Sheldon is the last to arrive for dinner at The Nest on Sunday evening. He parks in the circular driveway and enters the stone mansion, passing through the center hallway to the back terrace where a rectangular table is set for five. His father and Casey are engaging in conversation with their heads pressed together while Charles and Hugh huddle together on the opposite side of the terrace, silently staring out at the vineyard.
Sheldon goes to the bar cart for a glass of the vineyard’s new varietal, Cherish, a delicious red blend with notes of blueberries, blackberries, and plums.
Stemless wine glass in hand, he joins his father and Casey. “Why the serious faces? Did something happen?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Casey says to Sheldon before turning to their father. “Please, can we get on with it now? I have some work I need to do tonight.”
“Sure thing!” Daniel motions everyone to their seats at the table. He’s at the head with Sheldon and Casey on one side and Hugh and Charles on the other. After a quick blessing, he gestures for the hovering server to bring their food. “As you know, tonight is Marabella’s night off. I asked Chef Michael to prepare our meal. I hope you find it to your liking.”
The plates feature two silver-dollar-size crab cakes, thin slices of beef tenderloin, tender asparagus, and warm cheddar muffins. Daniel typically offers several courses at his dinner parties. Sheldon views the single-plate meal as a sign his father intends this so-called meeting to be short and to the point.
Daniel forks a crab cake into his mouth, sets down his utensil, and wipes his lips. “At the end of June, I will resign as head of Love-Struck. I will announce my successor at our Fourth of July party. My dream has always been for my children to run the vineyard together. I’ve given you plenty of opportunity to work as a team. And you’ve failed.”
The Love siblings erupt into loud bickering.
“Quiet!” Daniel clangs his knife against his water glass and silence settles over the table. “Thank you for proving my point.”
“But, Dad . . .” Hugh objects, his face covered in perspiration. “I’m the obvious successor. Not only did I nurse you through your recovery, I’ve basically been running the vineyard these past six months.”
Daniel’s facial muscles tighten. “With a lot of help from Casey.”
Hugh mops his face with his linen napkin. “But practically no help from Charles. And Sheldon has been completely MIA.”
“We’ve all had a lot going on in our personal lives, Hugh. Including you with your divorce and legal battle. That’s why we’re starting over, on a level playing field.” Daniel picks his fork up and returns to eating.
With fire in his eyes, Hugh says, “What exactly does that mean?”
“The clock starts ticking tomorrow morning at eight. Each of you will have until June thirtieth to prove you’re the best candidate to run the vineyard.”
Casey, who has barely touched her food, says, “So this is a competition.”
“Exactly,” Daniel says, tipping his glass of red wine at Casey. “You’re applying for the prominent position as president and CEO of a prestigious vineyard.”
“What happens to the losers?” Sheldon asks.
“None of you are losers, Sheldon. I will give the new head half of my shares of stock, making him or her the majority shareholder. If you so choose, the rest of you will keep your jobs and your shares and remain on the board of directors.”
Hugh pushes his plate away. “This makes no sense, Dad. We’re your children. You know everything about us, including our work ethics. How do you expect us to impress you?”
“Figure it out! That’s what this little exercise is all about. I want to see which of you has the talent and resources to manage the vineyard in the manner I deem appropriate.”
Hugh gets up from the table to get more whiskey from the bar. “Who gets to live in The Nest?”
“The head of the vineyard will live here, as has always been the case.” Daniel looks over at the new house on the next lot over. “I’ll be moving next door. The smaller floor plan and first-floor master bedroom are better suited for someone my age.”
Hugh plops back down in his chair, slamming his drink on the table with a splash. “This is not fair, Dad. I’m the oldest child, and I’ve been living here since October. The Nest is rightfully mine.”
“Nothing is rightfully anybody’s, Hugh. You took it upon yourself to move in here after my stroke. After your wife kicked you out of your house. If I don’t choose you as the new head, you’ll have to move elsewhere.”
Charles drops his fork and sits back in his chair with arms crossed over chest. “I don’t want to play your game. I’m out.”
Hugh barks out a laugh. “As in out of the closet? We know. Your wife told the entire world about your affair with Stuart.”
Charles scowls at Hugh. “Then why didn’t you say anything? Because you disapprove of me being gay?”
