Page 9 of What Love Can Do

She waved, not knowing what on Earth that meant. “All bright-eyed and bushy-tailed?”

“What’s that?” His smile faded a bit.

“Oh, uh…just that you’re ready to go. I brought you breakfast.” She held up her basket for them to see. They approached and stood facing her in the morning light, filtering in through the window. “Figured we could eat while we’re out, if that’s okay.”

“Sounds lovely,” Quinn said, turning to his brother to ask if he’d locked the room and had his cell phone.

Con checked his pockets, nodded at Quinn, then flashed a smile at Lilly.

Lilly bit her lip and glanced away shyly.

“What about the journal?” Quinn asked Con. “And the map we printed?”

While they discussed the particulars of what they needed before heading out, she stole glances at them in the dusty light. Conor had some beautiful, gem-like eyes, but Quinn’s chocolate brown were rich and decadent. Quinn was also a few inches taller than his brother and a few years older too, from the looks of it, but both were handsome, even though they looked nothing alike, except for the dashing smile. Both wore jeans, some sports jerseys she couldn’t identify—Quinn’s in blue and Con’s in green—and both had combed back their freshly showered hair.

“Alright, we’re good for it,” Quinn said, stepping closer to her.

“Ready when you are,” Con said.

Lilly ignored the butterflies fluttering in her stomach and strolled through the front door, loving the cool early autumn breeze outside. The fog was just starting to creep back, as the sun began burning its way through the morning. “Well, I don’t know if you boys had any one place in mind, but I thought maybe you’d want to see a vineyard first. How does that sound?” She glanced over her shoulder at them and bounced down the front steps onto the sidewalk.

“As long as you’re leading the way in those jeans, anywhere you want to go is fine by us,” Con said, sounding like he said “oos” instead of “us.”

Lilly blushed.

A moment later, she heard a smack. “Whist, you stupid wanker,” Quinn groaned. “Have you no shame or decorum in the presence of a lady? Lilly, excuse my brother. He has a lot to learn in the ways of women.”

“In the ways of women? You’re only saying that to impress her. You’re just as much a bowsie as any of us, I swear it. Lilly, don’t listen to him.”

Quinn rolled his eyes and threw up his hands. “Honestly, Con, she’s going to regret ever offering to show us around. Sorry about all this.”

“It’s okay.” Lilly laughed, heading down the sidewalk toward their first stop. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun listening to two brothers fight, especially over her. She honestly didn’t mind Con’s comment. It was nice to have someone notice her ass in the first place. “Not a problem, though on the way back, I’ll have you boys do the leading.”

“Eh?” Quinn punched Con’s shoulder and smiled at Lilly. “A girl who can hold her own. I love it.”

Lilly felt surprisingly empowered and charmed at the same time. “So what kind of wine are you into?” she asked to change the subject.

“Eh…the eh…delicious kind,” Con said, patting his stomach.

Lilly cocked her head. “Is that so? Well, you came to the right place. This vineyard and winery we are going to makes a thousand cases of Chardonnay and Syrah a year. They also make twenty-five hundred cases of Pinot Noir yearly, all vineyard-specific, limited-production, so you’ll be happy to know I know the owners personally and can get you in for free!”

“Well, that does sound lovely,” Quinn said in amazement, giving his brother a secretive look that Lilly wasn’t sure how to interpret. Was she showing off too much perhaps?

They reached the old two-story Tudor-style building she loved so well and walked through the open gate down the brick walkway to the side of the house. “Welcome to Parker House and Vineyard.” Lilly pulled the side gate open to expose rows and rows of beautiful, green fields and a gorgeous flowered path leading the way.

“Ah, it’s breathtaking!” Quinn said. His brown eyes soaked in the rolling hills, the morning golden sun shedding light on the rows of grapes, and the workers out in the field. “What are they doing, Lil?”

“Harvesting.” Lilly led them out to the fields. She loved that he called her Lil, the name her father always called her. “The dark grapes will be made into Syrah. Is that why you came? You like the reds?”

“We uh…” Con grunted and launched right into candidness. “Didn’t come for the wine. We came because our mother—”

Quinn smacked Con again.

“Bloody hell. Would you stop hitting me? What’s the big fecking deal?”

“Your mother? Your mother what?” Lilly shielded her eyes from the sun.

Quinn sighed. “Our mother hailed from this area. We came for a visit because of her. We actually don’t know much about wine. Sorry if I misrepresented before.”

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