“Thank you.”
“You—as your daughter so eloquently put it—are a badass.” Bianca grinned widely.
Remi and Bianca laughed.
“Thank you for your help tonight,” she told Bianca.
“It was my pleasure. Seriously.”
Remi hugged her for the first time since everything happened. It was easy and genuine, and she held on for an extra moment.
Bianca smiled at Remi. “I’m headed back to Bodega Bay tonight.”
“You sure? It’s late. You might as well stay and leave in the morning.”
“Thanks, but I’d like to sleep in my own bed tonight.” Bianca gave a wicked grin. “Someone I know might be coming for a visit,” she said with a nod toward the door.
Remi looked up. “Harry?” she whispered.
Bianca laughed. “I didn’t think he would actually show up.”
Remi grabbed her by the arm. “You have a lot of explaining to do,” she said softly.
“I promise. I will tell you everything,” Bianca said. “In the meantime, someone is waiting for you also, ma’am.” Bianca nodded toward the tasting room.
Leo stood there, leaned against the bar, hands in his pockets. He watched Remi and gave her a wide grin when she looked his way.
“Go handle that,” Bianca said and then made long strides toward Harry.
Remi moved across the room with grace and stood close to Leo. He pulled her into an embrace. His cologne penetrated her nose. She relaxed in his arms with ease—naturally, lovingly.
She leaned back and looked up at him. “You wanna take a drive with me?”
“I’m always up for a drive with you.” He gently, playfully, touched her nose.
Remi sat in the passenger seat of Leo’s car, her body relaxed against the smooth leather seat. She was still in her linen outfit but had swapped out her shoes for a pair of flip-flops. Soulful sounds drifted from the speakers as they talked, replaying the wine tasting—critiquing the night piece by piece.
“Everything was beautiful,” he said. “You should be very proud.”
“I felt like tonight was perfect. Really introducedJoieto the world.”
They laughed easily.
Leo slowly pulled into the park and backed into a space.
“Got your permit?”
Remi lifted the folded paper in the air. “Right here.”
“You ready?”
She looked out toward the darkness of the coastline. “I need a minute,” she said softly. She was honest and transparent.There was no pretending; this would be hard. And she wouldn’t reduce it to something smaller than it was.
Leo shut off the engine and stepped out of the car. He gave her the space she needed to breathe. He walked away, hands in his pockets. Remi sat still, her mind a myriad of thoughts. She thought it would be easier, but it wasn’t. It was hard. She hadn’t anticipated that she would need permission to spread Gerard’s ashes along the Sonoma Coast, even though it was what he wanted. But the State of California had their rules—adding an additional layer to this daunting task. She hadn’t expected how much it would weigh on her.
He had betrayed her in the worst way, so how did he deserve the grace of having his wishes honored? More than once she’d considered tossing them into the trash can instead. Yet here she was at the edge of the ocean in the middle of the night, the cardboard box resting on the leather seat behind her.
Finally she got out of the car, reached for the box, opened it, and lifted out the urn. She walked toward the shoreline and found a private area along the beach. For a few minutes Remi stood there watching as the waves crashed against the shore. Her hands trembled as she loosened the lid on the urn.