Sydney grinned. “Okay, but you say that every week about your job.”
Margot took a bite of garlic bread that was at least seventy percent just roasted garlic.
“I know, but when I said it those other times, I meant they need to do a better job prepping people to work in small businesses and on shoestring budgets and to figure out how to deal with natural disasters. Now I mean it on a more . . . global scale.”
Sydney was silent for a while. She ate cheese while Margot demolished the garlic bread. What if she asked her favorite business school professor, whom she’d reached out to a number of times with questions, about this?
Hi, Professor Karlan,
Hope you’re well! Just a quick question today. What would you advise if—unbeknownst to me—I slept with my newest employee the night before he started work at the winery?
Thanks so much for any assistance! Can’t wait to host you in the tasting room soon!
Margot Noble
She tried to picture the look on her professor’s face upon receipt of that email, and failed completely.
Margot let out a sigh and turned to Sydney.
“How did I get myself into this? No, wait, that’s the wrong question, I always get myself into things like this. Better question: What am I going to do?”
“What you always do,” Sydney immediately replied. “Put your game face on, get up and go to work tomorrow, and make the world bend to your will.”
Margot laughed.
“I love that you see me that way.” She only wished Sydney’s vision of her was the true one. “And thanks. I hope I can do that.” Oh hell, if she couldn’t say this to Sydney, who could she say it to?
“The thing is. The problem with that plan is that. You see. The sex was very good.”
Sydney sat back.
“Ah. That is a problem.” She laughed when Margot glared at her. “No, I swear, I’m not being sarcastic. Normally I would be, if you said something like that! Normally that would not be a problem at all! But now . . .”
Margot closed her eyes.
“I swear to God, Syd, when he walked into my office this afternoon, I almost had to take a step back, so I didn’t throw myself at him. I didn’t move—toward him or away—and obviously I won’t do anything, but holy shit this is unfair.”
Sydney got up and went back into the kitchen.
“It’s very unfair.” She flipped open a pastry box, cut two slices of pie, and put them on plates. “I think I have a solution, though.” She got a pint of ice cream out of the freezer. “I think the next time you come to the Barrel, you have to say hi to whichever cute man is sitting next to you again. Use this good sex energy on someone else.”
Sydney set a plate in front of Margot, and Margot took the spoon she handed her.
“Absolutely not,” she said. “You see what happened when I said hi to a stranger last night: utter chaos. From now on, I’m only talking to people I’ve known for at least five years.”
Sydney raised her eyebrows.
“You’ve only known me for three years.”
Margot waved the spoon at her.
“You don’t count, obviously. It feels like I’ve known you for, like, fifteen.”
Sydney nodded.
“Okay, what about at work? All the tourists who come in? And almost everyone who works in the winery who isn’t your brother?”
“Look, I didn’t invite you over here to parse all of my words, did I? You know what I meant.” Margot took a big bite of the pie. “Oh God. This pie is incredible.”
Sydney was already halfway through her slice.
“I know. I made it this afternoon—I was going to bring it to a meeting tomorrow, but this was an emergency.”
Margot took another bite.
“Thank you for understanding that.”
Sydney sat back and looked at Margot.
“This is going to be okay. You know that, right?”
Not really, no.
“What if my brother finds out, Syd?” Margot closed her eyes. “I . . . It’ll just confirm all of the worst things he thinks about me, and my commitment to the winery, and my ability to handle this job without fucking it up. I don’t . . .” She took a breath. “I don’t want that to happen.”
Sydney put her arm around her.
“Do you need me to tell you all of the ways in which you’ve been incredible for that winery and your brother should thank his lucky stars every single day that you are his partner, and also list the hundreds, if not thousands, of ways that you’ve shown your commitment to the winery and to this community? Because I will, you know.”