Page 15 of Love Among Vines

“It’s a pet peeve of mine,” he added. “Even if you’re just my fake girlfriend, I want you to be completely and unapologetically you.”

“S—I was going to say sorry, but I won’t. Because you’re right. I’m not sorry for talking about my feelings.”

“That’s right. So we were discussing your tenure at…what was it? Fancy Pants Art Academy?”

She bit her lip. In thirty minutes, she had already shared more with Rett than she had told any of her flings over the past two years. But with the exception of this golden anniversary event that she still wasn’t totally sure she was committing to, she’d probably never see him again. So what was the harm in letting him in a little?

“Yeah. My story isn’t as cute. I’m a lifelong resident of the greater Manhattan metropolitan area. I grew up in a lower middle-class family in Queens and attended public school through eighth grade. Then I got a scholarship to Rothschild Academy. That’s where I met Ashley—the bride—and probably the only reason why I got into NYU.”

He let out a low whistle. “NYU? That’s a pretty big deal.”

She shrugged. “I did the art program. It was great for a while. I was actually pretty successful. I sold almost everything I ever painted while I was there. Even made it onto a few ‘thirty under thirty’ lists.”

He nodded and appeared to be listening intently.

“And then everything fell apart,” she said.

“Because of your ex?” he asked quietly.

Jade laughed, a weird reaction for such a serious moment. A weight settled on her chest. She hadn’t intended on telling him this. She had certainly never told any of her hookups about the incident. But someone she was truly dating would know.

She took a deep breath. “Because my parents died. It was completely unexpected.”

The truck rolled to a stop at an intersection. Rett turned to face her, concern in his eyes. He must really think she was pathetic now.

“I’m so sorry.” He reached across the middle seat—or, more accurately, the dog—and gripped her hand. His hand was soft and warm. Comforting. She wasn’t usually much of a hand holder, but there was nothing awkward about his embrace.

Another thrill ran through her in spite of the heaviness of the conversation.

“Yeah, it sucked. It was my last Christmas Eve of grad school. They had gone downtown to pick up my favorite cake from this bakery, Crumb and Get It. A drunk driver ran a red light and hit them while they crossed the street.”

He blew out a long breath and squeezed her hand before lifting his foot from the brake. The truck inched forward down the highway.

“I know. Didn’t know you were getting a three-for-one deal on sob stories today, did you?”

They were in town now, crawling around the village green. There was silence in the truck as they passed another restaurantemanating amazing smells. If only she could hang out here and get to know this adorable little town. But she had to get back to the city. Didn’t she?

“So you met the boyfriend in grad school?” he asked.

“Yeah. Nate was studying finance at NYU. We collided while ice skating at Rockefeller Center and started dating the next week.” She shifted the collar of her shirt to cover up the tiny ice skate tattoo that commemorated the event. Nate had a matching one. “He really stood by me when my parents died. Helped me deal with the house, the life insurance, the double funeral.”

Rett hadn’t moved his hand. He squeezed hers again.

The lake sparkled outside the window. She took a deep breath and paused. It had been almost three years since she opened the door to a cop with his hat in his hand, but the memory stung as much as it ever had.

“He met Ashley at the funeral. That day passed in a complete blur. I barely remember anything. But I do remember him laughing when he talked to her. That stuck out to me because, of course, why was he laughing while my parents were dead behind him? I probably should have seen it then, but I was…”

“Distracted?” he offered.

“Yeah.” She turned away to look out the window.

“And your other friends?”

“I lost a lot of them in the breakup. Ashley’s always stuck by me. You know, as long as you don’t count the part where she fell in love with my boyfriend.”

Rett turned up the eastern side of the lake. His brow was furrowed.

“So why do you stay?”

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