“I invited him to be a part of it, but he said that he had too much work to do. The guy is a wine genius, so I’m going to let him do what he’s got to.”
“Show me the rest of your place, and then we can go see Mom and Dad. I might as well get it over with.” I don’t miss the way his eyes widen. “Yeah, yeah, yeah … I know.” I’m no more surprised than he is that I suggested we go.
I sit on my yoga mat in the Prayer Mudra, trying to clear my mind.
Last night, I told Lance about being featured in People Magazine and posing for Ink’d Magazine photos and how delighted I am with my work. He loved the pictures and the article and kept telling me how proud he was.
I focus back on my breathing and enjoy the California sun beating down on me. I push up and go through some yoga poses until I’m loose and relaxed. After rolling up my yoga mat, I head inside and stick a bagel in the toaster. While it toasts, I look around and realize I haven’t seen any pictures of my brother and his fiancée.
Well, in his office, he’s got a couple pictures of them, but I couldn’t get a good look at her. They just moved in here a month ago, so maybe they haven’t had time to decorate yet.
My bagel pops up, and I slather it in cream cheese. While I eat it, I wash it down with some coffee. Lance went to the winery this morning to do some paperwork, but he’ll be back to get me in a bit.
I head to the guest room that has the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept on. I pull out the dress I’m wearing to the meeting. It’s a royal blue short-sleeved wrap dress that hits above my knees. I lay out the tan wedge sandals I brought.
I shower and then apply my makeup, keeping it more subdued than I usually wear it. My hair is always wavy, but I use my flat iron to smooth them out, curling the ends. I rub my favorite moisturizer into my skin before donning my champagne-colored silk bra and panties. Undergarments are one thing I do splurge on.
Once I slip my dress on, I grab my thin platinum chain and slip it around my neck. He gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday. I should’ve thrown it out, but the tiny diamond pendant that hangs from it is my most prized possession. He worked so hard for everything, and he was so proud of himself when he handed me the little box.
For my twenty-first birthday, I bought a platinum bracelet to match. I put that on and then slip on my shoes. I give myself a quick spritz of my perfume, beautiful, grab my purse, and head out to the kitchen. I grab myself a bottle of water.
I’m checking my emails when my brother comes walking in. “Hey, sis, you look great.”
“You too, brother of mine.” He’s wearing a navy blue fitted suit, a white button-up shirt with no tie, and brown dress shoes.
“I thought after our meeting with the PR rep, we could go for a drive and then maybe stop somewhere for dinner or drinks along the coast.”
I nod. “That sounds great.”
We head out to his SUV and make our way over to Geoffrey’s. He pulls into the parking lot of the restaurant and then leads me inside. He gives the hostess his name, and she leads us toward a table in the back. It has a beautiful view of the water.
I take a seat, and my brother sits next to me. He seems nervous, and that is not like him. “Why are you nervous?” I lean in and ask.
Lance pulls on the collar of his shirt. “I’m not nervous, but there is something I should tell you.”
Why do I feel like I’m not going to like whatever it is he should’ve told me? “What did you do, Lance?” I whisper harshly.
“Lance?” A deep voice sounds from behind us.
I freeze because I know that voice. I’ve dreamt of that voice. I turn to look at my brother and then to Ranger Brooks. He notices me when I stand up next to Lance and freezes.
I’m not going to give either of them the satisfaction of a reaction. I hold out my hand. “Hello, I’m Lainey Winston.”
He takes my hand, and I ignore all the feelings coursing through my veins. “Ranger Brooks.” Ranger leans in. “Is this going to be a problem?”
I look between my brother and the bastard who broke my young, naïve heart. They both look back at me, and I do what I do best—I plaster on a mock smile, faking it until I make it. “Not at all; shall we sit down?”
They both follow suit, but it’s awkward. I try to avoid looking at him, looking at the man he’s become.
When neither of them says anything, I grab the file folder and slide it across the table. “I made some tweaks to the design you guys sent over.”
He opens it and looks them over. Their designs were good, but they needed to be spruced up a bit—at least that was my opinion, and now they’re better.
“I like what you’ve done with the winery’s name. If you’re okay with this, I’ll take them with me. I want to have some mockups made of the new wine labels. Lance, we talked about a launch party, and I think if we did a garden party at the winery with a tasting, people would enjoy that. Maybe even do some hor d’oeuvres. We invite the media, of course.” Ranger pulls out an iPad and then turns it toward Lance. “Invite some local restaurant owners, and if they like the product, then maybe offer them special pricing if they sell your wine.”
My brother smiles at Ranger. “I love it. What about using recycled materials for the packaging as well?”
“Let me look into it, and I’ll send you some numbers.”
Our waitress stops to take our order. Of course, she’s eye-fucking Ranger—I hate admitting that grown-up Ranger is even better than the boy I remember, but I’m not going to think about that right now. I’ll let myself remember what it felt like after he ripped out my heart and stomped on it.
Chapter Four
Ranger
If I had known that Lainey was going to be here, I would’ve canceled. It’s beyond painful to sit across from her. She’s more beautiful than I remember. When Lance came to CJJ, he didn’t remember me right away. I told him who I was, not wanting any awkwardness.
He was unaware of what happened between Lainey and me, only knowing that she and I dated in high school, and then I left for the Navy. Of course, he’s five years older than us, and he was living in New York when she and I dated.
While we eat, I keep sneaking glances at her. Her arms are covered in beautiful tattoos. I’d give anything to examine them one by one. While I look her over, I notice the necklace she's wearing and freeze. That’s the necklace I bought for her eighteenth birthday. It must mean something that she kept it, right?
“Did you have any questions for me?” I ask Lance. I need to focus on my job—I don’t want to lose this account for the company.
I glance at Lainey, and she’s staring out the window, effectively ignoring me. I need to get her alone. I want to talk to her—I have so much I want to say to her. It’ll take a miracle to get her to talk, but I’m determined.
Lance nods at me. “Will you handle everything for the launch?”
“Yes, my team will handle that, but with your input, of course. You or someone from your winery will work closely with my team. We’re not here to take over completely, but we’re here to work for you. You share your wine, and we’ll bring in all the people for you to share with.”