Page 133 of Love Among Vines

“What is it you do for work, Jade?” Alexa asked with a smile.

“I’m an artist.” For the first time in two years, the words almost felt true.

Rett squeezed her hand under the table.

“Oh, wow. What’s your medium?” Alexa asked. She turned the full force of her blue eyes on Jade, and it was easy to see how Rett had been dazzled into dating her.

“Paint, mostly. Mixed media.”

“How amazing. I’d love to see some of your work.”

Jade smiled. Alexa was definitely a schmoozer. It was a good thing Jade wasn’t an endocrinologist or she probably would have left dinner with an armful of dubious samples.

“Mom’s gonna love you,” Chris said. He had finally located a corkscrew and driven it into a bottle of red. “She loves the artsy types.”

Alexa shot him a disgruntled look.

“Well, let’s hope so. What’s for dinner?” Jade said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

“Prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, and delicata squash,” Chris said. He stirred something on the stove.

Rett and Jade exchanged another glance. There hadn’t been an excess of dirty dishes in the kitchen. The oven was on, but there was no boiling pot of water, no potato masher in the sink. The very same meal had been the weekly special at the Tavern only days ago. Surely his brother wasn’t trying to passoff a restaurant’s offering as a home-cooked meal, though. That would be insane.

“Sounds delicious. Thank you,” she said as Chris passed her a glass of wine. She took a hearty sip. At least the wine was good. Warmth ran through her, and she closed her eyes to savor it.

“This is so good.” She lifted her glass at Rett.

He sniffed, then took a sip. “Funny story about this batch,” he said.

His eyes lit up like he was about to tell a swashbuckling tale of how he had single-handedly dredged it up from a merchant ship on the bottom of the ocean.

Jade couldn’t take her eyes off him. As he explained in detail how the unseasonably warm weather and a slight tweak to the bottling process had affected that particular batch, he finally looked and sounded like himself.

A genuine smile crept over her face as she listened to Rett’s explanation. There was such nuance in winemaking. Such artistry. And made by such capable hands.

“Fascinating,” Alexa said when Rett finished, but her expression was glazed.

“Can we help?” Rett asked. He nodded toward the kitchen.

“Oh, no,” Chris said. “You relax. We wanted to do something special for you. It’s been so long since we were all together.”

“Probably since Grandmother’s funeral,” Rett said.

Chris nodded. His expression darkened almost imperceptibly. “And the will reading, of course.”

Jade narrowed her eyes. There was definitely some bullshit going on here. But exactly what it was remained to be seen. She scanned the house again and spotted a laptop on the coffee table in the living room. This was all a setup. She could feel it.

She glanced back at Chris. He definitely wanted something from Rett. He didn’t look like he needed money. But the best grifters never did.

“And where do you guys live?” Jade asked.

“Midtown.” Alexa drained her wineglass and poured another. Unfortunately, the universe didn’t see fit for it to spill down her dress. “I travel a lot for work, though. I’m in Boston next week.”

“Sounds very exciting,” Jade said.

“It’s such a great career. Business is booming, and I get to meet so many new people.”

Jade smiled. It sounded exhausting. She pulled out her phone and saw a message from Cindy. She had shared the story of Alexa and Chris’s reappearance in the group chat.

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