Page 151 of Love Among Vines

“You fucked up, mate.”

“I’m aware,” Rett said, cheek stinging.

Tom handed him a foil-wrapped bundle and strolled inside. He took a seat at the island and helped himself to Rett’s glass of wine.

Rett followed him and opened the bundle. A sandwich sat inside.

“Vegemite and cheese. My mum used to make them for me when I was sick,” Tom said. “I know you’re not sick, but being an idiot is kind of like being sick.”

“Thanks.”

The ring box seemed to have caught Tom’s eye. He opened it and looked at Rett with his eyebrows raised.

“It was for Alexa,” Rett explained. “I never used it, obviously.”

Tom visibly relaxed. “Good. I was worried I was going to have to explain to you what a terrible idea an apology proposal would be.”

Rett slumped at the counter. The ring had cost him almost $15,000. It would be insane not to sell it and be free of this burden. It could give him a jump start on the next batch of sparkling, or generous holiday bonuses for his employees.

Maybe he could use part of it to craft some kind of apology for Jade.

“So how are you going to apologize?” Tom asked as if he had read Rett’s mind.

“I don’t know. She blocked my number. She won’t speak to me.”

“You know where her apartment is, though?”

“For now. For all I know, she’s signed a new lease.” He buried his head in his hands.

Tom’s hand landed on his shoulder. “I know what Chris did fucked you up, mate. But you can’t keep using him—and your grandmother—as an excuse not to live your life. I can’t keep watching you sabotage every chance of happiness you get. You need to make it up to her, and you need to sort out your priorities.”

“I know. My hours at the winery aren’t sustainable. They never have been. I was just so worried about driving it all into the ground. Which is exactly what I did. And the only reason there might be light on the other side is because of Jade. She brought that wine critic to the party. And I repaid her by yelling at her.”

Tom took another sip of wine. “What would Jade tell you to do?”

Rett faltered.

Their agreement echoed in his mind—honesty always. But words weren’t going to be enough. He needed to show her how much she meant to him. He hadn’t even fulfilled her most basic request: identifying his dream. He didn’t deserve to think about his dream. But no apology he made would feel complete if he didn’t take it seriously.

What did he want? What was his dream? As if in response, the oven beeped behind him. He stared at the glossy, crackly top of the brownies. The warm scent of cocoa filled his kitchen. It was like therapy.

“I didn’t know you baked,” Tom said.

Rett slid them onto a cooling rack. He hesitated. Jade would tell him to be bold. It was stupid to be embarrassed about baking.

“I love to bake,” he said quickly.

“Huh,” Tom said. “What about an apology cake?”

Rett shook his head. “It’s not enough. She deserves change. Action. Something that shows I listen to her.”

He pulled out his laptop and sat at the island. In minutes, his browser was clogged with tabs of local community colleges.

Did any of them have pastry arts classes?

That had been his dream once, before his parents convinced him that business school was the more practical path. But nowhe had all the benefit of an education and first-hand experience of running his business.

The cursor hovered over enrollment information for a school forty-five minutes away. They had night classes, but it would definitely mean cutting back some at the winery. And it didn’t guarantee that Jade would see he was taking her seriously. Was it insane?

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