Jamie nodded.

"I hear he is an awesome teacher. His oldest sister gave my girls lessons when they were little and he was a teen at the time. I recently read in the paper that he now runs horsemanship for the handicapped program and he's also giving lessons to kids. He is really nice to look at, too. At least he was at seventeen. I can only imagine him ten years later." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Danielle!" Jamie threw a grape at her.

"What? You don't notice hot guys? Come on. Even the young ones are fun to look at, and now he's legal. Hmm, maybe I'll go take some riding lessons from him myself."

"You are so bad," Kat said.

"Yeah and you're not?" Danielle smiled. "And don't you look at me like that." She pointed at Alyssa. "I got a feeling you got more diva in you than you let on. You all act like a bunch of old women. Get with the program. Good wine, hot guys, and sex. That's what I want to talk about, because God knows I'm not having any." She glanced at all of them. "Oh. No one else is either? Old women. Goddamn. We need to get crazy. That's what we all need. And you Kat, you're the married one, I suspect you're at least having sex. And your husband with that Irish lilt? The dirty talk must sound so melodic."

Kat picked up another handful of grapes and pelted Danielle with them. Jamie and Alyssa followed suit.

"Now that's better!" Danielle said, laughing. "It's not sex, but at least it's fun." Before long they were all in a fit of laughter, tossing grapes and acting like schoolgirls. Pure escape and total fun. And that was Sunday happy hour.

CHAPTER SIX.

May Danielle Danielle took out the bottle of wine, now aged for a little over two years. This could be it. The one. The winner. Her first bottle of Deesse. Goddess wine. The grapes started out as Bastillia grapes and, if Al had honored his marriage vows a few years ago, they likely would have gone into a Bastillia wine. Doubtful though that the Bastillia wine would have been this wine, because this wine had been hand crafted in artisan fashion by Danielle herself.

Guess it was a good thing that, unsatisfied, Al had cheated and left her for Stacey-Stacey the vixen-who'd evil-eyed Danielle at that charity event over three years ago, as if she were the witch. Now the twentysomething luscious redhead had to keep up the image for good old Al these days-an image that took a big hit when his big news wove its way through the valley. Stacey could have Al's money, and the paunch around his waistline, as well as his lame sense of humor.

Al had been unsatisfied. That one stupid word brought Danielle to tears many times over the last few years, wondering if she'd really aged all that badly. She didn't think so. At forty-five, she thought she was still attractive. Men glanced her way and even smiled at her. Her friends told her she looked a lot like Julianne Moore. Not a compliment to turn down. Granted it came from Jamie, Kat and Alyssa, but still.

Now when the word unsatisfied entered a conversation or crossed her mind, all she could do was laugh. Unsatisfied. Yeah, well how about now, Al? How satisfied are you with two toddler girls in diapers running around whining and crying all the time, and a baby on the way? She doubted Al was getting much satisfaction these days from Stacey. The woman had to be exhausted. After seeing Stacey and babies in the grocery store the other day, she'd actually felt sorry for her. But thoughts of Al, Stacey, and babies needn't take up residence in her head.

This was her time now, and in some ironic twist of fate, Al's unfaithfulness and aftermath turned out to be a good thing. There were moments when she wondered what it would have been like to be married to someone for fifty some odd years or more, share all those memories, and know everything about each other. Sweet little old people holding hands out on a stroll and such. At forty-five, with no love life and no prospects, growing old alone looked like a possibility, and interestingly enough that didn't scare the hell out of her like she thought it might.

She held the bottle of wine in her hands and closed her eyes for a moment. This had to be the one. Taking it into her office, she grabbed a corkscrew out of the drawer and inserted it. Twisting it down into the cork, she slowly pulled it up out of the bottle. She took a glass from the cabinet and wiped it out, making sure it sparkled clean. After all, this merited a special occasion. As she poured, Danielle watched the dark purple and red colors of the wine blend together. Setting the glass down on her desk, she allowed it to breathe for a few minutes. They were some long minutes.

