Back To Us (Shore Secrets 3) by Christi Barth Read Free Book Online

“Break’s over. I’m telling you, once she spends all that time with me, I’ll crack through all the shields she’s thrown up. It’ll fix everything.”
    It had to.

Chapter Three
    With a smooth
pop
, Piper twisted the measured pour spout out of the empty bottle. “Well, ladies? How about a show of hands? Do you prefer our semi-dry Riesling, or the award-winning Viognier?”
    “Any chance we could get another round of samples? A second taste might help me decide.”
    Piper ran a practiced eye down the line of women. Midforties. Tasteful clothes with understated jewelry. Hair that looked like they all went to the same salon, and noses that looked like they all went to the same plastic surgeon. Her guess put them as a bachelorette party out from Manhattan for a bride’s second—or possibly third—trip down the aisle. Women who held it together at home, but were letting it all hang loose out here in the relative wilderness of the Finger Lakes. From the brightness of their eyes and their too-loud laughter when they entered, it was evident that Morrissey Vineyards was far from their first stop of the day.
    From a cash-grab standpoint, Piper could say yes. They charged for each tasting in the pretty glasses etched with the Morrissey Vineyards logo that curled grapevines around the
M
and the
V
. Occasionally Piper did relent, albeit while still collecting the tasting fee, and pour a second round. In her capacity as tasting room manager, she could decide when to bend the rules.
    But she never forgot that everyone who sampled her wine would go back outside and very possibly get behind the wheel of a car. Many of the Seneca Lake hotels provided shuttle buses for the guests. Hired sedans did a brisk business in the loop around the lake and its sixty-four wineries.
    The atmosphere in their sun-drenched tasting room was light and festive. Jazz played from the overhead speakers. Instead of just crackers, taste-appropriate nibbles such as locally farmed goat cheese and chocolates were served with each wine. Their visitors were supposed to feel like they were at a cocktail party. Still, she always went with her gut. Better to be safe than an unwitting foundation to a tragic accident.
    “Sorry, ladies. Only one round allowed. On the bright side, you don’t have to decide on a favorite. You can buy a bottle of each to take home with you. Or perhaps to open at your hotel tonight while you watch the sunset?”
    “Ooh, that’s a good idea.” The woman in the middle threw her arms out to the sides to pull her friends in to a group hug. Hard. Hard enough the sunglasses on top of the shortest woman’s head slid down to her nose. Cutting them off was definitely the right decision. “We should each get a bottle.”
    Piper pushed their marked-up tasting sheets back across the wide counter. “If you head to the opposite side of the room, Amy can help you locate all your favorites.” She caught the eye of the lithe blonde patiently stationed in front of the wall of wine bottles, and gave a discreet wave toward the group. Clutching their souvenir glasses, they all made a beeline for Amy.
    They were the last to be served. At least until the lunch slump ended. There was always a big rush right when they opened at ten. Crowds picked up as noon approached, and then the place emptied out as tourists realized they needed to line their bellies with something more substantial than wine.
    The break would be nice. Actually,
nice
didn’t begin to cover it. After being up half the night on the phone with Ella, Piper was dragging. It was already a double-shot, two-latte day. In hopes that the sugar rush would perk her up, she’d also turned it into a two-donut day. Neither had helped. She had the jitters from the extra caffeine, a slightly queasy feeling from the donuts, and a headache from exhaustion and stress that would probably morph into a migraine by the end of the day.
    Not that she’d let a single visitor to the winery know. Piper had