5
T wo weeks had passed since Harper first arrived at the vineyard, and she had thrown herself into the task of breathing new life into the neglected property that had once been her childhood home. With the help of her friend’s brother, an interior designer with a wealth of connections, she managed to transform the aging house into a space that truly reflected her style and personality.
Harper hung a framed photo of her with her parents in the hallway and stood back, checking to make sure it was straight. She’d had a relaxing day, admiring the freshly painted walls and the carefully curated furniture that now filled the rooms, not quite believing how much they’d gotten done. Her arms and back ached from painting, and today was the first day she hadn’t painted a wall or moved furniture.
Instead, she’d spent the morning in the kitchen, completely giving into the nostalgia of being back here, even though so much of the house was different now. Harper had made her mother’s famous pancakes and eaten them outside on her new deck. Then she’d gone on a long walk around the property, still trying to process how her uncle had let the place go like this. Of course, he hadn’t answered any of her calls. And now, as the sun was starting to dip in the sky, she was thinking about what she’d make for dinner later. Whatever it was, it was going to be accompanied by a very large glass of red wine. At least, her uncle had left her father’s wine cellar untouched.
A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts, and she opened it to find Elle standing on the porch, a bottle of wine in her hand.
“Hi,” Harper said, taking Elle in. She wore a crisp white button-down with the sleeves rolled up, revealing tanned forearms that spoke of long days working in the vineyard, and a pair of well-worn jeans. Her chestnut hair fell across her shoulders in loose waves, the lighter tones catching in the golden light.
“Hi.” Elle lifted the bottle, and Harper noticed the label - it was one of Elle’s own wines. “I just wanted to officially say, welcome, and to see how you were doing.”
“Thanks.” Harper’s fingers brushed Elle’s as she accepted the bottle. “Would you like to stay for a glass?” Harper asked.
Elle hesitated slightly, but then her lips were tugging into a smile. “Sure.”
Harper stepped back to let her new neighbor in. The movement caused Elle’s perfume to drift past - something earthy with hints of the ocean that reminded Harper of summer evenings.
“Wow. The place looks amazing,” Elle said as she took in the transformed space.
“Thanks. I tried to make it my own while still keeping a few things that reminded me of the past.”
As Elle stepped into the hallway, her gaze fell on the framed photo Harper had just hung up. “Your parents?” she asked, her tone gentle and curious.
“Yeah.”
“Well, I was only up here once probably about two and a half years ago, when I started to notice a change in the traffic coming up and down this road. I wanted to check in on Daniel, but he wasn’t the most friendly neighbor. I remember what it was like then, the bit of the house that I saw, and I can’t believe this is the same place.”
Harper nodded as they moved into the kitchen. She watched Elle take in the new cabinets and counters, and the island that was now in the middle of the room. It had a cozy chic finish, nothing too modern. She took down two wine glasses, still not quite believing that her uncle had been so careless. If he hadn’t wanted to run the vineyard, he should have said so, and Harper would have thought about buying it off him years ago. Even after two weeks, her anger threatened to bubble up every now and then, but she pushed it down and focused on her guest.
Harper opened the bottle and poured them each a glass. “Will we sit outside and catch the sunset?”
“Sure.” Elle thanked her as Harper handed her a glass, and Harper led the way outside to the back deck.
“This is new?”
“Yeah,” Harper said as she took a seat on the outdoor sofa, the gray cushions surprisingly comfortable.
“I can’t believe how much you got done in what? Two weeks?”
Harper smiled as Elle sat down beside her. “I just know a lot of people and called in a lot of favors.”
Harper took a sip of her wine. It was rich and complex with a hint of cherries and maybe blackberries. “This is excellent,” she said, swirling the deep red liquid in her glass.
“Thanks. It’s our 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon. That was a good year.” Elle turned toward her. “So, what’s your plan for the vineyard?”
Harper’s stomach tightened. She’d been avoiding thinking too deeply about that particular challenge. “Honestly? I’m not sure yet. I thought I’d be picking up where my uncle left off. I never imagined that there would be this much work to do. I’ve been so focused on the house that I haven’t thought too much about the business side of things.”
“Well, if you’re interested, I could show you around my place sometime. Give you an idea of what’s possible.”
“I’d like that.” Harper found herself studying Elle’s profile, the way her lips curved into a slight smile as she gazed out at the vineyard. There was something magnetic about her presence, a quiet confidence that drew Harper in.
