It was far too soon.
âIâll be off then,â he said with as much control as he could muster. âIâd say thanks for the coffee, but â¦â
She gave a nervous laugh. âYeah, I know. Thank you for coming over and checking the hot water for me.â
âNo problem. If you like, I can call in tomorrow and show you how to use the espresso machine.â
âIâd like that,â she replied, following him as he went out the front door.
She stayed there on the front verandah, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jeans, watching while he executed a neat turn and headed down the drive.
A sense of anticipation stole over him. Getting to know Tamsyn Masters better was proving to be more challenging than heâd expected.
And more appealing. Far, far more appealing.
* * *
The High Price of Secrets is part of The Master Vinters series:
Tangled vines, tangled lives.
One
âWhat do you mean you quit? Itâs only four and a half weeks to Christmas! Weâre so busy with guests and functions that we can barely move. Look, letâs talk about it. If youâre not happy, we can work around that. Find you something else to do.â
Tamsyn sighed inwardly. Find her something else to do. Sure, that would solve how she felt right nowânot. She couldnât blame her brother, Ethan, for wanting to make things right for her. Heâd done it all her life, after all. But this situation was beyond his fixing. That was why sheâd needed to get away.
A holiday was something sheâd been thinking about for a while. Working at The Masters, which in addition to being their family home was a vineyard and winery with luxury cottage accommodation on the outskirts of Adelaide in South Australia, hadnât given her any satisfaction for a very long time. Sheâd been restless, feeling as if she didnât really fit in anymoreâat work, at home, in her family, even in her engagement.
The debacle of the night before had only proven just how right she was.
âEthan, I canât talk about it. Iâm in New Zealand.â
âYouâre in New Zealand? I thought you were staying here in Adelaide with Trent last night,â Ethanâs incredulity was clear as it transmitted through the hands-free kit in her rental car.
Tamsyn counted slowly to ten, letting her brother continue to let off steam before replying.
âIâve ended our engagement.â
There was the briefest of silences as her words sunk in.
âYou what?â Ethan sounded as if he wasnât certain heâd heard her correctly.
âLong story.â She swallowed against the pain that had lessened to a persistent dull throb deep in her chest.
âI have ears.â
âNot now, Ethan. I c-canât.â Her voice broke and tears spilled uncontrolled down her cheeks.
âIâm going to hurt him,â Ethan growled from far across the Tasman Sea with his characteristic brotherly protectiveness.
âNo, donât. Heâs not worth it.â
Her brother sighed and she could feel his concern and frustration in that single huff of air. âWhen are you coming back?â
âI...I donât know. Itâs kind of up in the air at the moment.â She didnât think that now was a good time to tell him sheâd only bought a one-way ticket.
âWell, at least you trained your assistant to take over when needed. Is Zac up to date with everything?â
Even though she knew he couldnât see her, Tamsyn shook her head and bit her lip.
âTam?â
âUm, no. I fired him.â
âYou whâ?â Ethan fell silent as he started to put two and two together, coming up with his usual four. Even so, he couldnât keep the incredulity from his voice. âZac and Trent?â
âYup,â she said, her throat almost paralyzed and strangling the single word.
âWill you be okay? Iâll come over. Just tell me where you are.â
âNo, donât. Iâll be fineâeventually. I just need...â She drew in a shuddering breath. She couldnât even find the words to say what she really neededâshe had to simply tell him something heâd understand. âI just need some time alone. Some space so I can think things out. Iâm sorry about leaving like this. Everything is in my computer, you know the password, and the bookings are all duplicated on the wall planner as well. Worse comes to worst, they can phone me if they need to.â