Destiny and a Bottle of Merlot (13 page)

“Well, there goes my vineyard,” Sasha said, shrugging her shoulders with discouragement written on her face.

“Not necessarily.” Josh had a twinkle in his eye and a smile across his lips. “There’s still the entire back of the lot and along the sides of this slab. We can put it to good use.”

“How’s that?”

“Let’s go inside and warm up. I’ll draw my idea out for you and we can go over it with a hot cup of coffee.”

“That sounds good.” Sasha took his hand and snuggled deep against his side. “Wait, I have to do something.” With the can of pink paint still in her hand, Sasha sprayed an outline of an enormous heart with initials M.D. loves J.R. on the grass. “Now we can go inside.”

With a blank piece of printer paper on the table and a pencil, Josh drew his vision for Sasha. She mentioned how she wanted to have weddings at the Victorian, so he went with that idea. He explained everything as he drew. They needed to remove all the grass cover from the cement slab to expose it. Then, they’d place antique re-purposed bricks over the slab. The weddings could take place, right there, on the bricks. They could build Victorian arches and trellises matching the house everywhere. In short, the wedding ceremony area would be in the center of the lot. They could make it a beautiful, secluded area, unseen from the street. The grapevines draped over the trellis, arbor and pergolas would lead right to the bricked wedding garden where the ceremonies would be held, privately. Plus they would be surrounded by an entire vineyard. Every couple married there would have their own brick engraved with their names and wedding date placed among the other bricks.

“I’m just throwing that idea out there for you, Sasha. You have the final say. But you get what I’m trying to describe, right?”

“Of course, and it sounds gorgeous. I can picture it in my mind. We can start all of that in spring. Meanwhile, the samples will be tested. If the soil is good for grapes, we can start everything as soon as the ground thaws.” Sasha bounced in her chair like a school girl. “That gives us the entire winter to turn this house into a showplace. Tomorrow I’m taking the soil samples to the Agricultural Department in White Plains. I can’t wait to get started, Josh. This is going to be wonderful.”

Josh put two pieces of coffee cake in the microwave to warm them up. “I can move my showings around to the afternoon tomorrow if you want me to go with you,” he said, as he licked off his fingers.

“Thanks, but I’ve got this.” Sasha threw another log on the fire and sat at the table.

Josh brought out the coffee cake and two cups of steaming, fresh coffee on a tray, and joined her.

“Doesn’t your brother wonder what you’ve been doing with your time? I mean, you don’t go to the office as much as you used to. Business is okay, isn’t it?” Sasha took a bite of the coffee cake and handed Kismet a treat of her own.

“No worries, business is fine. I get most of my phone calls done in the evenings, or in the morning before I come over. Most people are working during the day anyway. And my brother already knows about you. How can I keep someone as wonderful as you a secret? He’s my twin, after all. I’ll introduce you to him soon.”

“That would be nice. I’m so excited about my future plans. I love living here in this great town and this beautiful home. It’s hard to contain how I feel about everyone, especially you. You were unexpected. I had it up to my eyeballs with men.” Sasha paused before continuing, to choose her words carefully. “Well… you know the rest. Anyway, I’m so glad we got to know each other on a real level. The stupid games at the beginning could have been a deal breaker for both of us.” Sasha walked around the table and sat on Josh’s lap. She leaned in and snuggled against his neck. “I appreciate and love you so much.” She kissed his warm lips, then held him some more.

The soil sample fiasco at the Agricultural Department in White Plains took close to an hour. Sasha had to explain her reasoning, fill out the necessary paperwork and pay the testing fee. With the usual red tape now complete, they told her the results should be back within a month. She drove back to Tarrytown and stopped in at Hair Brained.

“What’s up guys?” she asked, as she plopped down on an empty styling chair.

Tina began examining her hair. “What shampoo are you using? Your hair is way too dry. You need a root touch-up, and a trim too. Let’s go over to the shampoo bowl.”

“I use generic shampoo. You want to do my hair now?”

“Hello blondie! Don’t you ever use generic shampoo again. We have a salon here, and you’ll use what I tell you to use. I should slap you upside the head. Anyway, do you have something better to do? We’ll have lunch afterward, I’m buying.” Tina wrapped a cape around Sasha’s shoulders with a towel tucked inside. “Lay back.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sasha said, giggling.

