I thought back to the mountain of matcha enemas I just unboxed in the boutique. āWaterās great, thank you.ā
Kate leaned in to the table. āI cannot tell you how thrilled I was when my assistant told me you agreed to take this meeting. Weāve run through a litany of celebrity names to attach to this project, but I wanted you from the start. Your long-standing relationship with the television audience makes you the perfect lens. At Tributary, we want to elevate the reality TV genre beyond competitions and manufactured wedding proposals. We want to showcase the real youāthe you the world hasnāt met yet.ā Kate propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands. āTo put it plainly, we want to give you a voice. Your voice. I mean, who is Plum Everly, anyway? Is she the baby of a wildly successful family? Is she Rhys Braunās ex-girlfriend? Is she a shallow fame whore? You want to know what I think? I think you are so much more than what this effed-up industry has allowed you to be. Let us help you tell your story the way you want to tell it.ā
Who is Plum Everly? Now, that was a question I wasnāt even sure I could answer at the moment. Who the hell was Plum Everly? I certainly didnāt know. But the fact that this was the first time Iād ever heard a showās production team mention any interest in getting to see the real me versus getting me to play the role they cast me in was already a welcomed breath of fresh air. Maybe this was exactly the opportunity I needed to put Rhys and the past behind me and figure out who I was and what the hell I wanted once and for all.
The server came by and set down our drinks and two menus on the table. āCan I get you ladies anything else?ā he asked. āThe carrot ginger soup with curried raisin relish is positively divine.ā
Kate wrinkled her nose. āIām more of an In-N-Out Burger kind of gal, if you know what I mean.ā
āI know exactly what you mean.ā I motioned for the server to come a bit closer to the table. āHey, can you ask Frank if he can whip up two Plum Specials?ā
The server winked at me. āYou got it.ā
āPlum Specials?ā Kate asked.
I lowered my voice so no other patrons could hear me. āIām not really a fan of the organic, whole grain, dairy-free, vegan fare around these parts. Frank, one of the chefs, keeps some real food on hand for me. I ordered us two burgers with crispy bacon and a side of fries.ā
āBless you,ā she whispered back. āOh, can we get a glass or two of your house white?ā she called out to the waiter.
āDonāt do the white,ā I instructed and turned to him. āWeāll take the house red.ā He nodded and shuffled off. As soon as he was out of earshot, I leaned in to Kate and admitted, āEven though it seems like anything with the EVERLY logo slapped on it is an instant bestseller, the white wineās still a bit of a work in progress. Dadās been interviewing for a new vintner.ā
Kate and I talked for the next three hours. She told me about how she dreamed of a career in the entertainment industry since she was a little girl in Appleton, Wisconsin. She confessed to watching EVERLYday religiously as a kid, even telling her parents she wanted to change her name to Clementine and join our family.
Kate was a few years older than me, closer to Pearās age. After studying filmmaking at the University of Southern California and working her way up the ladder, she started out as Sofia Coppolaās personal assistant and eventually stepped out on her own in the cutthroat world of TV and film development. She admitted that joining a no-name network like Tributary was a risky career move but that she was positively determined to make a go of it, knowing that if she did, the opportunities in the entertainment industry would be boundless.
I donāt know what it was exactly, maybe her candor, the fact it felt like we had so much more than our similar looks in common, or the two bottles of EVERLY Cabernet weād polished off, but I found myself opening up to her more than I planned.
āYouāve got to be shitting me! He leaked it?! So it wasnāt a hacker after all .Ā .Ā .ā Kate shook her head while tsking in disgust, poured the last of our bottle of Cabernet into my glass, and then nudged the glass closer supportively.
