Page 89 of Growing Into Love

“Are you two married?” she asks.

I glance over to where Cass and Isla are feeding some chickens. “No,” I say.

“You should be. You fit.” She blinks at me. “Like puzzle pieces. Your shapes are different but you match.”

“You think so?” I ask.

She nods.

“Hey!” Isla is waving to us. “Come on, it’s time to head to Everton.”

TWENTY-FIVE

CASS

We leaveGrace and the animals behind and trundle off to the winery in Isla’s Kia.

“Wow,” I say for what feels like the millionth time today as we pull up to the lodge I saw in the photo. It has an enormous porch with tables set in white linen and it’s surrounded by acres and acres of vines. I see a mansion in the distance and smell the faint tang of the bay beyond.

“That’s the family’s house,” Isla says. “Oh, Daisy!”

A pretty, strawberry blonde girl in her mid-twenties comes skipping down the steps of the lodge to greet us. “Hi! You must be Isla’s new friends from England. I’m Daisy Everton. Are you guys ready for a wine tasting?”

“Yes,” I say emphatically.

Daisy smiles. She wears artfully distressed jeans, a simple white V-neck, and a pair of yellow Converse. She certainly doesn’t look like the type whose family lives in a mansion and runs a top winery. I like her immediately.

“I’ll be back to pick you up at seven,” Isla says. “Have fun!”

Daisy leads us to a table on the porch, chattering away about the history of the winery and her family and the pride they take in the vineyard. “So, you’ll get the full tasting and oh, do you want some snacks?”

“Yes,” Jaz and I say in unison.

“Did Isla not feed you?” Daisy gasps.

“She was making bread pudding when we arrived,” I say.

“You guys are in for a treat,” Daisy says. “Isla is the best baker in Magnolia Bay. Dad tried to hire her but she won’t leave the Thorn. Not that I blame her. It’s a beautiful place, isn’t it?”

“It is,” I agree. “We were lucky to meet her at Windy Acres.”

“She told me you won the big event, that’s so cool, congratulations!”

“Thanks,” I say grinning.

“Let’s celebrate with some libations,” Daisy announces. She pours Jaz and I a tasting of three different white wines, telling us the details of each one, then vanishes into the lodge to reappear with a tray of cheese, grapes, and crackers. The late afternoon sun casts a golden glow over the rows of vines, gilding the leaves that flutter in the warm breeze. The wines are delicious, the cheeses tart and creamy, the grapes crisp and fresh.

Jaz slips his hand into mine and pulls me in for a kiss. “This is perfect,” he says.

I couldn’t agree more.

“So,” Jaz says, taking another sip of wine.

“So?” I ask when he doesn’t follow up that thought.

He flushes. “I—back—wondering—tomorrow—”

I lean against my chair and smile at him softly. “Take your time.”

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