“You know, when I first started, I made every mistake in the book,” Elle said. “Planted the wrong varieties in the wrong soil, fought with nature instead of working with it.” She chuckled. “But eventually, I figured it out.”
The admission made Harper feel better. “How long did it take you?”
“To feel like I knew what I was doing? About five years.” Elle turned to face her. “But that was before I really understood sustainable practices. Now, it’s like starting over sometimes, but in the best way possible.”
“How did you get into this? Is it something you always wanted to do?”
Elle smiled as she shook her head. “Absolutely not. It was my wife’s dream, and I went along with it. Sure, I liked wine. Who doesn’t? But running a vineyard?” Elle laughed softly. “If I could tell my twenty-one-year-old self that’s what I’d be doing, she would never believe it. Not in a million years.”
“What were you doing before then?”
“I was a wedding photographer.”
“Really?” Harper asked as she took a sip, but then as she lowered her glass she remembered what she’d told Piper. “Shit,” she muttered to herself.
“Is everything okay?” Elle was looking at her with an arched eyebrow.
Harper blew out a breath. “I just remembered that when one of my best friends, another actress, Piper, proposed to her girlfriend a few weeks ago, I said she could use this place as a venue. They won’t have too many guests, and privacy will be the main concern, but that was before I got here and saw what this place actually looked like.”
“Hey, don’t knock it just yet. If you managed to do so much with the house, I’m sure you can bring that same work ethic to the vineyard. You don’t have to be producing wine to host a wedding. You still have the amazing setting. The views.”
Harper swallowed. “I know I’ve been distracting myself for the last two weeks with painting and picking furniture and all that, but I’m starting to wonder if I’m in over my head.” Harper took another drink. “Not only do I know nothing about this business, but being here, and seeing all of the land and the scale of this business, of what if could be… I’d have to hire people.” Harper shook her head. “You probably think I’m crazy for not thinking of this before buying the vineyard, but my privacy is the most important thing to me, and I can’t see myself having much of it here if this vineyard is back up and running.”
Elle nodded. “I get that.”
“How many people do you have working for you?”
“I have six full-time employees, and from time to time, I’ll hire some college students to fill in the gaps when we’re at our busiest.”
Harper sucked in a breath. She couldn’t see herself finding so many people she could trust. It had taken her years to build the team she had around her.
Harper watched Elle take another sip of wine, struck by how at ease she seemed. The fading sunlight caught in her hair, and she forced her gaze away, focusing instead on the sprawling vineyard before them.
“How do you handle it?” Harper asked. “The employees, I mean. How do you know who to trust?”
“You develop a sense for people. Plus, most of my workers have been with me for years. They’re like family now.” Elle shifted on the cushion, her knee brushing against Harper’s for a brief moment. “And honestly? People around here aren’t that interested in celebrity gossip. They care more about whether their grapes will survive an early frost.”
Harper let out a small laugh, but her mind wandered to the photographers Elle had chased away. “Tell that to the paparazzi you scared off.”
“Those vultures?” Elle’s face darkened. “They’re not from around here. Trust me, the locals would’ve run them off themselves if they’d stuck around.”
The conviction in Elle’s voice made something warm bloom in Harper’s chest. She took another sip of wine, savoring its rich complexity. The taste reminded her of her last few years here, before she’d left for Hollywood, when her father used to explain the subtle notes while they ate dinner.
“You know,” Elle said, “running a vineyard doesn’t mean you have to be here all the time. You could hire a manager, someone you trust to oversee the day-to-day operations.”
Harper considered this. It wasn’t something she’d thought about before. “Maybe, but I kind of liked the idea of being here for a while.”
“You’re looking to take a break from acting?”
Harper pressed her lips together for a second. She shouldn’t be talking to a stranger about her life. She was never normally this open with someone she didn’t know well, but there was something about Elle that made Harper feel like she could trust her, and she had no idea what it was.
“It’s okay,” Elle said after a second. “I didn’t mean to be nosy.”
“No. It’s a fair question, and I think I am. I uh… The last movie I did really took a toll on me, and I’ve been turning down everything that’s come my way since. I don’t know when I’ll be able to go back and give another movie my full attention.”
Elle looked like she wanted to ask her what she meant, but thankfully she didn’t. Harper didn’t want to bring down the mood by telling Elle that she’d been waking up in the middle of the night sweating, her heart racing after yet another nightmare.
“So,” Harper continued, “I plan on being here for a while.”
