The sale of PoPi went off without a hitch, and Piper left New York with a decent chunk of change. She thought she'd be more nervous about the move than she was, but all signs pointed to her and Alex having a long-lasting relationship, which set her mind at ease tremendously. Polly had given her a hard time at first, but even she saw proof of Alex's commitment to her best friend and couldn't deny that their relationship "had legs."
Piper didn't have any furniture worth taking cross country, so she shipped four boxes of seasonal clothing and sentimental belongings to Washington, taking only two suitcases on the plane on the one-way trip. Instead of flying into Seattle like she had before, she flew into the Yakima regional airport, which was a far easier pick-up for Alex.
"I didn't think this day would ever come," she said as Alex lifted her off the ground in a firm embrace.
"I know." She kissed Piper's forehead before putting her down and giving her a more proper kiss on the mouth. "I've been dying to say this: welcome home."
Piper's face lit up at the realization that she was, in fact, home.
They drove the quick 30 minutes back to the winery, never letting go of each other's hands. Piper enquired about past Spring Release parties, knowing she would be spearheading this one. Alex was excited to have her on board to iron out the details of the special event, and Colton was more than happy to give Piper the reins.
They had sex as soon as they walked into Alex's house, but this time, they made it to the bedroom before undressing. As they lay in the rumpled bed sheets, Alex tucked a strand of hair behind Piper's ear.
"I was thinking of converting the guest bedroom into an office," she said out of the blue.
Piper didn't mind that the conversation took a more practical turn; after all, they'd declared their love several times during love making.
"What if we have friends who want to stay here?"
"I don't have friends who'd want to stay here," Alex chuckled. "Your friends could always stay at the inn."
"True…" Piper rolled onto her back, tugging Alex's hand across her stomach.
"I sense a 'but' coming."
"I don't want to be confined to this house all day." She turned her head on the pillow to face Alex. "It's beautiful and the light is great, but I'd feel claustrophobic if I spent pretty much 24 hours in the same space."
"I get that." It was Alex's turn to roll onto her back, head still facing Piper. "My office in the wine facility is a decent size. I could probably move another desk in there for you."
"How often do you actually use your office?"
She shrugged. "A couple hours a day—30 minutes here, an hour there."
Piper turned on her side, running a hand through black hair. "I don't know if we'll even need two desks. When you need that space, I'm sure I could find somewhere else to work, or I could take a walk or something."
"There are lots of quiet places to work in the inn, too." She rubbed Piper's hip. "I'm confident Cecelia wouldn't mind if you posted in the lobby or even in the tasting room."
Piper smiled. "Then it's settled—the guest room remains."
"Have you even looked at that room?" Alex kissed her knuckles.
"I peeked inside last time I was here—lots of boxes."
"Yeah, I haven't really done much with the space other than store shit that I didn't feel like moving to the attic." She crawled out of bed and headed into the bathroom.
"Maybe I could spruce it up a bit?" Piper was quick on her heels. "It would feel good to put my touch on a part of your house. Not that you haven't done a brilliant job."
Alex washed her face, and then looked into Piper's eyes. "It's our house now, and you're welcome to put any special Piper touches on it that you want."
"Really?"
"Yeah." She kissed her on the temple. "I can only imagine what it would feel like to move into a house that's already established or whatever. I know it'll take time, but I want you to eventually think of this as our house—not mine."
Piper was touched by her sentiment. She had been somewhat concerned about how Alex would feel about a second person moving into the place she once shared with her mom, but Alex seemed eager to make a home with her.
"It will take some time, but I'd like that." Piper smiled, dragging her lover back to the bed for another round of sex.
Over the next week, Piper met with several workers at the winery, most of whom had assisted in one way or another since childhood. The workers' English was far superior to her rusty Spanish, though she was certain her language skills would improve the longer she worked there. Piper wanted to get to know the wine making process inside and out—more than what she'd learned during her vacation back in October. While she'd taken in a great deal about wine back then, there were details she uncovered now that the casual wine enthusiast would know nothing about. Some of them were critical to making wine, and either Alex thought she already knew those details, or they were second nature enough for to her not to mention them.
Piper also met with Cecelia for a couple of hours each day to discuss the finer points of operating the inn. They looked at Harlan's old spreadsheets that he'd kept over the years, all of which were written in pencil in spiral-bound notebooks. Fortunately, his penmanship was decent and his math skills were accurate; trouble was, he used abbreviations all too often, and Cecelia and Piper had to guess what many of them meant. She had her work cut out for her during the slower months when she'd input Harlan's figures into Excel to make it easier to see the financial progress the winery and inn had made over the course of ten plus years.
