“My house is not a money pit.” In fact, she’d insisted on a very thorough inspection by someone she was not related to before she agreed on the price. “It’s just maintenance stuff. Already done.” She tossed the washer in the trash and glanced at the clock on the counter. Ten minutes. Not bad at all. “I better say goodbye. I gotta feed Shelby and head into work.”
Other than her overfed grey shorthair, Toni lived alone and she liked it that way. The cottage was her haven. She’d scooted the bunnies out the door, called the Humane society for most of the cats, and adopted one gnarly looking tomcat to keep the barn free of mice and gophers.
She’d had the old man neutered and he still hadn’t forgiven her. Enzo ran from her every time she got close. He was the fastest cat she’d ever seen, hence the name.
Her own house cat, Shelby, had barely left her sunny perch in the living room window since she’d moved in the year before. She watched the birds flitting outside, but knew that Toni would never let her out.
Enzo might have evolved to evade coyotes, but Shelby would be dinner.
“I made you and your dad lunch,” Rose Dusi said quickly. “And we’re having Sunday dinner at Frank’s place and Luna and the kids are coming down too.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be there.” She ran some hot water and wiped the cracked clay mask off her skin, which looked fresh and glowing. “Have a good day, Mom.”
“You too, baby, I’ll see you later, be nice to your dad.”
“When am I not nice to dad?” Leave it to her mom to throw that in at the end.
“Oh, you know what I mean. Love you.” Her mother blew kisses and hung up the phone.
“No.” Toni spoke into the empty bathroom. “I have no idea what you mean.”
She’d fixed the sink, but in the back of her mind, she could still hear it dripping.
* * *
Toni was getting in her car when her phone rung again. “Why do I know so many people?” she yelled into the barn. “Hello?”
“Oh. Bad time?” It was her friend Katherine. “I was just calling to remind you about Wine Wednesday. It’s tonight.”
“Thank God,” she breathed out. “I’ll be there.”
“Bad day? It’s not even nine o’clock.”
“Isn’t it?” Everything that morning was moving fast. The ocean fog had even burned off for the day, leaving the grass covered hills glowing gold in the sunlight. “I think everyone and their uncle decided to call me this morning specifically, just to fuck with me.”
“Well, make it through the day and you can tell us all about it tonight. Have you been meditating?”
“Yes?”
“That sounded like a question.”
“That’s because I am, but I’m not sure it’s helping. That is, it would help if I could magically make my entire family disappear and not talk to me ever, but I don’t think that’s really an option.”
“Seeing as you’re related to half the town, making your family disappear seems like it could lead to disaster and a fairly significant economic downturn.”
“Thanks, professor.”
“You’re welcome. Come at six. We have wine and food.”
In the six month since they’d met, Katherine and Megan had become the closest Toni had ever had to “girlfriends.” She’d always been the girl who played with the boys. As an adult, she was close to her mother, her sister, and her myriad female cousins. But girlfriends? Not much. She hadn’t had time to cultivate friendships until fate had basically forced her into it. Now? She couldn’t imagine life without Wine Wednesday, Katherine’s adorable husband, and snarking at Megan, who gave as good as she got.
Toni’s life was full.
So very full.
Too full?
Her phone rang again and she nearly cried. She looked at the screen and only picked up because it was her cousin Nico, who hardly ever called, even though he was her closest neighbor.
“Yo.” She started her vintage Mustang and backed out of the barn.
“Toni, please tell me you’re not under a car right now.”
“No, in fact, I haven’t even left for town. What’s up?”
“Thank God.” He let out a breath. “Can you come up to the house? We’re supposed to start picking the pinot today, the harvest crew is all here, and the tractor won’t start. I’m panicking.”
“I’m not a diesel mechanic, Nico.”
“I know I know I know, but I need to know if it’s a quick fix or if I need to call a neighbor to try to wrangle a favor.”
“I’ll come.” She pulled out of her driveway and turned left, taking the gravel road up to Nico’s house at the top of the hill. “You owe me two bottles of wine.”
“If you get it started, you can have a case.”
“Seriously?” She smiled for the first time that morning. “Awesome.”
People always thought she could grab as much wine as she wanted since her cousin owned the farm, the winery, and the whole operation. Unfortunately, she was one of dozens of cousins. If everyone got free wine, Dusi Heritage Winery would go out of business. She had to pay, just like everyone else, unless she could trade favors for wine.
When she pulled behind the barn, she could see dozens of workers hanging out along the edge of the field. Though all the wine grapes were cut by hand, the tractor pulled the bins through the rows. No tractor meant way more walking, a much slower harvest, and very pissed off employees.
“What’s up?”
Nico was standing next to the small tractor with a grimace on his face, looking completely stressed out. “I have no idea. Henry and Danny are in Paso Robles to pick up some valves and on they’re on the way back now, but everyone is waiting. I don’t