A new white candle on her desk seemed to be waiting for this moment like the winemaker herself. Yes, a bit of ambience. Why not? She opened her desk drawer again and rummaged around for matches. Finding some, she lit the candle then sat down in her chair. Her fingers wrapped around the glass stem, she swirled the wine, and with a satisfied sigh studied its color. The color of wine always amazed her, and no matter what anyone said, it was never the same. Even with the same type of wines, the color would differentiate by a smidgeon of a shade. Some reds were deep purple, black almost, some as light as a strawberry color. This wine she held in her hand was a dark blood red. How fitting.

She brought the wine up to her nose and breathed it in. Gorgeous. Stunning. The fight for these vines was obviously well worth it.

The seductive scent of black currant, ripe plum, and what could be none other than dark chocolate, hit her nose, easing the knot in her stomach. She twirled the glass between her fingers again and then brought it up to her lips and took her first sip. Her taste buds awakened to layers of luscious cassis, dried cherry, sweet tobacco, and anise that coated her palate and lingered. A warmth spread throughout her body and she couldn't help smiling. Her toes curled in utter satisfaction. The wine finished with subtle nuances of earth and spice. Danielle waited a few seconds and took another sip to be sure she hadn't been fooled, because God knew she'd prayed this moment would come. This time after she swallowed the wine she set the glass down, flopped back into her chair, and started laughing. How sweet, how sweet, how sweet! She raised her hands in triumph. And that was when she came up with the name for the wine; Revenge. It was perfect. This bottle of wine was her revenge. Combined with the name of the winery, Deesse, which meant Goddess, she had the name. Revenge of the Goddess. She hoped oenophiles from all over the world would score it high, and after that she would make a killing. Who knew that her husband leaving her for a younger woman would lead to this? She even thought about picking up the phone and calling Al to thank him. No. She'd do that after her wine had been touted from the West Coast to the East Coast. But she did silently toast him.

Finishing off the glass, she corked the bottle and headed up to the house. Now that she'd savored her time with the wine, she knew she needed to share it with one of her best friends. Hands down, she knew she'd call Jamie.

The winery, a good walk from the house, up and down small hills, might be great for toning her legs, but it still winded her. Sometimes she drove the golf cart down to her office and the lab, but today her manager Raul was using it out on the vineyard, and she needed the exercise anyway.

Coming up the driveway, she spotted a car. It had to be one of Cassie's friends because it was parked next to the brand new Audi her father and Stacey had gotten her.

When she made it all the way to the top of the drive, she saw that the car was Shannon's. The kid had made it a day early. But she was supposed to be flying home tomorrow and Danielle had planned to pick her up at the airport. Why had she driven all that way? Danielle had told her that she could use her car over the summer. She wished her daughter had let her know that she was driving across the country alone. She could have been hurt, or kidnapped, or worse. What had she been thinking?

She opened the front door. "Shannon?"

"In here, Mom."

Cassie bounded down the stairs, her long strawberry blonde hair swinging with her gait, a huge grin across her face. "Have you seen Shannon yet, Mom?"

"I just walked in the door, honey. I'm heading into the kitchen to see her. Could you move out of my way? I want to give her a hug."

"Sure. No problem, Mom. I love a family reunion." She rubbed her hands together, moving to the side but right at her mother's heels.

Danielle would have to make sure the kid's pupils weren't dilated because she was sure acting funny. No way was she this happy to see her sister.

Danielle couldn't help smiling as she entered the kitchen, Shannon's back to her. "Hey, kiddo. We need to talk. You're in trouble."

"That's for sure." Cassie smirked.

"What's wrong with you, Cass?"

Cass shrugged, still wearing that shit-eating grin. "Nothing at all."

Drug testing for sure. "Shan? Aren't you gonna turn around and give me a hug?" Danielle went to set the wine down on the counter as her oldest daughter turned around. Danielle missed the counter and dropped the bottle. Glass shattered and wine went everywhere. Her mouth dropped open and she shook her head. "Oh, my God."

Danielle called an emergency happy hour the night after Shannon came home. Her news was too much to handle on her own. She'd thrown together a Mexican-style quiche and at that moment wished they had tequila, not just wine.

"Pregnant?" Jamie's mouth hung agape just as Danielle's had the night before. If that moment hadn't been surreal, then what was? Her twenty-one-year-old daughter had stood, belly protruding, flashing solemn green eyes that were the only apology. But Jesus Almighty! How was she going to handle this?