Sasha explained what she and Josh discovered on the vacant lot. The entire salon listened closely as they sipped their tea. Nobody wanted to miss a single word. They were responsible for the town gossip, and it was their duty to get it right.

“Josh came up with the best idea ever for the wedding garden. It’s going to be so beautiful.” Sasha examined her manicure as Tina applied blonde hair dye to her roots.

“The question is,” Vic interjected, “has Mia and Aaron even set a wedding date? If they’re going to be the first couple married there, and you damn well better hold to that promise,” she gave Sasha a stern glare, “then the wedding garden has to be ready when they are.”

“I know it takes a few years before grapevines start producing grapes. But as far as the ambiance for the trellises and arbors go, I’ll just use the existing grape ivy and plant some more. It grows fast and can climb over all the structures. The wedding will take place under a large pergola, so I’ll make sure to plant plenty of grape ivy there too. It will work fine as a fill-in for the time being.”

Old Mrs. Thompson was getting her blue hair color freshened up and permed. “It sounds lovely dear,” she said. “Who are you again?”

Sasha looked at Vic and Tina before replying. “My name is Martha Destiny,” she said, happily.

“Well, isn’t that precious? My mother’s name was Martha, or was that my sister?”

It was twelve forty-five when Sasha’s hair repairs were complete. “C’mon, let’s get the hell out of here and have lunch. Jennifer, there aren’t any appointments set up for us for a while, are there?” Vic asked.

“Nope. You guys are clear until four o’clock. I’ve got everything covered. Enjoy your lunch.”

Tina, Vic and Sasha headed for Morey’s. It was close, and the lunch crowd atmosphere was pretty lively. They sat at the bar, luckily arriving just when a couple left.

“Grab those stools,” Tina yelled to Sasha.

The tables were all taken, so the bar was their only option. They were just having sandwiches and a couple of beers anyway.

Seated at the far end of the bar were the same women Sasha saw with Josh the first day she met him. Several more “babes” were with them today. Skanky was the adjective Vic used to describe their kind. They were loud, obnoxious and halfway to no man’s land with dirty martinis lined up in front of them. Their voices easily carried to the end of the bar where Vic, Tina and Sasha sat.

“Morey,” Vic called out.

Morey wiped his hands on the bar towel and walked over. He chuckled, knowing Vic was ready to spout off.

“Can’t you tell those drunk hags to take it down a notch? There’s still three hours before Happy Hour even begins, for crap’s sake.”

“Vic, they’re customers. Unless they cause a scene, I don’t have a reason to yell at them. They aren’t driving, thank God.”

“Yeah, but they’re a pain in my oversized ass and my ears.”

“Do you want me to grab you a table as soon as one opens up?” he asked.

“Naw… forget it. I don’t want to be a bitch. We’re only going to be here for an hour anyway.”

Morey laughed and walked away, nodding his head to Vic as he disappeared into the kitchen.

The noise from the end of the bar continued. Sasha’s head jolted to the right when she heard the discussion was now about Josh Redmond. The women commented on how they couldn’t believe the rumors they were hearing. Josh was seeing someone, for real. He wasn’t just using this babe for a piece of tail, like he was so well known for. They missed having his arms around them, buying them drinks, and all the flirting he did. He was such a good kisser too. What the hell was wrong with him, anyway? Who is this woman he’s seeing? How dare that bitch take away their boy-toy.

“That’s it. I’ve heard just about enough from you skanks.” Vic jumped off her barstool, her hands clenched tightly into fists.

“Vic, no!” Sasha grabbed Vic by the arm before she stormed to the other end of the bar. Sasha gave her a slow smile. “I’ve got this, hon.” Sasha pushed back her barstool and stood. She smoothed her clothing and ran a hand through her freshly styled hair.

Vic sat down and leaned in to Tina. “This is going to be good. Where’s my damn popcorn when I need it?”

The women snickered and laughed at Sasha as she approached them. They consumed just enough drinks to make them stupid.

Morey walked over to Vic. “Are you trying to start something with them?” He grinned and watched as Sasha stood within inches of the four, drunk women.

“Who are you, and what the hell do you want? We didn’t invite you to sit with us.” Meg, the only woman with a coherent voice, chose to be the spokesperson. She raised the martini glass, trying to find her half opened mouth.

