CHAPTER THIRTEEN
E
MMA
DROVE
BACK
to Cloverdale the next afternoon to use the wireless connection at Starbucks. She’d finished a print ad for one client and needed to upload it to their password-protected website for review.
While she enjoyed a skinny latte and checked her email, she accepted two more print-ad assignments from the advertising agency Tracy used to work for. She’d wanted to take out her sketchbook and pencil while she enjoyed her coffee, but her fingers got clammy at the thought.
Miracle of miracles, her mother had sent her an email and left her a voice mail. Both mentioned her murder case wasn’t due to be handed over to jury for deliberations until early next week. As soon as a verdict came in, she’d come down from Sacramento for a visit. Yes, Emma should call the doctor. No, she didn’t want the character of Harmony Valley to change, either. Love, etc., Mom.
Will had invited Emma to the Harmony Valley Lions Club meeting later that afternoon. She’d promised to try to broach the topic of the winery with her grandmother if he promised to respect the character of Harmony Valley, something Will admitted he and his partners were already trying to do. Unfortunately, Emma hadn’t found the right moment to discuss the winery with Granny Rose.
“What did I miss?” Emma asked her grandmother when she slid into the church pew just after four o’clock, craning her neck to see if Tracy was there.
She wasn’t.
“You missed nothing. Will is saying the same old, same old,” Granny Rose whispered, sparing a breath to blow a lock of white hair off her forehead.
“They didn’t mention anything about scaling back their designs or respecting the character of the town?” She’d expected that much, at least.
“They said they’ve decided to restore the existing buildings, but I don’t believe them. Look at that. It’s that hoochy hot spot again. Looks like the perfect place for someone like Will to be an exhibitionist. He hasn’t made a play for you, has he?”
Given the small size of the church and the urgency of her grandmother’s question, everyone heard her, including Will. He was up on the altar, as he’d been the night of the council meeting, looking handsome in khakis and a burgundy polo. He stopped talking and pinned Emma with a dark look that demanded she rein in her grandmother.
Dark, demanding looks from Will were something Emma absolutely did not need.
She’d spent a fair amount of time lecturing herself on the perils of infatuation. As lectures went, she’d thought the message had sunk into her brain.
Obviously not. She could almost smell Will’s aftershave from four rows back.
Cheeks heating, Emma waited for the meeting to resume before whispering, “Did the doctor call?”
“Your doctor didn’t call,” Granny Rose whispered back, her gaze locked on Will. “I don’t know who your doctor is.”
Emma swallowed her exasperation. “Did
your
doctor call?”
“Yes. How did you know?” Granny Rose spared Emma a quick glance.
Sam, who was sitting in front of them, frowned over his shoulder.
“They called the other day,” Emma lied, wishing her grandmother could read lips. “While you were working on
The Music Man.
What did they want?”
“They wanted me to come in for a checkup, but I’m much too busy.”
Emma blew out a frustrated breath.
Granny Rose tilted her face toward Emma, still keeping Will in her sights. “You should call your doctor if you’re not feeling well. At my age, I expect I’ll feel good until the moment I keel over. But that’s just the way I am. At your age, even the most minor problem could turn into something that could kill you. Like the Big C. Cancer isn’t something you postpone. If it’s cancer you’re worried about, head right home and call your doctor.”
“I feel fine. I don’t have cancer.” Knock on wood.
“I’m just saying. I’ve seen enough people in this town ignore those little warning signs and then
bam—
” Granny Rose snapped her fingers “—you check into the Eternal Rest Motel. Why, just this spring, Nadine Tarkley dropped dead of heart failure hefting a bag of kitty litter out of the back of her Caddy.” She paused, looking at Will skeptically. “I wonder if that computer nerd lifts a lot of kitty litter.”
That strange feeling—the one that Emma had when she’d first come back to town and found Granny Rose in her long johns—did the jitterbug in Emma’s gut. “We should go.” Before Granny worked herself into one of her off-kilter fits. Before Will accused her of not holding up her end of the bargain they’d made last night about her trying to make Granny see the value in change.
Emma gripped Granny Rose’s arm and scooted down the pew, trying to bring her grandmother with her.
