Page 71 of Love Among Vines

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

RETT

“Haveyou given any more thought to my financial plan?” Rett asked.

Penny had adopted her usual space, sleeping in the middle seat between them. They were on their way to Tom and Cindy’s for girls/poker night. A vase of purple flowers—a hostess gift, Jade had said—sat in the cupholder.

“Yes,” she muttered. “I’ve already cancelled all of my extraneous subscription services and everything else that brings me joy. CrossFit will now have to be done illegally in the middle of the night, probably at a train yard or dock where I’ll be murdered.”

“I’m proud of you. I know it’s not easy to cut back. That reminds me, do you run?”

She brushed her hair over one bare shoulder. She had put on a tight white shirt with no bra, which was making it very hard to concentrate.

“Almost every day,” Jade said. “Why do you ask?”

“Saturday is the town’s annual Pie-K and harvest festival. It would be good for us to make an appearance if you’re up for it.”

She lifted her chin. “Will there be backpack cheese?”

“If by backpack cheese you mean at least four artisanal cheese makers, twelve wineries, and many local artists, then yes.”

“Consider it on my calendar.”

“Good. We should talk about what we’re telling Tom and Cindy about us.”

“It’s probably easier to be honest, right? Your friends aren’t going to rat you out to your parents,” she said.

“Agreed. Why are you mad at me, by the way?”

Something had clearly been bubbling just beneath the surface all evening.

She jumped. “What do you mean?”

He rolled to a stop at a traffic light and stroked a finger between her eyebrows. “You’ve had this line ever since I picked you up. What’s going on?”

She sighed and looked out the window. “Have you changed your mind about our friends-with-benefits arrangement?”

He frowned. “Of course not. Why?”

“You turned me down at the lake the other day. And then after our date last night, you kissed me on the cheek like we were courting in the 1800s.”

“I didn’t turn you down,” he said. What the hell was she talking about?

She squirmed in her seat. “My hand was on your dick, and you told me you needed to get back to the winery. It felt like a rejection. Like after getting to know me better the attraction just evaporated for you.”

Rett took a hard right and pulled into a parking lot by the lake. A full moon shone brightly above them.

He turned to look at her.

“I’ve been a little in my head. But trust me when I say—” He paused to trail a hand up her thigh. “I am very attracted to you.”

Moonlight illuminated half her face. There was still a sadness there, and he hated himself for putting the thought in her head. Any other time he would have just given into temptation. Why did things feel so different with Jade?

“I also want our first time to be momentous. Incredible,” he explained. “Not a frigid bang on a splintered dock. You deserve more. From me, and from anyone you get involved with.”

She turned to look away, but he gently turned her to face him.

“You’re enough, Jade. More than enough. And I’m going to prove it to you on our next date. How about Friday after closing?”

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