can be a small town.”
“Have you always been a gardener?” Sarah followed Gertrude as the woman walked toward her enclosed truck.
Gertrude snapped the back open and pulled out a tote bag clanking with tools. She shook her head. “I spent most of my life teaching chemistry up at the university.” She shrugged. “Things change. I’ll let you know when I finish for the day.”
Dismissed, Sarah went back to the inn.
Chapter 11
In spite of their differences over Rick, Sarah’s spirits lifted when she entered her mother’s kitchen Friday evening. A pot of minestrone was bubbling on the stove, filling the room with the sweet savory of rosemary and thyme. Baking bread added the tang of yeast.
Pavarotti soared from the living room and she could hear her mother’s laughter peal out. Sarah was glad for her mother’s happiness. It had been a long time coming.
“I’m here!” she called out as she hung her coat on the pegs provided by the kitchen entry. She slipped off her damp shoes and slid into the soft slippers she kept at her mom’s.
When Elizabeth reached the kitchen, she wrapped Sarah in a warm hug. “How are you doing? Are you taking your naps like the doc said?”
“Mom — ”
“I know, I know. You’re a big girl now. But I’m still your mom and you’re stuck with that.”
Sarah wiggled from her mother’s embrace to say hello to the man who’d come into the kitchen with Elizabeth. “Hi, Marcos.” She held out her hand, but Marcos pulled her into his arms. “Come. We are family, yes?”
She laughed. “Yes.”
“Your mother has been cooking all day. I told her I would take us to dinner after a hard week in the vineyards, but, no, she says she wants to make a home-cooked meal.” He leaned down to whisper with a grin. “I think she is trying to impress me, still.”
“Probably,” Sarah confided. “She is an over-achiever.”
“Stop talking about me!” Elizabeth said. “Sarah, set the table.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Yes, mother.”
Within a few minutes they surrounded the dining room table, a red soup tureen the steaming centerpiece. Marcos updated Sarah on progress in the vineyard and Elizabeth told her about the status on her products.
“When will you be going back to Italy?” Sarah asked as she helped herself to a second bowl of soup.
“Trying to get rid of me so soon. My heart is broken,” Marcos teased her.
Sarah chuckled.
“I go back in two weeks. My cousins are pruning our family’s vineyards in Italy.” He smiled at Elizabeth again.
Marcos’ plan to own vineyards and make wine from the world’s great winemaking regions was ambitious and kept him on the road. Sometimes Sarah wondered how that fit with her mother’s nesting instincts.
She couldn’t worry about their lives. Rick, Hunter, opening an inn, and a pregnancy were enough to keep her occupied.
Marcos continued. “I hope your mother will come with me to spend time with me at my French vineyards. She has become quite good with the pruning and there are more vines.”
Elizabeth groaned. “There are always more vines.”
“True. But then there are more grapes. And more wine. And … ” Marcos leaned over and gave Elizabeth a lingering kiss.
“Eww. Get a room.” Sarah groaned.
They laughed. “We’ve heard that one before,” Elizabeth said. “But I don’t think it’s wise for me to go to Europe now.” She gestured to Sarah. “What if something went wrong? I’d be so far away.”
“Mom. I’ll be fine. Besides I’ve got Mandy.”
“I promise I will put you on the next flight from Marseilles,” Marcos said. “But there is no reason to worry, is there? Isn’t your young man back in the picture?”
Sarah frowned. How would Rick handle a problem? Before the baby, their lives had been so simple.
Elizabeth seemed to be having the same misgivings. “I’m not sure Rick’s up to handling a crisis.”
“Why cannot he do this?” Marcos asked. “He is going to be a father. There
“Have you always been a gardener?” Sarah followed Gertrude as the woman walked toward her enclosed truck.
Gertrude snapped the back open and pulled out a tote bag clanking with tools. She shook her head. “I spent most of my life teaching chemistry up at the university.” She shrugged. “Things change. I’ll let you know when I finish for the day.”
Dismissed, Sarah went back to the inn.
Chapter 11
In spite of their differences over Rick, Sarah’s spirits lifted when she entered her mother’s kitchen Friday evening. A pot of minestrone was bubbling on the stove, filling the room with the sweet savory of rosemary and thyme. Baking bread added the tang of yeast.
Pavarotti soared from the living room and she could hear her mother’s laughter peal out. Sarah was glad for her mother’s happiness. It had been a long time coming.
“I’m here!” she called out as she hung her coat on the pegs provided by the kitchen entry. She slipped off her damp shoes and slid into the soft slippers she kept at her mom’s.
When Elizabeth reached the kitchen, she wrapped Sarah in a warm hug. “How are you doing? Are you taking your naps like the doc said?”
“Mom — ”
“I know, I know. You’re a big girl now. But I’m still your mom and you’re stuck with that.”
Sarah wiggled from her mother’s embrace to say hello to the man who’d come into the kitchen with Elizabeth. “Hi, Marcos.” She held out her hand, but Marcos pulled her into his arms. “Come. We are family, yes?”
She laughed. “Yes.”
“Your mother has been cooking all day. I told her I would take us to dinner after a hard week in the vineyards, but, no, she says she wants to make a home-cooked meal.” He leaned down to whisper with a grin. “I think she is trying to impress me, still.”
“Probably,” Sarah confided. “She is an over-achiever.”
“Stop talking about me!” Elizabeth said. “Sarah, set the table.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Yes, mother.”
Within a few minutes they surrounded the dining room table, a red soup tureen the steaming centerpiece. Marcos updated Sarah on progress in the vineyard and Elizabeth told her about the status on her products.
“When will you be going back to Italy?” Sarah asked as she helped herself to a second bowl of soup.
“Trying to get rid of me so soon. My heart is broken,” Marcos teased her.
Sarah chuckled.
“I go back in two weeks. My cousins are pruning our family’s vineyards in Italy.” He smiled at Elizabeth again.
Marcos’ plan to own vineyards and make wine from the world’s great winemaking regions was ambitious and kept him on the road. Sometimes Sarah wondered how that fit with her mother’s nesting instincts.
She couldn’t worry about their lives. Rick, Hunter, opening an inn, and a pregnancy were enough to keep her occupied.
Marcos continued. “I hope your mother will come with me to spend time with me at my French vineyards. She has become quite good with the pruning and there are more vines.”
Elizabeth groaned. “There are always more vines.”
“True. But then there are more grapes. And more wine. And … ” Marcos leaned over and gave Elizabeth a lingering kiss.
“Eww. Get a room.” Sarah groaned.
They laughed. “We’ve heard that one before,” Elizabeth said. “But I don’t think it’s wise for me to go to Europe now.” She gestured to Sarah. “What if something went wrong? I’d be so far away.”
“Mom. I’ll be fine. Besides I’ve got Mandy.”
“I promise I will put you on the next flight from Marseilles,” Marcos said. “But there is no reason to worry, is there? Isn’t your young man back in the picture?”
Sarah frowned. How would Rick handle a problem? Before the baby, their lives had been so simple.
Elizabeth seemed to be having the same misgivings. “I’m not sure Rick’s up to handling a crisis.”
“Why cannot he do this?” Marcos asked. “He is going to be a father. There
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