“I resent that, Charles. You know I’m not a homophobe. But I’m not throwing you a coming out party either. It’s your life. You’re free to live it however you want.”
Charles stands abruptly, knocking over his chair. “Damn straight I am. I don’t care what any of you think. It’s ironic our last name is Love, because there’s no love in this family. You’re all self-absorbed narcissists. And I want nothing more to do with you. Effective immediately, I’m resigning from my job.”
“You weren’t doing anything anyway,” Hugh says, rattling the ice cubes in his glass. “Name your price, and I’ll buy your shares.”
“No way! My shares aren’t for sale. I’ll remain on the board. I need the income from the dividends.”
“What will you do, son?” Daniel asks in a concerned tone.
“I have an idea for a business venture. I’ll let you know if it works out.” Charles rights his chair and leaves the terrace without another word.
Sheldon’s heart goes out to his brother, and he’s tempted to go after him. Heck, he’s tempted to follow Charles’s lead. He doesn’t need this headache. But he promised his father he wouldn’t make any rash choices without speaking to him in private first.
“One down, two to go,” Hugh says with a smirk as he drains his whiskey.
Casey casts a menacing glare at him before looking over at Daniel. “I’m sorry. But I have an excruciating headache. I’m going home.”
“I understand, sweetheart. A good night's sleep will do you good.” When she picks up her plate to take it to the kitchen, Daniel says, “Don’t worry about that. The server will get it.”
Sheldon jumps to his feet, abandoning his plate. “I’m leaving too. I need to help Ollie with the baby,” he says and hurries after Casey.
He catches up with her in the hallway inside. “Can you believe what just happened?”
“I can, actually. Nothing surprises me anymore.” She lifts her hand to her temple. “But I can’t talk about this right now. This headache is making me nauseous.”
They reach the driveway and he opens her car door for her. “Are you all right, Casey? I can tell something is bothering you other than the headache.”
“Just some stuff with Luke. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. Maybe I’ll stop by Foxtail for coffee before work.”
“That would be great. We have much to discuss.” As he watches her taillights disappear down the road, Sheldon considers going back inside. He has questions for his father, but none he can ask in front of his brother. Besides, he wants to talk it over with Ollie before he does anything.
But when he arrives home, Sheldon finds both Ollie and the baby asleep in the hammock on the porch. Taking Henry from her arms, he carries him up to his nursery, changes his diaper, and puts him in the crib. When he returns to the porch, Ollie has moved to a wicker rocker and is drinking a glass of milk.
“How was dinner?” she asks.
“Strange. As predicted.” When he tells her about Daniel’s competition, Ollie rolls her aqua eyes.
“In other words, he’s waging a war among his children.”
“For once, I agree with Charles. I don’t want to play Dad’s game.”
“So you’re just gonna walk away?” Ollie says in a tone of disbelief that surprises Sheldon.
“Isn’t that what you want?”
“Not necessarily.” She finishes her milk and sets down the glass. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Our son is a Love. That land is his birthright. It’s not fair to keep him from it because of my animosity toward your brother. It would definitely make things easier if Hugh were out of the picture.”
Sheldon frowns. “In order to be considered for the head position, I would have to return to Love-Struck.”
“I love having you working here with me.” She leans across the chair’s arm and rests her head on his shoulder. “But we need to think about what lies ahead. Who knows if we’ll ever be able to buy Valley View? This might be our only opportunity to expand.”
“So you’re suggesting we merge Foxtail Farm and Love-Struck?”
Ollie straightens. “I don’t know what I’m suggesting, Sheldon. I’m thinking out loud.”
Sheldon strokes his scruffy chin. “I have to think about Casey.”
“Of course, you do. Talk to her. I’m confident you two can develop a plan of attack. You have to be absolutely certain. Because once you walk away from your family’s vineyard, you can never go back.”
Sheldon settles back in his chair. His wife is right. Daniel has threatened retirement before, but something tells him his father means business this time. Hugh will destroy Love-Struck if he gets control. And Sheldon can’t let that happen. He’s confident Casey will put forth her best effort, but he’s not sure Casey can handle Hugh on her own. She’ll need a strong advocate in order to beat him at what will surely become a vicious battle. Sheldon will fight for the vineyard now and figure out where he fits into the puzzle later.