The Holiday Mix-Up by Ginny Baird

Author:Ginny Baird
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks

SIXTEEN

Katie called after mateo as he dashed toward the door. “A leak? What? Where?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “That’s what I’m going to find out.”

“Mateo, wait!” She followed him out of his apartment, determined to help with whatever it was. She’d made such a big mess of everything, maybe she could do some good. “I’m coming with you!” She was definitely going to be late for work, but Daisy would understand once she’d told her everything.

She pulled her cell from her purse, close on Mateo’s heels as he bolted down the stairs. He reached the ground floor and raced through the tasting room as Katie sent a frantic text to Daisy.

Be in late! ER at LC!

Hopefully, Daisy could decipher that. Katie would text to explain further when she got a chance.

Mateo yanked open the door that led to the basement and darted down the metal staircase. Katie was right behind him. The alarm was still blaring. Then a loud whooshing noise met her ears. It sounded like rushing rapids. No, not water. Wine.

“Help!” Abuelo called. “I’m down here!”

“This way!” Mateo called. They cut through a large room containing a checkout counter with a register below a partial window. It appeared to be the vineyard’s gift shop, with built-in shelving holding knickknacks, like customized wine goblets, fancy corks, and grape-themed kitchen towels. This was the room she’d seen from outside with all the racks of wine on display.

Additional bottles lay in open wooden crates on tables. Those seemed to have special seals on them and blue ribbons, but it all went by in a blur.

The interior wall on the vineyard side was one huge glass window overlooking a series of stainless steel fermentation tanks a few feet below them. The tanks all had hoses connecting to them and running somewhere out of view. The floor was a sea of red.

Mateo stared at the scene in horror. “Oh no.”

Katie gasped. Abuelo had his hands around a dislodged hose that had somehow broken free from the tank. His arms strained to hang on to it as he tried to force it back onto the valve of the tank. Wine spewed everywhere. Up the side of the fermentation tank, across the room. All over Abuelo and his clothes. The hose seemed to have a mind of its own, refusing to stay still and let him attach it. It was an impossible task with the wine gushing out of the tank so fast.

Mateo held his head with both hands and ran even faster. “Why hasn’t he shut it off?” he yelled, more to himself than to Katie. He burst through another door and down a short set of steps. Red wine seeped toward the bottom step, emerging from a tunnellike room lined with oak casks. “Crap!” Mateo cried, racing through it, kicking up wine spray as he ran.

The liquid covered the floor and was at least an inch deep, maybe more. Katie’s canvas shoes became instantly soaked, squishing and squirting wine up onto her pant legs and puffy white coat.

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