Granny brushed off Emma’s grip. “Not yet. They’re coming to the finale. I didn’t get to see it Monday night, since we had to leave the council meeting early.”
Emma checked the projected image on the wall. It was the same one they’d walked out on Monday night. The oak tree was gone, replaced by the modern-looking hot spot. The square footage of the town square’s lawn had been reduced to the size of a large bedroom to make room for more parking.
And next to the rendering stood Will. “Although our partnership is only proposing a few businesses, we hope that their success sometime next year will attract other entrepreneurs to the area. We see opportunities for a sandwich shop, a bakery, an ice cream—”
“Or gelato parlor,” Flynn interrupted from the front pew.
Slade elbowed him.
Will continued as if they hadn’t spoken. “An office supply store where you can make copies and ship items, a beauty salon, an auto-mechanic shop. The opportunities are endless.”
“I used to own a bridal shop,” Mae Gardner piped up. She was tall with unnaturally red hair, a love of heavy makeup and gossip. “Someone could open a bridal shop.”
“Bridal shops require a pool of local brides, Mae,” Sam pointed out.
“Well, then, someone should open a beauty shop. We haven’t had one since Nadine died,” Mae said, looking inconvenienced.
“Ladies come to my barbershop for haircuts.” Phil Lambridge turned in his chair to look at Mae.
“Not this lady,” Mae huffed.
And who could blame her? Phil’s hands shook as they rested on the pew railing. It was a wonder anyone trusted him with sharp scissors near their ears.
Bald Mario Rodriguez piped up from the second row. “I’d like to see a coffee shop. It would be great to have a cup of coffee away from the missus.”
Laughter sprinkled through the room like a light and welcome rain shower. This was the Harmony Valley Emma loved, full of character and spunk.
Will ignored the outbursts and aimed his control fob at the screen.
Her grandmother angled forward.
Emma held her breath. Waiting to see what Granny Rose did next was like sitting in the front car of a roller coaster at the top of the first big hill, anticipating a stomach-dropping ride.
“All good suggestions.” Will pressed a button. “In closing, we’d like to thank our supporters, including Agnes Villanova, Mildred Parsons and Edwin Blonkowski.”
Granny Rose stood. “What assurance do we have that you won’t sell us downriver? How do we know you aren’t going to take our approvals and government bottling permits and sell for a profit to some big corporation?” Her grandmother spoke in a businesslike voice, the one that had won her the town’s respect and a seat on the town council. She directed her words to the crowd. “If a corporation buys them out, they’ll bulldoze our houses, our histories, our memories, precisely as they did in Napa and Healdsburg and a dozen other small towns. Do you remember how they bulldozed a hillside in Healdsburg, changing the entire landscape? Have you driven by the cavernous warehouses?” Granny Rose pointed at the twelve Lions in the audience. “That big corporation they sell to will knock on your door and buy you out. They’ll buy out everyone until there’s nothing left of Harmony Valley. Nothing.”
Her proverbial roller coaster had dropped over the edge and everyone in the church seemed to be recovering from the ride. Emma hoped it was over.
Will exchanged a quick, frustrated glance with Emma. “That’s not our plan.”
“How about a contract?” Sam asked, a snarky challenge in his tone.
Slade shook his head ever so slightly at Will.
“That’s what I thought.” Granny Rose turned to Emma, as calm as if they’d finished watching an enjoyable musical. “Now I’m ready to go.”
Emma was happy to oblige.
“We’re committed to Harmony Valley,” Will called after them.
Her grandmother ignored him.
Out on the sidewalk, Emma was beside herself. “Can they really do that?” Was this why Will had looked at her funny last night at bingo when she’d offered a truce?
“Yes. I called a friend of mine that used to live in Napa. She told me exactly what happened. Oh, she told me, all right.” Granny pounded one delicate fist into her palm. “Some global winery will swoop down on us like Sherman did with Atlanta. Do you know how valuable Sonoma County wines have become? We may be in the middle of nowhere, but half our acreage is vineyards. And another big chunk is idle, ripe for the planting.”
“Wow.”
“Wow is right. I can’t stand by and watch this happen, Emma. You know that, don’t you?” Granny Rose stopped to look at the town square and the oak tree where her husband had proposed. “Hot spot, my fanny. The oak tree stays.”
