Fire and WINE by Krichele Monroe

Author:Krichele Monroe [Monroe, Krichele]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Si View Publishing
Published: 2023-08-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Gone Sour-Malcolm

Teddy chose to play dirty, and it caught me off guard. I should’ve known better and should never have let my guard down. I got so comfortable celebrating my success that I forgot that Teddy would be on the attack. And he didn’t hold back, he went straight for the jugular, shutting our business down completely and embarrassing our brand in the process.

He’s going to pay for this. I just don’t know how yet.

I pace back and forth, my gaze drifting to the vast vineyard visible through the office window. I can’t remember the last time I was this fearful, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m on the verge of losing everything that matters—the land, the business, the only good part of my father’s legacy, and Trish’s dream.

The last thing I want to do is disappoint the people who depend on me. I have a winery full of staff that need their pay to survive. I promised the fieldworkers a better work-life if they came to work for me, and now I may have to go back on my word.

I cannot remember ever feeling this miserable before.

The offer from Theodore sits on my desk, a deceptively benign piece of paper that threatens to upend everything. He’s offered to buy us out, a lifeline that might keep us afloat. But at what cost? It feels like a surrender, a white flag raised before a loathsome enemy. The thought of his smug face relishing victory makes my blood boil.

Trish’s voice breaks through my troubled thoughts.

“I can’t believe you’re considering his offer!” Her green eyes are ablaze with fury and disbelief.

She’s grown attached to the vineyard, to this plot of land that she’s poured her heart into. It’s become a part of her, as much as it’s a part of me.

“I don’t see another way out, Trish,” I say, my voice sounding as defeated as I feel.

“That’s because you’re not looking hard enough!” she retorts, her voice echoing through the room. “This is our home, Malcolm! You’re just going to hand it over to that snake?”

Her passion and fury kindle something—a spark of hope, a sliver of stubborn defiance within me.

She’s right. I’ve fought tooth and nail to build this winery, to make my father’s legacy my own, and to make a home for Trish’s dreams. I’m not about to hand it over to Theodore.

“No,” I say firmly, crumpling the offer in my hand. “No, we won’t be doing that.”

Trish’s eyes soften, her anger ebbing away, replaced by relief and a renewed determination. “Then let’s find another way,” she says, her voice steady.

And with that, we begin anew. This war is not over. And as long as Trish and I stand together, we won’t let it be.

Trish says, “I contacted the best exterminator in Napa Valley, and guess what he said…”.

“What?”

“He cannot find a single rat on site. He said he doesn’t believe we have an infestation, but a pesky enemy who planted the rat feces in the cellar.”

“Really? How can he tell?”

“Well, he said the droppings were old, like weeks old.

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