“Okay, okay.” I released her. “Why don’t you go up to bed, sweetheart? I’ll clean up. We’ll cut them into squares in the morning, and then I’ll pack them in a box for you.”

“Okay. Thanks, Mom.” She wiped her hands on her jeans and headed for the hallway, then suddenly turned around and rushed into my arms, bursting into tears. “I’m sorry,” she bawled. “I don’t even know why I’m crying.”

I embraced her, stroking her hair and gently rocking her, although she was nearly as tall as me. “It’s okay, honey. Believe me, I get it. Happens to me all the time.”

“I just feel really bad all of a sudden.”

“You don’t have to explain it to me. Just let it out. I’m here, and I understand.”

She cried for a few minutes, then pulled back and wiped her nose on her sleeve. I pulled a tissue from the box on the counter and handed it to her. “Here. Use this, please.”

“Sorry.” She blew her nose and threw the tissue away before grabbing another one. She mopped up her eyes and was about to toss that one in the trash when someone knocked on the front door, making us look at each other in surprise.

“It’s after nine,” I said. “I wonder who that is.”

“Do I have to be seen?” Whitney looked scared that anyone might see her blotchy face. “I look hideous right now.”

“No, it’s okay,” I told her. “You go upstairs, and I’ll be up soon to say goodnight.”

She hurried into the front hall and scooted up the steps, and I waited for her to reach the top before I opened the front door.

It was Henry. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

Neither of us smiled.

“Chloe said you were sick.”

“I’m okay.” I forced myself to meet his eyes and realized he knew I was lying. “Actually, I’m not okay.”

Henry nodded. “Maybe we should talk.”

Resigned, I stepped back, dreading the next few minutes. “Come in.”

He stepped into the foyer, and I closed the door behind him. Then I stood in front of it with my arms crossed over my chest.

“What’s going on, Sylvia?”

“I . . . I don’t think I should work at the winery anymore.”

He pressed his lips together. “Why?”

Fighting tears, I told him the truth, like we’d promised each other we would. “Because I’m in love with you, Henry.”