I should just go grab her a knife so she can drive it directly into my heart. I’m not ready to have this talk with her, not while she’s drunk. I do the only thing I can right now and wrap my arms around her, hugging her tight.
It takes a while for the tears to stop and for her to start snoring again. I lay with her, in the dark, watching the shadows dance across the ceiling. Her words play on a constant loop through my mind. They make me sad, but they also fill me with hope because I know I still own part of her heart.
Do I want to get closure, or is this my chance to get her back? All I know is holding her right now is bringing all the feelings I had for her back from the recesses of my mind. It’s where I’ve kept them hidden for the past ten years.
I press my lips to her forehead and close my eyes. I’ll just lay here for a minute.
I’m finalizing plans for one of my accounts when there is a knock on my door. I look up as Jackson comes walking in. “Hey, I hope I’m not disturbing you. I just wanted to check in on you and see how it’s going.”
I stand up, coming around my desk and sharing a manly hug with my friend. “It’s great, man. Your wife is one helluva boss. How are the girls?”
“Growing like weeds and getting more and more beautiful. I’m going to have to lock them away until they’re at least in their thirties. Have you ever thought about settling down, maybe having kids?”
At one time, I could imagine having a houseful of kids who had a mom and dad who loved them so much. I could see in my mind’s eye little girls with blonde hair and blue eyes and boys who looked like me, but I ruined that … maybe. “Yeah, once upon a time, I did.”
“Why don’t you come to the house this weekend? We’ll grill some steaks and take the boat out. If you’ve got a lady friend, bring her.” He heads toward the doorway and stops.
I follow him out of my office. “That sounds great.” He walks toward Catherine’s office, and I head toward the elevators. I’m on my way to Coastal Crush winery to go on my tour—a tour given by Lainey.
We haven’t spoken since the night I held her in bed. That was two days ago, and I’ve had to stop myself from driving over to her brother’s house to see her. I know it would be too much, too fast.
Her words still haunt me. I know I hurt her, but that was the whole point, wasn’t it? Lainey’s whispered words were filled with pain that I caused. I left her in the middle of the night. A soft kiss on her lips, but she didn’t even budge.
Since I wasn’t meeting with any other clients today, I wore gray dress pants, a blue button-up dress shirt, and brown loafers on my feet. When I reach the parking garage, I climb in my SUV and make my way toward Malibu.
Chapter Seven
Lainey
I rode Lance’s scooter to the vineyard since it’s only a few minutes from his house. The sky is so clear and blue. My blonde locks are in a braid today, and my makeup is minimal, meaning I’m wearing mascara and lip gloss.
I decided on a short white sundress, which is possibly a bad idea considering I’m supposed to be taking Ranger on a tour of the vineyard. I’m wearing my lavender Chucks since they’re so comfortable.
Before I go inside and wait for him, I walk around to the wedding spot that has the most beautiful view. If I close my eyes, I can picture a simple, beautiful ceremony here.
“Penny for your thoughts?” A familiar male voice says from beside me.
I jump and yelp, turning to find Sean, the guy who has always been my dad’s, right-hand man. I smile wide and throw myself into his strong arms. “Hey, you. I’m so happy to see you.”
He wraps his arms tightly around me. “I’ve missed you, girl.” Sean sets me down and holds me at arm’s length. “So fucking gorgeous,” he says softly, causing me to blush.
Ranger always told me that Sean was in love with me even though there’s a fifteen-year age difference. I never believed it because I was so young. What could he possibly want with a teenager? Of course, now I’m twenty-eight, and he’s forty-three, it doesn’t sound so unusual.
I check him out. He’s got light brown hair, sprinkled with some gray that he wears long enough to look borderline shaggy. Sean is clean-shaven and has a dimple in each cheek. Hmmm … maybe we could have a little fun?
“Lainey?” I look behind me to find Ranger walking up. He and Sean become locked in a stare down—oh brother. Neither of them notices as I roll my eyes.
“Ranger.” I grab his wrist. “Come on.” I turn to look at Sean. “We’ll talk later?”
“Yeah, doll.” He saunters off.
Ranger moves to stand next to me. “Could he be more obvious?
I look up at him and shake my head. “Oh, whatever. He’s my friend.” I walk toward the store and the offices, hearing his steps behind me. “We can start our tour here. This is the storefront; customers can taste before they buy, and we also support a local chocolatier who makes chocolate pairings that we sell in gift baskets.”
We step inside, and he walks around, typing notes into his phone. I really hate that he looks good. I turn away from him and move through the space, straightening shelves that don’t need to be straightened.
A few minutes later, he comes over. “Okay, what’s up next?” He places his hand on the small of my back as we head into the tasting room. Along the back wall is a beautiful dark wood bar with plush barstools lining it. There are tables that stand tall, covered in long white tablecloths. They’re the perfect height to stand at.
“This is obviously the tasting room. I’m not sure how they still run things, but on the weekends, we’ve usually been open from twelve to eight for people just stopping in. The hours are adjustable if there are weddings.” I lead him down a hallway. “We have a fully functional kitchen for when there are catered events.”
I lead him back outside to where he found me—where the weddings are held. Once upon a time, I dreamt of getting married here. The view of the Malibu Mountains is magical. While he takes pictures, I stand on the edge of the bluff, looking out at the grapevines. The greenery is bright and luscious.
We head over to one of the golf carts that they use to get around the vineyard. I climb behind the wheel and wait for him to join me. “I thought we could go to visit the vintner.”
I drive toward the building where they make our wine and store it. Sean pulls up next to us and runs into the building. “Something’s wrong,” I say, and we both hop out and run inside. I stop next to Sean. “What’s going on?”
“Call your brother. One of the barrels of the new cab leaked out. It was in the back and so small no one noticed until it was too late.”
I call my brother, and he says he’s already on his way. Sean leads me between the barrels and shows me the mess. “Oh God, this is bad, isn’t it?”
“Luckily, once the wine is in the barrels, it only takes about three weeks for it to be ready. They’re almost ready to fill some more barrels.” He looks behind me. “Why is he here?” Jesus, they’re like two dogs fighting over a bone.
“He wanted a tour of the operation. It’s no big deal.”