āHe claims he did it for us. For both of us. To help ignite our careers and break us out of the perfect Everly mold.ā
āWell, if that isnāt the biggest load of crap Iāve ever heard. Certainly didnāt hurt his career, thatās for damn sure.ā
I was surprised when hot tears flooded the corners of my eyes, and I sniffed them back before they could fall. āI .Ā .Ā . I just canāt be another joke. This time it has to be different.ā
Kate reached across the table and covered my hands with her own. āI absolutely understand. Go to Maubec. Do Heart Restoration Project. Get away from the noise and the paparazzi flashes and let us capture who you truly are. And the best part of all, you get to write your own ending.ā
āHeart Restoration Project? Is that the name of the show?ā I asked, genuinely intrigued.
Kate reached into her tote and placed a copy of the contract on the table. āItās a working title. Weāre still focus-grouping it. Iām sure it will change. Let me know if you have any ideas?ā
For the first time in a long time, I didnāt feel like I was being hired just for my notoriety or the Everly name. Kate seemed to see something in me beyond the spotlight and family expectations. She believed in my potential, and while there was something new and exciting about that belief, there was also something utterly terrifying about it. What if the āreal meā wasnāt enough?
I hesitated for a moment, my hand hovering over the contract. āKate, I appreciate your offer more than I can express,ā I began, my voice filled with gratitude. āBut I need some time to think about it. Itās a big decision, and I need to be sure.ā
Kate smiled warmly. āOf course, take all the time you need. This is about your journey, and I want you to feel completely comfortable. But why donāt you hold on to this copy of the contract, have your people look it over. I sent it through DocuSign just before I got here,ā she said, sliding the documents toward me. āTake as long as you need, weāll wait.ā
After Kate headed back to LA, I set out through the orchard for the whitewashed barn my father converted into a small winery about three years ago. While all my sisters had their own talent, brand, and passion, this little gem was his. Dad had always had an insatiable interest in wine and started to dabble in winemaking before really deciding to launch his little pet project.
He figured the property in Ojai, with its Mediterranean climate offering mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers, was conducive to growing a wide variety of grapes that could remain on the vines to ripen for the perfect amount of time because of the temperate seasons. The predictability of the weather and the overall seasonality of the region provided the necessary warmth and sunlight during the growing season and cooler temperatures in the evening, which, according to Dad, helped the grapes develop more complex flavors.
He was most proud of his EVERLY Cabernet, which was bold and complex, offering a rich blend of dark fruit flavors, like blackberry and cassis, combined with layers of complexity, including oak, earthy tones, and spices. The white wines, however, were still a bit of a work in progress, as Dad would say (and my taste buds agreed). Almost four years and many vintages later, sadly, the winery had yet to produce a white wine worth labeling.
Dad rounded the corner, and when he saw me, he called out, āHey, Plumkin, wanna help me crate this Merlot shipment? I could really use the extra hand.ā
I had always loved the nickname my dad had for me, a perfectly charming term of affection. That was until the media took to calling me āPlumpkinā during a particularly rough time I had managing my weight during my teen years. My dadās version was sweet, but I couldnāt help but internally cringe a little at the reminder of its harsher, less endearing denotation from my past.
I grabbed a few wooden boxes from the pile and carried them over to him. āI already had lunch, but feel free to put me to work.ā
He hoisted one of the crates onto the table. āWhat brings you to the inn?ā
āLemon asked if I could help her out with the collab event she and Kiwi are hosting this weekend.ā
āThatās right, theyāre rolling out that line of Reiki-Charged Running Shoes. Clever idea they got there.ā
āDonāt forget about the Aromatherapy-Infused Yoga MatsāāGet your own and you too can inhale serenity and exhale stress during your downward dog,āā I joked.
He grunted and rolled his eyes. āDonāt remind me. Do you know how many test scents Lemon and Kiwi had us try before they found a winner? I will never get the smell of their Sweetened Sunflower and Sulfur Mat out of my nostrils. Donāt tell your sisters, but I took that thing out back, and it has done wonders for keeping the foxes and other critters away from the chicken coop.ā
āKeep that little marketing nugget in your back pocket in case these donāt fly off the shelves as expected. And for the record, consider yourself the lucky one. I had to test out the sample that smelled like their armpits. I guess after a candle that smells like your feet goes viral, you think everything should be body scented.ā
āJust goes to show that popularity doesnāt necessarily equate to good taste,ā he smirked knowingly and continued to move the bottles of Merlot into the shipping crate.