Although Colton was thrilled to not have to plan Harlan Hurst's special events now that Piper was on board, he still had to meet with her several times about the Spring Release event so that she could get it right. To his credit, Colton was good at party planning, and he'd kept his notes fairly organized in an electronic file. That made life a bit easier for Piper this go-round, though she would eventually do her own research on table/chair rental companies, caterers and florists when she got the hang of things.
During her first week at the estate, Piper worked 10-hour days, but that was nothing compared to Alex, who was on pace to put in an 80-hour work week. There were two days when they didn't see each other until well after dinner time, and the night before the Spring Release, she didn't see Alex until she went searching for her long after the sun had set.
"Alex?" She entered the wine making facility and looked around the vast room. "Al, are you in here?"
Pink Floyd was blasting through the speakers as she walked to the other wing, where she saw Alex standing at a table with a case of wine in front of her.
"There you are."
"You scared me." Alex pulled a bottle out.
She trailed a hand down her back. "If someone wanted to rob the place, they'd have no problem."
Alex ignored her statement as she began scratching at the label.
She turned around, butt resting against the table where Alex was working. "What are you doing?"
"The labels are all fucked up." She held the bottle out for Piper to see.
"They're barely crooked." She took the bottle. "Unless someone is examining the label, they're not going to notice."
"The label is the first thing people notice." Alex grabbed the bottle again and began peeling the sticker back. "I don't want to be perceived as a cheap-ass wine company."
"You think that's what people will remember about your wine?" Piper asked. "That the label was a little askew?"
Alex didn't respond immediately as she worked on the edge of the label with her already shredded fingernails. "It's not good enough."
"Fine." Piper shrugged. "If it means that much to you, we'll get a crew in here first thing tomorrow and re-label the fucked up bottles." She peered into another open case. "How many do you think are affected?"
"I don't know," she sighed. "This is the first case I opened. Could be all of them."
"It could also be just this one." Piper pulled out two bottles of Chardonnay. "These two are fine."
Alex glanced her way.
"So are these, and these." She set them back in the box, and then examined the next case. "These all seem perfect, too."
Alex threw her head back and shut her eyes.
"Are you worried about tomorrow?" Piper tugged her closer by the wrist until Alex stood directly in front of her. "Is that what this is about?"
"Maybe." She released one of Piper's hands and rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses. "I hate when we host big events. I'm fine when I have to talk about our wines at other places, but for some reason, when we're here, I get all…" she trailed off with a shrug and a head-shake.
Piper remembered how stressed out Alex seemed in the fall when all the volunteers showed up at Harlan Hurst for Crush, but back then, she was only getting to know Alex. Now that she had more intimate knowledge of the winemaker, Piper could sense her anxiety better.
"Your wines are flawless, Al." She lifted Alex's chin until their eyes met. "If anything goes wrong, I'll fix it. If you're worried about what a crooked label says about the winery, I'll go through every last one of these cases to make sure they're all straight."
Alex let out a short huff. "Am I being ridiculous?"
"A little." She shrugged. "But I love how important Harlan Hurst's reputation is to you."
Alex rested her forehead against Piper's and inhaled deeply, followed by a slow exhale.
"I have a plan for the labels, and I promise not to let a single bottle leave the premises without ensuring that the fucking label is on correctly."
That earned her a laugh, followed by a kiss. "Thank you," she whispered. "I'm glad you're here. Not just now, though having you here at this moment is kind of nice."
"Only kind of nice?" Piper gave her an affectionate smile. "It's getting late, and you probably haven't eaten anything since breakfast." She grabbed Alex's hand and walked towards the exit.
"I had an apple around two o'clock," she retorted as if that should earn her praise. "Maybe it was closer to three."
"Well, you're going to have homemade tortellini and sausage soup when we get home." Piper turned off the lights.
Alex shut and locked the door. "Who made it?"
"I did," Piper proudly stated.
She stopped in her tracks. "You made soup? I thought you didn't cook?"
"Cecelia gave me a recipe that calls for literally six ingredients. I dumped them into the Crockpot I found in the back of your kitchen cabinet before I left this morning." She began walking, pulling Alex's hand to join her. "It should be hot and delicious."
