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I approach the house with the kitten as Dom climbs out of his car with Cory, and an old, red beater truck pulls in. Cassidy O’Doul, my vintner, waves through the windshield as she turns the truck off.
Every year, I hire an outside company to harvest the grapes. Well, rather they pay me to harvest them. I lease them my vines and they take care of them so I don’t have to. This year instead, I hired a vintner, and she made 120 cases of sparkling moscato. She told me she only used about an acre of vines out of the three acres I have, and we sold the rest of the grapes. After paying her half a year’s salary, as well as the farmers hired, I basically broke even selling 100 of the cases. Cassidy kept ten cases, and I kept ten. The cases she sold will be sent off in the next few months to different liquor stores.
This year was a trial run, and it was successful in my book. It means next year I can hire Cassidy as a full-time vintner and start up the winery. First, we would sell in a local store, but soon I would open up the wine barn, and have tastings on site.
In a few years, I plan to have 50 acres of grapes and a multitude of wines. My role in all this will be to invest. I don’t know shit about growing wine, but I know about turning a dollar into two.
Cassidy is a petite blonde in her 40s, but looks 21. I hired her on Todd’s recommendation. She’d lost her own vineyard after a nasty divorce, and was looking for a partner. I had the land, and she had the knowledge.
Dom kisses me and takes the kitten from my arms. Cassidy climbs out of the truck and heads to the bed to unload my wine. “Who is this little guy?” Dom tickles the kitten’s ears as we walk toward the back of Cassidy’s truck.
“Haley’s brought me a guilt trip present,” I inform him. “Hey Cass! Perfect timing. I’m having a dinner party tonight, and we definitely will put these to the test! You hungry?”
“I can’t stay tonight,” she tells me. “Just dropping off our babies.”
“What’s this?” Dom hands the kitten back to me.
“Cassidy this is…” I hesitate at first, but decide to give him the title, “… my boyfriend, Dom,” It feels a little weird but I’m about to ask him to meet Charlotte, so I’m all in at this point.
“Dom, Cassidy, and I are new business partners. I haven’t a clue how to turn grapes to wine, but she’s got loads of experience.”
Dom’s eyes light up, and he grabs two cases of wine. “I had no clue you even had a vineyard. How neat. Where should I put these?”
“In the foyer. I plan to send you and Mac home with a few.” He plants a kiss on my head as he walks by and goes to the house. Cory grabs two cases and follows Dom.
“Damn, Andi. That man’s got arms for days. Are you willing to share?” Cassidy grins.
“No. He’s got a brother though.” I grin. “Next dinner party?”
“Hell, yeah!” She smirks as Dom comes back outside with Cory and Mac in tow. They grab the last of the cases, and I say goodbye to Cassidy.
When I head inside, Mac has already pulled out two bottles and is uncorking them in the kitchen. Cory and Dom are finding wine glasses as Haley picks at chips.
“Okay. Be honest when you try it,” I say, grabbing a bottle and pouring it into the glasses. “If it tastes like shit, say it.”
Mac’s girlfriend finally makes herself known, and comes out of the small bathroom off the kitchen, and grabs a wine glass. I don’t bother remembering her name, because she will be gone when the month changes.
She tucks herself into his arm as he raises his glass. “I just want to say that I am so very proud of you, baby sis.” Mac grins. “I never imagined that we would be here. No matter if this tastes like shit, you took the plunge into something unknown, and you’ll always come out wiser for that.”
Mac clinks his glass to mine as everyone else meets us in the middle and Haley chants, “Okay! Drink!”
It’s silent as everyone tastes the wine.
Dom is the first to say something. “This is amazing. Holy shit, babe.” My cheeks heat and I smile shyly. He grabs the bottle and notes that they aren’t labeled. “What’s it gonna be called?” He asks.
I pull the labels I had delivered to the house from a drawer in the island and hand them to Mac. It’s a beautiful cream-colored paper, with trees on the background, and a black and white unicorn rearing up. In large script, it says Sorrento Vineyards, and in smaller print, The Steel Unicorn. There’s the year printed in fine print, and a description on the back.
When Mac is finished reading, he looks up with water-filled eyes. “For Dad?”
“For all of us,” I pant. “For Dad. For you, and Beau, and Charlotte. All the wines will have different names.
“The background will always be the unicorn, since it’s Charlotte’s favorite. But the names will be different for each of you. I haven’t come up with it all. I just knew the moscato would be Charlotte’s. It’s going to take a lot of time, but I’m happy with what we’ve accomplished.”
“Holy shit, Andi. You’re fucking amazing.” Haley squeezes my arm. “This is amazing. I love it all. You’ve always been such a big dreamer.”
“I want this served at the bar,” Mac agrees.
“Thanks,” I smile. “So, I have ten cases. I want to save two bottles. I want to keep one here in my personal collection, and set up a second one on display when we get the barn running for tastings. Mac, take a couple cases.
