room. He pegged her age at about thirty and her mood as supremely agitated if the stiff set of her shoulders and grim line of her mouth were any indication.
She was tall, only a few inches shorter than his six-foot-two, and lean. What he could see of her figure beneath a bulky wool sweater and loose-fitting carpenter jeans might best be described as willowy. She certainly commanded attention, though. The workers stopped what they were doing, glancing around nervously. An unnatural silence fell, and even though no one moved, Zack got the distinct impression sides had been taken.
Hers had more.
“You must be Juliet Monroe.” No introduction was necessary, but he made one anyway. He believed in confronting awkwardness head-on. And so he extended a hand as he crossed to where she stood. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Zack Holland.”
Up close he realized her eyes were green and that the hair she’d scraped back into an unflattering braid was the color of freshly ground cinnamon. Something about her tugged at him, although he couldn’t figure out why. She wasn’t beautiful, at least not in the classical sense, or even in the chic sense like his former fiancée, Mira, who had turned heads wherever they’d gone.
Given Jaye’s prominent cheekbones, slightly flared nose and wide-set eyes, the best word to describe her would be striking.
Her mouth was on the broad side, too, and her lips might have been full, although at the moment it was hard to tell as they were compressed into a frown. They loosened slightly, but only so she could tell him, “I don’t care to be called Juliet.”
Zack managed to keep his smile in place despite her clipped tone. This meeting had to be difficult for her, and he didn’t mind letting her save face in front of the workers—as long as it didn’t come at his expense. Everyone needed to understand and accept that he was in charge now, Juliet Monroe perhaps most of all.
“What do you care to be called?”
“Jaye. I go by Jaye.” Her grip was firm to the point of being painful when she finally shook his hand. He half expected her to challenge him to a thumb war.
“Jaye.” He nodded once. The short, boyish name fit her, since there was little about her that seemed soft or overtly feminine, except maybe the long hair. What would it look like…? He tamped down his curiosity. “It’s nice to meet you.”
She nodded but didn’t actually return the sentiment. Instead she got right down to business. “I’d like to know what your plans are for Medallion.” She spread her hand out to encompass the room’s wide-eyed occupants. “And for its workers, of course.”
Around them people shuffled their feet and murmured. Zack cleared his throat. He hadn’t expected to be put on the spot. Nor was he used to being challenged by an employee.
“I’m going to hold a staff meeting at the end of the week to go over the particulars, once I’ve had a good look around. I have some changes in mind,” he said, being purposefully vague.
“Such as?”
The woman was tenacious; he’d give her that. Under other circumstances, he might have admired the quality. At the moment, though, he found it insolent and annoying.
“They’ll keep. But if you’ve got a minute, I’d like to talk to you.”
He was well aware that everyone was watching them and cataloging Zack and Jaye’s every word, glance and gesture.
“I’m at your disposal,” she drawled.
Right, he thought. When she made no effort to move, he added, “Why don’t we go to my office?”
Jaye let Zack lead the way, even though she knew every step by heart. The business offices were located up a flight of stairs just off the tasting room. The biggest one was at the end of the hall. It made sense that it would be the one he’d claim as his own. Still, when the door closed behind them, Jaye felt her heart squeeze. The office, with its grand, panoramic view of the vineyard, had been her father’s.
Nothing of Frank Monroe’s belongings remained. She’d cleared out every last note card and paperclip after her stepmother announced the vineyard’s sale. But she could still feel him here. She could smell the tangy tobacco he’d smoked in his pipe, and it took no effort at all to envision his bulky frame sitting behind a cluttered desk wearing his usual uniform of wrinkled khaki trousers, a Greek fisherman’s cap and a navy button-down shirt, the breast pocket of which bulged from his glasses case and assorted other personal effects. Jaye swore her father carried more things in his pockets than most women did in their purses.
“Everything okay?” Zack asked.
The image dissolved. She glanced over to find Medallion’s new owner standing beside her. She’d forgotten all about him for a moment as she’d stared at the empty desk and remembered…mourned. Her father had been gone nearly six months, but the ache had not lessened. If anything, it seemed to grow worse as the reality of never seeing him again set in and festered like an infected sore.
She felt too raw, too exposed, to answer Zack’s question, so she asked one of her own. “What did you want to see me about?”
Zack leaned one hip on the edge of the desk. “I thought that would be obvious.”
She swallowed as a lead weight settled in her stomach. “You’re letting me go.”
“No,” he said slowly, hardly sounding decisive.
Jaye crossed her arms. “You mean, not yet.”
He ran a hand over the back of his neck and chuckled, but he sounded more frustrated than amused when he said, “You don’t like to make things easy, do you?”
She’d lost her father, their vineyard, and now her livelihood was on the line. “In my experience, nothing worth having comes easily.”
She meant Medallion, recalling the backbreaking hours she and her father had spent grafting vines to root stock, fixing trellises, warding off pests and praying for just the right mix of sunshine and rain to produce a good crop.
To her surprise, Zack nodded, as if he understood completely. But what could have been difficult for Mr. Silver Spoon to attain?
“I’d appreciate your cooperation, Jaye. This transition is difficult for everyone, perhaps you most of all, but it won’t become any easier if Medallion’s workers feel they have to choose between us.”
“I’m not asking them to choose.”
“No?” His brows rose.
“I care about them,” she insisted. “They’re good workers, good people. They have families to feed. I don’t want to see them strung along.”
“I won’t string anyone along. But I didn’t appreciate being put on the spot down there.” He waved a hand in the direction of the door.
“I’m sorry.” She tried to sound sincere, but she couldn’t resist adding, “If you felt that’s what I was doing.”
Zack inhaled deeply, but apparently decided to drop the matter because he changed the subject. “I’m impressed with the operation here. It’s well run, and the finished product shows incredible potential. I understand