"You're hot and delicious." Alex tugged on her hand until Piper was forced back. She greedily kissed her, putting her hands on both cheeks.
She wiped Alex's lip with the pad of her thumb. "What was that for?"
"For taking care of me…and I don't mean in a motherly sort of way."
She smiled. "In a girlfriendly sort of way?"
"Yeah." She chuckled. "If that's a word, which I'm assuming it's not."
The women made it back to the house, enjoyed a piping hot bowl of soup with a slice of homemade soda bread that Cecelia had made, and crashed hard just before midnight.
The morning of the Spring Release party, Piper woke up before Alex, which was a first. She tried to be as quiet as possible, allowing Alex to get as much rest as she needed before the big day. As Alex laid there sleeping, Piper smiled at her long, slumbering form. She was stretched out like Superman with one arm under the pillow and her leg bent at the knee. Piper reached to tuck her hair behind her ear but pulled back quickly so as not to disturb her. Alex was beautiful—strong and beautiful. Her eyes were drawn to the indent in her arm where her biceps sloped into the crook of her elbow. Again, she wanted to reach out to touch it, but thought better of it—she'd remember to trace that part of Alex's body with her tongue later that night. Her smile widened as her mind shifted from physical desire to emotional connection, and Piper thought, she loves me. She'd never had anyone love her the way Alex did, and the feeling was so powerful, it almost made her teary-eyed.
She pulled the covers a bit higher over Alex's arm, and then retreated to the bathroom to get dressed. Though the May afternoons were warm enough for short sleeves, the mornings were still rather chilly, and most of Piper's winter clothes were on a truck somewhere in Montana as they made their way cross country, so for the last couple of days, she'd borrowed one of Alex's flannel shirts. Truth be told, even if her clothing had arrived, Piper liked the idea of wearing Alex's clothes. She smelled the blue and black flannel shirt before pulling it over one of her own gray t-shirts. She could get high from the smell of Alex.
Piper was the first person on the patio that morning, which was where she determined the Spring Release would be instead of in the wine making facility, where, according to Alex, it had always been. She had a contingency plan in case of inclement weather, but the forecast called for clear skies and temperatures hovering around 70 degrees—a gorgeous May day. She knew if the weather was nice and the setting was perfect, people would enjoy the wine even more, which meant sales should be good.
She hung ten sets of white lights on the East side of the patio before Colton arrived, and he helped her with the next ten. Together, they filled pastel vases with wildflowers, placing two on each table. Colton dangled paper lanterns from the rafters at all different lengths, while Piper set up two tasting stations on either end of the vast space. As she stood atop a ladder, hooking up a speaker in one corner, she saw Alex out of the corner of her eye.
"Hey," she greeted, shielding the sun with her hand. "Why'd you let me sleep in?"
"You needed it," Piper replied, smiling down at her girlfriend. "Can you hand me that screwdriver?"
"It's kind of hot, watching you do manual labor." Alex smirked and reached for the Phillips head. "All you need is a toolbelt."
Piper snorted. "I'll store that fantasy away for another time." She tightened a screw, and then climbed down.
"I was looking for that shirt this morning," Alex said, fingering the flannel on Piper's arm.
"Now you've found it." She strung her arms over Alex's shoulders and leaned in for a kiss. It still felt new and good and surprising to be able to kiss her like that in public.
"It looks better on you anyway." Alex smiled before deepening the kiss.
Piper pulled back, dragging her hands down Alex's arms and linking their hands together. "Ready for the big day?"
"I guess," she breathed. "I have a few things I need to do."
She turned around to look at her handiwork. "Colton and I are almost finished setting up."
"Looks great," Alex commented.
"I'll go back to the house to shower and change in about an hour." Piper turned back around, kissing her on the cheek. "Meet me there?"
She smirked as she backed away from the patio. "With a toolbelt for you."
"You two are pretty nauseating," Colton said..
Piper smiled. "I know. Isn't love great?"
He rolled his eyes as he handed her a ball of twine.
The guests would arrive just before 1 p.m. and by 11, Piper felt good about their progress. She'd hired two people as "runners" who'd agreed to do whatever she asked them to do with a moment's notice. Their first task was to replace the labels on two cases of Chardonnay so that Alex wouldn't freak out when the guests arrived. While they performed the task, Piper excused herself to get ready for the event.
