Page 74 of A Sip of Sherry

Alec slipped a card out of his pocket and handed it to Ben.“This is where Murray buys a lot of his stock.They have a lot of vintage pieces and specialty rentals.They’re good people.They’re about an hour out.If anyone can help you, it’s them.”

Ben held the card up.“Thanks, man.”

“Consider it my apology for the sweetheart.”He glanced around Ben and locked eyes with me.“I got stuck behind a tractor on my way here, and my patience was already on edge.”

“Fucking Albert,” Ben and I both said, and I laughed.

Despite the shitshow that this day was turning into, the laugh felt good.Ben, being next to me while I dealt with this, felt even better.

“I’ll look into this more when I get to the office.”

“I’d appreciate that, Alec.Thank you.”

Alec gave a salute and jumped into the driver’s side of the truck.He gave a beep as he headed out.

Ben looked at the card, then at me.“Road trip?”

Chapter 25

Ben

I pulled the Vine Valley Vineyard truck out of the parking lot, Wyatt in the rearview, hands cupped over his mouth.I rolled the window down.“What was that?”I asked, pretending not to understand his previous exaggerated miming.

“Cereal killer donut!”

I waved my hand out the window.Once I asked to take the truck to this place, his entire face lit up.Apparently, his favorite donut shop was in the same town.He gave me the keys as long as I promised to bring him back a box of cereal killer donuts.I agreed, even though I could have easily just had Sherry get the keys.But Wyatt could have fired my ass, and he didn’t, so the least I could do was get the man a box of donuts.

“Don’t forget those donuts,” Sherry said from the passenger seat.“He’ll never let you live it down.Every chance he gets it’ll be, ‘Remember that time you told me you’d get me donuts, and you didn’t?’”She laughed in a way a sister would laugh at her brother’s antics.

“You know him well.”

“He’s been part of our lives for so long,” Sherry said.“He’s family.”

It amazed me how easily she and her family loved.Wyatt wasn’t blood, yet they acted as if he were.My own family never as much showed me an ounce of affection.I was a means to an end.My family's love came with conditions, expectations, and power plays, and even then, I wasn’t sure it was actually love.

Sherry glanced over, beautiful as ever in the late spring sunlight, her hand resting lightly on my own.“You okay?”

I nodded, keeping my eyes on the road.“Just grateful, which feels kind of weird, considering everything that’s happened.”She offered me a slight smile that went right to my heart.

“Grateful is a good place to be, even when things are messy.”Her fingers laced through mine, hand tightening.“I appreciate you going with me.”

“I wasn’t going to let you go without me.”

“I know.”

Silence spread between us, and though it was slightly uncomfortable, I wanted to sit in it.It held everything we didn’t know how to say.

After a moment, Sherry turned to me.“I want to trust you,” she said, and I could barely hear her over the hum of the engine.

“But?”

She inhaled, her chest rising and falling with the enormity of it.“I’m scared.”

“I don’t want you to be scared.”I brought her hand to my lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.“Tell me how to fix it.”

“You’re trying, and that’s more than I expected.”Her voice cracked on the last word.She blinked a few times as if she was holding off tears.I hated I caused her any pain or any doubt about my feelings for her.I needed to fix this.

“I’ll keep trying, keep showing up until you trust me again.”

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