Page 13 of Love Among Vines

“Okay,” she said. “We’ll do it. Give me your phone.”

He bit back the “really?” that had almost come out and handed over his phone. There was time to figure out logistics later. Hopefully she was okay with being picked up after the winery closed. It would be a long night. But he hadn’t been sleeping much anyway.

Her phone rang, and she passed his back. “There. Now we have each other’s numbers. I’ll text you later with details, but I have to get going. It’ll take at least an hour to get back to the house, and I have rehearsal dinner duties.”

“Where are you staying?”

Jade pointed across the lake. “On the eastern side.”

He scoffed. People drove like idiots on the state highway. She would be run over before ever making it to town. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll take you back.”

He wouldn’t be gone for long. It was probably a twenty-minute round trip. He just needed to run inside and grab his keys.

“That’s not necessary. I’m perfectly capable of?—”

“Hang out by the truck.” He hitched a thumb at the dusty pickup. “I can’t have you dying of heatstroke on my property. It’s bad for business.”

“You really don’t have to?—”

“Think of your cheese,” he called over his shoulder.

Leaving at the beginning of the workday felt wrong. Customers would arrive any minute. What if something happened? A half dozen scenarios flashed in his mind—broken pipe, shattered case, medical emergency.

Rett sucked down a deep breath. Maybe, just this once, it would be okay. It was only half an hour. And Jade needed him, even if she didn’t realize it.

CHAPTER SIX

JADE

Ten minutes later,she was in a truck with a borderline stranger, bumping down the stony driveway. The air conditioning was mercifully on, and it was without a doubt better than sweating her ass off all the way back to the house.

“So,” Rett said. “If we’re going to do this, we need a plan.”

“A plan?”

This was insane. Was she seriously doing this? Fake dating a complete stranger just so she didn’t have to face Nate and his judgy family alone?

Penny had chosen the middle seat, with her head propped on Rett’s lap. Traitor. Jade was going to have to dip even further into her experience budget to buy him a lint roller.

“Yes,” he said. “My parents will ask questions. So we should at least get to know each other.”

“That’s fair,” she said.

“You’ll have to show me your art, of course. I’ll need to know about your friends, your family. Hobbies and interests. All of that.”

“There’s not much to tell.”

“I find that hard to believe.” He took his eyes off the road for a moment and smirked at her.

“Fine, I’ll start,” he said in response to her silence. “Everett Ignatius Rhodes?—”

“Ignatius?”

“It means fiery.” He glowered. “My mom was really sleep-deprived.”

“Fair enough. Go on.”

“So. Everett Ignatius Rhodes.”

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