Like Raspberry Wine

Chapter 3

3

Abigail took her cell phone out of her bag, waited for the camera mode to come on, and pointed it at her daughter. Elise’s mouth hung open for so long, it was embarrassing. “Smile!” When Elise turned to her, Abigail took the picture of a moment of shock. “Surprise!”

“Rachel? Is that you?” Elise still had not closed her mouth.

Using her hand, Abigail closed it for her. “You’ll catch flies if you do that for too long round here, honey.” She wanted to say hello to her sister. It had been far too long. The last time she saw Sara was just after Dan’s funeral. “Hey, Sis.”

Sara stepped forward, taking Abigail in her arms, wrapping them around her. “Hey, big sis.” She held onto Abigail for a long time. “It’s so good to have you here.”

Her sister looked and smelled the same as Abigail remembered, only she appeared tired, beaten down even. Sara had dark rings around her eyes, like she had not slept in years. And wrinkles, way more than she had – or hoped so, anyway. The last time Abigail had had a good stare at herself in the mirror, she’d been relatively wrinkle-free. “It’s great to be here.”

When she stood back, Elise was still staring at Rachel, who looked stunning in her white and red Ridgmont High cheerleader top and short white skirt. Abigail smiled at Charlie and greeted him with a kiss to his cheek. “Hi, Charlie, it’s so good to see you.”

Charlie was a short but firm guy with strong arms. He hugged her tight. “I’m so glad you’re here to support Sara.” He whispered the words in her ear. “She needs it.”

When she broke away from the embrace, Abigail nodded at him, making sure Sara didn’t see. She stood with her arm around Elise’s shoulders. “And what do we have here? Sara, have you adopted another one? Where’s Rachel?”

Her niece stood with her hands on her hips, not impressed. “I’m right here, Aunt Abbie.”

She laughed. “So you are. Just look at you. Give us a twirl, will you?”

Obeying, Rachel stood front and centre, twirling, the skirt floating in the warm evening air. “How’s that?” She stopped and went back to cuddling her dad.

“I don’t believe it, Rachel. Look at you! You’re a cheerleader?” Elise had her mouth open again. She looked at Abigail for support. “How?”

“Mom gave me a makeover, didn’t you, Mom?” Rachel covered her face with her hair. “I got tired of looking like Cousin It. I got bored of wearing all these baggy clothes. When we moved here three years ago, I asked mom to help me re-invent myself, and, well, ta-da!”

“With Rachel’s abilities at gymnastics, making the squad wasn’t a problem, was it, Rach? She smashed it. Even the seasoned cheerleaders learn from her now.” Sara stared so proudly at her daughter. “And for the fashion tips, she has me. It was the easiest makeover ever.”

Abigail had to admit her niece was gorgeous, with long, shapely legs – like Elise’s – and long dark hair. The cute little button nose and hazel eyes completed the package. Hard to believe she used to hide inside baggy clothes. “I think you look wonderful, darling. I think I’m as stunned as Elise. She was worried you were going to force her to sit through more Star Wars movies.” When Elise dug her in the ribs, Abigail chuckled.

“Don’t worry, El, I’m still a nerd at heart. I have the prequel trilogy upstairs, waiting to go.” Rachel paused for effect. “I’m kidding! I wouldn’t do that to you, but I am still a nerd. You should see my collection. It almost won’t fit in the basement.”

Abigail squeezed Elise’s shoulder in reassurance. “I told you it would be alright, didn’t I?”

“Let’s get your bags brought in, shall we?” Sara went to walk to the car.

Holding her hand out, Abigail stopped her. “You’re not waiting on us, Sara. You go on inside. We’ll bring our own luggage in.”

While her sister’s family headed in the house, Abigail fetched their bags from the car. She handed Elise hers, before walking her own to the house. “See? I think you’re going to enjoy this vacation, honey. It’s going to be great for us both, the cleaner air, the time off.”

“I think you might actually be right.” Elise carried her luggage up to the house.

Entering her grandparents’ old house brought back so many fond memories. The hall had not changed, except for the pictures hanging on the walls. Sara had hung pictures of her family; her grandparents had put up old black and white pictures up of Ridgmont. Photos from the 1800s and early 1900s. They had a really amazing one of Ridgmont during the dustbowl in the 1930s that Abigail wished she could find.

Sara met them in the hall. “Right, let’s get the sleeping arrangements sorted. Elise, I’ve put you in with Rachel, and Sis, you’re in your old room. I thought you’d appreciate it.”

Abigail didn’t need to check Elise; she knew the expression her daughter would be wearing. Elise had never shared a room with anyone in her life. Being an only child, she’d been spoiled, and had never needed to.

“But, Aunt Sara, there are so many rooms in this house – ”

“It might look like it, but I’m afraid there aren’t any free. Every room upstairs is being used for storage. You don’t mind sharing with Rachel, do you? Otherwise, I can put you in with your mom?”

When Elise decided to go with Rachel because she snored, Abigail took offence. “Rude! I do not snore. If I do, how come I’ve never heard myself, huh?”

Happy with the chuckles she received, Abigail followed her daughter upstairs to her old room. She swore it was the same comfortable bed she’d slept on a lifetime ago. Breathing in deeply, she let out a long breath. The room smelled the same as it had back then.

