from her skin. Then she drew a shaky hand through her hair.
He’d known about Fox’s troubles ever since Richard had reached out—had known last night, when Everleigh had confronted him at the party. But it hadn’t been his place to tell her.
He’d eased his discomfort by telling himself that Richard had withheld the information from his daughter because he didn’t trust her, because she wouldn’t be able to handle the change in the family’s finances. But, no. It had all been because a father hadn’t wanted to hurt his daughter.
Everleigh sank back into her chair as she rubbed her forehead. “How did this happen?” she asked finally.
Respect stirred in Adrian’s chest. A quiver laced her voice, but other than that she appeared calm...focused.
Richard scrubbed a hand over his face, defeat deepening wrinkles. “Little by little,” he finally ground out. “I was too focused on what was going on with my illness. I ignored the warning signs. Broken equipment that set production back... Not having enough inventory to cover orders for the last rosé...”
“But you said the equipment had been fixed,” Everleigh broke in, a frown etched into her forehead. “And what happened with the rosé last fall? The reviews, the pre-orders, social media...everything was so positive.”
A weary smile tugged at Richard’s lips. “I know. Because you’re great at your job. The rosé soldtoowell.”
That gave Adrian pause. Everleigh worked for Fox? He’d been impressed by the winery’s branding, and their social media presence rivaled Cabrera’s. But the idea that he might still have to deal with Miss Bradford after this sale was over was not a positive one. The possibility of a night with her disappeared in a flash and left him burning with suppressed need. He’d dated an employee once. One disaster was more than enough.
“I didn’t hire the best inventory manager and I wasn’t paying attention,” Richard said to Everleigh, bringing Adrian’s attention back to the conversation. “By the time I realized we didn’t have enough to cover orders it was too late. I had to issue a lot of refunds and pass on business to other wineries.”
Everleigh sat forward in her chair, her lips parted and her face pale. Adrian had taken a step toward her before he’d even realized what he was doing. He changed direction and walked over to one of the windows, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.
“How did I not know about any of this?” Everleigh’s voice trembled.
Adrian kept his gaze trained on the green sloping fields of the countryside.
“Because I kept you and the rest of the staff in the dark. I kept thinking I could make it work...that the next thing would be what was needed to turn Fox around. But that didn’t happen and it’s led...” He sucked in a shuddering breath. “Led to the winery being on the verge of bankruptcy.”
Silence reigned, broken only by the crackling of the logs in the fireplace. Adrian regretted requesting this little meeting. In a moment of irritation he had suggested it as punishment for the way Richard had handled this situation. But now, as he turned just in time to see the play of emotions across Everleigh’s stunned face, he felt like a bastard.
His mother might have shut him out of her life after losing the baby, but she’d still ensured that he was raised in luxury. While Everleigh might not live with the same extravagance, she nonetheless enjoyed a comfortable life. What would it be like for her to find out in the blink of an eye that everything she’d had was gone?
“But surely there must be something we can do,” she protested. “We have a new wine this summer, two in the fall, and we have weddings booked for the new venue starting in October. Dad, we—”
“Fox will continue as a sub-brand of Cabrera,” Adrian interjected.
That and paying off the mortgage on Richard’s home were the two things the older man had stood firm on. To Adrian, paying the mortgage was inconsequential. The compromise to change the labeling toCabrera Wine Presents Fox Vineyardsstill rankled. Selling up should be just that—selling a company, not sharing new billing.
