Page 27 of All This Time

“Yeah, literally two in the past three months and besides that, nothing. What’s stopping you from going on more?”

“Uh…well…” I bite on my bottom lip. “I’m busy running my business, and you know… It’s Blossom Peak. Not exactly a hotspot for eligible bachelors.”

“Agreed, but that doesn’t mean you need to continue to live in this monotony.” Dilynne straightens her spine and tightens her ponytail. “So, I stand by my suggestion. We go out next Friday night, we find you a man to clean out the cobwebs downstairs, and hell, maybe you even invite him to the wedding as your date, just to give yourself a buffer for Fletcher.”

I hate to admit it, but Dilynne might be onto something. “Ugh, fine.”

She fist pumps the air. “Hell yes! Operation De-Cobweb is a go. And if all else fails, I’ll kidnap Fletcher, tape his mouth shut, and let you say everything you’ve been holding in, so you can finally move on.”

I arch a brow. “I swear, with the way your mind works, I’m fairly certain you could get away with murder.”

She pops her hip out to the side. “Oh, I know I could. I didn’t binge all those murder documentaries for nothing.”

***

“Thanks for letting us use your office, George.” Elliot holds the door to my father’s office open, motioning for Tori, me, and Lucifer—I mean, Fletcher—to enter ahead of him.

The familiar room still smells strongly of oak like it did when I was a kid. The same family photos line the walls, and a few new ones have been added over the years. My father’s desk sits in the far left corner, a beautiful picture window behind it that showcases the vineyards behind the building, and the conference table is off to the right where my father holds meetings for the staff when necessary.

Standing in the hallway, my father smiles as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his khaki slacks. “Of course. You kids can talk freely back here, and it’s a hell of a lot quieter than anywhere else in the winery right now.” Even as he speaks, the dull sound of the movie echoes through the walls. My father’s eyes meet mine. “Lock it up when you’re done, sweetheart?”

“Sure, Dad.” He blows me a kiss before shutting the door. When I turn around, Elliot and Tori are sitting next to each other on one sideof the conference table, and Fletcher is in a chair directly across from them.

Elliot waves me over. “Come on, Laney. Let’s get this done so we can all go enjoy the rest of our evening.”

“Thanks for being accommodating about this, by the way,” I say as I head for the chair that’s furthest away from Fletcher. “You know I always help my dad with these events.”

Elliot nods. “No problem. After Fletcher called me, Tori and I agreed it just made more sense. Plus, it gives us another excuse to scope out the winery before the wedding.”

“That’s true.” As I begin to take my seat, Fletcher’s voice stops me.

“What are you doing?”

I blink. “Sitting down…”

Tori giggles. “Go sit next to Fletcher, Laney. We’ve got a few things to show you both.” Her brows draw together. “Does he smell bad or something?”

Fletcher sniffs his armpit theatrically and flashes me his lethal grin. “I just showered before coming over here, so I’m fresh as a daisy.”

Oh, I’m fully aware of how incredible this man smells after he was pressed up against my backearlier.

Sighing, I move to the chair to his left and sit, avoiding his gaze. “Okay, so let me have it. What is it that you need me to do?”

“Uh, I’m part of this too, remember?” Fletcher interjects.

Elliot darts his eyes between the two of us, laughing slightly before he shakes off our awkward interaction and starts talking. The truth is, my brother and his friends are in the dark about my history with Fletcher, and for good reason—because if they (my brother most importantly) ever found out, I don’t think the four of them would still be friends.

“Okay. You two know we only have three weeks before the wedding, and Tori is going to be gone a lot for work.”

“My boss just took on a new client, so we’re building a social media campaign from scratch, and they need me,” Tori states proudly as she flips her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “So that’s why it’s so important that we can count on the two of you to help.”

“And I have two trials between now and the wedding that hopefully won’t last long, so a lot of what we need you two to do will be running errands, putting favors together, making sure the details with the winery are finalized, and planning the bachelor and bachelorette party.”

“Party? As in one?” Fletcher asks for clarification.

Elliot turns to his fiancée. “Yes. We want a joint one.”

“Plus, I don’t have many friends here, so if we had a separate bachelorette party, it’d just be you, me, and Dilynne,” Tori adds through a laugh. “And I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want that.”