Page 78 of Love on the Vine
“Wow.”
Numbly, I hugged Kirsten and my grandmother, who were wearing matching white capri pants and striped T-shirts. Kirsten had pulled her bright red hair up in a hairclip and was furiously fanning herself with some sort of brochure she’d picked up at theOffice de Tourisme.
When Jake came out of the kitchen carrying a carafe of water and a bottle of lemonade, our eyes locked. I tried not to think of the horrible words he’d said earlier, but it was no use. They’d been echoing in my head since he’d spit them out at me.
You know this isn’t real, right?
“Are you all right, Livvy?” asked my grandmother, blinking at me from behind her glasses.
“Yeah, I’m fine. With the heat and all, I must have fallen asleep,” I lied. From the way she studied me with furrowed brows, I could tell she’d seen right through me. Turning around, I pointed at my brothers. “Are you just going to let them run around like that? It’s not enough that you barge into someone’s house, you also let your demon spawn run wild?”
Dad laughed, thinking I was joking. I was not. My sadness and shock had now turned into anger. I was pissed at Jake for giving up on us so easily, and I was pissed at my family for turning up at the worst moment imaginable.
“I still don’t understand why you’re here.” I sounded like a sullen kid, but I couldn’t help it. My dad’s face fell.
“Your dad decided you shouldn’t be the only one to have a European vacation this summer, didn’t ya, Ben?” said Kirsten, leaning into me. “I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how he is. And the truth is, I really did want to come.”
“How long are you here for?” Jake asked as he popped the cap on a bottle of beer for Dad. I’m sure I was the only one to pick up on the subtle anxiety in his voice.
“A couple days,” Dad answered, taking a long swig of beer. “We’ve got an Airbnb in uh . . . what was the name of that place again?”
“Port Grimaud,” replied Kirsten.
“Right, we’re planning to drive along the coast to Italy and go surprise Levi. Then we’ll leave from Rome with just enough time to see this one off to Chicago.” Dad nudged me, and I could feel cold panic rising in my throat. “Our plans are flexible though, you know, if you wanted to invite us over, we wouldn’t take much convincing.”
“Dad,” I warned, embarrassed by his brazenness, and horrified at the thought of my family staying here. “Jake has a lot of work right now. I don’t think he needs to deal with that . . .”
I gestured to the twins who were throwing rocks at each other and glanced over at Jake hoping he would go along with the lie.
“No, we wouldn’t dream of intruding.” My grandmother, once again the voice of reason, interjected. “I would, however, love to see more of your home, Jake. It’s absolutely stunning.”
“I’ll show you around,” Jake said. Relieved no doubt at having an excuse to get away from my dad, he ushered my grandmother and Kirsten inside.
“I’ll wait for you here. I want to catch up with Livvy and finish my beer.” Dad stretched out like he owned the place and patted the chair next to him. I sat down obediently. “So we haven’theard much from you this summer. You a wine expert now?” He cocked his head at me.
“Not yet. It would take years to get to that level, but I’ve learned so much this summer.” And the last lesson was the most painful. I tried to ignore the lump that was forming in my throat.
“So I was right to suggest you come here?” He grinned, obviously pleased with himself.
Had he asked that question a day ago, I would have said yes. But now I wasn’t so sure. Was it worth it if it ended like this?
Dad started filling me in on everything I’d missed back home while I stared numbly at my brothers splashing water on each other at the side of the pool. I felt like I was in an episode ofThe Twilight Zone.
When Jake’s house tour finished, the others joined us outside and Kirsten asked to see the cottage. “I hope you don’t think I’m being nosy, Jake. I just love seeing inside other people’s houses. Especially at night from the street.”
“Oh, this is news to me,” cried Dad. “I didn’t realize you were a peeper, K.”
“I’ll show you.” I jumped from my seat, relieved to get away from Jake, and hoofed it back to the cottage, praying that I hadn’t left any errant panties strewn about. Given the number of random places we’d had sex, it was certainly possible. I hoped Jake hadn’t shown them his bedroom since most of my things were there.
“Gosh,” Kirsten said as we stepped out of earshot of the men. “This place is amazing. Are you sure you want to come back home, Liv? I’d move here if I could.”
I pushed the door open to the cottage, noticing how uninhabited it appeared. Apart from the rumpled, unmade bed and the damp towel I’d thrown on the ground earlier, the room was pristine.
Gran glanced around curiously and turned back to me. “It’s much neater than your bedroom at home. I’m glad to see you’ve been making an effort to tidy up.” She laughed, but once again, I felt like she’d sussed out the truth. “She’s radiant, isn’t she, Kirsten? This place agrees with you, Liv.”
“I’ve been happy here,” I agreed, my voice catching. Too bad it wasn’t real, I reminded myself, and stepped outside before I turned into a blubbering mess again. “Come see my garden.”
* * *
