2 Crushed Read Online Free PDF

chair around to face
her. “We are not touchy. We are reserved,” he said in a voice typical of his
mother. “That type of behavior in the workplace may be called teasing in
California. In Minnesota they call it sexual harassment. Ask Billie. I’m sure
she dealt with cases all the time.”
    “Are you going to turn me in?” Her
smile deepened.
    “Don’t tempt me.”

 
    *****

 
    "So what's the verdict?"
    Adam looked up from the screen. His
sister stood in the doorway and Sally was no where in sight. The clock on the
wall said it was well past lunch, or maybe that was his growling stomach
talking. He stood up and stretched the kinks out of his back.
    "You definitely need to make
some changes around here. And soon. You can't remain solvent if you're putting
out more than you're bringing in. Cutting back on employees may be a short-term
option, but by next year if things haven't picked up..." he let the
thought hang.
    Billie glanced quickly down the
hallway and stepped inside shutting the door. "Don't say that so loud. I
don't want to spook my people. I can't let anyone go. We're already down to a
skeleton crew. The grapes are ready to be harvested and the tasting room is
flooded with tourists. I can’t afford to close that down during Crush because
we really need the income, but I need everyone’s focus on bringing in our crop.
I'll think of something. I have to think of something."
    "If Mom knew you were
struggling…”
    "I'm not asking her for a
loan. That's out of the question. Do you know how much leverage she would have
over my life if I did?"
    The look of panic on her face made
him laugh. "Don't worry. I'm not calling her. I just thought it would be
easier than going to a bank. She did make a killing last year on that Google
stock. I still can't believe I missed my chance." He shook his head.
    "It takes money to make money,
and you didn't have any to begin with."
    "True."
    "Hungry? I'll take you out for
lunch." She swung the door back open.
    "Are you sure you can afford
it?"
    "No, but Handel can. He
invited us to meet him at Herbies at two."
    He shut down the programs he was
working on and followed her out the door. He was disappointed that Fredrickson
Winery was floundering. He'd pinned his hopes on staying awhile, working for his
sister, maybe getting some music gigs in the city at night. He'd heard there
were lots of clubs and places for a musician to play if they had the right
stuff. He was pretty sure he did, he only needed a captive audience to prove
it.
    Billie didn't talk much on the way
to the restaurant. She bit at her bottom lip and seemed engrossed in thoughts
she wasn't ready to share. He stared out the window at the vineyards they
passed and thought about what he was going to do now. He couldn't ask her to
pay him a salary if she couldn't afford the staff she already had. He'd just
have to look for a job elsewhere.
    Herbies bar and grill had a replica
of Disney's lovable old VW Beetle parked in the middle of the restaurant. Some
kids had climbed in and sat grinning while their mother took their picture. A
knockoff rendition of Rocking around the
Clock poured out from overhead speakers, nearly drowned out by the full
lunch crowd.
    Billie glanced around the
restaurant, eagerly seeking the man they were to meet. Her face lit up and she
waved. "There he is."
    Adam followed her across the room,
dodging tables and waiters. He'd been the only man in his sister's life for a
long time and although she looked happier than he'd ever seen her, he felt
strangely over-protective. He hoped he wasn't turning into a male version of
his mother.
    Handel stood and kissed Billie then
reached past her and shook hands with Adam. "It's good to finally meet
you, Adam." He inclined his head toward the woman still seated in a corner
of the booth. "This is my sister, Margaret. I believe you've already
met."
    Margaret's welcoming smile couldn't
have been colder if chipped from an iceberg. She lifted her cup of coffee