By now Antonio and Trina had emerged from the winery. They were both flushed and breathless. It was still cold inside the winery, so their overheated appearance must have been the result of Aunt Pearl’s attraction spell. They had obviously been doing something much more physical than wine bottling. Aunt Pearl tended to cast her attraction spells at the absolute worst time, though it was clear from Antonio’s crimson face that he was angry to see Richard and Jose. Powerful magic can sometimes be overcome by even more powerful emotions.
Antonio’s simmering rage was evident as he stepped forward. His hands were at his sides, clenched into fists.
“What’s he doing here?” Trina whispered. “He’s supposed to be headed south to deliver our wine. Where’s the truck?”
“Knowing Jose, probably rolled over in a ditch somewhere.” Aunt Pearl chuckled.
“Not funny,” I snapped.
“Not supposed to be. Keep snapping at me like that, Cendrine, and I’ll supercharge the attraction sp—”
I held up my hand in protest. “No, you won’t!”
“You’ll do what?” Trina glared at Aunt Pearl.
“Never mind, not important right now,” I said.
Trina had worked for Lombard Family Wines for decades, so understandably she felt ownership even though she was only an employee. Over the years, she had invested sweat equity above and beyond her paycheck. Sometimes those paychecks came late. While there were few jobs in town, there were also few employees with such fierce loyalty and dedication. Of course, part of the reason for that was because she was in love with Antonio. Aunt Pearl’s attraction spell had already doubled or tripled her devotion.
Jose strode briskly toward us. Richard stayed a few steps back.
“We need to talk,” Jose said.
Antonio folded his arms across his chest and stared down Jose. “Oh, so you and Richard are in this together? Whose side are you on, Jose?”
Jose held up his hands, palms out in surrender. “It’s not what you think, Antonio. I’ve been thinking…we can solve this cash flow problem with a little outside help.”
Antonio laughed. “Richard already turned us down for a loan. He wouldn’t let us remortgage before. Now you’re sneaking around behind my back?”
“You do it to me all the time,” Jose said. “You don’t consult me whenever decisions are made. You act like you own this place but you don’t. I have an equal share and an equal say in what goes on around here.” He glanced at Trina but his expression was hard to read.
“You never wanted to get involved before. You won’t even do the most basic jobs here in the winery. You’re supposed to be on the road delivering our wine. Where the hell is it?”
“It can wait, Antonio. There’s something much more urgent.” He nodded to Richard. “Tell him.”
“I’ve done everything I can to help with your cash flow problems but I’m afraid we’ve run out of options.” Richard pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket and handed it to Antonio. “It’s not official until Monday, but I wanted to give you this now so you aren’t surprised.”
Antonio snatched the envelope and ripped it open with shaking hands. “A foreclosure notice? On the eve of the wine festival? I still have until Monday to make the payments.”
“Technically, that’s true…but we both know where this is headed,” Richard said. “You still haven’t made last month’s payment. Like I said, I’m giving you unofficial notice on what’s going to happen. That way we can avoid any embarrassment. I’m sorry, Antonio. I did everything I could, but when you didn’t pay…the bank forced my hand.” His face was devoid of emotion.
Hostility hung in the air like a spark about to ignite. I didn’t dare ask why everything was Antonio’s fault and not Jose’s.
Antonio detected Richard’s insincerity immediately. “Yeah, right. We’ve known each other for years, Richard. How could you do this?”
Richard avoided Antonio’s gaze. Instead, his eyes focused on an invisible point a few feet to the left of us. “Head office rules, Antonio. There’s nothing I can do.”
“You just don’t want to.” Antonio turned to Jose. “And you. Now you’re conspiring with our banker to repossess our family winery? You’re the one who put us in debt with all your failed marketing ideas and expensive sales junkets. We’ve had this winery for generations, Jose. Mom and Dad worked all their lives to make it a success. Has all that slipped your mind?”
“Mom and Dad worked 12-hour days, 7 days a week, Antonio. I don’t want to be a slave to a business that barely broke even at the best of times. We haven’t turned a profit in years. It’s not viable.”
“I offered to buy you out two years ago, when business was better. Why didn’t you take it?”
Jose scoffed. “You offered me a fraction of what the winery was worth. Of course, I didn’t take it.”
“The offer was at fair market value based on a professional appraisal,” Antonio said. “My offer triggered the shotgun clause in our agreement, giving you the right to buy from me at the same price, or to accept my offer and sell your shares. Exactly what you claim to want right now, but at a better price.”
“Well, too bad for me. Now that you’ve run this winery into the ground and we’re broke, we’ve run out of options.”
Antonio threw his hands in the air. “So now it’s all my fault? You’ve always been an equal partner.”
Jose shot a glance at Richard who gave a barely noticeable nod.
“You knew this day was coming, Antonio,” Richard said. “I gave you plenty of warning. I guess you didn’t take it seriously enough.”
Antonio swore under his breath and took a step forward. Trina grabbed his forearm to stop him.
Jose took a deep breath. “Look, I know it’s bad, which is why I’ve been working with Richard to see if there are any other options. Non-bank options.”
“Non-bank options?” Antonio looked ready to punch someone. The only thing holding him back was Trina. That
