All's Fair In Love And Wine

Chapter 2

2

The next day, Sara smiled on her way to her new job. She already had a friend, and she was excited to start her new job. So far, it was a great start to living in Bereton.

She always loved the first day. Getting to know new people, figuring out new tasks. Even though she was only going to be there for a few months, she always had a goal of leaving the place a little better than when she started. If she could make some small improvement, she considered her job a success.

She’d only ever spoken to her new boss over the phone. Megan Shepherd was insanely talented, but she admitted she needed help in the gift shop and as a personal assistant. Sara was clear up front that she wasn’t staying longer than the three months they agreed on, and Megan was prepared to hire someone else for the winter when everything slowed down in the area.

Sara walked into Lakeside Glass and stopped. Wow. It was stunning to see the different sculptures created using glass. Sculptures that defied the laws of gravity and amazed her. The colors helped to tell the story, from the reds and oranges of a vase that looked like fire to the blues and purples of a bowl that she wanted to reach out and touch to see if it was wet. Everything was arranged nicely, but Sara immediately saw a few things she would change.

Probably not on day one, though.

“Hello?” she called out, wondering if she was late or early. Megan never really said what time she should start working, so Sara looked up the shop’s hours online and decided to show up just after opening.

“Hang on a second!” came a voice from the back.

Sara moved closer to a door behind the counter and waited for someone to walk through it.

And waited.

And waited.

She glanced at her phone and finally someone walked out.

“Hi,” the guy said with a warm smile. He wore jeans and a black tee and heavy boots that thumped the ground as he walked toward her. “I’m Adam. How can I help you?”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you, Adam. I’m Sara Donovan. I’m supposed to start working here today.”

Adam’s russet colored eyebrows tugged together. His matching hair flopped to the side, giving him a lost puppy look. “Um, doing what?”

“I’m Megan’s new assistant and I’ll be working out here in the gift shop.”

His features relaxed and he grinned. He was cute when he smiled. And appeared close to Sara’s age. Why had I never visited this town before? It was a gold mine for hot guys.

“I think she mentioned something about you. Sorry about that. Um, well, this is the gift shop.” He glanced around, his light brown eyes lighting on some of the pieces. “Enjoy.”

He turned to go back through the door.

“Wait!”

Adam spun around again. “Yeah?”

“What am I supposed to do?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Sell stuff. Do you know how to use a cash register and a computer?”

“Of course,” she said.

He nodded and slid his hand through his messy hair. “Good. When Megan can take a break, I’m sure she’ll come introduce herself.”

Sara opened her mouth to say something else, but he was already gone.

“What the hell?” she wondered aloud.

Sara thought about following Adam through the door, but she wasn’t brave enough. There was no way to know what was on the other side, and she was smart enough to know it could be dangerous.

She looked around the gift shop and decided to make the most of it. If the job was a bust, she could try to find something else. The promised pay was good, but she had no idea if she’d ever see any of it if her boss couldn’t even pull her s**t together long enough to say hi.

It wasn’t long before the bell above the door rang and two customers walked in.

“Hi,” Sara said. “Welcome to Lakefront Glass.”

“Thank you,” the woman said. “This place is stunning.”

Sara nodded. “It really is. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“Mostly browsing.”

Sara grinned, understanding customer code for back off. “Let me know if I can help you with anything.”

The woman nodded and Sara backed away, leaving the couple to explore. Sara did the same on the other side of the store, looking at every piece so she would know what was available in case a customer asked for anything specific.

“This is gorgeous,” the woman said a minute later, catching Sara’s attention with her awed tone. “It would be perfect in our living room. Don’t you think?”

Her husband nodded. “It would. You’ve been looking for something with these colors.”

Sara grinned as the woman ran a finger over the smooth, green glass. Then her smile fell as she noticed the price. “It’s a bit out of price range, though.”

The husband shrugged. “If it’s what you want, we’ll get it.”

The woman glanced at Sara and caught her watching them. Sara pasted on what she hoped was a friendly smile.

“Can you tell me a little more about this piece?”

Sara walked closer to them, trying to figure out how she could get out of the situation. “Um, it’s beautiful.” She grinned and admitted the truth, knowing that was her only option. “I actually just started working here. About an hour ago. I don’t know anything about it. I’m so sorry.”

The woman’s hopeful expression fell. She looked at the piece wistfully, then pressed her lips together in a grin. “Thank you.”

Sara edged away again, knowing she’d just blown a sale. She was frustrated and annoyed. The only way she’d keep her job was if she could do it well, and she didn’t know a damn thing about what she was doing. She hadn’t even met her new boss, let alone gotten any instruction about what in the hell her job was.

She watched as the couple made their way to the door a few minutes later, empty-handed, and vowed to get some answers.

