Chapter 16
Napa Valley, California
The bank president steepled his hands behind his massive oak desk, his expression dour. “I understand your position, and I’m sorry, Ava. You know I hold you in high esteem, but the bank has a new owner. I’ll be honest; it’ll be tough to get this request through the loan committee.”
Ava had been afraid of this, but still, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d known Douglas Lattimer for years, and he’d always personally approved her loans for seasonal working capital. She pressed her damp palms against the skirt of her celadon-green linen dress.
“Douglas, Mille Étoiles has been a good customer. Doesn’t that count for anything?”
He removed his horn-rims and rubbed them with a cloth. “In the past week, almost every vineyard owner has been here