She walked in the door, seeing Alex's shoes on the doormat, and figured she'd beat her home. Piper went upstairs and heard the water running.
"Mind if I join you?"
Alex turned around and smiled. "Not at all."
She quickly undressed and stood under the warm spray while Alex massaged her shoulders.
Piper grabbed the shampoo and lathered her hair. "Do you feel good about things?"
"The wine is made and the people will be here in a matter of hours. There's nothing more I can do at this point." She kissed Piper's shoulder. "The patio looks amazing, so if nothing else, at least they'll appreciate the ambiance."
Piper turned to face her. "I'd be surprised if we didn't sell at least 30 cases."
"That would be nice." Alex gave her a tentative smile.
She put her hands on Alex's chest and looked up at her. "It'll happen."
The women kissed under the hot water, and then finished getting clean before drying off. The thought of sex had entered Piper's mind, but the last thing she wanted was to be rushing around last minute, worried that the guests would begin arriving before she was there to welcome them and monitor things.
Alex had reluctantly agreed to give three winemaker talks in the barn about how the two wines they were releasing that day were made. To that end, Piper had requested that she dress up a bit more than her standard jeans and t-shirt. In fact, Piper had ordered an outfit for her from Free People and couldn't wait to see Alex in the gold, wide-legged pants and white blouse that tied at the wrists.
As Alex tied a bow on one wrist, Piper breezed in and stopped in her tracks. "Holy shit."
"What?"
Piper had been in the bathroom blow drying her hair while Alex got dressed and was very pleased at what she saw when she entered the bedroom.
"You look amazing." She tossed a chunk of dark hair over Alex's shoulder, and then kissed her neck. "You smell good, too."
"I'll admit, it's more comfortable than I thought it would be." She ran a hand down the back of Piper's head.
"Good." She stepped back and admired her girlfriend again. "Thank you for putting in this much effort."
Alex batted her eyes. "Anything for you."
Piper playfully slapped her before turning to grab her light, rose-colored dress out of the closet.
"Thank you for everything you've done to make this day a success." Alex kissed her bare shoulder. "I'm sure it'll be great."
"It will be." Her fingers danced on Alex's cheek as she kissed her on the lips once, and then again. "See you down there."
She'd never told Alex how many people had RSVP'd for the Spring Release for fear of Alex feeling overwhelmed. Also, it was Piper's first foray into event planning, and she had no idea how many of the 400 guests would show up. She'd advertised it on the Harlan Hurst website and in the monthly e-newsletter, but Piper didn't stop there. She mailed flyers to every place in the country where Harlan Hurst wines were sold, asking the owners to pin the flyer to a bulletin board or place it prominently next to the register.
She'd agreed to hire the catering company that Colton had worked with in the past, but instead of serving passed hors d'oeuvres, they'd grill chicken and salmon, which Alex agreed would be perfect food pairings with the Chardonnay and dry Riesling. The event was expensive to be sure, but Piper had convinced Cecelia in order to make money, they had to spend money. If they sold 20 cases of wine, they'd cover the cost of catering; 30 cases would cover the cost of hiring extra workers for the day. (Piper was grateful that four Harlan Hurst wine club members had volunteered to pour at the event, and she vowed to beef up their volunteer staff for future events.)
As Colton helped the caterers set up the grill, Piper powered up her iPod and Diana Krall's voice wafted through the speakers.
"I think the music is a fine choice, dear." Cecelia put a hand on her arm.
"Thanks." Piper glanced towards the parking lot and saw four couples walking towards them. "Here we go."
Cecelia smiled. "It'll be fantastic."
She took a deep breath, ready to tackle whatever came her way.
During the four-hour event, Piper was pulled in every direction—from washing wine glasses to loading cases of wine into cars to charming the pants off of celebrity guests. She relieved the volunteer wine pourers when they needed a break, and she gave tours of the inn when Cecelia got bombarded. She'd heard in passing conversations that the winemaker's talk was informative, which didn't surprise her, but it relieved her tremendously to know that Alex had pulled her A-game.
Colton was a huge help, ringing up guests who bought wine and pitching in to fill platters with grilled salmon and chicken when they ran out. Piper didn't know how he'd handled release events on his own in the past—it was far too much for one person.
The last guests left just after five, and the cleaning crew swept in shortly after. Piper was so tired, she all but fell onto one of the outdoor sofas, closing her eyes and letting her head rest on the back cushion.
