Page 83 of Love Among Vines

“These are good. You’ve pulled a lot of pieces of town history in.”

“But you don’t have a preference?”

He tilted his head. “It’s hard to say. Wait, what’s this one?”

Jade straightened up and peeked over the edge of the tablet. “Oh, shit.”

She had completely forgotten about the half-finished sketch she had made during her disastrous first wine tasting at Rhodes Vineyard. It was sloppy and embarrassing and frankly a little creepy since she had drawn it before ever speaking to him.

She went to snatch it back, but he lifted it out of reach.

“Is this…me?” He pointed to the side profile of a man hefting wine bottles onto shelves.

She stood and yanked it from his hands. “It might be. You weren’t supposed to see that. I forgot it was in there.”

“You forgot? How old is the sketch?”

“It’s from the day we met, if you must know.” She slapped the sketchbook on the table and pinned it under her purse. “I told you your wine inspired me. I looked around for something to sketch and you just happened to be the closest object.”

He narrowed his eyes, but they were lit with amusement. “I was twenty yards away from you in a different room, though.”

“I’m not going to dignify that with a response.”

“You thought I was handsome. Admit it.”

Jade crossed her arms. “I thought it would be an interesting study of the human form.”

“Whatever you say.” The infuriating grin was back. He planted another palpitation-inducing kiss on her.

At the busybody table, a fork clattered to a plate.

“Maybe we should re-readFifty Shades of Greyfor book club,” one woman said.

“For the fourth time, Jeanette?” another woman asked.

“Breakfast to go, Romeo?” Margie called from behind the counter.

Rett tore his eyes from Jade for a minute to smile and nod. “The usual, please. Thanks, Margie.”

“What’s your usual?” Jade said with a smile.

“Chicken sausage and egg white breakfast burrito,” he replied. “Margie’s homemade salsa is incredible.”

“That sounds amazing.”

“Make it two, Margie,” Rett called over his shoulder.

Jade’s phone beeped, and she glanced at the screen. Weird. It was a message from Kenya.

Kenya: You didn’t hear this from me. Ash just texted from Hawaii. Apparently she and Nate got in a gigantic fight. He went down to the bar and never came back that night. Turns out he slept with a resort waitress. Anyway, she said he left and she’s looking up divorce lawyers.

Jade’s mouth fell open. The marriage that she had spent so much time, energy, and

money mentally and physically preparing for had dissolved within a freaking week?

“Are youkiddingme?” she yelled at her phone.

“What’s wrong?” Rett frowned.

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