Page 132 of Love Among Vines

They settled into silence as they drove south. He was kind of ruining her post-learner’s permit high. She glanced again at the small rectangle in her hand. It felt like a beginning. A world of possibilities opened up. Once she saved enough for a car, she could travel the country in search of inspiration. Not to mention go to Target whenever she wanted.

The sun was shifting lower, sending long shadows across the vineyards that crawled by the window. The hills were alive with red and yellow leaves.

She pulled the mirror down and glanced at it. Her hair was up, a couple of tendrils framing her face. The neckline of her vibrant orange romper was visible, hovering just below the copper statement necklace she had picked up from a street artistin Greenwich Village. The romper was stretchy enough to allow her to kick some meddling brother ass if needed.

When the truck passed through the town square, Margie’s Café caught her eye. Rett hadn’t been in yet and therefore hadn’t seen the mural. What would he say when he saw it? How would he react to seeing them immortalized together on the dock, Penny between them?

A jazz quartet played in the gazebo on the town green. Ethel waved merrily from a lawn chair, and Jade reflexively waved back. Her neighbors never waved at her in the city. She was on the cusp of starting a completely new life, a giant leap that could go horribly wrong. Her mom would have been proud.

When they pulled into Rett’s driveway, his brow furrowed. A red Corvette was parked haphazardly in front of two of the garage bays. He turned the truck off and hopped out.

Jade freed herself, but Rett met her at her door before she could jump to the ground. He lifted her down slowly, and it was like he was seeing her for the first time all evening.

A genuine smile formed by the time her heels hit the asphalt. “You look beautiful,” he said.

“Really?” She glanced down at her outfit. “I have a feeling this outfit will cause a stir. It’s not very Vineyard Vines.”

“It’s perfect.” He took her hand and pulled her toward the house.

She eyed the entrance like it was the Doors of Durin. What fresh hell waited for them inside? Rett opened the front door, and a medley of scents reached her nose.

They entered the kitchen, and Chris turned around.

“Hey,” he said with a warm smile. He was wearing Rett’s apron, and he crossed the distance between them in seconds. He offered a firm handshake to both of them. Apparently the Rhodes family weren’t huggers.

“Come in, come in.” Chris swept a hand toward the long dining room table.

Rett and Jade exchanged a glance. If he had a thought about what it was like to be invited into his own home, he didn’t share it.

Alexa appeared, dressed primly in a white cashmere sweater dress with a cowl neck. It clung to her athletic frame. Two bottles of wine dangled by their necks from her hands.

“Oh, hello,” she said brightly.

“Alexa,” Rett said. It was more of a grunt than a greeting. Jade squeezed his hand.

What was it like to have the woman he could have married in the home they would have shared?

Jade cast an eye around the house. Things were definitely messier than they had left them. A bag of trash stood by the garage door. Plates and glasses were piled on the end tables in the living room.

Alexa’s smile faltered, and she turned away from them to set the wine on the counter. She aimlessly opened drawers, fighting with one that wouldn’t shut as silverware jingled inside.

Rett took a seat at the dining room table and watched with crossed arms as the dynamic duo attempted to function in his kitchen. Jade smirked. At least he wasn’t letting them off too easy.

“How’s business?” Rett said to his brother, who had seemingly joined the hunt for a corkscrew.

“Oh, it’s great. I sold a pair of brownstones earlier this month.”

Rett’s posture straightened a little. “That’s good to hear. And you, Alexa?”

“It’s going really well. I’m on track to hit $500k in sales this year. These semaglutide injections really sell themselves.”

Rett turned to Jade. “Alexa is in pharmaceutical sales.”

Of course she was a pharma girl.

“I thought I’d check in with Cindy while we’re here. We just added this new burn cream, but it kind of seems like she’s been dodging my calls. I guess I’ll just stop in at the clinic tomorrow and see if she’s around.”

Jade suppressed a smile. Something told her Cindy wouldn’t buy into Alexa’s burn cream if the entire town caught fire.

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