I spent the better part of the week after El and I parted ways completely miserable. The worst part was that it wasn’t like ripping off a Band-Aid. She didn’t walk away from me and then leave me to nurse my wounds alone. She walked right back into my life every single day when I went over to the Cunning Ham after a full day at West Wines to help Mom.It wasn’t her fault. El worked there. And I was glad—she was a phenomenal wine hostess and made more sales from behind the counter than I ever could have. I couldn’t wait to see what she’d do when we turned her loose on the unsuspected restaurants around here. But I wasn’t going to be at her side to celebrate with her.And that hurt.What hurt more was the way she utterly ignored me every evening when I arrived, literally turning away as if I didn’t even exist. She laughed and chatted with everyone who came through the door as if her life was just peachy, as if we hadn’t shared anything, as if none of it mattered to her.Meanwhile, I mope

I didn’t see anything. Couldn’t hear anything. I was walking out the door like a scared little chicken, too overwhelmed by what Boston had just shared to function properly. And let’s face it, I was Isabel Watson, the bumbling blonde with coordination issues and a surprisingly long streak of bad luck. That was my only explanation for what happened next.My shoulder hit the side of the doorframe and the impact jarred my teeth loose. It also jarred loose the teeth on my zip up sports bra. I spun in a full circle due to the impact, during which time my girls felt their restraints fall away and headed for a hasty escape as the zipper gave. My arms came up to cross over the front of my chest and I ran into another wall. This time the wall was Boston. His eyes peered down at me, looking so concerned it further melted that wall of ice I’d been trying to build around my heart. I wanted to look down to assess the situation, but I didn’t dare. It was bad. I could feel the sides of the bra poking

“It’s just . . . I mean, it’s not very you.”I set down a folding chair and stood up to look my brother in the eye. “Right. And I think that’s the answer. I’ve been too me this whole time.”“Uh, sure.”“No, you’re right. I’m the problem. I’m uptight and hard driving. I never just stop and enjoy the view, because I’m always worried about letting something fall, letting someone down. I think it’s time to be less me. I’m going to let it all go and take a chance.”Lincoln looked skeptical, but he didn’t say anything else.El arrived just after nine, looking adorable with her hair pulled into a ponytail and her polo shirt tucked into a short khaki skirt. Ashley was at her side, and as they walked past me in the parking lot, El gave me a soft smile and Ashley leaned behind her and offered me a dramatic wink.I smiled at El and tried not to encourage Ashley, who’d been so enthusiastic on the phone when I’d called to ask for her help, that I was still concerned I might have a burst eardrum.I

A flicker of recognition sprang to life in me, and my stomach clenched. “Oh no,” I muttered. I had a bad feeling about things. This was sounding a lot like what happened with me and Chad at the wine festival. To everyone else, this was just a rag-tag theater production, but I could sense something bigger happening up on that stage.The pig took the mannequin’s hand and her arm fell off. The audience gasped and Boston scrambled to pop it back on. From behind me, poor Frank bellowed something I couldn’t quite make out. Boston successfully got the arm back on and cleared his throat, clearly determined to continue this truly horrific play.“Allow me to woo you, lovely maiden?”Well, there was a blast from the past. I hadn’t heard the word “woo” in a while. But there was no time to consider it because the play marched on.“I am willing to be wooed,” the mannequin said.Mom, Dalton, and Lincoln all reached below their chairs and picked up signs that had been lying face down on the stage. Mo

And I had to admit, the tasting room had never looked better.The clock hit two and I spun around, taking it all in. “It looks fantastic, Pam! That bride is going to be over the moon.” I glanced at the front door. “If she ever gets here.”Right on cue, the door opened and Ashley walked in. “Hey—oh! Wow. You’ve outdone yourself, Pam.” She gazed around at the décor and then grabbed me in an iron grip. “You’re coming with me. We gotta discuss some wine stuff.”I frowned, but hustled after her, lest she rip my arm out of the socket as she towed me to the back room. “What is your deal? The bride will be here any second and I promise you we have the wines sorted.”Ashley spun and held my hands in hers. “Are you sure? I think we should have an extra sparkling wine. I think this bride might be a drinker.”I tilted my head. Something was off about Ashley. “You okay, Ash? You seem jumpy. Odd, somehow.”She looked away and I knew something was up. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.Where’s the sparkling win