Page 80 of Love Among Vines

“Cindy texted Tom. You know, in case all of you disappeared.”

“Nice. I should probably stop Gemma from murdering Damian.”

Jade bustled off to the end of the dock, flip-flops smacking off the wood. She must have given up on the torture devices. She pulled Gemma to shore.

“Don’t murder him now,” Jade said. “You can murder him later. In court. With words.”

Gemma shot daggers down the dock.

Cindy and Elena arrived, cackling in the darkness.

“I hate you.” Elena slapped Cindy’s llama. “I’m freezing.”

Jade tugged the sweatshirt off and helped Elena clamber onto the dock. “Here.”

“Oh, bless you.” Still shivering, Elena tugged it on.

Tom pulled Cindy up and dipped her, greeting her with a head-turner of a kiss.

“Care for a ride back?” Rett asked the crowd. He really needed to check on his dough and go over the accounts before bed.

“Not ifhe’sgoing to be in the car,” Gemma said.

Damian threw his hands up. “I drove myself. I’ll see you later this week.” He backed away like he was expecting her to backhand him with her paddle. Knowing Gemma, it was possible.

“You can ride in the bed if you promise not to tell Scooter,” Rett announced.

Five minutes later, Rett and Tom were in the cab of the truck while Jade, Cindy, Elena, and Gemma sprawled in the bed. He glanced in the rearview mirror. Jade was turned toward him, but her face was tipped up to the stars. The wind tangled her hair, and she looked like a goddess embracing the power of the moon.

Something flickered in his guts, and he tore his eyes away from the rearview. They only had two weeks. He couldn’t get involved. But part of him wanted to.

“Thanks for dropping me off. Here.”Jade wriggled out of the borrowed sweatpants and folded them neatly on the dashboard. She was still wearing Cindy’s bikini.

They were sitting outside her cottage. Margie had left a light on, but Steven the raccoon was nowhere to be seen.

“No problem.”

For a moment, they just stared at each other. The memory of their tryst in the truck mere hours before was on his mind. If Scooter hadn’t interrupted, Rett probably would have lost control and taken her right there.

He wanted her in his bed more than he’d ever wanted another woman. Maybe it was just all this buildup. Or maybe it was the dimple in her right cheek, the softness in her eyes. As satisfying as it would be to trail his hands down those beautiful curves and find out what she tasted like, she deserved their first time to be special, meaningful, reminiscent of what she could have if she opened herself to relationships again. Sex was worlds different when you connected on more than a surface level. It was part of fixing her up, and he couldn’t let his selfish impulses derail it. She deserved better.

“See you tomorrow?” he asked. The reception for paint and sip had been very enthusiastic.

She nodded. “I’ll come early to set up.”

“Did I tell you we sold out?”

She balked. “Already?”

He nodded. Almost all the tickets were bought by his friends and fellow business owners in town, but she didn’t need to know that.

Her face went pale. “Well. I’d better make sure it doesn’t turn out to be a disaster, then.”

He leaned in. “It won’t be.”

“What if it’s just stick figures?”

“Then I’ll pour more wine until people don’t notice.”

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