Palmer and Oliver were locked in an intense discussion when I stepped into the tasting room. They didn’t seem to notice me at first, but Tabitha cleared her throat, and the two men finally looked up. The moment they realized I was in the room, they stopped talking, and everything became still.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, trying to keep the panic in my voice from rising.

“Cami,” Palmer said, approaching me slowly.

“Palmer, just tell me.”

“Sit down,” he commanded gently.

I reached out for the closest chair and gripped the edge of it while I lowered myself to sit. “What happened to Garrett?”

“Cami,” Oliver said cautiously. “Garrett is missing.”

“What?” I stood abruptly before crumpling back down on the seat of the chair. “For how long?”

“About two weeks,” Oliver said slowly. “I’m sorry, I thought you knew. I lost your phone number, but I had your email written down. I sent you an email as soon as Jackson called to tell us.”

“Jackson wasn’t with him?” My relief knowing that Jackson was still alive was temporary.

“He was, but he couldn’t tell me a whole lot about what happened. He wasn’t even supposed to call me.”

Oliver’s news replayed over and over in my head. “You said you emailed me? I check my email every day, but I never got an email.”

“Maybe it went into your spam folder?”

I shook my head. “No. I check that too because Garrett’s last email ended up there.”

Oliver’s brow creased with confusion. “Maybe I got your email address wrong.” He stood and told us that he was going to get his laptop so that he could double check.

“Palmer?” I turned to see the impressive figure of Jacob Hammond standing just inside the tasting room. He walked toward us with his arm extended, ready to greet Palmer. “It’s so good to see you.”

Palmer and Jacob shook hands firmly, greeting one another with a familiarity that I envied. “It’s good to see you too, sir.”

“You heard about Garrett?” Jacob asked. His voice was gruff, and he seemed like a no-nonsense kind of guy. There were no pleasantries to exchange; it was all about getting down to business.

“Yes, sir. I’m very sorry.”

“It wouldn’t have happened if you were still enlisted,” Jacob told him with a wink before he finally noticed me. “Is this your girlfriend?”

But Palmer didn’t have the chance to respond because Oliver returned to the tasting room with his laptop open and set it down on the table. “Okay, Cami. This is the email address I used.”

“Oliver? What’s going on?” This was clearly the awkward moment when someone had to explain to Jacob Hammond exactly who I was.

“Dad, this is Cami,” Oliver said.

“Cami, it’s very nice to meet you,” Jacob said pleasantly, but it was obvious that he was still clueless.

I wanted to stand and introduce myself properly to him, but my eyes were drawn to the email on the screen.

“Oliver, that’s my email. It’s correct,” I informed him.

He made a noise of disbelief, but I tuned him out as I read the email.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Garrett

Hi Cami—

This is Oliver Hammond, Garrett’s brother. I have some news about Garrett, but I lost your phone number, so I’m emailing you instead. I hope you don’t mind, and you won’t be too mad. Jackson just called to let us know that Garrett is missing. He couldn’t give us much more detail since we’re not supposed to know just yet.

If I hear anything else, I will let you know. I know that you’ve been through a lot lately so please do not hesitate to reach out if you need anything. I made a promise to my brother to make you a part of this family.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Oliver

The chair scraped against the hardwood floor and fell over as I stood quickly and raced from the tasting room. I ran to the guest house and frantically unlocked the door. When the front door swung open, I burst inside and scrambled for my backpack that still sat on the couch. My fingers shook as I fumbled with the zipper and pulled my computer free. I was impatient, urging the computer to boot faster and then for it to connect to the internet. I entered my information incorrectly several times before I was finally in my email. I scrolled through the inbox, scrutinizing every single sender and subject line before heading to the spam folder. The email that I just read on Oliver’s computer was not in my inbox. With one last shred of hope, I checked my trash folder, but there was nothing.

Frustrated and enraged, I grasped my computer and threw it against the ground. No, no, no. This was not happening! For two weeks, I waited and waited, checking my email daily almost to the point of obsession. Two weeks.

“What the fuck?” I screamed. “How could you do this to me?”

I had no idea who I was even addressing, but I couldn’t keep these emotions bottled tightly. The broken computer on the floor was so symbolic of exactly how I felt. Broken. Shattered. In pieces.

Palmer and Oliver rushed into the guest house, their expressions mirror images of worry. Palmer noticed the broken laptop first and immediately reached out to me. “Oh, Cami,” he said sympathetically. I practically crawled into his outstretched arms, a broken sobbing mess.

“Why didn’t it come? Why didn’t I get that email?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart,” he said softly, stroking my hair. “There are a million explanations, but I know that none of them are going to make you feel any better.”

Oliver knelt and gently picked up the remnants of my computer. He placed them on the coffee table in front of the couch and then knelt in front of me. “What can I do, Cami? I’m so sorry,” he said tearfully.

“I saw him,” I whispered. “Yesterday, when I was in the vineyard. He loves this land so much, and I saw him. But then he was gone.”

I reached out and placed a hand on Oliver’s cheek, which he covered with his own. “I see him too sometimes,” he admitted. “When I’m frustrated with something, he just seems to pop up and know what to say or how to fix it.”

I smiled weakly. “He’s so excited to come back and help you run Hammond Winery. I know he’s going to find a way to come back to both of us.”

