Chapter 3 - Grandma Eleanor’s Call
Two days later, my phone rang with a number I would never ignore: my seventy-eight-year-old grandmother, Eleanor Harper.
Eleanor was the true matriarch of the family—sharp, observant, and unimpressed by vanity. While the rest of the family walked on eggshells around Emily, Grandma Eleanor saw right through the performative nonsense.
"Claire," Grandma’s crisp voice came through the line. "I hear there was quite the little drama in the city."
"You could say that, Grandma," I replied, leaning against the stone railing of my tasting terrace, overlooking the valley. "Emily made sure I wasn't allowed into the bridal tasting."
"Your mother is a fool, and your sister is a spoiled child who has never had to earn a dollar in her life," Eleanor stated plainly, without a shred of hesitation. "Your aunt told me Emily decided to hold her actual ceremony next month at some gaudy rented resort in Napa, demanding five-hundred-dollar dress codes and luxury gifts from everyone."
"I heard," I admitted. "She sent out formal invitations yesterday."
"Did you get one?"
"Of course not."
Grandma sighed deeply. "Emily had the audacity to call me this morning, complaining that Uncle Thomas and Aunt Martha couldn't afford the resort's mandatory two-night stay. She told them they shouldn't bother coming if they couldn't fit the 'aesthetic' of the weekend."
"She uninvited Uncle Thomas?" I asked, stunned. Uncle Thomas had worked forty years as a machinist and was struggling with rising property taxes.
"She called him an eyesore for the bridal party photos," Grandma said, her voice laced with icy disdain. "Claire, my darling... are those beautiful guest cottages of yours open next month?"
May you like
A slow, deliberate smile formed on my face. "Grandma, the entire forty-acre estate is open for as long as you want."
"Good," Eleanor declared firmly. "Let the peacock have her empty show in Napa. The real family is coming to Sonoma."
