"I'm not going to say it again, my friend. Last time you'll hear it from me, but stop making excuses. Talk to your husband." Danielle poured more wine for everyone.

"We do have a lot to talk about. On top of it all, when we moved out here, Christian's ex, Emily, followed us. I think at the time she did it to get under our skin and it worked, but now, Emily is moving back into the city because she's pregnant and getting married."

"How is Christian taking it? You guys won't see Amber as often, will you?" Jamie asked.

"Just the opposite. Emily wants us to have Amber for the week and she'll take her on the weekends."

"What?" Danielle said. Boy, did she wish she could kick Christian in the ass. Her friend didn't deserve what he was dishing out.

"Yes. I learned this a couple of hours ago, thus the big fight and 'Better Man.'"

"Oh," they all said in unison.

"What are you going to do?" Alyssa asked.

"What can I do? He's my husband. She's his daughter, and as weird as it can be around here with all the family blending that goes on, I don't think I have a choice."

"You have choices," Danielle said. "Maybe ask Christian to get his own place for awhile and then he can come back home when he's all grown up. That's what I'd do."

"Really? That's not an option. Not at all. I see where you're going here, and yes, I agree I need to have a talk with my husband. And yes, I also agree he acts like a petulant child when it comes to my boys, but, Danielle, you've been married and divorced. You know the pain that comes with it. I've already been through it once before, and this time I promised myself that before I headed down that path again that I would do everything possible to make my marriage work. It may not be ideal. But what marriage is? No matter what the situation is around here, I love my children and I love my husband, and I will do whatever the hell it takes to make it work. So back off."

Danielle sucked in a pocket of air. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I was only trying to help."

Kat closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, too. And I know. I know how much you care and want the best for me, and I love you for it. I really do, but I think this is one of those times when I have to sort it out on my own time."

"I think I want more wine," Jamie said. "Um, like a bottle. Yeah. A bottle for each of us."

"Works for me," Alyssa said.

Kat and Danielle looked at each other and started laughing. Jamie and Alyssa, wide-eyed, followed suit, grateful that things hadn't completely blown up between their friends. After a few minutes of their laughter with the tension dissipating, Kat finally said, "I did always want a little girl. It won't be that much harder, right?"

"Not until she gets her period and turns into a teenager. Then she'll go all apeshit on you and that's when you can send her back to her mother. Even her dad will want that," Danielle said.

"Speaking of daughters, how is Shannon?" Jamie asked, wanting to shift the focus a little bit. She sensed Kat's exhaustion.

"Big. Very big and grumpy and still not talking a lot. It drives me crazy, but what can I do? We need to have a heart to heart. I don't know what to think. Maybe she isn't ready to talk, but she better get ready soon because she gets bigger every day. I have to tell you something kind of good, though. I have a date."

"What?" Kat said.

Danielle told them all about running into Mark again.

"You're going on a date with your daughter's gynecologist?" Alyssa laughed. "There must be some law against that."

"Yeah! You think?" Jamie chimed in.

"Funny. Ha, ha. No. He referred Shannon to his colleague. And it's only a dinner date with an old friend."

"How much of an old friend?" Kat asked. "I mean, how much of a friend was he?"

Danielle knew she was blushing. "You know me too well."

"There's this sparkle in your eye. That's all," Kat replied.

"He was my first."

"Your first?" Jamie asked.

"Yes. You know. Sex."

"Oh. Oh. Interesting." Jamie heaped another pile of pasta onto her plate.

"This is more than interesting. This is juicy. Do tell. Is he good-looking?" Alyssa asked.

Danielle smiled and closed her eyes for a second. "Yes, he's attractive." She nodded. "Very. He is really handsome."

"You got the butterflies, didn't you?" Kat asked.

Danielle bit her lip and nodded. "I did. I do right now talking about him."

Jamie clapped her hands, Kat laughed, and Alyssa pointed at her and said, "You go girl."

"It's kind of strange." Danielle twirled her pasta around with her fork.

"No, it's good," Kat said. "Really, really good for you."

"Speaking of good-looking men, you're taking Maddie to riding lessons, aren't you?" Danielle looked at Jamie.

She nodded.