“In that case,” Elle said as she slid her phone out of her pocket, “You should have my number.” She handed it to Harper.
Harper stared at Elle’s phone for a second before taking it from her. This was another line she rarely crossed. Very few people had her real phone number, but at the same time, this was new for Harper, being so far from all of the people she trusted. Her agent, her manager, her friends were all several hours away now. She entered in her number and handed the phone back to Elle.
Elle rang it, and Harper let her phone buzz in her pocket. “If you ever run into any problems or you have any questions, just call me.”
“Your wife isn’t the jealous type?” Harper asked as she took a drink, a hint of a smile on her lips.
Elle held her gaze for a second. “Stephanie passed away just a little over ten years ago.”
Harper slowly lowered her glass, her eyes closed as she silently swore. She could feel the warmth hitting her cheeks, and it had nothing to do with the wine. “I’m so sorry,” Harper said, but it was barely above a whisper.
The mention of Elle’s late wife hung in the air between them, heavy with unspoken grief. Harper wanted to ask more, to understand the pain that flickered across Elle’s face, but she held back. Instead, she watched as the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in brilliant oranges and pinks.
After a few moments Elle spoke. “It was a car accident. It was instant. That’s about the only saving grace. That she didn’t suffer.”
Harper swallowed down the lump in her throat. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” Elle said softly, her eyes on the sunset now.
Harper watched Elle’s profile in the fading light, struck by the weight of loss etched in the other woman’s features. The admission about Stephanie had shifted something between them, creating a vulnerability that made Harper’s chest tighten.
“The sunsets here are incredible,” Elle said, breaking the silence. Her voice had regained its steady strength. “Different from what you’re used to in L.A., I imagine.”
“They are.” Harper welcomed the change in topic. “In L.A., everything’s filtered through smog and city lights. Here it’s...” She gestured at the sky’s canvas of deep oranges and purples stretching over the vineyard. “Stunning.”
Elle nodded, taking another sip of wine. The glass was nearly empty now, and Harper noticed how the evening had crept up on them, the air growing cooler against her skin.
“I should probably head back,” Elle said, setting her glass down.
“Right, of course.” Harper stood with her, suddenly aware of how much she’d enjoyed the company. “Thank you for the wine. And for...” She paused, searching for the right words. “For being so welcoming.”
Elle smiled, and this time it reached her eyes, warming them to a deep honey color in the twilight. “Anytime. And I meant what I said about calling if you need anything.”
Harper walked Elle to her truck. The evening air had cooled significantly since they’d first sat down. A gentle breeze stirred Harper’s hair, and she tucked a wayward strand behind her ear as they approached Elle’s weathered blue pickup.
“Thanks again for stopping by,” Harper said.
“Of course.” Elle pulled her keys from her pocket. “Don’t forget what I said about showing you around my place. Seeing a working vineyard might help you figure out what you want to do with this one.”
Harper crossed her arms against the chill, watching as Elle opened her truck door. As Elle’s truck pulled away, Harper stood in the driveway, following the red taillights until they disappeared around the bend. The rumble of the engine faded into the distance, leaving her alone with the chorus of crickets and her thoughts.
Harper returned to the deck to catch the last of the sunset. She sank back down onto the plush outdoor sofa, her wine glass cradled in her hands.
The sky was now a mix of brilliant hues of orange and pink. Harper took a slow sip, savoring the rich, complex flavors that danced across her tongue.
Today had been one of the most relaxing days she’d had in a long time, and it had been so different than what she was used to. In Los Angeles, she often found herself recharging rather than relaxing, and her social circle was limited to other actors, producers, and industry insiders - a carefully curated bubble that shielded her from the outside world. But here, with Elle, Harper had felt a sense of ease and openness that was foreign to her.
Harper’s gaze drifted to the empty wine glass Elle had left behind, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She was struck by how natural their conversation had felt, although she couldn’t believe she’d stuck her foot in it like that by assuming Elle’s wife was alive. Although, why wouldn’t she? Elle was around fifty Harper guessed, and as far as she could remember, Elle hadn’t used the past tense when talking about her.
But it had been a long time since Harper had allowed herself to be so unguarded with someone new. The demands of her career had made her cautious, wary of letting people too close. There was something about Elle’s presence that had put Harper at ease, inviting her to lower her defenses.
As the last of the sunset faded into twilight, Harper took another sip of wine, savoring the moment of solitude. In the distance, the faint sound of crickets and the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze created a soothing backdrop.
She could get used to this.