Danielle nodded. "Almost seven months, too. The baby is due the beginning of August." She set out a plate of stuffed mushrooms, plopped down on her butter suede sofa, and poured herself her third glass of the decent Cabernet. She was hitting it harder than usual, but she was hosting and definitely not driving, and drinking a third glass of wine and sharing this new chapter of her life with her friends seemed to be the answer-the only answer.

"So she couldn't even consider not having the baby now," Alyssa said. She reached across the glass coffee table for her glass of wine.

"No. This, my friends, is a done deal." Danielle scooped some mushrooms onto her plate. Food along with the wine and friends comforted her a little. Soft jazz played in the background. Danielle's house was a custom five thousand square foot vineyard dream. Unlike Jamie, Danielle had done all the decorating herself and both the inside and outside replicated a Tuscan hideaway.

"She's been pregnant for all this time and never told you?" Kat's eyes widened.

Danielle shook her head. "Not a word. Not one word. I've talked to that kid I don't know how many times over the past several months. I talk to her at least twice a week. Ask her about school, her job, if she has a boyfriend. I don't know why she didn't tell me when she first found out."

"What's she going to do?" Jamie asked. "I mean is she planning on keeping the baby? What about her last year of college?"

Danielle shrugged. "I tried talking to her about it, suggesting adoption might be a good way to go. My God, she's at Yale on scholarship. She's lined up to graduate with honors, and wants to go to law school. Before she left for school, she'd shared with me that it was her dream to become a Supreme Court justice. This changes everything." She choked back emotion. Alyssa touched her shoulder and smiled sympathetically. Danielle tried to smile back. "I'm sorry. I'm a little in shock. I can't believe that my brainiac of a child could be so fucking stupid as to get herself knocked up."

"Is there a guy? Obviously there is a guy, right?" Jamie asked.

"No. No guy. My valedictorian is pregnant and who's the father? He's some exchange student she met from Italy and he has now, of course, flown the coop." Danielle waved her free hand in the air.

"Ah, an Italian guy," Kat said. "No wonder. Trouble. Regular Romeo, huh?"

"No shit, Dick Tracy." Danielle shot her a dirty look.

"I'm sorry, Danielle. I don't mean to make light of this. It's got to be difficult. Has she been in contact with him?"

"I haven't gotten that far with her yet. Our conversation last night was slightly tense and when I saw her becoming upset I did the only thing I could do." Her friends all looked at her. "I wrapped my arms around her, and told her that I loved her and that I would support her."

"Wow," Alyssa said in a whisper.

"Where is she right now?" Kat asked.

"Meeting with her dad. You better believe it won't be long before I get a call from him. I'm sure I'll be the one to blame. I'm sure he'll be delighted."

The sarcasm wasn't lost on her friends. The Bastard blamed Danielle for everything that had gone wrong in their marriage, anything that went wrong with their daughters, and especially for the problems he'd recently acquired with the IRS over his business dealings. The blame game there was that he claimed that Danielle hadn't taught him how to run the books. As if she were supposed to sit him down and give him a tutorial on accounting after he'd screwed her over!

Al's real big problem was that Danielle had made out in the settlement in a way he hadn't planned on. She'd gotten half of the vines-the best vines. She'd been able to prove that she'd been the brainchild behind Bastillia Wines. Al managed to get the large distribution deals across the country, but it had been Danielle who worked hand in hand with their employees and helped to cultivate wine into art. Al liked to talk the talk and play big-man winery owner, but it was Danielle who truly understood wine from the soil on up, and she now had the means and was in a position to prove it.

"Screw Al," Jamie said.

"Not my job anymore." Danielle laughed and so did her friends. The mood lightened a little.

"Do you know what's next with Shannon?" Alyssa set her glass down and leaned back into the sofa.

"She told me that she already scheduled an appointment on Thursday with a doctor out here and planned to deliver the baby here. That's pretty much as far as we've gotten. Right now it's like walking on eggshells with her. I guess I kind of need to let it settle." She sighed. "Enough about my drama. What's going on with you?" She looked at Jamie who sat stunned. "When we talked on the phone the other night it sounded like you made the decision to take Maddie over to check out the riding lessons, right?" More wine and another long sigh. "I can see you all don't want to change the subject, but humor me. I'm tired, frustrated, and don't want to think about my problems right now."

