Late Friday morning, Sheldon strolls, with coffee in hand, across the road to Valley View Vineyard. He waits on the farmhouse porch while Gray finishes giving a tour of the winery.
“Can you spare a minute to talk?” Sheldon asks after the last guest has left.
“Sure! Let’s go inside to my office.”
Sheldon follows Gray through the house to a glass room that is handsomely decorated with a black lacquered desk, a worn oriental rug covering the brick floor, and a comfortable sitting area.
A set of sliding doors offers a sweeping view of the vineyard, and immediately attracts Sheldon. “This room is seriously cool, bro.”
“Thanks. My grandmother was a musician and music teacher. She played and taught piano, violin, and the flute. My grandfather had this conservatory built for her, which is where she taught her students.”
Sheldon imagines Ollie working here. Once they hire a nanny, she’ll be able to get away for several hours at a stretch.
Gray gestures at Sheldon’s cup. “Can I get you a refill on coffee?”
“I’m good. But thanks.”
They sit down in comfortable chairs opposite each other. “Ollie and I would like to match the anonymous party’s offer. I asked a Realtor friend to draw up a contract to include an escalation clause not to exceed a hundred thousand more than my price.” Sheldon removes the folded contract from his back pocket and hands it to Gray.
Gray scans the contract. “This is great. I haven’t received a formal contract from the other buyer. As far as I’m aware, he has not included an escalation clause in his offer.”
“I’m almost positive Hugh is your anonymous buyer. I’m pretty sure he’s up to something underhanded, and I’m afraid he’s dragging Miranda down the dark alley with him.”
Gray stiffens. “Miranda is usually the instigator, not the one being dragged. What makes you think they’re up to something?”
“I overheard them talking the other day in Hugh’s bedroom at The Nest.” Sheldon tells him about eavesdropping on Hugh and Miranda’s conversation and the mention of their dirty little secrets. “It sounded to me like they were blackmailing each other.”
Gray furrows his brow. “Wonder if they are blackmailing each other with the same dirt. Do you think they’re sleeping together?”
“That’s a good question. The way they were talking in Hugh’s room, they didn’t sound like lovers. But they were drunk and all over each other at the Vino Bistro opening last night.” Sheldon drums his fingers on the chair’s arm. “Whatever’s going on, I aim to get to the bottom of it.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Buy me some time.” Sheldon points at the contract in Gray’s hands. “That is our best offer. I’m sure Hugh will come back with more money. I need a few days or a week to do some digging. If Hugh is up to something illegal, I intend to bring him down. For my family’s sake and the sake of our vineyard.”
“For the sake of my vineyard as well.” Gray lets the contract fall into his lap. “I will hold off on presenting this offer to Miranda until the last minute. Let me know if you find out anything I can use against Miranda in the divorce.”
“Will do.” The men stand, and Gray walks him to the door.
Returning to Foxtail, Sheldon gets in his SUV and drives over to Love-Struck. He continues past the winery to The Nest. The coast is clear with no one in sight and no cars parked out front. He lets himself into the side entrance of the children’s wing and tiptoes down the hall to Hugh’s bedroom, not surprised to find the closed door unlocked. Daniel never allowed locks on bedroom doors when they were growing up.
Sheldon searches the room from top to bottom but finds nothing suspicious or incriminating aside from a locked desk drawer. Sheldon doesn’t consider this a big deal. He keeps his own important documents locked in a desk drawer.
Leaving The Nest, he walks toward the winery and enters the security hut where he finds Jeremy McCoy, head of security, eating a banana and mayonnaise sandwich as he’s done every day for all the thirty-some years Sheldon has known him.
At the sight of him in the doorway, Jeremy freezes with sandwich positioned near his mouth. “Sheldon, this is a surprise,” he says, lowering his sandwich to the wax paper wrapper. “How is fatherhood treating you?”
“Excellent. Ollie loves being a mother, and the baby is thriving.” Sheldon scrutinizes the new bank of monitors linked to surveillance cameras spread about the vineyard. “This is some fancy new equipment you’ve got here.”
“Yep! Your father upgraded during the recent renovations. He spared no expense. What brings you my way?” Jeremy moans as he rises slowly from his chair. He’s pushing seventy and out of shape, with a large gut bulging over the waist of his khaki pants. He should back off on the banana and mayo sandwiches.
“I was wondering if you’ve noticed anything unusual going on at The Nest lately.”
