She had gone over at the crack of dawn so that she wouldn’t have to run into Nate, but his car was gone. He’d moved out. Not surprising since she’d texted him that he had three days to vacate the property or she would tell Pricket to call in the bulldozers.

Four months. It had only been four months since the Summer Wine Showdown where Nate kissed her, but her life had changed so much. She started her dream winery, found a happiness and confidence that she’d never known before. Fallen completely and helplessly in love with a DeLuca of all people. Only to have it all taken away in just one day. It was like she was six all over again and her parents were divorcing and her life would forever be changed.

“Well then, that sounds maternal to me.” Luce cut up one of the waffles and pushed the plate in front of Mr. Puffins, who was in a terry cloth robe and bunny slippers. “I don’t know what happened between you and Nathaniel, but I know that he’s sorry.”

Frankie studied her waffle. It was easier than letting Luce see any more tears. “I don’t know about that, but I do know that I’m not really looking for anyone right now. Or ever. I mean, you are as responsible for this place’s success as Grandpa and you did it all on your own. No man.”

Luce put down her fork. “I did do it all alone. The key word being alone.” She placed a hand over Frankie’s. “I don’t regret my life, I’ve had a fun and full one, but I did it all alone. No husband, no kids, no grandkids. And it’s been hard.”

That startled Frankie. She’d always thought that her aunt had chosen her life. “Then why didn’t you marry?”

“Because I was so busy making sure Charles wouldn’t cut me out of the family business that I spent all my time working. And when I finally decided that maybe I wanted more, all the men my age were married with families, and then, well it just didn’t seem to make sense. But that’s not what I want for you.”

“Yeah, well the only prospect I care about doesn’t really care back.”

“I call bullshit,” Luce snapped, sending Mr. Puffins and his syrup-coated whiskers scurrying under the coach. “That boy has it so bad for you, he’s walking around town like a fool. Everyone knows it.”

Yeah, well by the end of the day everyone would also know that he and Frankie were over. And they’d all assume that she did something wrong.

“Apparently loving me is some kind of hardship,” Frankie admitted and felt her throat tighten. She was not going to cry again. It was embarrassing enough that Luce heard her last night in bed—and then again this morning in the shower—but to actually have her witness it would be humiliating.

“Loving you is the best thing that could happen to a person, I know. You have the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met, enough passion to run a small nation, yet in relationships, slugs move faster than you. Which means loving you is as much a blessing as it is an experience—and it’s an experience that’s not for everyone.”

“I don’t care about everyone,” Frankie whispered. She only cared about one person, and to him her love was something that made his life harder.

“I know you do,” Luce said gently. “And you know what’s wrong with people today?”

“No.” Frankie didn’t feel like sitting through one of Luce’s lectures on the world. Not right now. Not when her world hurt too much to live in.

“They’re lazy,” she went on as though Frankie hadn’t spoken, and she could tell by the way Luce was winding up that it was going to be a long one. “You kids think that loving is the easy part, but it’s not. It’s the liking part that’s difficult. Love, once it happens, is always there no matter how angry you get. But like, that takes compromise and honesty and understanding and a lot of hard work. Look at that grandpa of yours. I love him with all that I am, but I don’t think I’ve liked that SOB since JFK was in office.”

Frankie thought long and hard to find a time when she did like her grandpa, and she couldn’t think of one. She idolized him, respected him, even loved him enough to give up everything to save his winery, but liking the man was difficult.

What if she was the same way?

“You really want to know why I didn’t marry? It took me too long to figure out that although ‘like’ fluctuates over time, love is always there and as long as there is something in there that you like, the love will hold you together.” Luce let out a sigh. “My guess is that right now you’d have a hard time telling me one thing you like about Nate. And I’m betting he’d have even a harder time finding something he liked about himself.”

“I could actually tell you over a dozen things I like about him,” Frankie whispered, knowing it was true. She was mad and confused and didn’t know if this hollow pain in her chest would ever go away, but the reason why she hurt so bad was because Nate was an incredible guy—lists aside. And for a moment she knew what it was like for him to be hers.