"Well?" Danielle motioned her to continue. "Have you met Tyler?"

She nodded again.

"Look at her." Kat pointed at her. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Yes, he is a nice-looking young man."

"That's all she's going to give us? 'Yes he's nice-looking. Notice I left out the 'young' word. Jamie, you aren't no grandma," Alyssa said.

"Hey," Danielle piped in. "Ouch. Nana-to-be here."

"Yeah well, you don't count. You're like the freak of nature who found the fountain of youth," Kat commented.

"Whatever. You don't have to tiptoe around it," Danielle replied. "Back to Jamie and the cowboy. I think there is more to it than our blonde bombshell does tell. Dish, Blondie."

Jamie giggled.

"She's giggling," Alyssa said. "Oh my God. She's giggling."

"I rode his horse."

"What? You rode his horse? Is that a euphemism for something?" Danielle teased.

"Not even. He talked me into riding his horse while Maddie had a lesson and I had fun. I liked it. And I volunteered for the Horsemanship for Handicapped program that he runs on Saturdays. Then I rode his horse again. He's giving me riding lessons once a week."

"Do I smell romance in the air?" Danielle asked. "A little passion? A little heat? Some lust." She rubbed her hands together.

"No. Please. I rode his horse. Twice. That was it. That's all there is to it."

"Maybe ride him," Kat said.

"Kat!" They all looked at her.

Jamie frowned. "You are all so impossible. Ride him. Jeez." She shook her head and swallowed the rest of her wine, and then she couldn't help herself but started giggling again.

"You should think about it, at least. I mean if just thinking about doing it with him, and we know you are thinking about doing it with him, makes you giggle like a girl, hmmm...what it might be like. You know you're thinking about it." Kat sliced into the peach pie she'd baked that morning. "Dessert? Coffee? Think about it, J. You deserve some fun."

"Leave me alone and give me some of that pie," Jamie replied.

They all opted for the pie and some decaf. Picking up their plates they followed Kat into the kitchen. "I think we're quite a crew. Look at us. I'm getting another child, Danielle is dating her daughter's OB-GYN-"

"Hey, I am not. I explained already."

"Uh-huh, and he was the one who got you naked at sixteen. Very tantalizing and now Jamie is riding horses and lusting after the cowboy."

"Kat." Jamie rolled her eyes and rinsed her plate.

"Sorry. I'll stop." She smiled wickedly. "For now. What about you, Alyssa? And don't tell us there's nothing to report. I know you have a life. We're your friends. Spill the beans. Give us the goods. Tell all time. You must have a secret lover or you robbed a bank. Something."

"I do have something." Everyone looked thoughtfully at her, all stopping whatever they were busily doing in the kitchen. She sighed and didn't believe she'd said it until she saw the looks on her friends' faces. "I have a child. A son. He's eighteen. His name is Ian."

WINE LOVER'S MAGAZINE When Life gets Crazy....

By Jamie Evans Life is like a roller coaster. There are ups and downs and twists and turns. Things come at us from every corner, every direction. Just when you begin to think that life is predictable, you can be thrown a curve ball and things get crazy.

It seems in the past month, our Happy Hour discussions have tended to be about life's never-ending rollercoaster ride. When the ride dips low and then chugs up hill, it's not easy. It's saying, "No," when you want to say, "Yes," or saying "Yes," when maybe you should say, "No." If you're a woman reading this, then I'm sure you can relate. It would be nice if the coaster had one long stretch of straight ahead and at an easy pace.

Alyssa, Kat, Danielle, and I are on that coaster that does loopdy loops, dealing with family issues, from aging parents to surly teenagers, blended families and the possibilities of new families. Not to mention that romantic possibilities for at least one of us looks to be on the horizon-a certain winemaker has run into a love from the past. Who knows? Maybe there's a future there...

One thing that I know for certain is that when life gets crazy, the best way I can think of to handle it all is by getting together with friends, sharing a bottle of Syrah, and piling high a plate of pasta with goat cheese, spinach and pancetta in a light cream sauce. It's like stepping off the uncontrollable ride for a few hours and taking a deep breath.

Check out the pasta recipe straight from Kat's kitchen in this month's issue.

Cheers!

