Page 38 of Love Among Vines

Jade raised her eyebrows. “In this economy? I can see why you want to get them off your back.”

In the kitchen, he set the bottle on the kitchen counter and peered into the oven.

“Almost done.” He pulled out bowls and glasses.

“Can I help?” she asked.

“No. Sit.”

He poured a generous serving of wine into each glass and slid one across the island to her. She perched on a barstool, hair still damp from her shower, looking like she belonged there.

What was she thinking?

“So what smells so good?”

“Apple dumplings. We didn’t get to have any wedding cake,” he explained.

She tilted her head. “I’ve never had an apple dumpling. But it smells incredible.”

“Just you wait,” he said, opening the oven and sliding on a pair of hot mitts.

When he topped the dumpling with ice cream and set the dessert in front of her, her stomach audibly growled.

“Sorry,” she said.

“What did I tell you about unnecessary apologies?” he asked as he slid onto the seat next to her.

Pink rushed into her cheeks.

He held his glass up, ignoring the effect her expression had on his manhood. “To new beginnings.”

“To new beginnings,” she parroted. They clinked and drank.

She closed her eyes like she felt something deep in her soul. She tipped her chin to the ceiling and cocked her head.

Her eyes snapped open like she could read his thoughts.

“Is your tingle back?” he guessed.

“A little bit.”

For some reason, the fact that his wine had the power to return a muse to its artist was intoxicating.

“Try the dumpling.” He nudged the bowl toward her.

She dug in and let out a moan. If she didn’t stop making sex noises, he was not going to be able to stick to the plan. She was like a work of art herself, and he was having a hard time taking his eyes off her.

“This is incredible. Did you make these, or are they local?”

He hesitated. His baking hobby was not something he shared with the world. “Have you ever tried different kinds of food to fix your block?”

Jade laughed. “I wish I could tell you all the things I’ve tried to unblock myself. It’s part of the reason why I’m so poor now.”

His dumpling sat in front of him untouched. “Really? Like what?”

She took a sip of wine, and her body trembled for an instant. “Everything. I mean it. That’s been my whole philosophy since my brain shut down. I thought that if I just opened myself to enough new experiences, something would eventually click.”

She ticked items off on her fingers. “Cooking lessons, skydiving, every legendary dish from every restaurant in the city. I learned sign language, did polar plunges, took up CrossFit, started running, volunteered at community kitchens, rode roller coasters, took helicopter tours. I did everything short of throwing myself over Niagara Falls in a barrel.”

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