Maggie winked at him and picked up the tray. As he watched her walk inside, he realised Keely was more than great to do what she had done. While he and Euan had been busy at the cellar door, Maggie and Keely had done all the food. He’d lost track of how many people had eaten lunch, perhaps eighty. He knew his aunt would have worked hard but Keely was the one who’d planned the food, organised it and managed the preparation, and she’d run the kitchen without a hiccup, from what Flynn could see.

Another group of customers came inside, just as Keely stepped through the side door. She was tall, nearly matching him in height, and for the first time since he’d met her, she wore her hair swept up onto her head. It changed her face, or maybe it was that he could see her more clearly. She gave him a quick smile and headed towards Euan.

“Euan, Dianna is on the landline for you inside,” Keely said. “She says she’s tried to get you on your mobile several times.”

Flynn raised his eyebrows but said nothing and instead began lining up some glasses for the group walking his way. Euan’s phone was probably switched off or lying in the house somewhere. Maybe Dianna could convince him to pay a bit more attention to it and perhaps even invest in a new one.

“Thanks, Keely,” Euan said. “Would you mind packing six bottles of our sauvignon blanc for Bob and Barb. They’re all the way from California.”

Keely faltered, just for a second, then she brushed at her shirt and stepped around the bar with a smile. “Of course.”

She glanced at Flynn and held his gaze for a moment before she tackled Euan’s request. Her bright smile lingered before him as he turned his attention to his next lot of customers. He was keenly aware of Keely working nearby as he welcomed them. He started his spiel while she packaged the wine for the Californians and then went on wiping down the surfaces, restocking the wine and generally tidying up. He’d hardly seen her all day and he enjoyed having her share the space behind the counter with him, just the two of them.

The two men and two women lined up along the bar had heard about the Levallier Dell whites and were keen to try the sauvignon blanc. He explained again about the quality and the limited number of bottles left but he didn’t think they would buy. They looked more like the one- or two-bottle types. The women drifted along to Keely’s beads. The two men stayed to talk.

“We South Aussies are very fussy about our wine,” one of the men said and he took a sip of semillon. “Our whites still come out on top.”