Placing her bag on the bed, she unzipped it and flopped the lid open. Being an expert at unpacking, Abigail emptied it in a matter of minutes, finding homes for everything in the adequate drawers provided. After finding space for her shoes, she went out to the landing.

In Rachel’s room, Abigail found Elise staring at the bunk beds. She had to smile at her daughter’s look of horror. Elise had never been in a bunk bed before, either. It was a day for firsts, Abigail realized, putting her arm round Elise’s shoulder. “Looks comfortable.”

Rachel ran and jumped on the top bunk. “This one’s mine.”

“They’re bunk beds!” Elise stared up at her cousin.

“Not just any bunk beds, though, El. These are super deluxe bunk beds, aren’t they, Mom?”

“They sure are, honey.” Sara sat on the bottom bunk and patted the spot next to her. “They’re grown-up bunks, El. Wider and longer than standard. We’ve also fitted them with memory foam, so the mattress hugs you. Try it out. I guarantee you’ll have a great night’s sleep.” She patted the duvet again.

Abigail gently pushed her daughter towards her sister. “Go on, give it a try. I’ve never tried those memory foam things.” She followed Elise, who turned round and sat next to Sara, bouncing up and down, testing it. “And? Is it going to meet your high expectations?”

Lying back on the bed when Sara got up, Elise closed her eyes, pretending to snore. “It’s really wide,” she said, rolling onto her side, looking at her. “I could get used to this.”

“Yours is memory foam, too, Sis.” Sara leaned on the doorframe.

“Really? All the modern conveniences in such an old house.” It felt wrong to have modern things inside their grandparents’ place. “I’m intrigued. If we get on with them, we’ll buy us some memory foam mattresses when we get to DC, Elise.”

Her daughter ignored her, continuing to pretend to snore.

“Come on, honey. Up you get!”

Elise opened her eyes. “What? I was doing an impression of you. Good, wasn’t it?”

Rachel and Elise both chuckled to themselves.

With a roll of her eyes and flick of her hand, Elise rose and met Abigail in the middle of the room. “I’ll remember this.” She mouthed it loud enough for her sister and niece to hear. “Wait till I get you home, young lady.”

They all laughed. Sara clicked her fingers. “Right, that’s you all settled in. I think it’s time for some food, don’t you? Charlie’s in the garden, the barbecue’s almost ready. I hope you like steaks and ribs?”

Before Elise could say she was a vegetarian, Abigail answered for them both, making sure Elise remained quiet. “We love steak and ribs, Sis. You know us; we’ll eat anything.”

Following Sara and Rachel back downstairs, Abigail whispered in Elise’s ears. “I’ll talk to Sara about your preferences later, if you’ll indulge me tonight, okay? I don’t want to offend them on our first day here.”

Elise nodded her understanding.

Downstairs, Abigail joined Sara and Charlie on the patio in the back garden, while the girls sat at the table, ready to dig into their food. The smell made Abigail even hungrier. It was mouth-watering, watching Charlie with the tongs, turning the ribs. “It smells amazing, Charlie. I forgot how handy you are with the barbecue.”

After Sara played host, pouring everyone’s drinks, Abigail went and sat with the girls at the wrought iron table. The garden was beautiful, the perimeter crammed with shrubs of varying sizes. Being mid-July, a lot of the flowers had bloomed already, so it wasn’t as colourful as it would have been back in May or even June, but Abigail could still enjoy some of them. Not having time for gardening was one of her regrets of having such a full-on job.

“I love the garden, Aunt Sara, but where’s the vineyard?” Elise got up.

“Open the gate and you’ll find out.” Sara pointed at the gate in the middle of the rear fence. “It’s like the Tardis, this place, I swear. Now, listen to me, Rachel’s got me talking like her now.”

Her sister was not kidding. When Abigail opened the wooden gate, memories of days spent in the vineyard came tumbling back. Fields went as far as the eye could see. Rows and rows of grapevines were planted in the fields in differing colours, according to the variety of grapes. Sara and Charlie had separated the whites and reds. In the distance, to her right, was a huge barn she remembered spending time with Scott in.

There were two other buildings, used in the wine-making process, and a third she recognized as the second house on the farm, originally her great-granddad’s business partner’s, another Ridge, but she couldn’t remember his first name; it wasn’t Edward.

“I see what you mean, Aunt Sara. It really is like the Tardis. It goes on forever.”

“We’re growing our own fruit and vegetables now as well, aren’t we, Mom?”

Abigail turned her head to find her sister nodding. “Diversifying, huh, Sara? Clever!”

“It’s nothing, really. One of the locals asked if he could use some of our land. He grows and sells his vegetables, and we take a percentage. Word got round pretty quick. Now we’ve got four businesses running on the same site.”

“So, you sell wine, veggies, and…?”

“Cheese, milk, veggies, meat and wine. We’re practically a supermarket in our own right.”

She could see why her sister was so tired. Keeping up with the ever-changing business must have been exhausting. “Impressive, I have to say. I’ve got to hand it to you, Sara, you have this nailed.”

“If only that were true.” Sara turned and walked back through the open gate.