“We need to calm down and think about this rationally.” The last thing Emma wanted was Granny stressed out and sinking into an episode like she’d experienced at the council meeting Monday night. Her grandmother was already half wound up.
“Rose!” Will’s long strides ate up the distance between them.
“Here comes Beelzebub,” said Granny Rose, a tempestuous set to her features.
“Calm down,” Emma whispered as she caught Will’s eye. “And listen to what he has to say.”
Her grandmother harrumphed.
“Rose, why do you think we’d go to all the trouble, not to mention the expense, of seeking winery approvals only to sell them off?”
“It would be different if you were going to settle here, young man, but your heart lies out there.” Granny Rose gestured to the one road out of town. “A business here could only be a burden to you. And your partner with the tie looks like he’d jump at the chance for a deal.”
“We plan to leave a representative here,” Will said. “Someone who’ll watch out for our interests, as well as the town’s.”
“An employee is not a guarantee that you’re setting down roots.” Granny put one hand on her slim hip.
“We’re also taking your suggestions into account—reducing the size of our facility, preserving the oak tree. We’re exploring the possibility of using the existing farm buildings.”
“Words. I don’t trust words.” Granny Rose slid a glance toward the oak tree. “I’m going to make everyone see the danger of putting our future in your hands.”
Will gave Emma a look that said “help me out here.”
“I’m sure Will can come up with some kind of guarantee.” Like the fact that he wanted his sister to run the place. She gave him a look that said “come clean.”
Will remained suspiciously mute.
Her grandmother fairly vibrated with unexploded tension. It was time to get her home.
“When you figure it out, Will, you can let us know.” Emma took her grandmother firmly by the arm and headed for home. “After dinner, I’m dropping you off with Agnes to watch baseball. Mayor Larry invited me to bowl. I want you to promise you won’t make trouble while I’m gone.”
“Emma—”
“Promise me. No trouble while I’m gone.”
“I promise.” Granny Rose’s angelic expression was almost too good to be believed.
* * *
“I
KNOW
WE
challenged you to a game during league.” Mayor Larry parked his bag on the floor, dug inside and tried to shake the wrinkles out of his purple-and-green tie-dyed bowling shirt. “But Takata had a colonoscopy this morning and couldn’t drag his butt out of bed. We had to scramble for a replacement player this morning.” Larry buttoned his bowling shirt over a black Grateful Dead T-shirt.
“Some people need to seriously examine their priorities.” Sam collapsed in the scorer’s chair, winded after his walk from the parking lot.
“We welcome the challenge.” Will deposited Sam’s bowling bag at his feet. After this afternoon’s blowup with Rose, he was nostalgic for their cramped apartment and near-empty bank account. At least then he’d been the master of his own destiny. Maybe if he had an idea for an app, he’d be more resilient to these winery setbacks.
Felix was changing his shoes in a lane seat next to Larry. The big man’s bowling shirt was sprinkled with cat hair. “I won’t be needing to see your architectural plans, Will, since I’m not going to support any sellout.”
Will was still reeling from Rose’s accusation that they were only applying for permits to sell out the entire town. More unsettling was Slade’s claim that he’d support a lucrative offer. He couldn’t reassure people they wouldn’t sell if both his partners didn’t agree.
Flynn claimed a chair on the opposite side of the double bowling lane, raising his voice to be heard over balls crashing into pins. “We aren’t going to all this trouble just to sell out.”
Felix grumbled something Will couldn’t hear. How were they supposed to save Harmony Valley when no one trusted them?
Tracy’s carefree laughter carried from the shoe counter. She and Slade were paying for four pairs of shoes. Miraculously, Tracy had been in a good mood for days. Granted, she locked herself in her room most of the time, but when she came out, she was smiling. Her happiness was the only thing keeping Will from giving up on the winery.
“Hey, guys.”
The sound of Emma’s voice was like a hard reboot to Will’s heart—a quick, unexpected
stop,
followed by a not-so-gentle
go.
Emma blessed Will with that challenging grin. The one that said “make me stop smiling.” “I’m here to bowl.”
“With whom?” Will asked, at the same moment Larry said, “Right on time, teammate.”