Jamie nodded. "Okay. I did. I called and I'm taking her next weekend. In fact, my sister-in-law called and they, of course, asked if they could have Maddie for the weekend, but I told them no, that we already had plans. Then Susan said that she wanted to take her to riding lessons. I was so happy to be able to come back and tell her that I was already taking her to riding lessons." She smiled and smugly crossed her arms in front of her.

"Good," Alyssa said. "Sounds like you're moving forward, keeping your daughter tuned more into you than her aunt and uncle."

"What about you, Kat? Venus still coming to town?" Danielle asked.

"She's coming all right. Three weeks and my dear beloved mother will be here." Kat emptied her glass, and stood. "Hey, hate to be a buzzkill, but looks like your girls just pulled up."

Danielle stood. "Jeez. They said they'd be home after ten, after everyone went home. It's only nine."

Jamie and Alyssa stood too. "That's okay. I have an early morning meeting," Jamie said. "I have to get Maddie up extra early and take her to morning care."

"I should get going too. I'm a bit tired. I also have some things I need to take care of early tomorrow." Alyssa set her glass down.

"Come on. Stay. The girls won't mind, and you know I want you to stay." More than anything, Danielle was afraid to be alone with Shannon. Then there was Cassie, who seemed to be reveling in the fact that her sister had one-upped her on the Oh boy, you are in a world of shit chart. No, Danielle preferred the company of her friends, their wine, and the food to her girls right now. But her pals were already heading to the door with their purses and insisting they needed to leave, obvious that they didn't want to get caught in the crossfire of pregnant daughter and soon-to-be grandmother.

Last night and all day, Danielle had tried to process Shannon's pregnancy: the ramifications, the possible positives, the many negatives. But not once, until that very moment that her best friends were checking out on her had the thought crossed her mind that in less than three months she was going to be a grandmother. Now it did, and suddenly Danielle felt very old and she knew that even if her daughter might be ready for this, which she doubted, she seriously wasn't ready at all.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

Jamie Jamie left work a half hour earlier than usual to get Maddie from the after-school program and to her second riding lesson, taught by a perky, long-legged blonde woman of about twenty-five. The woman was fantastic with Maddie-soft spoken, easygoing, and at the same time, firm on safety and focus. She was a perfect fit for her little girl. What wasn't so perfect about the riding lessons was the expense. Jamie, already stressing over what to do with Maddie during the summer while she worked, knew that day camps were costly, but leaving her at home with Nora and Dorothy seemed cruel. She'd have to figure it out and make it work, along with the riding lessons.

When she'd inquired about the lessons she'd spoken to a different young woman than the riding instructor, one whose name she couldn't for the life of her recall. That woman had told her the lessons were thirty-five dollars for the hour, but when she'd brought Maddie out for her first lesson last weekend, the instructor Gwen told her that it was fifty dollars for the hour. Jamie had been shocked and said something to Gwen about the price difference. Gwen apologized, saying she wished she'd known who had told Jamie this because they'd raised their prices over two weeks ago.

Jamie would normally not press the issue. Maddie wanted the lessons and Jamie wanted her to have them. Not only because it made her feel like she finally had more control over her child than her in-laws, but because Maddie had fallen hard for horses. For Maddie to fall for anything and then really connect held a power of its own.

Jamie had taken Gwen aside while Maddie brushed down a paint horse named Patches. "But I was told that it was thirty-five and fifty is a lot more. I'm kind of on a budget." It was a nice way of saying that she was flat-ass broke. She knew if she put a pencil to paper that she'd be in the red every month, and she was. She chose not to pick up neither pencil nor paper. She'd borrowed money off of credit cards and even had a couple of unsecured loans at high interest rates. It had been difficult getting banks to loan her money after Nate died, and when the economy tanked things got even tighter. The medical bills piled up and, truth be told, she knew that she and Nate lived a pretty high life before he got sick. A life that included five-star vacations, designer clothes, expensive dinners out, and all sorts of lessons for Maddie, like piano, ballet and tennis-none which ever stuck. Then Nate had gotten so sick and the insurance hadn't covered the experimental drugs they'd tried. Yes, he'd had life insurance. A half million dollars, which at the time sounded like a lot, but when there are medical bills upwards in the six figures and a mortgage to pay and private tuition for Maddie, and now Dorothy to take care of...With the cost of living so high these days, making ends meet was getting harder each day. Jamie knew she should sell the house, put Maddie in public school, and do what she could to save some cash. Thus paying for riding lessons did not fall into the saving cash category. But Maddie didn't deserve to have her entire life change because her mom was deep in debt.

