Page 20 of Love Among Vines

“I should head out too,” Rett said with his eyes on Jade. He turned to look at Nate. “It was nice to meet you. Congratulations, by the way.”

“What? Oh, yeah. Thanks,” Nate mumbled. As the door slammed shut behind him, a weight lifted from her shoulders.

She clutched Rett’s arm. “Thank you so much. Seriously. I was basically a homicide suspect in a room full of detectives in there.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

He smiled, and for a moment they just stared at each other. Rain pinged off the awning. Petrichor—one of Jade’s favorite smells in the world—emanated from the earth. What was that feeling?

A tingling sensation crept up from the base of her spine. Was that her muse? Could it be? A chill hit her that had nothing todo with the night air. Maybe it wasn’t just the wine. Maybe there was something here, in the soil or the water. It called to her.

“I guess I should get back in there,” she said with a reluctant glance at the door. She could have happily spent the whole night out here, sketchbook in hand as the rain fell.

“You don’t want me to come schmooze with the parents? I bet at least one of them is in the wine club.”

She smiled. “Let’s save it for tomorrow. You’re kind of wet.”

“I’ll have you know I’m way more attractive when I’m wet. Especially to middle-aged women.”

Against her will, Jade’s eyes traveled down the topography of his torso. His usual fancy suit coat was missing, and the rain made his button-down cling like a second skin. Damn it. Something stirred deep within her.

“Well, maybe I’ll hose you down with overpriced champagne at the reception.” She took a step back. If she didn’t, there was an eighty-five percent chance she was going to jump on him and commit a crime of indecency.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Neither one of them moved.

His hair was still hanging in his eyes. He smirked like he could tell what she was thinking. Every cell in her body screamed at her to kiss him again. But there was no one around. Nobody to prove it to. What would be the point?

She tilted her face up to his, and he looked down at her. What was this feeling? A hyperlocalized gravitational storm drawing them together? Did he feel it too?

A peal of laughter rang out inside, and she jumped. The spell was broken.

She smiled nervously and took another step back. If this was just lust, it wasn’t a kind she had ever experienced before. She needed to be more careful.

“Right. Tomorrow.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

RETT

“You’re taking the day off?”Elaine’s voice was full of disbelief.

Rett frowned. “Just half of it. I made a promise to someone. Unless you think you can’t manage.”

As stressful as it would be to leave the winery on a peak day, the idea of disappointing Jade was somehow worse. He had done what he could—the shelves were fully stocked, everything was staged for the day’s tastings, all the bills had been paid.

“No, no,” she said hurriedly. “I think it’s a wonderful idea. We have plenty of people today. Molly and Rob will be in for the afternoon shift. Everything will be fine.”

“Great. I’m going to the barn. Call me if you need anything.”

Rett ducked out the front door before she could ask any questions. The idea of leaving the winery twisted his stomach. If he wasn’t there, anything could happen. But he had made a promise.

He walked through the rows, eyeballing the grapes and vines. The viticulturist had given the harvest a clean bill of health.

His phone beeped, and his heart skipped a beat. Was it Jade? It wasn’t—just Tom with a beer emoji and a question mark—but Rett’s thoughts turned to her anyway.

Their kiss was seared into his memory like a scorch mark. He hadn’t asked her permission. The kiss was instinctive. As she stood under the awning with the most rigid body posture he had ever seen, something protective deep inside him had taken over. He had claimed her on that stoop.

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