"You can't possibly be tied," Alex said, running her fingertips across Piper's forehead from behind.
She opened her eyes. "You better be joking."
Alex sat next to her with an audible grunt. "Fuck, that was grueling."
"I don't know if I can talk anymore." Piper closed her eyes again. "My jaw is sore."
She felt Alex take her hand. "My outfit might be nice and all, but my feet are killing me."
They sat there, heads rolled back and eyes closed, until Colton approached them with the clap of his hands.
"What the fuck?" Alex complained, jolting her head forward.
"You'll never guess how many cases we sold," he said through a wide grin.
"How many?" Piper asked.
"Sixty-two!" He yelled. "Sixty-two cases of wine!"
"No fucking way," Alex replied, looking at Piper, whose smile nearly reached her ears.
"I thought maybe 40 or 50…" she said. "Did you count the number of people who signed the guest book?"
"My grandma is doing that now." He sat across from them in a plush lawn chair. "I gotta hand it to you, Piper, you blew this thing out of the water."
"You really did." Alex strung an arm over Piper's shoulder, and she scooted into the crook of her arm.
"Thanks, but you two did a tremendous job. Everyone here did." She laced her fingers through Alex's.
Cecelia strolled onto the patio, and Piper was amazed at her stamina.
"This is one for the record books," the older woman stated. "Three hundred and seventy-four guests signed the book."
"I figured we had more than 300 people here, but I didn't think we'd approach 400," Piper commented.
Colton grabbed a bottle of dry Riesling that was left on the counter and poured four glasses, handing one to each of them. "A toast to my grandfather's legacy, my resilient grandmother, our rock star winemaker and our new public relations guru. May God continue to bless us with happiness and wine!"
They all tapped glasses, and Alex leaned over to kiss Piper's cheek before taking a sip of the wine.
"I must admit that I thought a few of your ideas were over-the-top," Cecelia began. "But you proved me wrong. Thank you for trusting your instincts."
"Thank you for trusting me in general." Piper swallowed the wine, which was her first glass of the long day.
"I think I deserve some credit for hiring her." Alex smiled.
"You certainly do," Cecelia stated. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to bed. Colton, you're in charge of the inn."
"Got it, grandma."
The one thing Piper hadn't gotten around to yet was hiring a part-time manager for the inn. Cecelia wasn't sold on the idea, but Piper could tell that the older woman grew tired in the late afternoons, and she vowed to find someone who could pick up a few evening and weekend shifts to give both Cecelia and Colton a break.
"Ready to go home?" Alex asked, stretching.
She took Alex's hand and stood. "I'm going to take the longest bubble bath of my life."
"We'll see you guys tomorrow," Alex called as she escorted Piper across the patio.
"Thanks again, Piper," Colton said. "See ya'll tomorrow."
Although Alex didn't have a bath tub in her bedroom, there was a decent sized soaking tub in the guest room. Alex drew the water, pouring in a healthy dollop of Calgon, and Piper stepped out of her dress, carelessly tossing it across the room before getting into the tub.
"Oh my God," she moaned, skin prickling in the hot water. "This is heavenly."
Alex disappeared for a moment, and Piper sank deeper into the tub. She scooted lower until her head rested on the back lip.
Soft, instrumental music piped through the air as Alex breezed back into the bathroom completely naked and got in behind Piper. "This is nice."
Piper adjusted her arms and legs so that Alex could fit in the tub and envelope her just like the bubbles.
"You blew me away today," Alex said, spooning the warm water onto Piper's shoulder. "I knew you'd do a good job, but what you accomplished was like nothing I've ever seen."
"Thank you." She looked up at her. "It was stressful, but that was only my first go-round. It'll get easier, I hope, from here on out."
Alex lowered her neck and kissed her gently. "Did you at least have a little fun?"
"Yeah, I did." She rubbed Alex's arms. "There were a couple of moments when I could stand back and observe everything around me. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the wine flew off the shelves."
She wrapped her legs around Piper's waist. "How many bottles did we pour?"
"I counted 24 empties, but Colton was going to confirm numbers later."
Alex kissed a trail over her shoulder and up her neck as her hand reached between Piper's legs.
She opened her legs as far as she could as Alex toyed with her pussy. "Mmm, that feels good."
She inserted a finger into Piper's opening. "Water isn't the best lubricant. Do you want to soak a little longer or get out so I can more properly finger you?"
