Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 87155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“No.”
“Good girl,” he said with a smile, shifting his gaze out the window.
“Why haven’t you ever brought us to the winery?”
“I wasn’t sure you’d be interested. You were both too young.”
“It’s our history. Of course we’d be interested.”
“Well, then forgive me my poor choice.”
His voice told me he didn’t want to talk anymore about it. And that was fine. Neither did I.
We drove in silence for a little while, Charlie making what could have been a long trip a little less awkward. The winery was located about an hour from Raphael’s property. I had no idea it was that close. Why hadn’t Raphael mentioned it?
Much like his, it was set off the road with a large house at the top of a hill, surrounded by vineyards in full bloom, the vines thick with lush green leaves. Dark purple-blue grapes grew in abundance. That was so opposite the blackened vines surrounding Raphael’s house it was startling.
“We’re here, Sir,” the driver said.
“Thank you.” I reached to open the door, but my grandfather put a hand on my knee to stop me.
“We’ll be right out.”
“Sir.” The driver nodded and left us alone.
“About what you said the other day. I don’t hate you,” Grandfather said. “And I may have blamed you for your mother’s…choices…but I realize that’s not quite right. I am trying, Sofia.”
I looked at him, his lined gray eyes showing his age. I bit the inside of my mouth and nodded. Too many questions to ask, but this moment, I felt like it was truth. His truth, at least.
But then, I thought about the amendment to the contract. Had Raphael lied about that? Had my grandfather ever asked for the marriage to be consummated? I should have asked, but I couldn’t. Instead, I managed a thank-you.
We opened the doors and climbed out. I had Charlie on a leash, and I kept him on it as we walked up the hill toward the house. “It’s bigger than I realized it would be.”
“About four-hundred acres. And I’ve put a bid in on a nearby property.”
“A bid? We’re buying more?”
“You will lose half in three years, Sofia. I want to make sure you have something left once this marriage is dissolved and Amado feels as if he’s gotten his just desserts.”
I felt the hostility in his voice as if it were a physical thing.
“But how will you keep it from him?”
“It will be in your name. Not Guardia Winery. My agreement with Amado is Guardia Winery shares. Not Sofia Guardia’s private property.”
I’d never have thought of that. Clever, I supposed. And maybe I was naive, like Raphael liked to say, but I was glad I didn’t think of how I could manipulate things to my advantage.
But there was one question. “How will you buy it? With what money? If it’s not Guardia—”
He gave me a smile and turned to head into the house. “Don’t worry about that. You just keep that little bit of news to yourself.”
I followed him inside, appreciating the coolness of the place compared to the heat outside. Although mornings were nice and the air was relatively dry in the region, the afternoon sun could be stifling.
I found myself in the entryway of what once must have been a grand house. Opposite the beauty of Raphael’s house, this was, as I’d told him, used more like a factory than anything else. Gutted and dirty, it stored machinery and had long counters of work space where employees did their jobs as we walked around, surveying it all.
“When your mother was younger, we used to come during the harvest. The bedrooms upstairs are still intact. If you’d like to see them—”
“Yes!” I was so excited, I cut him off. I cleared my throat. “Please.”
A man approached us with a pleasant, but urgent smile. My grandfather introduced him as the manager. After shaking my hand, the man mentioned something to my grandfather, and Grandfather turned to me.
“If you don’t mind, you’ll have to go on your own. I have to take care of something.”
“No, that’s fine. Thanks.”
Even better. I couldn’t believe my luck.
“The last room was your mother’s.”
Leaving them behind, I went up the stairs with Charlie at my side. There were only three bedrooms here. The first was very small, fitting only one single bed and a nightstand inside. There was no mattress on the bed, only the frame, and the walls were bare. The few steps I took inside left my prints in the layer of dust on the floor.
The second bedroom was twice as large. A king-size bed stood against the far wall. This one had its mattress intact, but it was covered over with a dust cloth. A nightstand on either side held lamps without lightbulbs. A dresser stood against one wall. I tried the drawers but found them empty.
On my way to the final bedroom, I passed a bathroom. It looked like it hadn’t been updated for some time. As I neared my mother’s room, my stomach fluttered with butterflies. I wondered when she’d been here last, how old she’d been.