Episode 23: Fields of Gold

Previously:

Patrick meets his baby niece for the first time.

The reception gets underway at the Vineyards.

Louisa and Suzanne welcome a special guest.

Episode 23
Fields of Gold

“Oh, my God!” Suzanne exclaimed. “The Cody Stiles?”

Louisa shook her head. “I don’t get it.  What’s so famous about him?”

“No, you really don’t get it, do you?  Cody is only the ‘bad boy’ of world class skiing. He’s won races all over the place and is getting ready for the Olympics. The only thing that’s eluded him is a gold medal.”

Cody laughed. “I’m not exactly what the media thinks I am.  After you get to know me, you’ll think I’m a pretty nice guy.”

“So, what brings you here, Mr. Stiles?”  Louisa asked.

“Please...call me Cody.  Mr. Stiles is my father.  He was Mr. MacPherson’s lawyer.”

Louisa let out a long breath. “I see. So I guess I’ll have to deal with him some time in the  future.”

She showed him to the sitting room, where there were several sofas and a table and chairs.  Various tea sandwiches and cakes sat on tables lining one wall, and the other walls were decorated with several portraits of the Carroll family, formal and otherwise. She offered Cody some tea, to which he declined.  Cody preferred his Molson.

“Dad’s been gone for years,” Cody told her. “My sister’s taken over the firm now. So I suppose you’ll have to deal with her.”

“So, I’ll ask you again. What brings you here? Aren’t you supposed to be training?”

“Well, yes. I’m supposed to be training, but I took a few days off to come here to pay my respects.  Mr. MacPherson was a good friend of my family.  In fact, Seth’s uncle founded MacPherson, Tate and Stiles.”

“Ahh.”  She paused.  “Have some cake?  Blaine and Suzanne made it just for the reception here.”

“I really shouldn’t,”  Cody replied.

“Come on. A little slice won’t hurt.”

“All right.”

They walked over to the table where Cody picked up a slice of cake. Natalie did a perfect job with the yellow and green buttercream flowers.  One could hardly tell she wasn’t a professional cake decorator.

*****

Patrick stared at the large stainless steel fermentation tanks lining the walls of the MacPherson winery.  The job was left up to him now.  All these years he had resisted, insisting that he’d make his own way in the world, without his family’s help.  This was payback time.

The breeze wafting into the fermentation room did little to cool him.  He broke out in a sweat from head to toe. What would I do now?, he thought.  He had a reputation to live up to. The winery had made the best wines in southern Ontario. The ice wine was especially prized, having won awards throughout the province.

Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped the sweat away from his forehead. He took several deep breaths. Exhaling again, he sighed.

“Dear Jesus,” he whispered. “If this is Your plan for me, then let me do the best I can to see it through.”

Taking his handkerchief, he began to wipe a tear from his eye.

*****

Noelle walked over to Jolie’s crib and began to pick up the tiny baby. Noelle noticed something was wrong.  She began to gently shake Jolie.

“Ryan!” she called out. “Come here! Stat!” 

He rushed over to the nursery. “What is it?”

“She’s not breathing!”

“Put her down. Is her heart beating?”

Noelle took two fingers to Jolie’s neck. “I can’t feel a pulse!”

“I’m starting CPR.”

After several seconds of compressions and a round of mouth-to-mouth, Jolie let out a loud cry.  Noelle let out a sigh of relief and threw her arms around Ryan.

“Thank God you came. I could have done this myself, but I’m so glad you were here,” she cried.  “Jolie needed her père tonight.”

*****