“I’m the bitch Josh Redmond is dating,” Sasha said, as she peeled the martini glass out of Meg’s hand and threw the contents in her face. The plastic toothpick holding two speared green olives lodged in her hair. The olives dangled near Meg’s eyebrow like edible pieces of hair jewelry.

Meg gasped while the rest of them tried to remember how to speak English.

“Hey, coool,” another woman muttered, as she reached in Meg’s hair, plucked out the olives and popped them into her mouth.

“You don’t need to know my name, but you better remember my face. Tell all your bitches that Josh Redmond is off the market. If I ever see any of you trying to put your skanky hands on him, I’ll bust your faces. Got it?”

“Whatever, bitc…” Meg began, as she wiped the martini from her face with a napkin.

Sasha leaned in, less than an inch from her ear. “What were you going to call me?”

“Nothing. C’mon, let’s go.” The women helped each other stumble out of the bar and down the street to Bottoms Up.

“That’s what I’m friggin talking about,” Vic yelled, as she grabbed Sasha and squeezed her.

Tina gave Sasha a high five and fist bump as they began laughing their lungs out.

“This one’s going down in the books, girl,” Vic said, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “I love you, man. You do me proud.”

Between the food, beer and laughter, the girls were at Morey’s until almost three o’clock.

“I’ve noticed you guys have become a little more accepting of Josh lately,” Sasha said, happily.

“We’ve all been on the wrong side of judgment. It hurts when you’ve been judged by someone, but it hurts almost as much when you have to admit you’ve wrongly judged someone else. I’ve been there, we all have. I’m speaking for myself, but Josh isn’t that bad. He’ll grow on us. It’s all good, babe,” Vic said.

Sasha invited Mia over after she got home from Morey’s. The smirk on Mia’s face meant something was on her mind.

“What’s with the look?” Sasha asked, as she warmed hot chocolate on the stove.

“You’re tougher than I ever imagined.”

Sasha stopped stirring and looked at Mia. Her raised eyebrows told Mia she didn’t understand.

“The bitches at Morey’s?”

“Oh my friggin God, you’ve talked to Vic already? That happened, what, an hour ago?” Sasha shook her head and laughed out loud. “I can’t believe her. She probably called you before she even got in the door of the salon, right?”

“Of course. She did say she was walking back to work. Vic is very proud of you. It’s quite an achievement to get a compliment from her. I’m proud of you too. Sasha Renaud, aka, Martha Destiny, is one tough babe.”

“Whatever. You guys must be rubbing off on me,” Sasha said, as she handed Mia a mug of cocoa, “Anyway, have you and Aaron talked about wedding dates yet?”

“No, but I know where you’re going with this.” Mia got up and started rifling through the cabinets. “Don’t you have any cookies?”

“Yeah, in the cookie jar on the counter. Double Stuff Oreos.”

“Sweet… my favorite. You want to get Martha’s Vineyard ready for weddings in spring, right?”

“Well, it will likely take until sometime in June before the grape ivy will start climbing the arbors and pergola. I mean, that’s the image we want to put out there. The wedding garden has to be secluded and private, engulfed in lush greenery. We could set up a room in the house, too. I should do that anyway. Someone’s wedding might fall on a rainy day. That would be horrible. Let’s walk while we talk.”

Sasha and Mia walked through the expansive rooms of the Victorian. This new idea of Sasha’s made a lot of sense. She needed an indoor venue just as much as an outdoor one. That way, she could host weddings any time of year. The large library had a beautiful fireplace and Saltillo tile floors. Dark walnut paneling accented the built in bookshelves and cabinets that surrounded the fireplace. A converted gas, brass and crystal chandelier hung from the coffered ceiling. The room led to the back hallway next to the kitchen. There was also another beautiful staircase from the library that led to the second floor rooms.

“The library would work really well as an indoor wedding venue,” Mia suggested. “Sure, it needs to be spruced up first. All the paneling would have to be cleaned and polished, but it’s a gorgeous room, and huge. The bride could enter by walking down the staircase, and the kitchen is right around the corner. To me, it’s your best option.”

“I agree. Okay, so the library will be the room we need to focus on over the winter. And that leads me to a new question for you. Where would you rather have your wedding, indoors or outside?”