"When you put it that way," Piper moaned. "I could be persuaded to get out."
They stood one at a time, each carefully stepping out of the tub and wasting no time rubbing each other's wet bodies and kissing. Alex walked backwards, taking Piper with her, until they reached the guest bed after maneuvering around a few boxes. Not bothering to dry off or unmake the bed, they landed hard on the mattress, and Alex trailed kisses down her abdomen to her center. Although Piper was exhausted, she wasn't too tired for sex. Alex slowly, gently licked her pussy until Piper felt a familiar rumble in her stomach.
"I…right there…Alex, I'm…I'm…ohgod!" She grabbed Alex's head, pulling it closer to her center as she rode out an impressive orgasm.
Alex licked her clean, and then made her way back up Piper's body. "I love watching you like that."
She kissed Alex on the mouth. "Can I do you?"
"You don't have to ask," Alex chuckled.
Piper shimmied down her body, fingers landing inside her before her tongue joined the action. She spread Alex's legs, and then hooked them over her shoulders. Although her muscles were sore and the weight of Alex's legs was a little uncomfortable, she relished in the taste and the feel of her girlfriend's pussy. Piper inserted a third finger, twisting her hand until she could reach far enough inside to find her G-spot, tongue never leaving her clit. She could feel Alex's walls tighten and knew she was on the edge. Piper sucked her clit hard, and then flicked it with the tip of her tongue, which sent Alex into a loud, powerful orgasm.
When she was finished, Piper wiped her fingers on the bed sheets, then crawled up to lie next to Alex. "Let's just sleep here."
"Mmm," Alex breathed. "Sounds good to me."
And they did just that, falling asleep in a naked heap on the guest bed with a bathtub still full of water and faded bubbles.
Harlan had never been big on release parties at the vineyard. In fact, it took Felix, Alex and Cecelia two years to convince him to throw the first one. Harlan lived to see only four release parties, and they broke even or made a miniscule profit at each one. To him, the event was effective "just to get the name out there" and turning a profit was insignificant. What would Harlan Hurst think if he knew that his winery made $10,000 at a Spring Release party that year?
Cecelia gave full reign to Alex and Piper to determine where the profit would go. Piper wanted to invest at least half of the proceeds, and Alex wanted new barrels. At $350 per barrel, she was able to buy 15 new Hungarian oak barrels, and Piper invested the rest.
It didn't take much convincing for Cecelia and Alex to agree to host another release party in the fall when they'd bottle the red wines. Piper determined that the best time to host the Fall Release would be either the weekend before or after Crush. The small town would be buzzing at that time of year anyway, so why not capitalize on it? The money they would make from the event would go towards a new closed-top fermenter, which Alex claimed was long overdue.
The summer months at Harlan Hurst were busier than Piper thought they'd be. She was still learning the ropes of managing essentially two businesses with the inn and the vineyard, and Alex was busy blending wine and tending to the vines. She had to go away to a four-day Washington Winemakers conference in Spokane in late June, but Piper chose to stay at the estate to welcome Layla.
Piper had hoped that Polly would make her way out there that summer, but married life kept her busy, and she didn't want to tag along on Layla's vacation to spend time with Colton. She promised Piper that she'd visit her before the end of that year.
During Alex's absence, Piper felt more like the house was becoming theirs. She'd struggled with calling it her house since moving in, because everything inside belonged to Alex. As strange as it seemed, spending four days alone in the house allowed Piper to bond with it, and by the end of her solo time, she felt a small sense of kinship with the house.
As much as she appreciated her alone time, when Alex returned, Piper showered her with affection, telling her she was never allowed to leave again. If it was possible, sex was even better after Alex's trip, so Piper agreed that she could go away once a year for the sake of having the best 'welcome home sex' ever.
The long summer days meant grilling on the deck, star gazing in the middle of the vineyard, and the occasional skinny dip in a nearby pond. By mid-August, they'd settled into a routine, having lunch together at home and meeting up for dinner before sunset.
One afternoon, Piper went home after a meeting with Cecelia to make club sandwiches and wait for Alex to join her. She walked inside only to find a note on the kitchen counter: Meet me by the hammock. Already packed lunch. Piper tucked the note into her shorts pocket, and then left the house in search of Alex.
The hammock was in an inconspicuous area behind the wine making barn, and Piper had only been there the one time when she'd just met Alex. As she approached the tree-lined area, a smile crept on her face with the memory from nearly a year ago.
