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At the moment, Skylar was afraid things were weird between her and Franky after the other night. Being in his arms had felt so good, and she was sure he felt something more than friendship when he held her that way. At least, she hoped he did. But he hadn’t answered her texts all week. Not seeing him or hearing from him in days after spending so much time together lately was putting her on edge. It felt like a step backward in their relationship or whatever was going on between them.
“Just be careful there,” Sebastian said. “He’s good at friendship but really bad at relationships.”
Her brow furrowed with a mix of annoyance and concern. She didn’t need her brother interfering in her dating life, but maybe he knew something she didn’t.
Mom handed the salt and pepper to Skylar to pass on to Gus. “What would you like to do for your birthday, Skylar? It’s a big one for you.”
Skylar had mixed feelings about turning thirty in November. In some ways, she felt like she had accomplished a lot and was where she wanted to be at this point in her life. She was happy with her job at Schultz Chocolate, and while she knew there was much more she could do there, she was content in her position for now. But there were other things she still longed for in life—the most important being a husband and family.
When she thought about where she’d like to celebrate this milestone birthday, the answer came almost immediately. “I want to have it at the winery.”
“Oh, the winery,” Mom replied with excitement in her voice. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
Besides the cottage on the lake, Schultz Winery was Skylar’s other favorite place on the planet. Located on the Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City, the winery had been around since the early 80s. Mom and Dad had visited the area on a vacation once, and Mom had fallen in love with it. Especially the wineries they came across. It was a spark of an idea at first, suggested by Mom, and then Dad made it happen.
“I love it up there,” Skylar said, “and it’s been a while since we spent any time there as a family.”
“Sounds lovely,” Mom said. “I’ll make the arrangements.”
“I haven’t been to the winery in forever.” Gus wore a reminiscent expression. “Does Izzy still work there?”
“Gus, no!” Skylar warned.
“What?” He feigned innocence.
“Stay away from the Zanetti girls.”
Roberto Zanetti ran the winery, and he’d been there since the beginning. He and his wife, Rose, had three daughters—Isabella, Gabriella, and Ariana—and a son, Luca.
“Izzy and I were friends,” Gus explained.
“Horizontal friends,” Sebastian said with a chuckle.
“That’s a lie.” Gus narrowed his eyes at Sebastian then looked at Skylar. “We made out once, and I didn’t even get past second base.”
“Augustus, really,” Mom scolded. “Is this appropriate talk?”
There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye when he turned his attention back to his breakfast. “Sorry, Mom.”
Honestly, Skylar didn’t know if Izzy still worked at the winery. She had worked the front desk for a while after high school, Skylar knew that much, but she had also been attending college for a business degree at the time. So maybe she was long gone by now. But with Gus’s track record with women, there was no way Skylar would encourage him to pursue anyone right now, let alone one of the Zanettis.
As Mom suggested ideas for the party, Skylar grew excited at the thought of spending time at the winery. She hoped things with Franky would be back to normal by then because she couldn’t imagine not having him there.
When breakfast was through, Skylar waited for her brothers to leave before she approached their father. “Can I talk to you for a minute, Dad?”
“Sure, sweetie.”
She followed him down the hallway to his study and took a seat in the wingback by the window, while her father settled into the chair across from her. The room always smelled like cherry pipe tobacco and the spicy scent of Dad’s cologne.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Dad, I think you should let Gus come back to the office. Even if it’s only part-time or after hours.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Skylar.”
“We’ve been emailing every day since he came back to town. He’s been on top of things and staying up to date. He’s serious about keeping up on his work even though he’s not there. It’s been really helpful getting his input. And he’s been staying away, just like you asked.”
“What about the gala?” he asked.