Vineyards & Vacations: Chapter One

The founder of Honey & Home, Brandi Bowman Putnam wrote a second book! This book is going to be available for pre-order later this month along with the new exclusive candle to pair with the book! The book will be shipping late October/early November of this year!

As we wait for the preorder to open, we are releasing the entire first chapter! But first, a little about the book....

Lindsie Love & Carter Grayson are thrown together after an accidental meet-cute at Grayson Farms. With Lindsie's career on hold after a series of unfortunate events and Carter being overwhelmed in his new role as the new owner of his family's vineyard, the last thing either of them have time for is romance, let alone a relationship. However, they can't seem to stay away from each other....

Keep scrolling for chapter one!

Chapter One:

Tucked away in my Boston brownstone, a chilly spring rain has started to fall. Sitting on my perfect cream-colored sofa it dawns on me that this is probably only the 5th time I have sat on this big, beautiful couch in the past 6 years. Glancing around at the rest of the barely lived in living room, it really is a beautiful space, but for some reason it doesn’t quite feel like home. Maybe it’s because I have spent less than a cumulative month here since I bought it. And being here tonight, it feels especially empty after the week I’ve had. My thoughts are interrupted by a string of fast knocks on the door. Quickly scurrying to the door in my fuzzy slippers, I flick on the porch lights and swing open the oversized black door to find Kayla, my agent turned best friend, holding a bottle of wine and a huge pizza box. Before I can say anything she brushes past me into the foyer, handing me the wine and the pizza while she removes her wet coat before squaring up to me and saying “Look, I know it’s been a bad week, but I am here to bring comfort in the form of food and wine, and to plan a path forward to put your life back together.”

“Oh, by bad week do you mean the network canceling my show, Brad breaking up with me in a pizza place while someone filmed it on their phone and live streamed it to 50,000 viewers? I think there is even a hashtag...”

“Well, the hashtag Lindsie Love-less is trending. And the caption was ‘breaking a pizza my heart’. And it was closer to 500,000 but semantics,” she quipped.

Rolling my eyes, “Clever. And you show up tonight with pizza to rub salt in the wound even more?”

“Look, Brad was not the one. And you love this place, it’s not from the scene of the crime,” she adds warmly, tapping the top of the pizza box.

“I know, he wasn’t. But the humiliation was a little more than I could handle this week.” I say grabbing two glasses from the cabinet before joining Kayla on my barely broken in sectional. Brad really was not the one. I mean it was nice to have someone to check in with after long days and weeks in strange cities shooting the show. Or have someone to dinner with during the 24 hours I spent between jobs at home. He deserved more, something more permanent. But really, couldn’t he have just sent a text instead of the incident being a now viral video a day after the network announced Designing Cozy wouldn’t be coming back for a 6th season? A show that I poured my soul into, one that launched my design career, grew my following, helped me land partnerships with companies I dreamt of. All because Kayla read my tiny little blog I started when I moved to Boston with a design degree and a job waitressing. I owe her everything for believing in me. But I have to admit, for the past year the show has felt stale. Maybe it was me. Maybe I was sick of all the constant travel, grueling schedule, and living out of a suitcase and it started to show. I was burning out and I knew it. The thought of doing something different has been circling my mind during the late nights for a while. I just wasn’t sure what that would even mean. Well God has a funny sense of humor, taking out my boyfriend (if you can even call him that) and show in 24 hours leaving my career and love life upended.

“I have been talking to Thomas from the network. They love you, you know that. The show was just…stale.” she said noticing my wince bracing for her last word. But she is right, the show has felt stale for 2 years for me anyway. “There is a possibility of working for the network again in the future. But we can talk about new ideas later. Right now, we need to do a little damage control in the meantime.”

“What does that mean exactly?” I say taking a bite of the pizza.

“Well, you need to lay low. Maybe a change of scenery would be a good idea right now. The city is a little inquisitive trying to catch a glimpse of you. But then in a couple weeks, you will need to start posting content again. Personal content- you know something to keep the fans engaged once the pizza debacle calms down. So, I think it is time for a vacation.”

“A vacation would be nice,” I admit. “But I have no idea where I would even go.”

“I have an idea for that too,” she says proudly. With a mouthful of pizza, I tip my head toward her, waiting for her to continue. “My family has the vineyard and winery in Tennessee. Well, it’s not my family anymore. It’s my brother. My parents retired to Naples last Fall.”

“Okay, no. You want me to what? Go share bunk beds with your brother, who I have never met?” I protest, thinking that she clearly has lost her mind.

“No of course not. There are 5 villas on the edge of the property. I have my honorary villa I stay in when I go home for the holidays. It’s got all the comforts we love. Nice sheets, good wine glasses and wine for that matter, a big white fluffy robe that is yours for the using, a huge bathtub. You can stay there. I have a key and my brother will barely notice you and vice versa. I can call him and tell him you are coming. But, honestly I think you will be lucky to see him at all. He’s got his hands full with the whole operation now that it’s just him running everything. It’s in Camridge – which is like an hour from Nashville. But the town is cute. A few restaurants, cute shops, it’s cozy and very quiet. I think it could be good for you. You could spend the Summer there.”

I have to admit, it does sound nice. Hole up in a cozy villa for a couple months, weekend trips to Nashville, get lost in my to-be-read book pile that is embarrassingly huge, sip wine, try all the recipes I’ve saved in the past few years but never had time to cook. Oh, maybe there is a local farmers market…my thoughts are interrupted by Kayla clearing her throat. “Where did you go Lindsie?”

“Just dreaming about all the wine I am going to drink,” I clarify.

“So, that’s a yes?” she says in a much louder more excited tone than I was expecting.

“Are you sure your brother won’t mind some stranger making herself at home in his winery?”

“Carter won’t mind. Like I said I doubt you will even see him. This is going to be good for you. And you can stay as long as you like or come home whenever the sting wears off,” she says finally grabbing herself a slice of pizza. “But I think you might actually like it there. And who knows, maybe it will inspire your next move.” She gets up walking over to her purse grabbing out a keychain with a wine cork and a single key, walking back to the couch and handing it to me.

Well, I guess I am spending the summer in Camridge.