Mr. La Bella’s hands balled into fists before he released them. “Of course I know! You think I’d hate you for no reason? Your family tried to steal our vineyard out from under us. They told lies and bribed officials to take our land and put it in your name. Is that not the story you’ve been told all these years? Wouldn’t surprise me if we were the villains in your version,” he huffed.

“You’re not wrong. That is part of it,” I said with a nod. “But that’s only part.”

“What else could there be that even matters then?” Mr. La Bella asked gruffly.

My dad and I exchanged looks, both of our heads shaking because he didn’t even know the half of it.

“Do you want to hear the whole thing or not?” my dad asked.

We all held our collective breath as we waited to hear what Mr. La Bella’s answer would be.

CHOOSE RIGHT

Julia

Jeanine walked through her front door, and I practically attacked her.

“Finally.”

I’d been home alone all day, so I’d slept more than I had in weeks, and I’d overly thought every single moment I’d ever had with James in my entire life at least three times before I decided to clean her house from top to bottom just to get my brain to shut up and stop spinning.

“Jesus, Julia.” She looked around, her eyes wide. “You should stay here more often.”

“I was bored.” I plopped down onto the couch. “And you know I don’t sit still well. I don’t know how to do nothing.”

“I can see that. Come be bored here anytime you want. It looks amazing.”

“So, I take it, my dad didn’t fire you since you were gone all day?” I practically whined.

She dropped her purse and keys on top of the kitchen counter before hopping up on it as well, putting her dirty shoes on top of the very surface I’d just scrubbed to a sparkle. I pretended not to care that she was defiling all my hard work.

“Nope. Not fired,” she said with a sly smile.

I stopped thinking about the dirty surface and focused on the fact that she was up to something. The look on her face gave her away.

“What did you do?”

She feigned innocence. “Whatever do you mean?”

I managed a laugh as she fanned herself with her hand, pretending to be a Southern lady. But true Southern ladies would never put their dirty shoes on a countertop.

“Jeanine, tell me what you did.” I leaned forward on the couch, tucking my legs up under me.

“I hate that I can’t keep anything from you,” she groaned. “Don’t hate me, but I might have told James that your dad kicked you out,” she admitted before wincing.