“I bet you could also tell me a dozen things about him that drives you crazy.” Luce raised a brow when Frankie didn’t answer. “People make mistakes, Frankie. Nate made a big one in breaking your heart, but don’t let your mistake be pride and fear.”

“What if he doesn’t like me?” Frankie asked, her voice sounding small even to her own ears.

“Ah, Ches-ka, that boy doesn’t just like you, he adores you, bad attitude and all. But most importantly he loves you. That’s forever.” Luce leaned up and gave Frankie a surprising and sweet kiss on the cheek. “Now, go feed your goat. We have to be at the hotel in twenty minutes.”

“God, do I have to go?” Frankie asked. Walking into the Cork Crawl Wine Open and talking to buyers and brokers about a wine that Charles already sold to some bottom-of-the-barreler was going to be bad enough. Having to see Nate and knowing he wasn’t hers was going to wreck her heart.

“You’re my niece, aren’t you?”

And Frankie had her answer.

* * *

Frankie stood at the back of the ballroom at the Napa Grand Hotel as buyers and brokers finished their coffee and pastries, staging their strategy of attack on the provided conference maps while vintners took their places behind assigned linen-covered tables.

She watched as one by one, the winemakers displayed their sales brochures and logo embossed labels, signaling a go and sending the brokers scrambling to get in the line of their first choice.

The Cork Crawl Wine Open was almost ready to begin and even though Frankie was the belle of the ball, she didn’t have a ticket or a date.

Her eyes scanned the massive glass-domed room, looking past the swelling crowd, past the mahogany bar in the center of the ballroom that functioned as Lexi’s pastry shack, and past the line that ran the length of the room, until they settled on her table. Her stomach went hot with emotion and everything seemed unreal as she took in the sight.

Jonah and Adam. Her brothers. Sat beneath the Red Steel Cellars sign, wearing company shirts and smiling and greeting interested parties. In a matter of moments, the queue for Red Steel was twenty deep with some of the most respected buyers and brokers in wine. It was as if the who’s who of wine collecting had come specifically for her.

This couldn’t be happening. She had reached the pinnacle most winemakers only dream about, and yet she was even farther from her dream than she had been a month ago. She had lost everything. And yet she couldn’t even feel the loss over the gaping hole Nate left behind.

It had taken a brisk walk around Luce’s lavender garden with Mittens, a long motorcycle ride, and polishing her ball-buster boots to get the courage to walk into that ballroom, because she knew everyone would be expecting her to sit behind her booth and sell her wine as though it were still hers. As though her world hadn’t completely fallen apart.

“Thought you fell in,” Luce said.

“What?”

“You went to the bathroom, said you’d be right behind me, and that was a half-hour ago.”

“No,” she said and her voice sounded raw and empty. “Just needed a minute to get my game face on.”

“That a girl.” Luce smacked her rump like this was the Super Bowl and she was the defensive coach. “The negotiating starts in about fifteen minutes, so get over there and make me proud. And remember, Ches-ka, they fell in love with your wine. They might not like that you are sold out, but in three years that love for what you created will still be there.”

Frankie made her way through the crowd, but even before she could take her seat, Jonah pulled her into his arms and gave her one the best big brother hugs in history. Frankie didn’t hesitate, throwing her arms around his middle and holding on.

When he pulled back, he didn’t say anything about Charles. He didn’t have to. His face said it all.

“I can’t talk about it right now,” she whispered and took a small step back. Any more emotion from her normally stoic brother would be the end of the brave-Frankie she’d struggled to pull together.

“Sorry I missed everything this weekend,” Adam said and, after a quick glance over her shoulder and wiping his hands on his jeans, pulled her in for his hug. When had they become a family of huggers?

“I’m just glad you’re back and not hurt.”

“Me too, but I’m sorry we didn’t tell you about the fire.”

“I think we all have a lot of talking to do if we want to fix everything, so I figured that since Frankie loves wine coolers so much,” Jonah teased, “we could pick up a few cases when this is over and go back to my place. Maybe braid each other’s hair. And… talk.”

Frankie felt a hysterical laugh bubble up from her chest and break free. She couldn’t help it. So instead of trying to hide it, she let it out and pulled Jonah in for another hug. It took him a minute to catch up, but when he did he hugged her back.