Page 21 of Love Among Vines

And it had been incredible. She was soft and warm and tasted like strawberries. Their first contact had been an electric spark, sending shockwaves down his limbs. He had longed to press her against the side of the restaurant, run his hands down the length of her body. Discover what hid under that dress.

But they hadn’t discussed physical boundaries. Some kissing was expected in a fake relationship. Would she be open to more?

He hadn’t felt a pull like this in eons. The connection was instant, undeniable. It begged to be explored. Jade was smart, funny, beautiful. A little chaotic and disorganized, sure. But that wasn’t a deal-breaker. Especially when he counted Penny. But in twenty-four hours, the wedding from hell would be over and they would be on a party bus bound for the city.

Unless he could convince her to stay until the anniversary event.

The doors of the barn creaked as he pushed them open. Maybe he could ask her to consult on a label for the sparkling wine. Their usual ad agency had thrown a tentative one together for him, but for some reason it didn’t feel right—maybe because it didn’t have an official name yet. This wine was a labor of love decades in the making, and it deserved the perfect label and name.

She had mentioned that money was an issue, so it wouldn’t be financially responsible for her to cover her own housing. His house had six bedrooms. She could stay in one of them. He could make a space for her art supplies, set up an easel in the room with the best lighting. That was what artists used, right? It wasn’t just in the movies?

And having her under his roof would make it so much easier to coach her on all the things she desperately needed to be coached on. A career change would be infinitely better than becoming homeless. That meant interviewing tips, networking, exploration of transferable skills. And certainly a driver’s license. Maybe he could do some reading and see how he might bring back her muse permanently. He didn’t put a lot of stock in the idea, but it was worth a shot.

He had whipped countless friends into shape. They always joked that he had been born an adult. Two weeks was plenty of time to set her up for success and send her back out into the world. And in the meantime, maybe she’d be open to friends with benefits.

But he was getting ahead of himself. There was no guarantee she’d stay. She seemed a tad prideful and might take offense to his offers of help. There also wasn’t a lot of wiggle room in the winery budget for outside contractors.

The memory of that kiss was outweighing all the logic though. He ached to feel her under his fingertips again, to hold her and shield her from the world that was hell-bent on destroying her.

He wouldn’t know until he tried.

CHAPTER NINE

JADE

“Smile!”Cameras flashed as the photographer paced back and forth in front of the group.

“Beautiful. Okay, now bride and groom kiss.”

Jade bit back a sigh. Sweat was collecting in a pool on her lower back beneath the world’s most non-breathable, satin bridesmaid dress. She wasn’t even allowed to sit in it because it would wrinkle immediately.

Every part of the wedding day had already been irritating and performative, and they hadn’t even made it down the aisle yet.

In front of her, Nate and Ashley leaned in and kissed. Jade’s stomach clenched. Ashley was a picture-perfect bride in the mermaid-style gown and elegant, pearl-studded chignon.

Today was the culmination of the dream her best friend had carefully cultivated since high school. On more than one occasion, Ashley had pulled out her wedding scrapbook during sleepovers and they argued over color schemes, flowers, and DJ set lists.It should have been the most joyous day of her life, but Ashley had been acting on edge all morning long. Was it just nerves?

Frankly, she kind of deserved to be nervous. Even though nothing physical had happened between her and Nate while hewas dating Jade, Ashley had still opened her heart to him. An egregious breach of girl code at best.

What would Jade’s mom say if she had been around for what happened? Quick to anger, Linda Gardner would have probably written Ashley off immediately and stormed to her parents’ penthouse to ream them out.

Jade bit her lip. Her mom wouldn’t be at her wedding. She would never have a father-daughter dance. And yet Ashley, who had an emotional affair with Jade’s boyfriend, was granted a hundred-thousand-dollar wedding in the Finger Lakes. It figured.

Between takes, Jade glanced down at her chest. The stupid ice skate tattoo remained concealed behind a thick layer of foundation despite the river of sweat dripping into her butt crack. Thank goodness. It was time for the tattoo to go. Not that laser removal was currently in her budget.

At least the view was beautiful. Behind them, the sun glimmered on the surface of the lake. The vineyards on the surrounding banks were a vibrant green. The air was clean and clear, and even the sun didn’t seem so bad with the gentle breeze.

The group broke up so the bride and groom could get some pictures on their own.

“Don’t sit down,” Nate’s mother, Patricia, reminded everyone.

Sure, Jade would just stand in these death heels until she passed out. Anything for the bride.Now was as good a time as any to make use of the free champagne and cheese platters in the bridal room.

The air conditioning was a welcome, frosty caress after the humid stickiness of the outdoors. Jade found her champagne glass from earlier and poured a fresh drink.

Just one ceremony, one reception, and one awkward brunch to go. And in the meantime, she’d have the attentions of a suspiciously handsome winemaker to distract herself. She pulled her phone out of her clutch and glanced at it.

Her heart jumped when she saw a message from Rett.

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