Chapter Fifteen

Celeste

 

“What are you doing here, Celeste?” Owen asked me as I was going through my wine lists in the cellar. It wasn’t my day to do inventory, but I needed the distraction after I dropped Veeta off at school.

“I thought we were getting new wines in.” I lied.

“Let me take over, my hot husband.” Sienna walked in and slipped her arms around the waist of her husband. He didn’t mind a bit. In fact, he turned his body around in her arms to face her and gave her such a passionate kiss that I swear even I felt it.

“I know when I’m not wanted,” Owen’s voice rang out as he slowly faded out of view, leaving the two of us alone with thousands of bottles of wines.

“Oh my God, what’s wrong? Why are you here, Celeste?” Andy came whizzing in the room. I figured that Owen must’ve told her there was a girl meeting in the cellar room.

There was no point in stalling. Maybe it would be good to get it off of my chest. Not that it would help... “Skeet’s not happy with me.”

“No!” They both said in unison.

“Dale heard him talking to his good friend Dean who owns a bar near where Skeet grew up.” I moved toward the table where the girls had parked themselves on two stools and set down my clipboard. I used my hands to steady myself on the table as I took a few deep breaths before launching into the whole fucked up speech I had heard the day before. I had barely slept a wink and I was dragging as I got Veeta ready for school.

“Basically, Skeet went out to California to make arrangements to go back to working on the vineyard. He was talking about things not being right. That he couldn’t go back to living here. And the worst part was that he told me we had to talk once he got back. He wanted to talk things out before, but I had put him off—”

“Boy, oh boy, did you ever put him off.” Sienna laughed.

“No way is he leaving! Not after the weekend you two spent together.” Andy spoke up. “All of the sexy fun!”

“She’s right. No man does and says those things and wants to run away.” Sienna was shaking her head as she slid off of her stool and walked toward a wine rack where she and Owen had their own reserve. “We need some wine.”

I laughed. “Get back here. I’m fine. Really. And besides, I have to go pick up Veeta soon.” Thank God, I had kept Skeet and Veeta apart. I could only have imagined the devastation of him leaving if I had let her get attached to him. She would’ve. There was no doubt in my mind. “I need to go fishing!”

“You are the strangest girl ever,” James stated, walking into the cellar and added, “What girl likes to go fishing as much as you?”

I had to laugh and I had to get out of there. They all had work to do and I was just throwing off everyone’s schedule. “That’s me a strange girl and fortunately for me, I have a little girl who loves it just as much. See you guys later and I am fine...I will be fine.”

I had Veeta. What more did I need?

The only thing was... I didn’t have Veeta.

When I got to school, they told me that a family member had picked her up. They weren’t sure who it was since they switched shifts and the other morning teacher was gone. I tried to figure out who would come and pick her up. I had been tired that morning and was trying to remember if anyone said they were going to pick her up. I couldn’t recall any mention and began to worry a bit.

I was really worried when my mother greeted me and no Veeta.

“Where is Veeta? Do you know who got her from school?”

“I wasn’t supposed to get her and your dad had a meeting with Conrad...so it wasn’t them. Clancy was having a meeting with her private investigator.”

I was officially worried. “That rules everyone out. They wouldn’t give her to anyone but us...” I heard the roar of a motorcycle and lost all focus as I expected to see Skeet coming up the driveway. It wasn’t him.

“Oh my gawd! What the hell?”

Veeta was riding on the front of a vintage motorcycle with Clancy.

“What are you thinking? You did not pick her up from school with that and—” I was yelling over the idling motor until she turned it off.

“Relax. I got her in my car and we came back and went for a little cruise around the property—”

Veeta cut her off in an excited voice, “Weeeeee Vroooooom Vroom. We had fun, Mommy.”

No helmet, are you crazy? I wanted to scream at Clancy as my girl rattled on with a big smile gracing her adorable face.

“My hair blows in the wind, Mommy.”

I finally got a word in edgewise when Clancy removed Veeta and herself from the bike. “I don’t need you teaching her your wild ways...” My mother called Veeta inside for peach pie as I laid into Clancy. “And she’s still not safe. You should’ve told me you were getting her from school. I was worried and then panicked when she wasn’t in the house... Remember the locket. I don’t know what’s going on with you lately.” I was nearly in tears.

“I’m sorry, Celeste, about the bike...but it was my day to get her from school. You mentioned inventory and I usually get her unless you say otherwise.”

Shit! I was losing it. Losing control of things. I was letting my love life or what I had thought was love override my duties. Forgetting all about my responsibilities. My obligations.

“I’m sorry, Clancy... Please make her wear a helmet next time... I did mention the wine and I... I’m going to go down to the fishing hole and fish a bit.” I wasn’t even letting her respond as I turned and walked away, heading for the barn to grab my equipment.

I needed to unwind and, most importantly, I needed to pull it together.

Veeta needed a good mommy more than I needed to worry about Skeet leaving town. Again.