Right behind him like a well-oiled machine, I stood where the bottles were lined in rows and started to pass them to Dad. āSeems to me you could slap an Everly label onto just about anything these days and it would sell.ā I looked up at him. āExcept for me. I guess Iām the dud.ā
He stopped what he was doing, two bottles in his hands, and looked back around to meet my eye. āWhatās that supposed to mean?ā
āCāmon, Dad. Donāt tell me it hasnāt crossed your mind. It sure as hell crosses mine .Ā .Ā . like every day. Lemon has EVERLYbody. Kiwi has the EVERLYfitness Pilates and yoga studios. Peach has EVERLYdesigns. Pear has EVERLYeats. What do I have?ā
āPlumkin, you have opportunities. And support. And people who love you. And most of all, you have potential. You can have or be or do whatever you want. Do you know how many people only dream about that kind of freedom? You have the chance to start over to become the woman you want to be.ā
My eyes welled with tears, and it was hard to speak through my tightening throat. āBut Iām .Ā .Ā . Iām scared. What if I never figure out who I am? Or worse, what if I do, and she doesnāt measure up?ā I moved a few of the bottles from the edge of the table and rested against it, almost deflating as the harsh truth spilled out of me. I swiped at the tears rolling down my cheeks and rubbed my wet fingertips down the smooth denim of my jeans. āAll these years Iāve blamed the show, the fame, Rhys, even you and Mom for my failings. But what if itās not that at all? What if itās me? What if Iām just a lost cause?ā
āEveryone .Ā .Ā . and I mean everyone feels lost at some point or another, Plum. Itās human. But the thing is, you need to find what grounds you, what anchors you to the earth, to your authentic self, to your true purpose. For me, itās always been you girls, your mom. And maybe a little bit this winery,ā he smirked. āBut once you find that thing, thereāll be no stopping you.ā
I sniffed and pressed my knuckle to the corner of my lashes, catching another tear before it fell. āHow do you know?ā
āBecause youāre an Everly, my dear. Itās in the family tree, and weāve got good roots.ā He winked and started to reshuffle the bottles in the case, turning with open hands and motioning for me to pass the next set. I shifted my weight off the table and turned around to reach for the Merlot. When I handed them to Dad, he paused as we held the bottles between us, his fingers laced with mine.
His bright-blue eyes looked more gray than usual, but the warmth behind them and the distinct crinkle in their corners were undeniably him. āBut a tree canāt thrive while shadowed under the canopy of a larger one, it needs to find its own sun. Maybe itās time for you to get away. Find that sun. Thereās a whole world of experiences out there for you to taste, to see, to live. You always have a home to return to, but you know as well as I do that you need to fly for a while before you decide where you want to nest.ā
His words felt like the permission I needed, or maybe the sign Iād been hoping for in regard to Kateās offer. āYou know, the other reason I came to the inn today was to take a meeting with a producer who wants me for a home restoration show in a small town in Provence. Obviously, I know nothing about home restoration, but they assure me that isnāt the focus, or well, it wouldnāt be my focus anyway. Seems they want to give me a platform to show the world the real me, and so maybe .Ā .Ā . I donāt know .Ā .Ā . maybe Iāll find my sun in France?ā
Dadās face lit up. āTalk about burying the lede! Thatās incredible, Plum.ā He set down the bottles we were holding and scooped me into his arms for a tight hug. The familiar smell of cedar and sawdust flooded my nose as my cheek hit the fibers of his flannel shirt. I closed my eyes and breathed it in for as long and as hard as I could.
He spoke softly next to my ear, still holding me tightly. āI think itās just the thing to give you the space and time you need to find yourself.ā He gave one last squeeze and then pulled away. āSo tell me some details. Where exactly will you be filming?ā Grabbing for the bottles heād set down, he returned to stuffing them into the shipment crate.
I reached for two more and passed them over. āMaubec? Have you heard of it?ā