Sara stomped to the door Adam disappeared through earlier and pushed her way inside.

The first thing that hit her was the heat, followed quickly by the sound, like an airplane flying overhead. She looked around the open space and found two people covered head-to-toe in heavy clothing, one of them holding on to a thick rod, blowing on the end, the other supporting the fire-red orb of molten glass.

Holy s**t.

Sara froze in place, knowing immediately that she was in danger if she took another step into the workspace. She backed up, stopping when her back hit the door. She pushed through it, keeping her eyes on the molten glass until the door swung shut with her safely on the other side.

She sucked in a ragged breath and tried to calm her pounding pulse. She knew glass blowing was dangerous, but coming face-to-face with it, wearing shorts and flip flops, was not a good thing.

Sara busied herself by getting familiar with the cash register and the computer it was linked to. Most people paid with cards, but Sara wanted to make sure she wasn’t fumbling around with the register if she needed to make change.

Three more customers came in and she managed to make a sale. They bought a small glass dish that looked like a flower floating in water. It was stunning, and Sara was a little disappointed she didn’t see it and snatch it up first. It was going to be hard to choose one thing from Lakeside Glass. She always bought something from wherever she settled, a tiny memento of the time she spent at every new place. She would be elevating her collection by choosing one of the beautiful pieces her new boss created.

“Sara!” a woman said from behind her, catching Sara browsing again. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

Sara recognized the voice as Megan’s and turned to her new boss. Megan was short, an inch or two shorter than Sara’s own five-four, with curly, gray hair. Her dark skin was a rich, smooth brown. Her eyes were a bright and vibrant amber. The overalls she wore, now rolled up to her knees, and her white tank top gave her a casual look.

“Hi, Megan,” Sara said automatically extending her hand.

Megan pushed right past Sara’s outstretched hand and wrapped her in a hug. “I don’t shake hands. I hug. We’re all a family here, and families hug. How are you? Did you get all settled in?”

Sara nodded. “I’m good. Thanks so much for helping me find the apartment.”

“Tom’s a good guy. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to rent the apartment, but when I told him you were only here a few months, he agreed. Of course, I didn’t tell him I’m going to try to talk you into staying longer.”

Panic lifted up and tightened Sara’s throat. First a family and now staying? Sara wasn’t sure she could handle it.

“Oh, calm down. I know you want to leave. But good help is hard to find.”

“I just started.”

Megan laughed. “Yes, and you already sold something.”

Sara opened and closed her mouth.

“I get an alert on my phone when a sale goes through. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough of those sales, so I get excited with each one.”

“There was another couple in here, but they didn’t buy anything,” Sara admitted. She hated that she didn’t help out. It was her job to sell things.

“It happens all the time. I price my work where it deserves to be, but not everyone likes that. If they don’t come back, they weren’t meant to take a piece of me home with them.”

Sara smiled, loving Megan’s mindset. She needed a little of that confidence. Maybe it would rub off.

“Have you had lunch yet?” Megan asked.

Sara shook her head. “No. I wasn’t sure when I should take a break.”

Megan waved her hand. “We’re pretty laidback around here. Adam and I are the only ones here most of the time. We had a young mom working for us for a while, but her kids are busy this time of year and she always takes the summer off. She told us before she left that she isn’t coming back this fall. It was perfect timing for you to start.”

Sara grinned. “It was perfect timing for me, too.”

“Good,” Megan said, looping her arm through Sara’s. “Let’s go see what Adam brought us for lunch and we can get to know each other. After lunch, I’ll be in the shop with you for the day so you can ask me questions and find out more about the pieces we have available.”

Sara nodded and let Megan drag her back through the door to the workshop. The furnace was closed, but the heat was still there, making Sara sweat instantly.

“It gets warm in here. We’ll just grab Adam then head back up front. We have a small office off the showroom where we eat and relax when we aren’t creating.”

They walked past the furnace to where Adam was stripping off his protective gear. His black tee and jeans fit snugly over a fit male form. Sara licked her lips unconsciously, tugging the bottom one between her teeth.

“He’s nice to look at, isn’t he?” Megan asked quietly. “Even more frustrating, he’s a damn nice man. If only he wasn’t so young.” She stopped and looked at Sara, narrowing her eyes. “You two are actually close to the same age.”

Sara shook her head. “I’m not looking to get involved with anyone.”

Was that relief in Megan’s eyes? She grinned. “Probably just as well. Adam will be done with his apprenticeship at the end of summer.”

“What does that mean?”

Megan’s gaze drifted to Adam and slid down his form. Sara’s followed, her lips curling up when she realized her boss was checking out his a*s.

