Today couldn’t get any more perfect. I had taken an early morning walk through our vineyards with my oldest sister, Felicity followed by yoga on the deck of my bungalow. My sister Francesca recently moved in with her boyfriend so I was able to move from the main house with my siblings to my own little oasis.
Despite being a five minute walk from the family home, I missed seeing my siblings daily. So Felicity and I had begun a daily morning walk with our coffee, which gave us the opportunity to catch up. We talked regularly about the business of the winery as she was the manager of the property and I was the florist for special events. Our morning walks gave us the chance to talk about more personal topics, such as why I wasn’t dating anyone.
Our parents had died in a car accident two years ago and since then, Felicity had taken it on herself to mother the younger siblings. Francesca and Faith had both found their happily ever after and now she was focused on Finn, Fiona, and me.
This morning, her focus was laser sharp on my love life—or lack thereof.
“I’m happy, Felicity. I don’t need a relationship to be fulfilled.”
Facility quirked her mouth. “True. But don’t you get lonely?”
I stopped mid-stride to regard my oldest sister. Her curly hair was loose this morning and the breeze caught strands to swirl around her face. She pushed them away in a gesture I remembered since my childhood.
“I don’t get lonely. The real question is whether you get lonely?”
I pinned her with a stare and she looked away, pretending to study the grapes budding on the vine.
“It will be a good harvest year.”
“Yes it will. That wasn’t my question.”
Felicity turned to face me. “Yes, I get lonely. But there is too much to do at the winery to add the complication of a relationship into the mix.”
My heart twisted. I’d long suspected Felicity was sacrificing more than she should for the sake of keeping our family winery going after our parents’s death. The fact that she wasn’t dating because of her loyalty to us broke my heart.
“You deserve to be happy, too.”
Felicity shrugged. “I’ll get my chance.”
“Sometimes, you need to make it happen, not sit by and wait for something to change.”
I was an expert at change. From an early age, I’d embraced the thrill of new places and adventures. The travel bug bit me hard and ever since high school when I’d spent a summer away as an exchange student in France, I traveled as often as my schedule and budget allowed.
I hadn’t been sure where my path would lead, but always suspected it would be away from my hometown of Harmony, CA. After high school graduation, I chose an arts program where I focused on floral design. I’d always designed the bouquets for Chateau Felicity and this gave me the formal training I needed to make a career as a florist.
As far as my family knew, I’d always planned to be the winery’s florist. I’d never given them any information to suggest otherwise. What they didn’t know is that I’d applied for a job at a prestigious French hotel with plans to relocate. They also didn’t know that the morning of my parents’ accident, I’d received the job offer of my dreams.
My elation was short-lived as the tragic news of their death overshadowed everything. It was as if my world collapsed around me. Everything I’d taken for granted was gone in the blink of an eye. I’d been worried how to break the news to them that I was moving to Europe, yet never got the chance to tell them. I’d never have the chance to share anything with them again.
I didn’t tell my siblings because they were all as devastated as me and I just couldn’t add to their grief. With our parents gone, the management of the winery and property fell to Felicity. My oldest brother Foster returned from New York City to help and has stayed in Harmony. He found his happy ending with family friend, Zoe.
Some days, I wonder how my life would be different if I’d moved anyway. The one thing I knew for certain is that I would be single, no matter the continent. I was only twenty-four when my parents died and had just begun to consider taming my wild ways and finding a relationship. The news of their death changed everything. I’d realized that relationships had the potential to bring pain and I couldn’t bear to take the risk.
Felicity sighed. “I make things happen every day for Chateau Felicity. I have no energy left at the end of the day for anything else.”
“Fair enough. Just know that we have your back. If you need more help, just let us know.”
Felicity reached over and gave me a quick hug. “Thanks, Fallon. That means a lot.”
Which was Felicity’s way of closing out the topic. She’d never ask for more help because she knew we all pitched in more than we should to keep things running smoothly. All but Finn, who’d isolated himself in the old meadery on the property and was slowing reviving a family recipe.
His project had great potential, even if it meant he wasn’t available to take on any work from Chateau Felicity. Each of our siblings managed their grief in their own way. Even though it had been two years, the wound felt as fresh as the first day.
* * *
After my walk with Felicity, I headed over to the event center, where my floral arrangements had been delivered early this morning. I needed to review the placement and make some tweaks, but generally my team was used to what I expected and delivered flawlessly.
As I’d expected, the arrangements were place on the tables per my diagram. The taller arrangements were placed on pedestals around the room and along with the twinkle lights, would give the space a magical feel for the evening reception. The ceremony was going to be on the outdoor patio overlooking the vineyard and town of Harmony, beyond. I’d stop outside to review those arrangements once I met with Ben, our wedding cake vendor, to pass off the flowers the Bride had requested for the elaborate cake design.
