“For now.” Cullen began pouring everyone a glass of wine, starting with Chi-Chi. Cullen had called earlier and asked for a bottle of La Crema Pinot Noir to be opened and left on the table. It would give the wine a little time to “breathe.” Not that Cullen was a wine expert. Far from it. But he knew the basics. And the La Crema was reasonably priced at around $25 a bottle. No sticker shock there. He knew not to commit that faux pas again.

After they toasted seeing each other, Cullen told them the story of when he was just out of college and on a date with a debutante. He wanted to impress her. He ordered a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, not realizing the price could range anywhere from $30 to $900 per bottle depending on the vintage. Luckily, that particular restaurant’s highest priced bottle was $135. Still, he almost vomited when he got the check.

Everyone roared with laughter.

“Boy, do I know that feeling.” Gaines added his own story about the time he was best man at a wedding. After the festivities, the wedding party went to the hotel where many of the guests were staying. They had congregated in the lounge area when he told the waiter to “bring the most expensive bottle of champagne you have! That’s when I was introduced to Dom. Dom Pérignon. I had to call my credit card company and ask them to raise my limit. I think I’m still paying it off!”

Cullen was almost in tears. “Men can do some very stupid things to puff up their egos.”

Luna and Chi-Chi looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

“Oh, and I don’t suppose either of you have done anything stupid?” Cullen mocked back.

“Nothing like that.” Luna smiled.

“Oh, I can think of... ouch!” Cullen was stopped short by Luna’s foot on top of his under the table.

“Something wrong?” Chi-Chi asked innocently.

“Nah. Just a little charley horse.” Cullen replied by kicking his sister in return. But this time it shook the table.

Chi-Chi placed both hands on the table. “I do hope we are not having an earthquake,” she said with a straight face.

“I think it’s called a sibling seismic situation.” Gaines chuckled.

Both Cullen and Luna sat up straight. It was reminiscent of when they were kids, after their parents would scold them during a squabble at the dinner table.

Then Luna got a flash. “Hey, Christopher, based on the letter, it seems as if the person who sent the trunk is looking for someone.”

Cullen interrupted. “Weren’t you the one who said, ‘no shoptalk’?” Luna tapped his foot again, to which he responded, “Continue. Please.”

Gaines smiled at both of them. “And you surmised there is a missing person involved? How?” He stopped and reversed his approach. “Why do I ask? I should know better by now.” He laughed quietly.