“I think you need to get some rest,” Palmer interjected. He lifted me gently until I was sitting upright before getting up to find my pills. He returned a moment later with two and a bottle of water.

“I don’t normally take two,” I told him.

“It says you can on the bottle,” he replied coolly. “I thought you might want two just because this has been incredibly stressful.”

“You’re right,” I conceded. I plucked them from his outstretched palm and placed them on my tongue before swallowing them down with the water Palmer offered. I stood, my legs shaky, and headed toward the bedroom. It was only a matter of minutes before my world went quiet.

The bed shifted, and I woke slowly. My room was still dark, and my body felt like lead. But I wasn’t alone.

“Cami,” Garrett’s familiar voice called out. “Cami, are you awake?”

“Garrett?” I sat up to see Garrett silhouetted against the moonlight that streamed in through the window.

“It’s me. I’m here. I didn’t want to wake you up, I’m sorry.”

“What are you doing here? You’re missing.”

Garrett leaned forward to place a kiss on my forehead. “Stay strong, baby. I’m not really missing. I’m right here,” he said softly, pointing at my chest. And then, just like before, he was gone instantly.

I turned away from my new nightmare and discovered a bottle of water on the bedside table and the bottle of pills. I flipped on the light to read the directions. As needed, it said. I definitely needed it, I told myself as I unscrewed the cap and shook out one pill. This would help me get through the night. I swallowed the medication with a sip of water and fell back against the bed, waiting for it to carry me away back into silence.

The next morning, Palmer shook me awake. “How many more of these did you take last night?” he asked me, his voice laced with concern.

“Just one. Imaginary Garrett came back last night, and I couldn’t deal with it,” I told him. My head felt fuzzy, and my body moved slowly as I stirred awake. “What’s going on?”

“I’m taking you back home,” he informed me.

“No,” I said firmly. “I want to stay here in case something happens. I can’t risk not knowing again.”

“You can give Oliver your phone number again. He promised not to lose it this time.”

I wasn’t entirely satisfied with his answer, but I got up anyway and packed my small suitcase with the few items that I had taken out. Arguing with him was pointless, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Palmer was right. Going home was the best thing to do. Staying here would make me sick with worry.

“You should really eat,” Palmer admonished me, taking the plate from my hand and placing it in the sink. I didn’t have much of an appetite, so the breakfast that Palmer made for me ended up in the trash.

“I’m not hungry. You’re right; let’s just go home.”

“Okay,” he said. “We’ll stop in at the tasting room so you can give Oliver your phone number, and then we’ll head to the airport.”

Palmer waited for me while I showered and changed, and then we walked down toward the tasting room. He placed our bags into the rental car while I went inside where Oliver and Tabitha were talking behind the bar.

“Good morning,” I said weakly.

“Hi,” Tabitha greeted me with a warm smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a robot, but that’s usually how I feel after I take the medicine the doctor prescribed,” I admitted. “Since my dad passed, I’ve been having trouble sleeping, so they gave me something to just turn my brain off and knock me out.”

Palmer came inside the tasting room followed by Jacob. I looked at both of them nervously while Oliver took out his phone and asked for my number. “When we know something, I’ll call you. I promise.”

“Palmer, I’m sorry you’re leaving so soon,” I heard Jacob say. “How’s your girlfriend feeling? Oliver said she was sick.”

Confused, I turned back toward Oliver and Tabitha for an explanation. Oliver motioned for me to follow him into a back storage room. “I’m sorry you had to hear that,” he said once the door was closed. “He doesn’t know that you and Garrett are in a relationship.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. On the surface, I knew what Oliver was saying, but I didn’t understand why my relationship with Garrett was suddenly a huge secret.

“He’s been through a lot. First, our mom died, and then, Garrett enlisted. Now that Garrett is missing, I didn’t feel comfortable explaining who you were. It’s too much, and he’s getting older.”

“I still don’t understand. I love Garrett, and we’re planning on getting married. Why would that hurt your dad?”

“He’s very conservative. He doesn’t believe in love at first sight or anything like that. Garrett is supposed to marry someone who comes with the right amount of acreage, someone he personally approves of.”

This was unbelievable. With one hand on the handle of the door, I looked back at Oliver. “I’m sorry that he’s hurting, but I am too.” I opened the door and walked out into the tasting room. Palmer, Tabitha, and Jacob all turned in my direction, and suddenly, the fire that burned inside me moments ago was gone.

“Are you ready to go?” Palmer asked once I was close.

I nodded but kept my eyes on Jacob. The words were right there on my tongue, waiting to fall out, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. “I’m very sorry about Garrett,” I told Jacob quietly. “I hope he comes home soon.”

Jacob smiled sincerely and reached out for my hand. He patted the back of it gently before releasing it. “Thank you. We miss Garrett a lot and can’t wait for him to return.”

I left them all with one last weak smile before following Palmer to the car. I slipped into the front seat and waited while Palmer got himself settled. “Why didn’t you say anything to him?” Palmer asked as we drove down the driveway to the main road. “You could have corrected his mistake.”

“When Garrett is back, we’ll tell him together,” I said weakly. It was painful for me to admit that if Garrett never returned, there was no point in Jacob Hammond knowing me. If Garrett never returned, I wouldn’t return to Hammond Winery because it would be one more reminder of everything I lost.