Jamie had gone ahead and asked Gwen what she could do about the cost of the lessons.

"You'll have to speak with Tyler. He'll be here next week."

While Maddie attended her second lesson, Jamie put some steel in her backbone and headed to the boss's office to discuss the issue. The ranch was pristine with three large barns, housing rows of stalls in them. The pungent smell of manure wafted through the air combined with hay, soil, and something floral. It might have been neroli orange blossoms or maybe jasmine? She wasn't sure. From what Jamie could see, there were also three large arenas, one with jumps in it. Olive and orange trees were scattered all over the property. A good-sized log home stood in the background with a front porch swing included. Kind of like a Norman Rockwell painting.

Tyler Meeks' office was at the end of the main barn, opposite a large tack room.

Jamie expected to round the corner and walk into the office to find an attractive man. After all, Danielle had mentioned he was a looker. She'd seen plenty of attractive men in her day, but none of them had taken her breath away like Nate had when they'd met. None of them until that very moment when she laid eyes on Tyler Meeks. Wow. Oh wow.

Tyler Meeks looked up from the papers on his desk. His hair and skin were both sun-kissed and golden, his green eyes were the color of the Mediterranean Sea, and his lips were shaped perfectly with a little bow meeting in the middle. He had a three-day shadow and Jamie knew that her thoughts were downright ridiculous. Movie stars looked this good, not horse trainers. But goodness, he was like this amazing blend of Brad Pitt and that adorable boy from all the High School Musical movies that Maddie said she wanted to marry some day. What was his name? Zac Efron. That was it.

And then it hit and it hit hard. Guilt. More guilt. First off, Tyler Meeks was at least ten years younger than she was, and secondly she was a married woman. Technically. Sort of, anyway. Well, she should have been. She wanted to be. Why couldn't Nate be here right now? To watch his little girl ride a horse? To not care if her riding lessons cost them thirty-five dollars or a hundred dollars? And in those strange few seconds looking at Tyler Meeks and preparing to argue about his prices, she felt tears try and make their annoying presence.

"May I help you?" Tyler asked. He picked up a remote control and turned off the TV in the corner. "Sorry. I like Judge Judy," he quipped.

"Yes. Maybe. I hope so." Jamie swallowed and collected herself. "I'm Jamie Evans." She reached across the desk as Tyler stood and shook her hand. "My daughter Maddie is taking lessons from one of your instructors. Gwen."

"Nice to meet you. Gwen is very good with the youngsters. She's taking my place with the kids right now. I've got my hands full just running the place."

"Yes, Gwen seems to be really great. My daughter is very excited and she loved her first lesson. She's out there right now getting ready again." She paused, her fingers clasping the band on her purse tightly. People didn't make her nervous. She was an editor-in-chief. She handled people all of the time. But this guy made her nervous.

"Great. I'm sure you and your husband will find that we have a great program here. Our focus is on safety first and developing a real passion for the horse."

"I'm not married. My husband passed away." Now why in the world had that come out? She never said stuff like that, especially to strangers.

"I'm sorry." His face reddened a bit.

"No. Please. Thank you." She couldn't sound any more ridiculous if she tried.

"I thought that, well, that's a beautiful ring." He pointed to her hand.

She glanced down at the marquis diamond surrounded with tiny emeralds, her birthstone. Her wedding ring. Jamie knew she'd better get to the point before this situation became any more strained. "I'm here because of the pricing." He raised his eyebrows. "You see I was quoted one price by one of your employees and then when I brought Maddie for her first lesson, I was told it was another price."

Tyler clucked his tongue. "What were you initially told?" He sat back in his chair.

"Thirty-five dollars an hour." She looked down.

"Then that's what it is. If one of my employees told you that, then that's what it is. What did you pay last week?"

"Fifty."

Tyler stood again, reached into his back pocket and took fifteen dollars out of his wallet, handing it to Jamie.