Page 16 of Love Among Vines

“In the city? I told you, it’s where the art world is.”

“But you could make art anywhere. And probably cut your rent in half just by leaving city limits.”

Jade paused. He had a point. Maybe she had been holding on to a small piece of her original dream with Nate—a New York City power couple who dominated in the art world and in finance.

“Yeah, well. It’s the only home I’ve ever known.”

Maybe it was a stupid reason to stay. But the city was also filled with memories of her parents—trips to the zoo, gawking at the exhibitions at the Met, mugs of warm coffee in their favorite cafe.

Rett was silent as the truck shifted up a steep incline.

“Well,” he said a minute later, “now that we’ve covered the basics, we should probably get to the plan. Are plus-ones invited to the rehearsal dinner?”

She shook her head.

He frowned. “So there won’t be anyone to take the heat off of you if necessary. But they can’t stop me from bringing something to you. Where’s it at?”

“Alder and Oak.” It had an awfully Manhattan-esque name for a restaurant in a tiny town.

“Great place,” he said. “When we get to the house, run inside and grab something for me that you’ll need for the rehearsal or the wedding—shoes, earrings, lipstick, whatever.”

He was awfully bossy.

“Why, so you can hold it hostage?”

“No, so I can storm in and save the day and bring it to you. They don’t need to know the details of why I have them. A new mystery boyfriend is guaranteed to shift the conversation away from your career.”

She turned to face him. “Okay, seriously. Why are you doing all this? Is this a fetish thing?”

There was no reason on earth why a man as pants-searingly hot as Rett would be single and ready to take on the role of a lifetime for a girl he just met.

He chuckled. “It’s not a fetish. I’m just hoping if I play my role well enough, you’ll agree to come back for the anniversary party. If it’ll help get my parents off my back, I will happily fake propose to you in the middle of your ex’s wedding.”

“They must be really bad matchmakers. Oh, it’s the next left.” She pointed at the driveway flanked by a stone wall.

He slowed down and put his turn signal on. “You have no idea. The last time they came home they brought along a twenty-one-year-old daughter of a business associate. I had to entertain her the whole weekend. Have you hung out with a twenty-one-year-old lately?”

Jade shook her head.

“It was exhausting. She got drunk off of two wine coolers and threw up on my dock.”

“Yikes.”

They pulled into the circular driveway. Thankfully no one was outside.

“Okay, let me grab something. I’ll be right back.”

As she moved to open the door, Rett caught her wrist.

Her skin tingled at his touch.

“Wait. One more thing.”

“What?” She looked at him expectantly.

He had leaned over Penny, leaving inches between them. His eyes were meadow green in the dappled sunlight. One forearm was flexed on the steering wheel. His fancy waistcoat lay buttoned over what were probably six-pack abs. Desire stirred deep and hot in her core.

Could they update their agreement to include a friends-with-benefits clause? If he was going to murder her, she might as well die in the throes of passion.

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