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The symbolism hit Frankie hard, and she blinked back her tears.
"Josephine Valenti, do you remember back when we were young and newly in love? When we'd sit out at the beach bonfires and dream with a bottle of wine between us?"
Jo nodded her head and her smile dimmed a little.
"My dream was to own my own business. You stood by my side every step of the way while we made that dream a reality. You took care of the kids and kept the office running and the bills paid and gave more years than I ever had the right to expect to my dream. And I thank you for that. Because of your sacrifices, we have a legacy to pass on to our kids."
Jo's lips pursed, and Frankie was willing to bet there were tears being absorbed by that blindfold, but she still didn't speak.
Dom pushed on, putting his heart on his sleeve for the world to see. Frankie hoped it would be enough to bring her parents back together.
"I remember your dreams too. You were going to be a teacher, and when we retired we were going to drink wine and watch the sunsets over a plot of land in the country. Do you remember?"
His voice was thick with tears now, and Jo's shoulders were shaking as she nodded.
"You've taught our children how to be wonderful adults. I know that's not exactly how you pictured being a teacher, but you have to know the difference you made in all of our lives. I hope this second part shows our appreciation. I hope…" Dom cleared the emotion from his throat. "I hope it's everything you dreamed we could have."
He reached back to untie the blindfold, and Jo winced at the sudden brightness. But as her eyes adjusted and she realized where they stood, they grew round with wonder. "Dom, what are you saying? What does this mean?" She clutched his arm as he turned her more fully toward the house.
"It means this was all for you. For us. I'm walking away from the building business. I'm leaving it in very good hands," he said as he looked over his shoulder to where they all stood, watching.
For the first time, her mother realized she had an audience, and self-consciously wiped her cheeks. "Oh, Dom. This is too much. Is this what you've been hiding the last few months?"
"This, and a few other things I'll tell you about later. Do you like it?"
"I'm overwhelmed. It's beautiful, of course, but I never thought it would be mine."
"Well, it's fifty acres in the country, and I thought we could give making our own wine a go. I know you want to retire and travel and do all those things we dreamed, but let's be honest. You'll go nuts with me underfoot, and I'll go nuts without a project to tackle. This solves all of those problems, but still gives us the freedom to do those things we dreamed about all those years ago. Will you let me show you my dream for us?"
Jo looked up at him, and Frankie saw love and hope and pride written clearly on her face. That's what she wanted someday. She wanted to look at her man like that, and have it all be reflected right back at her. Frankie chanced a glance at Jake then, and he wasn't looking at her parents, or at the screen. He was looking right at her, and what she saw there weakened her knees.
They had a lot to talk about, but the expression on his face gave her hope that someday her dreams would come true, and he would be the man to help her make that happen.
Now if they could just get through this shoot…
* * *
Frankie heldon to her patience as she showed her mother the great room that would be perfect for entertaining, the back bedrooms that could be rented for events, and the renovated bathrooms in what was the old farmhouse. Jo oohed and aahed her way through the kitchen, which made it easier for her to ignore her emotions as she showed her mom the in-ground wine cellar.
Those same pesky emotions threatened to overwhelm her when she took her mother into what would be the lower level tasting room, complete with distressed wooden bar. Jake was everywhere in this house. If they didn't manage to work things out, it was going to be real hard to carry on. But Frankie couldn't let herself think things like that. The camera picked up everything and today it needed to see joy and delight.
They walked the terraced decks that they'd installed at various levels to maximize the views over the vineyards and then crossed to the slab of concrete that had once been the barn.
Everyone grew solemn at the sight of the bare concrete and charred edges, an acknowledgement of the fire that had come so close to taking everything. Frankie had pressure-washed the floor and sealed it tight, but the smoke and fire staining remained. Personally she thought it would add character to the space for her siblings' weddings.
By the end of the day her feet were throbbing and her cheeks hurt from smiling. She would kill for a glass of red wine and a foot massage. Luckily, the wrap party was getting into gear so the glass of wine at least wouldn't require a body count. She leaned against the kitchen sink and looked out the window at the best view ever. Her parents were propped against the deck railing she'd built, arms around each other, watching the sunset over their vines.Mission accomplished.
Now she just needed Jake to get back up here from his production trailer. She wanted to talk to him about everything that had happened. She hoped for his advice on her plan and to tease him into laughter. He didn’t laugh enough. He had laughed with her.
Oh, fuck.
Frankie blinked rapidly against the loss that twisted her gut into knots.
Jake tapped her on the shoulder and she leaped and yelped as if she'd been burned.
"Is now a good time?"
"Sure," she said and smiled tentatively as he led her to the wine cellar. It would be even harder to resist the memories with him there. The man sure knew how to set a scene to his advantage. Given that she was hoping for the same outcome, she didn't mind.