I was looking forward to what Ben would do with the blooms as he was a wizard with buttercream and fondant. While we didn’t often have opportunity to interact in our respective roles, I’d certainly observed enough of his work to be impressed.
He was always dressed impeccably, as well. Not a hair out of place and his khakis and button down shirts were always ironed. I had no idea how he did it as a single father who also ran a demanding business. But he did. When I’d first met him five years ago, I’d been struck by how handsome he was. But he was married at the time. He was widowed now, but as far as I knew, he didn’t date. He wasn’t the type of guy that I’d usually date since I dated for fun and Ben had serious written all over him.
My thoughts were interrupted by a little girl who whirled through the space, singing at the top of her lungs. She careened a bit to close to the tall flowering pedestals for my comfort.
Before I could intervene, I heard a harried male voice shout “Ruby, be careful!”
The girl stopped in her tracks, a sheepish expression on her face.
“Sorry, Dad,” she sang.
The dad in question entered the room, arms full with a large plastic container. He set it on the closest table with a sigh.
“Ben?” I’m sure my face revealed the shock at seeing Ben in his current state. His khakis were wrinkled and looked as if he’d spill more than one thing on himself this morning. His button down had been unbuttoned at the neck and he’d rolled his sleeves up, revealing strong forearms.
Be still my heart.
I was such a sucker for forearms. My gaze must have lingered too long because Ben’s brows were drawn together in confusion when I finally raised my eyes to his.
“Fallon. That’s right, I need flowers from you.”
“You look like you need more than that.”
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wanted to call them back. The words sounded much flirtier than I’d intended. Not that I planned to flirt with Ben at all. Widowed single dads and free-spirited wanderers were not suited for one another.
For the briefest of moments, his eyes flared and he dipped his gaze down to take in my tight tank top and flowing, floral skirt. Then they snapped up so quickly I began to doubt the look at all.
He opened his mouth and closed it several times as if he was reconsidering what he wanted to say.
Finally he settled on “It’s been a morning.”
“It looks like it. Spill your coffee this morning?”
“Among other things. And I’m running late because the babysitter cancelled.”
That explained why his daughter was here. “Tough day. At least all you have left is to add the flowers.”
I retrieved a box from a nearby table and handed it to him. He accepted the flowers with a resigned look.
“If only it was that easy.” He gestured behind him to the table that held the wedding cake. Or what was left of it.
“Oh my gosh,” I exclaimed. “Whatever happened?”
The top tier of the cake had slid down and was perched precariously on top of the cake. One side of it also had smudged buttercream where several colors had blended together.
“A shi….a bad driver ahead of us meant I had to brake suddenly.”
“That would do it. If you need any help, let me know. I just have to check the ceremony flowers, but am otherwise available.”
Relief flooded Ben’s eyes. “Thank you for the offer. I really could use someone to keep Ruby occupied while I fix this mess.”
Ruby? I’d expected to be a baking assistant, not the replacement babysitter.
“I don’t know anything about kids…”
Ben’s face fell. “Never mind, it was too much to ask of you. I can manage.”
At that moment, Ruby announced she was hungry in a loud voice.
Ben sighed. “Ruby, you’re hungry because you spilled half your cereal in the car. We’ll stop for something as soon as I’m done here.”
“But I’m hungry NOW!”
Ben’s helpless look melted my heart.
“I can take Ruby for awhile while you fix the cake.”
The offer popped out of my mouth and I resisted the urge to clap my hand over my mouth in shock. I’d just offered to entertain a five year old and apparently also feed her.
Ben’s eyes shone with gratitude. “Thank you.”
He turned to his daughter. “Be good for Fallon or you won’t get your tablet time today.” He fixed her with a stern look until she nodded her agreement.
I approached Ruby cautiously. “Hi, I’m Fallon. If you help me with an important job real quick, we can go to the house for a snack.
Ruby’s eyes lit up. “What kind of snack?”
“We’ll find something good. First, let’s take a walk outside and see where the wedding is going to happen.”
“Ohhh, I love weddings, but I never get to go to them.”
“Maybe someday you will.”
“I hope so. Have you been to a wedding?”
“Tons of them. My siblings and I help couples plan their weddings.”
“Wow.” The awe in Ruby’s voice touched me straight in the heart. What a sweet little girl.
“Let’s go look at the ceremony flowers and then I know where we can get a great snack.”
Ruby nodded and took my hand as I led her outside to the arch covered in flowers that overlooked our property. Despite growing up here, I never got tired of the view. The town of Harmony had grown and now spread further into the valley. Yet its small town charm hadn’t dimmed.
My morning had turned out very differently than I’d expected and I wasn’t upset about it. As much as I didn’t have experience with kids, I had a feeling Ruby and I would have a good time.