"What made you decide to meet here?" she asked as she watched Alex rock in the hammock.
She turned her head. "Remember this place?"
"Of course, I do." She smiled. "You let me wear your mom's hat while I took a nap here."
Alex tossed the old hat to her, and Piper caught it and put it on.
"I doubt I look as good in it as you do," Piper commented.
"You look hot." Alex stood. "Then again, you look hot in whatever you're wearing."
She accepted a kiss. "What did you pack?"
"A cheese plate and some salami." She grabbed the picnic basket. "Hungry?"
She nodded and followed her. "Where are we going?"
"To the lone apple tree."
"Where we had our first meal together?" Piper was pleased but confused as to why Alex picked that day to relive a memory.
"Yeah."
They made their way to the tree, and she helped Alex spread the blanket like she'd done in October.
"Am I missing an anniversary or something?" Piper enquired.
"I don't think so." Alex pulled out two wine glasses. "I just thought it would be nice to eat out here again." She handed Piper a roll of crackers while she worked on a bottle of wine. "This isn't the same wine we drank back then. It's a Rosé from Provence."
She opened the crackers and set them on a cheese plate. "Where'd you get it?"
"From the conference. They were giving away all kinds of wine." She poured two glasses of the light pink liquid.
She swirled it in the glass. "You didn't tell me they gave you wine."
"I was so excited to see you that I forgot to mention it." Alex smiled. "It's not like I was hiding it from you."
Something was amiss—what was Alex hiding?
"Ok." Piper took a sip. "It's good—dry and a little effervescent."
"I know you like Rosé, and I thought this one would pair nicely with the Brie." She opened the round, wooden container to reveal the cheese.
"I like French wines in general," Piper said around a bite. "I always thought I was more of an Italian wine drinker, but the more I get to know about French varietals, the more I appreciate them."
"I'd drink French over Italian any day." Alex opened a can of almonds. "Would you grab the Port Salut in there?"
Piper reached into the picnic basket and pulled out the second cheese. It was wrapped in an odd paper. "What's this?"
She remained silent as Piper unwrapped the cheese.
"French Wine: An Insider's View," Piper read, and then looked up at Alex. She glanced back down at the paper and continued reading. "Offering exclusive luxury wine tours in France, our tours are designed to help wine lovers discover the beauty of French wine and culture…" Piper looked back up at her. "Alex, what is this?"
"Do you want to go to France with me?" she asked through an almost shy laugh.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Piper lurched forward, hugging Alex so tightly that she almost toppled over.
"That's not even the best part," Alex said, gently pushing her away.
"How could anything be better than this?" She looked at the paper again, and when she returned her gaze to Alex, she was holding a little box.
Piper's eyebrows shot up and her hand covered her heart.
Alex smiled. "Instead of calling it a vacation, calling it our honeymoon."
Her mouth went dry and her pulse quickened. "Are you…"
"Am I proposing?" Alex laughed. "Yeah, if you'd let me get to it."
Piper's eyes welled up with tears.
"I think by now you know how much I love you," Alex began. "And how much I trust you. This wasn't a difficult decision for me—I knew I wanted to spend my life with you when I held your hair back as you puked in the Subway station." She chuckled. "The hardest part was finding time to find the right ring." Alex scooted closer, taking one of Piper's hands in her lap. "So, Piper Elizabeth Chapman, will you marry me?"
Piper covered her mouth with her free hand as tears streamed down her face. "Yes!"
This time when Piper lurched forward, she did knock Alex over. They kissed on the blanket for a few seconds before Piper sat back up and pulled Alex with her.
"Don't you want to see the ring?" Alex opened the tiny box to reveal a gold and pewter rough diamond ring. "I found it in Spokane of all places." She took it out of the box and presented it to Piper.
"It's gorgeous." She examined it closely: the band was two vines that came together to cradle the diamond.
Alex slid it onto her finger. "It's called Through the Vines."
Piper watched the diamond sparkle on her finger, and then leaned forward to chastely kiss Alex on the lips. "I love you so much, and I can't wait to marry you."
"And go to France?" She smiled.
"That, too." Piper returned the smile and kissed her fiancé for all she was worth.
THE END
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this story! I had fun writing it even though it was incomplete before I began posting. If you didn't know much about wine production before reading this story, hopefully this gave you some insight into the fascinating process. Thanks one and all for the kind reviews.