Page 66 of Cru's Crush

Harvest? That was at least two months away, if not three. Did he think Daphne would be gone that long? Or, like me, was he worried she’d never come back?

18

DAPHNE

“Mum, you should take a break, go home, and get some sleep.”

“I can’t leave him. What if he wakes up?”

My father had been in a medically induced coma for the two days following his surgery. I hadn’t heard any of the doctors say they intended to bring him out of it.

“I’ll check with the nurse.”

I left the room, but instead of approaching the workstation, I walked over to the window. July was the coldest month of the year in Perth. Highs rarely climbed above eighteen degrees Celsius.

The vineyards here were in full dormancy, not that either my parents or I would be working in them if they weren’t. Of the two hundred thousand hectares of grapes planted in Australia, my family owned more than half. Only a quarter of those were in Perth.

Two days ago, when my mother gave me an envelope containing my father’s power of attorney, I discoveredthat, in the event of his incapacitation, I was expected to step in as interim CEO.

At first, I was furious he’d never discussed it with me. On the other hand, I was their only child. What had I thought would happen?

I desperately wanted to talk to Cru. More, I wanted to beg him to come be with me. I couldn’t, though. Like me, he had responsibilities in California and people relying on him. While he wasn’t an only child, there was no one else in their family who could take his place other than Brix, who was building a life in Mexico.

After the years Brix had sacrificed for the Avila family and for Los Caballeros, I knew Cru would never ask him to do more, and rightly so.

I checked the time. Two in the afternoon here meant it was nine at night in California. Deciding it wasn’t too late to call, I rang Cru.

“Hi,” I said when he picked up.

“Daph, it’s so good to hear your voice.”

His simple words, combined with my exhaustion, brought me to immediate tears. “I’m sorry,” I said, wishing I could get a handle on my emotions.

“Don’t be. I’m your person, Daph. You can cry with me just as much as you can laugh.”

“I love you so much,” I said, wiping the dampness on my face with the back of my hand.

“You sound tired.”

“I’m so far beyond it. I’m practically delirious. My mum is worse, though. She’s refusing to leave Dad’s side.”

“How is he?”

I explained about the coma and also that the doctors believed his prognosis was positive. At best, though, they predicted he’d have several months of rehab to complete after he was stabilized. At worst, he may have suffered irreversible brain damage.

The other thing I told him about was the power of attorney.

“Is there anyone on the board of directors you trust who can help you?” he asked.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had anything to do with the business. I’m not sure I know many of them. I don’t even know if Hewitt and Martin are still involved.” Hewitt Ridge had been my father’s best friend since they were in college together. Martin was Beau and Press’ father and also a close friend of my dad’s. Even if they were still on the board, they were based in theStates, so I doubted there was much they could do to help here.

“Have you spoken with either of them?” Cru asked.

“I haven’t, but I should,” I admitted.

“I can contact them on your behalf if you’d like?”

“Would you?”