“It means Adam won’t work here much longer. He’ll be a certified glassblower, and probably start his own business. He’s talked about leaving the area.”

Adam looked up and caught them watching him. He smiled at Sara, but his eyes went dark and needy when they eased over to Megan. Sara almost had to fan herself, but Megan looked away and didn’t even notice the scorching look.

Adam shook his head once, then walked over to them. “Showing Sara around?”

Megan nodded. “I am. And we’re hungry.”

Adam smiled, his eyes going soft. “You’re always hungry.”

Megan nodded again. “True. And you’re always feeding me amazing things.”

Adam glowed under the praise, and Sara felt like she was intruding on a private moment. “Um, I can just go out and grab something.”

“No, no, eat with us. We should all get to know each other. Adam always has more than enough food.”

Adam gave Sara a forced smile and nodded. “Always. You should join us.”

Sara finally nodded, and the three of them made their way back to the front. A door to the side that she hadn’t paid any attention to earlier revealed a small room that was half office and half kitchen. A table for four sat in the middle with a fridge, microwave, and two cabinets along the wall. The other side of the room had a desk with a computer and a raised shelf with a bank of black and white screens.

“Security system,” Megan explained. “We don’t have many issues, but I like knowing it’s here.”

“She keeps strange hours, so it’s necessary. We need to know if someone is here,” Adam said firmly, going to the fridge in the corner. He pulled out a covered glass dish and put it in the microwave.

“He worries about me,” Megan said with a grin for Sara.

She just smiled. She couldn’t tell what their relationship was, but it didn’t seem purely colleagues. She wanted to ask, but she learned long ago that if she started asking questions, people would expect that she would answer them also. That wasn’t going to happen, so Sara kept her mouth shut.

The microwave beeped and Adam removed a steaming container of something that smelled amazing.

“You’ve outdone yourself again, Adam,” Megan gushed. “I don’t know how you do it. Some woman is going to snatch you up.”

Adam glanced at Sara, then avoided meeting either of their eyes. She felt bad for him. It was obvious he had a major crush on their boss, but Megan was obviously not willing to do anything about it. Then again, Megan was probably fifteen years older than him, so maybe she was married.

“You’re single?” Sara blurted.

Adam glanced at her, then looked at Megan. Finally, he pressed his lips together and nodded. “I am. Unfortunately.”

Sara nodded, wishing she’d kept her big mouth shut.

“How about you, Sara? Ever been married?” Megan asked.

Sara shook her head. “No, never. No kids. No real ties to anywhere. I love seeing the country and getting to do different things, and being on my own makes that possible.”

She’d recited the same thing so many times, she almost believed every word of it. Almost.

“Having ties is what makes a place special. There hasn’t ever been a place you wanted to settle down? Dig some roots. Stay?” Megan asked.

Sara shook her head and lied, “Nope. Never.”

“What about your parents? Are they nomads like you?” Megan pushed.

Sara shook her head, always ready to answer questions about her parents. They were quick and easy, and no one pried once she said, “My mom died when I was in college. My dad still lives in Montana where I grew up.”

“Montana? Wow. I’ve never been there. What was it like to grow up in Montana?” Megan asked.

Sara took the plate of food Adam offered her, along with the understanding smile. Sara almost laughed out loud, but she clamped her lips shut and accept that she had an ally who wouldn’t push her for more details than she was comfortable sharing.

“Montana is nice, but it wasn’t for me. I wanted to see the country. That’s what I’m doing.”

“Do you see yourself ever going back there?” Megan asked.

Sara shook her head automatically. “No.”

Hearing the finality in her tone, Megan nodded.

Before Megan dove into a new round of questioning, Sara asked her own question. “How did you get into glassblowing?”

Sara read Megan’s bio on her website and knew a little about her, but she was always curious what made people tick. What drove someone to do one thing instead of another? Why did someone pick one life and not another?

She let herself get lost in Megan’s story about discovering glass blowing in college and falling in love with not only the beauty of it, but the danger. She didn’t want to play it safe with any part of her life, so she started glassblowing. When she got pregnant at nineteen and dropped out of school, she took whatever jobs she could, but as soon as she had enough money saved up, she went back to school and got not only her art degree, but a business degree, too. Megan wasn’t willing to give up on her dream, and she taught her daughter to always go after hers, too.

“Are you married?” Sara asked.

Megan shook her head. “No, never. Anna’s father is a good man, but we weren’t meant to be together forever. He’s there for Anna, but he has another family, too. It’s been mostly Anna and I.”

Sara’s heart clenched at Megan’s casual words, as though having a second family was no big deal. She wished she felt the same. Instead, a second family was what tore her world apart. A second family destroyed her. A second family ruined the one she had.

A second family killed her mother.