Page 18 of Backroom Boy
I couldn’t think straight. “Do what?”
“Two years from now, when I’m done with school and you’ve learned everything there is to learn about winemaking, we’ll go out on our own. You and me.”
She sat up again, her hair a mess and her cheeks still flushed, but her eyes looked more direct than I’d ever seen them. If my heart had thundered before, now it galloped at the idea of Delta wanting something long term with me.
“You and me?” I asked, just to clarify that she really meant it.
She bit her lip and nodded.
“Fuck, yes,” I answered, meaning every word.
Then I flipped her over and kissed her like we had our whole life planned out.
Together.
8
Delta
The next two weeks passed in a roller coaster of work, events my father strong-armed me into attending, and stolen moments with Lukas that set my soul on fire. He and I were becoming a team. A rock-solid team despite us just being two kids with lofty dreams. I knew there’d be challenges we’d face, but I also believed we could face them together and come out the other side an even stronger pairing.
I had exactly thirty days until I had to head back to Stanford and prepare for a new group of girls to rush before the fall semester. Thirty days to get my fill of Lukas. Which was hard considering we’d decided to keep our relationship a secret from everyone for the time being. Like it or not, I depended on my parents’ open wallet to get my degree at college. I knew a relationship with Lukas would be like waving a red flag in front of a bull. My parents would yank my college funding without blinking an eye. And I needed that degree to set us up for a successful winery together.
“What the hell are you wearing?” A girl’s snappy voice brought my attention back to the here and now as I stepped out of my car.
I looked up and saw five overly dressed girls with expensive handbags, perfectly curled hair, and varying expressions of welcome and disbelief standing in my parents’ driveway.
“My girls!” I yelled, running over and hugging them as they surrounded me.
They giggled and whooped, their energy over the top with excitement, just like old times. My friends. My sorority girls who I did everything with at school, were here in Merlot.
“What’s going on?” I asked as the hugging finally stopped.
“More importantly, what’s up with that outfit?” Natalie asked, looking like she bit into a lemon.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s a work outfit. You know? For an actual job?”
I didn’t blame her. I hadn’t worked a day outside of helping my parents with the winery. I wouldn’t have known about white collared shirts and black slacks until this summer either.
“So, you’re actually working working?” Blair chimed in.
“Yes—”
The thrum of a motorcycle engine cut off whatever I was going to say to make them understand that I was holding down a big-girl job with a paycheck and everything. All six of our heads turned to the driveway to see Lukas coming home from work. His sunglasses reflected the trees overhead and his forearms flexed as he steered to the right. He nodded once and I had to bite my lip from smiling like a lovesick fool. My boyfriend was hot on any given day, but even hotter on his motorcycle.
“Who. Is. That?” Bree asked, her jaw dropped.
I broke my gaze away from Lukas’s retreating back. “That’s Lukas. He rents the pool house and works at the winery with me.”
Natalie squealed. “Why didn’t you tell us about him? He’s hot!”
“I wouldn’t mind going for a dip in the pool right now.” Anna started walking down the path that led to the pool house, her strawberry blonde ponytail swinging as wide as her hip swing.
“Get your sweet ass back here,” I raced after her and grabbed her elbow. “I thought you came down here to see me? Sisters before misters, remember?”
Anna rolled her big blue eyes, but stopped in her tracks. “Okay, fine. But I’m not leaving here without meeting that guy.”
I held my hands up like it didn’t bother me at all that she wanted to eye-fuck my boyfriend. “Sure. Whatever. Let’s go inside so I can change and then you can tell me what you’re all doing here.”