Jamie Evans Editor-in-chief

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

Alyssa June Alyssa steadied her hands by taking hold of the water glass in front of her. She'd arrived at the restaurant twenty minutes early. She'd gotten ready two hours early. Did she have too much makeup on? Was her dress conservative enough? Motherly? It was at least ninety degrees outside. She'd finally decided on a light teal summer dress with a scoop neck.

The restaurant she'd chosen, Hurley's in Yountville, was neither fancy nor underrated. It was simple, elegant, and served excellent food.

When she'd told her friends about her son, she'd felt such relief.

After reading the letter, she phoned the number listed in it. When she heard the young man's voice for the first time-her son's-she'd instantly been awash with regret. After agreeing to meet with Ian this week, she'd gotten off the phone and closed the shop. For the rest of the day she didn't answer the phone, afraid of who might be on the other end this time, and she worked late into the night on the painting-Protected. She had so many questions for Ian and one of them was, had he felt protected growing up? But how could she ask him that, and if he gave her an answer other than yes, how would she react to that?

Alyssa recognized him the moment he walked through the door. She gasped. He was built like her father-tall and lean-even a bit too thin. His eyes were a deep hazel color like her own, his skin darker than hers. She felt a confusing mix of excitement, relief, and joy that were combined with fear, sadness, and regret. She grabbed onto her chair to steady herself.

He walked directly over to her. "Alyssa?" His voice was deep and his handshake firm.

"Ian?"

He nodded and smiled. "Hi."

"Hi." There weren't hugs and tears, but a soft hello and smile were a good start as far as she was concerned.

"How was your flight and drive? Did you have any problems?" she asked, knowing he'd driven a rental car out to the wine country. She'd suggested picking him up, and had wanted to, but Ian hesitated. Alyssa decided that since this was their first meeting together, she would allow him to call all the shots.

"Good. The car is nice. It's a hybrid Camry with a GPS system. My dad wanted to make sure I didn't get lost. I've had my license over a year now, but he was carrying on at me before I left about not driving over the speed limit, and you know, come to a complete stop at the stop signs. All that." He laughed again-a nice hardy laugh. "And he wanted to come with me. I begged him to let me go by myself. I can't believe he actually did. It took some convincing. Flight was good. Easy, fast."

Alyssa immediately liked this kid. The mention of his dad though, put an even deeper hole in her center. "That's what dads do, you know. They have to watch out for you."

"Yeah, and my dad worries a lot about me."

The waitress came by and asked if they'd like something to drink. Ian ordered an iced tea and so did Alyssa. She watched as he sweetened it with two sugars, exactly how she took her own tea. "How long have you been looking for me?" she asked.

"Not long. My dad actually found you some time ago, I guess. He thought maybe I'd want to meet you someday. My parents always told me I was adopted. Actually I come from a really big family. There are seven of us and five of us are adopted. You could say we're the original Brangelina family. Except none of us look like Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt." He laughed again.

Alyssa liked the fact that the kid had a sense of humor. "That must be kind of neat. A big family." It made Alyssa happy to know that he'd been raised in a large family. She had a half brother from her dad's first marriage, but they'd never been close and he was about twelve years older than she was, so she never spent much time with him growing up. He lived in Michigan now and they saw each other on occasional family gatherings. He'd never known about her pregnancy. Actually none of her family had. Her mom and dad were in Tuscany that year with her grandparents while she was at college. They'd never understood why she'd switched schools the following year, but she'd convinced them it was because she thought she could do better at NYU and wanted to go into journalism. "How do you like it, being in such a large family?"

He smiled again, warm and goofy and youthful. "You know, it's got some good things about it and some not so good. We don't have a mansion, so we fight a lot over bathrooms and food and you name it, but there is a lot of love. After my mom died, it was good that we all had each other."

Alyssa nearly choked on her tea. "Your mother passed away?"

His eyes watered and it was obvious he was fighting the emotion. "Almost four years ago. Drunk driver."

"That's awful. I'm so sorry, Ian." Alyssa brought her hand up to her mouth.

"Thank you. It was awful, but Mom was a very special lady and, even though we miss her, she'd be really mad at us if we sat around sulking about her."