Page 86 of Sherry and Sunflowers
"I can handle them," Reaves began.
"No, I know that. What I mean is, you know how Jacob runs Stratton Wines for me through Jacobs Estate? Well, he uses Sterling Hartman as the distributor. The wines are nowhere near as good as your dad's, but Stratton's high-volume business. We're worth a lot to them." He lifted a shoulder. "I'm sure House of St. James will earn a place on its own merit. But it can't do any harm if they think the Stratton Wines account might be riding on the outcome of that meeting."
Reaves chuckled. "Thanks, bud."
~ ~ ~
Alara sat in her office, waiting for Delaney to arrive. She felt better this morning. Yesterday had been a little better than Saturday, and today she was almost back to where she'd been before the first infusion on Friday. The weekend had been rough—especially just having to sit back and let them all take care of her, but she could admit that she’d needed it.
She brought a hand up to cover a yawn. She knew she'd be able to get through the day, though. She had this meeting with Delaney now, and then Reaves was coming over later.
She looked down at the papers on her desk and smiled. She loved the gold leaf a little more each time she saw it.
And Delaney was turning out to be a real ally. Alara had dreaded waiting through the morning to hear how Aaron had reacted to her design—but Delaney had texted her a little while ago to let her know that he loved the whole concept and was particularly taken with theRooted in Stillnesspart. So rather than sitting in dread right now, she was looking forward to talking to Delaney about the rest of the branding package.
And she was ready to talk. She had ideas for the back label, and for the House of St. James crest as a standalone mark. She fired up the computer, wondering how much she'd be able to capture for the website design before Delaney arrived.
While the screen blinked to life, she scribbled out notes by hand. Delaney wasn't expecting anything to be done and ready by the time she got here—and there was so much else to think about. The bottle capsule, the back label, the packaging and cases. The brand story itself was Delaney's department, but Alara was determined to make sure theRooted in Stillnessaesthetic was captured and extended across everything.
She looked up, startled, at the sound of a knock on the door. She'd gotten carried away with her notes.
"Come in," she called.
Delaney breezed in with a big smile on her face. "Morning, girlfriend. How's it going? How are you feeling today?"
"I'm feeling a lot better, thanks. And I have been resting. I'm ready to go. I don't need coddling, okay?"
Delaney grinned. "I'll try to take you at your word. But you have to remember that everyone else is warning me off."
Alara frowned. "Who's everyone?"
"Just about everyone in this town, I think. Hey—don't look like that. They don't think you're not up to the job. They care about you, that's all. Reaves has given me a blanket order, of course, but I'm sure that doesn't surprise you. Charles is the same. I talked to Callie yesterday, and she told me the same thing. And I took a call from Jacob on my way over here. Even he warned me off pushing too hard."
She went to sit on the end of the sofa closest to Alara's desk. "But like I said—don't go getting the wrong idea. No one thinks you're not capable. They're looking out for you. That's all."
Alara smiled slowly. "They are, aren't they?"
"Yeah, girl. They are. And if I were you, I'd get used to it." She sat forward. "But if you say you're good to go, I'm not gonna waste that energy. We need to get down to work, right?"
"Right," Alara agreed. "Before we do, tell me what Aaron said about the design. And Caleb, if he had any input."
"Caleb's easy. He said the same thing I did—the gold leaf is genius. It puts us squarely in the upper tier of premium, which is where we want to be." She hesitated.
"What?" asked Alara. "Was there something he didn't like?"
"No. Well—I won't lie to you. He has his concerns, but they're nothing to do with the branding. Caleb's the logistics guy. He's more concerned about deliverability." Delaney glanced toward the door. "Charles is a sweetheart. I adore that man. But he's not used to the kind of pressure that'll come from working with Sterling Hartman."
Alara worried at her bottom lip.
"Hey. It's not your problem." Delaney grinned. "That's where your man's gonna need to step up. And don't tell him I said so, but I have every faith in him."
"You do?" Alara felt bad. She didn't want to question Reaves—he was so solid and capable. He'd never run a business before, though.
Delaney grinned. "Think about it. He's a pilot. It takes a lot of dedication and confidence to even become a pilot. He'll be fine. I know he will." She tilted her head. "And forgive me if I'm talking out of school. But from what Callie was saying yesterday, it sounds like he won't be on his own in stepping up to run this place."
"What do you mean?"
"Callie made it sound like Ollie's keen to get involved as well." Delaney frowned. "Shit. I hope I'm not telling you things you don't know."
