He was checking the gauges on the tanks again, though his heart wasn’t in it. All he wanted was to find Steph and apologize. Profusely. Make her look at him again the way she used to. It was only a fraction of the affection he’d seen on her face when she used to look at her husband, but it would do. He’d settle for that.
He looked up when he saw his dad walk past the door. At least he hadn’t witnessed the embarrassing scene, otherwise he’d have given him hell. Moments later he saw another person pass by. It was Raimunda, and she was going in the same direction as his dad. Probably something to do with the winery, as usual. Those two seemed to spend an awful lot of time together.He had often wondered why the woman in charge of PR needed the advice of the winery foreman, but then he figured they probably knew best. There was stuff that his dad hadn’t yet taught him, even though he was training him to step into the job one day.
He finally gave up. His mind was a raging whirlwind of conflicting thoughts crashing and colliding, and all of them centered on one person: Steph Stewart.
So he decided to finish up later and get a cup of coffee first.
Heading out of the warehouse he set foot in the direction of the administrative compound, where both his dad and the Stewarts had their offices. He walked into the small canteen and was glad to find it empty. He couldn’t be bothered with small talk right now. And he was pouring himself a cup from the machine when he heard a strange sound. Heavy breathing and some occasional grunts and moans.
He frowned. If he didn’t know any better he would have thought that a couple were making love nearby. Taking a sip from the hot brew, he went in search of the source of the strange sounds. Walking into the corridor, he quickly determined they seemed to be coming from his dad’s office. And as he stood in front of thedoor, he saw that the blinds were pulled, and that whoever was in there was really going for broke. On an impulse, he shoved down on the door handle, and found the door unlocked. And as his eyes took in the scene, his heart sank.
For in front of him, on his dad’s desk, were his dad and… Raimunda Stewart!
He stood there for what felt like minutes but must have been seconds, for suddenly his dad became aware they were being watched, and jerked his head up.
“Robbie!” he cried, the veins in his neck standing out like ropes.
The word jerked him out of his stupor, and his coffee cup crashed to the floor.
He took a step back and slammed the door.
“Robbie, wait!” he heard his dad yell.
But he was already running down the corridor, the terrible images playing in his mind. He knew he’d never be able to get rid of them as long as he lived!
He had to tell someone, and the only person he could think of was Steph. He entered the house to look for her, but she was nowhere to be found. Hurrying up the stairs, he went straight to her room, but the door was open and the room was empty. In desperation, he went door to door, quickly checking inside, and in the last room he entered, he did indeed find someone, but it wasn’t Steph.
Instead it was Ian Stewart. The curtains had been pulled, and the room was covered in darkness, but he could still make out the man’s profile as he was sitting on the bed. He cleared his throat to speak, wanting to ask her dad where he could find Steph, and that’s when he saw it: Ian wasn’t alone on the bed. There was a woman with him, who couldn’t possibly be his wife, since she was otherwise engaged with Robbie’s dad. And as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw that this woman was none other than Hazel Smolski—the Stewarts’ housekeeper!
“God, no…” he muttered, his eyes widening in shock. What was happening!
“Robbie?” said Ian, who had become aware of his presence. “Robbie!”
But Robbie had already left, slamming the door on his way out.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_4]
The company had retired to the patio, and Odelia and Chase had accepted a glass of Stewart Winery’s best, taking appreciative sips as they sampled this fine wine. In the absence of her parents, Steph was acting as the hostess, and reminiscing about her husband with her in-laws, David and Pauline. Jeff’s dad looked a little less close to the grave than he had been when we last saw him. Somecolor had returned to his features, but this could have been the effect of the wine, of course, which seems to stimulate as well as relax.
The wine itself was being served by a youth answering to the name Joe Smolski, who was the housekeeper’s son. He was a strapping young man, and clearly had done this before, for he poured a mean glass and didn’t spill a single drop of the precious liquid. He reminded me of someone, though for the life of me I couldn’t have told you who it was. It would come to me, though. It always did.
“Do you think we should say something, Max?” asked Dooley as he directed a worried glance at Odelia sipping from her wine glass.