Page 114 of Love Among Vines

Once dinner was over, Jade and Rett cleared the plates and piled them in the dishwasher.

“So you’re a streaker?” She shot a look back over her shoulder at him as she tossed dishes in.

“I’m afraid I’ve had to retire my public birthday suit.”

“That’s too bad. I could really use another rooftop rendezvous.”

“It doesn’t count as public nudity if it’s on your own property. Probably,” he said with a puzzled expression.

She smiled. She was really going to miss this place.

He looked over her shoulder. “You’re quite possibly the worst dishwasher loader I have ever encountered.”

Jade spluttered. “What do you mean? All the dishes are in there.”

It wasn’t like she had thrown them in a flat pile.

“Sure, but there’s no system. You have dinner plates next to dessert plates. Salad forks in the same compartment as dinner forks.”

“What does it matter if they all get clean?”

Rett leaned over and started rearranging. “It makes the unloading process less efficient.”

“I’m starting to realize why you’re still single. Pick your battles, buttface.”

“Did you just call me buttface?”

“I’m sorry, where are my manners? Should I have called you His Royal Highness, Prince of Correct Dishwasher Loading? Keeper of Pristine Wine Goblets? Micromanager of Cleanliness? The Third?”

He straightened up and grabbed her around the hips. She squealed but couldn’t get away. He pressed her against the refrigerator and kissed her. The stainless steel was cool on her back. As caked in sweat and dried bottom-shelf chardonnay as she was, her body ached for Rett.

He pulled away, and they looked at each other. Heat bounced between them, reverberating like a nuclear reactor. The connection between them was more than physical. It was astral, spiritual. A communion of souls. In short, she was screwed.

She slipped out from under his arms and darted for the door. “We should really get back to your guests.”

The sun had dipped low on the horizon. Shadows stretched across the patio.

Everyone had relocated to the firepit. Penny was sitting in Damian’s lap, panting directly into his face. The bag of wine now sat on the table next to him. Tom loaded logs into the firepit while performing some sort of elaborate dance.

Rett squeezed her hand, and they took a seat.

Cindy straightened and came to sit in the chair next to Jade. She leaned in close. “We never got to finish our conversation from earlier. Did you want to take a walk?”

“That would be great.” Jade stood. “Rett, will you watch Penny, please? We’ll be right back.”

He accepted, and she and Cindy walked toward the driveway.

“So,” Cindy said the second they were hidden by the side of the house. “You accidentally caught feelings.”

“I can’t help it,” Jade insisted. “It’s this stupid, beautiful town. You tell me how I’m supposed to avoid getting attached to someone when this is the background of our fake relationship.”

She pointed behind them, where the golden rays of the setting sun caressed the lake. It might as well have been a postcard.

“So what now? Did you tell him?” Cindy asked.

Jade threw her hands up. “Of course I didn’t tell him. He doesn’t want this.”

“How do you know he doesn’t want this if you haven’t talked to him about it?”

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