SYLVIE WAS GONE.
It was for the best.
No matter how many times Enzo told himself that it didn’t feel like it was for the best. Still, it wasn’t like he couldn’t drive to visit her whenever he wanted. After all, when the estate was sold, he’d be moving, too. But now with news of the baby, he was rethinking his plans to move to France. That was a lot farther from Sylvie and the baby than he wanted to be.
But the problem was that she’d moved before they’d had time to sort out the future and make arrangements concerning the baby. He’d wanted to stop her from leaving, but what did he have to offer her? His life was in disarray. He didn’t even know where he’d be sleeping next month.
After weather delays, the buyer, Mr. Renezo, had arrived a day late and had enjoyed everything about the estate—that was before the winds and wildfire took a distinctive turn. The fire was creeping toward the Bartolini estate—Enzo’s home. Firefighting efforts were hampered by wind gusts that jumped fire lines.
In the wine-tasting room, Enzo had just sat down with Mr. Renezo and their attorneys to sign the sale papers. Enzo hadn’t eaten that day. His stomach was bothering him. He blamed it on his nagging headache. All of Sylvie’s reasons for him not to sell kept nagging at him.
Though the wildfire troubled Mr. Renezo, he was still willing to buy the estate so long as the fire didn’t touch the property. That was a big if and they both knew it. But since the man had taken time from his busy schedule to fly in, they were ironing out the details.
The problem was that Mr. Renezo didn’t want to keep the estate as it was. The man planned to destroy many of the buildings Enzo’s father had built, including the little house where Sylvie had stayed. Even the main house wouldn’t be recognizable when this man was done. Any memory of Enzo’s family would be wiped away.
Part of Enzo realized when the sale was complete that it was Mr. Renezo’s property to do with as he pleased, but the other part of him couldn’t reconcile himself to the fact that his childhood home would no longer exist as he’d always known. When he’d started down this road, he’d never realized just how difficult it was going to become.
Needing a break from answering Mr. Renezo’s questions, Enzo headed outside the winery. A hint of smoke hung in the air. There was no escaping it.
Another of his father’s bits of wisdom came to him: Change doesn’t come easily but it’s necessary. Enzo just had to keep moving forward until the deal was complete. Everything would work out then. Wouldn’t it?
Vito came rushing up to him. His tanned face was marred with deep worry lines. Enzo’s heart sank down to his work boots. Had the fire reached the Bartolini property?
“How bad is it?” Enzo’s words were rushed.
“It’s bad. Do you have room for another family?” Vito asked. He’d returned early from his holiday when he heard about the fire.
Enzo raked his fingers through his hair. With evacuation orders up in the area, he’d been taking in displaced families. After all, he had an unoccupied hotel. He might as well put it to good use. The only problem was that it had filled up quickly.
“Put them in my room,” he said. “I’ll grab what I need and bunk down here with the rest of the crew.” Vineyard workers who didn’t have a family of their own was camping here, ready to do whatever was necessary.
Besides, now that Sylvie was gone, he spent as little time in the main house as possible. The estate was so empty, even with all these people staying here. Nothing was the same without Sylvie’s bright smile and bubbly laugh.
With a resigned sigh Enzo turned toward the door. It was time to go back inside and sign the sales agreement—if the wildfire didn’t incinerate the estate first.
Mr. Renezo looked up from the papers in front of him when Enzo entered the room. His silver hair was trimmed very short, revealing his lack of hair atop his head. From behind his silver frames his sharp gaze studied Enzo. “Everything all right?”
Enzo nodded. At least for the moment. “We should get the sales agreement signed.”
“Just remember I’ve had my attorney write in a clause that if the wildfire destroys the property that this agreement is null and void, so if your rushing to sign is some sort of idea that you’ll sign it and be off the hook if the worst happens, think again.”
“The idea never crossed my mind. Let’s do this.” Enzo needed to get this over with, the sooner the better. Because the longer they took, the more the doubts about his actions circled overhead, weighing on him.
As he lifted the pen, he saw Sylvie’s image in his mind. She was frowning at him and shaking her head in disapproval. But she didn’t understand. No one understood that this place represented his failures—the secret his parents kept—the secret he’d hid.
It was best to forget the past and just get on with the future. A fresh start that included a baby. Sylvie and his baby. He would do better by their child. There would be no secrets—secrets that shook the foundation of their family.
As they were about to sign the sales agreement, Vito rushed into the room. He didn’t apologize for his presence. And by the distinct paleness of his face, it was clear that things had gotten worse.
He moved to Enzo’s side. Vito leaned over and whispered, “We have to go. The fire is headed right for us.”
In that moment Enzo wondered if this was his punishment for all the mistakes he’d been making with his sisters, with the estate—with Sylvie. Was the choice to stay or go being taken out of his hands? Was his past about to go up in smoke?
In the next breath he realized he wasn’t a quitter. He refused to let the flames of fate take the decision of whether he should stay or go out of his hands.
He would stop the fire—he hoped. He would protect this land that had been left to him—that was so rich in memories. Some good. Some not so good.
And then he thought of Sylvie. She was always lurking at the edge of his thoughts. This estate is where he’d first met her. For whatever reason, she loved this place. And that was all the reason he needed to do whatever needed to be done.