“What sort of goings-on are you talking about?” Jeremy asks with pinched expression.
“I’m primarily interested in any strange behavior you might have noticed from Hugh.”
Jeremy strokes his turkey neck. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“I have reason to believe he’s up to no good. Can you look into it for me? Maybe pull some of the footage from the surveillance cameras?”
“I don’t think I can do that, Sheldon. Last I checked, you no longer work here. Besides, Hugh is my boss. Giving you information about him could get me into a heap of trouble.”
Sheldon looks the security head in the eyes. “Hugh is not your boss, Jeremy. Daniel Love is still in charge of the vineyard. It’s his safety I’m concerned about. If you need Dad’s permission, I can get if for you, but I’d hate to worry him with the matter, considering his fragile health,” he says, exaggerating the bit about Daniel’s health to put pressure on Jeremy.
The security head reluctantly agrees. “All right. I’ll see what I can do. But I’m not making any promises.”
Sheldon claps him on the shoulder. “Thank you, Jeremy. You’re a good man. In the meantime, for Dad’s sake, please have your men keep a closer eye on The Nest.”
“I can do that.” Jeremy sits back down. “Give my regards to the missus,” he says, and sinks his teeth into his sandwich.
“Will do. You have my number. Call me if you find something.”
Sheldon is grateful when he encounters no one on his walk back to his car. Upon his arrival back at Foxtail, he spots Ollie attacking weeds in the vegetable garden behind the house while the baby, in his stroller, sleeps in the shade of a nearby maple tree.
Sheldon stands at the picket fence surrounding the garden. “Slow down, Ollie. You’re going at it with a vengeance. What did those poor little weeds do to you?”
Ollie jumps to her feet, drops a handful of weeds in the wheelbarrow, and closes the distance between them. “I’m upset, Sheldon. I want you to walk away from Love-Struck and the Valley View deal.”
Sheldon’s skin turns cold despite the warm day. “What’re you talking about? Valley View is our dream.”
Tears well in her aqua eyes. “I’m freaking out. I haven’t felt this anxious since we got married. Hugh is dangerous. If something happens to you, Henry will be fatherless. If something happens to me, he’ll be all alone in the world. And that terrifies me.”
Sheldon enters the garden and takes her in his arms. “Oh, honey. Why didn’t you tell me your anxiety had come back?”
“I was fine until today,” she sobs. “I saw you leave in your car, and I figured you were headed for Love-Struck. My imagination kicked into high gear. I envisioned you and Hugh getting into a fight and him going postal on you. He’s dangerous. He’ll stop at nothing to get Valley View. Buying that vineyard is not worth losing your life. We’re doing just fine with the land we have here.”
Sheldon strokes her back. “I understand what you’re going through, babe. I’ve had my share of anxiety since Henry was born. Being a parent is scary stuff—introduces a whole new level of responsibility. But we’re not alone. If something happens to me, my sisters, Casey and Ada, will support you. They’re your family now.”
“I know. Having them nearby is reassuring.” She lifts her head off his chest and looks up at him. “I just feel like we’re asking for trouble. We’ve been blessed with so much. Why tempt fate?”
Sheldon cups her cheeks, thumbing away her tears. “I can’t let this go, Ollie. I can’t shake the nagging feeling Hugh is up to something. I may no longer work at Love-Struck, but the Loves are still my family. I have an obligation to protect Dad and Casey.”
The baby cries, and Ollie retrieves him from his stroller. “I understand you can’t turn your back on your family. But why do you have to be the one to investigate Hugh? Why not hire a professional, like a private investigator?”
“It may eventually come to that. I’m just poking my nose around, to see if I come up with anything on my own. I spoke with the head of Dad’s security team today. I told him I’m worried about Hugh, and he promised to be on the lookout for trouble.”
Ollie lets out a sigh. “I guess we don’t have any choice but to see this thing through. Just promise me you’ll watch your back and won’t try to be a hero.”
“I promise I’ll be careful. If all goes as planned, we’ll be rid of Hugh for good and we can finally live in peace.” Sheldon takes the baby from her, cradling him in his arms. He has his precious family to protect. He won’t let anything happen to them.
His oldest brother has done some underhanded things in the past, but the stakes are higher for Hugh this time. His wife is divorcing him, and his daughters won’t speak to him. The vineyard is the only thing he has left. Who knows what measures he’ll go to in order to win the competition for head?