Page 18 of Love Among Vines

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

RETT

“For someone who just single-handedly solved all your own problems and had a ‘full-blown mouthgasm’ from brunch, you don’t seem very happy,” Rett said.

Jade bit her lip and looked out the window as they passed the café. They were in the truck on the way to the city, Penny sprawled between them like a sixty-pound, snoring throw blanket.Even though Jade was staying, she needed materials and clothes to make it through the next two weeks.

Her decision to stay had been a surprise, but a welcome one. It would be much easier to coach her when she was physically staying in town. But now they needed to hammer out the details of their arrangement.

“What if I can’t do it?”she asked.

“Do what? The mural?”

“Yeah. I don’t want to disappoint Margie.”

“You won’t. You were just painting this morning.”

“That might have been a fluke. And I told you, it’s not my usual art. That’s what she wants—the bold, fun Jade who throws feathers and glitter on a hot pink mess and calls it ‘Tuesdays at the Horny Ram.’ What if I can’t remember how to be that person anymore?”

Rett pulled up at a red light and turned to her. She looked at him. The sun shone punishingly bright, illuminating the dust motes and dog hair swirling in the cabin. The air conditioning blew her hair away from her face. God, she was beautiful.

“You’re an artist in your bones. I know you’ll find your way.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Oh,” she said, shooting up in her seat as they moved through the intersection. She pointed out the window at a grocery store in the distance. “We need snacks.”

“Snacks? We just had brunch.”

She slid her heart-shaped sunglasses down the bridge of her nose. The strap on her overall-short things slipped off her shoulder.

“We can’t have a road trip without snacks. There are rules.”

“You have a lot of convictions about road trip etiquette for someone who doesn’t have a driver’s license.”

She nudged him. “Listen here, Mr. Three-Piece Suit. Snacks and playlists or a handful of carefully curated podcast episodes are required. I don’t make the rules.”

“Fine. But we’re not going to that grocery store.”

She peered at it. “Why? Is it owned by a rival vintner?”

He cracked a smile, then shook his head.

“No. It’s the price gouging. Nine dollars for a bottle of ketchup.

Thirty dollars for two chicken breasts. It would be cheaper to buy a plot of land and all the tools and materials necessary to become a farmer than it would be to do your weekly shopping there. ”

She settled back into her seat. “Damn. Okay, well, I’m sure we’ll pass a gas station or something. I’ll get to work on the playlist in the meantime.” She pulled out her phone. “What kind of music do you like?”

“Depends on the time of year and my mood. I’ve been in a nineties summer hits rut for weeks.”

She reached over and touched his arm. “I love nineties summer bops. Say no more.”

In no time, their nearly five-hour journey was punctuated by a well-rounded representation of nineties artists. Sugar Ray crooned as they rolled into the town of Bath.

Rett glanced in the rearview mirror. He couldn’t see Hammondsport from here, let alone his winery.

But even though he owed this trip to Jade after ruining her painting, the thought of stepping away from the winery for a full day brought a dim feeling of panic.

Anything could happen, and he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it from five hours away.

“So we should probably talk about the terms of our agreement,” Jade piped up.

His attention snapped back to the present. Elaine was capable. Everything would be fine. And he would check in every hour.

“Did you draw up a contract before bed?” he teased.

“No, I’m just thinking. If we really want to sell this lie, we’re going to have to put the work in and spend at least a little time together while I’m here in town.

Your parents still have friends here, I’m sure.

If they ask them about me at your event, we’ll be exposed right away if we’ve never been seen together and know nothing about each other. ”

She had a point.

“So what do you suggest?” he asked.

“Public dates. Town events, festivals, dinners out, canoodling in the gazebo. I’ll visit you at the winery. You can stop in at the café. We’ll have to take a lot of pictures and put them up in your house and office.”

“Did you just say ‘canoodling in the gazebo’?”

She threw her hands in the air. “It was just an example.”

“You sound suspiciously well-informed for someone who’s never fake dated anyone.”

“I’ve read a lot of romance novels in the past two years, okay? Trust me. We should discuss boundaries.”

“Boundaries?”

“Even in a fake relationship they’re important. Based on our earlier conversations, I would assume you would prefer that catching feelings is a boundary. The affection is just for show—when the party is over, we’re both free and clear.”

“Right,” he said. Thankfully she understood the situation. He should have thought of a fake girlfriend years ago.

“Okay, great.” She pulled up her notepad on her phone and began a list. “So criteria number one—no feelings. I might need some help with this one. If you could routinely insult me and remind me of your unredeeming qualities, that’ll really help.”

“Where do I start? Emotionally unavailable, baggage the size of Mount Everest.”

She put on a shocked face. “Same.”

“Nice.”

They fist bumped.

“Number two—no outside entanglements or situationships for the duration of the trial. If someone sees you hooking up with someone else while fake dating me, it’ll destroy your reputation.”

“This will probably shock you, but the dating pool in Hammondsport is exceedingly small.”

“I’m just saying. I’m sure you get a lot of tipsy hotties in the winery.”

His gaze drifted down to her outfit again. Overalls, but in the form of shorts. How did one even take them off? Now that she was staying, maybe she would be interested in exploring the physical connection between them. He had a deep feeling that this attraction wasn’t just one-sided.

Fuck it. It was about time he did something impulsive for once.

“Fair enough. I do have a question.”

She lifted her gaze from her phone. “Go on.”

“We should probably address the elephant in the room.”

She straightened up in her seat. “Which is?”

“The insane sexual tension between us.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Ah. So you noticed that.”

“If Penny hadn’t crashed into you last night, I would have dragged you into the shower with me. So we need to talk about it. What’s off limits?”

“Well,” she said, “I, for one, have no problem separating sex from feelings.”

Blood rushed south. How illegal was sex on the side of the road?

“Same. So there’s really no reason why this can’t be more of a friends-with-benefits situation.”

“Exactly,” she said. “So on the outside, we’re in love. And on the inside we’re?—”

“Enjoying each other’s company.”

“Then it’s decided,” she said. “Criteria number three—friends with benefits. We should probably make a subsection for dealing with PDA. What’s your comfort level like?”

“I think we’ll need some at least to sell the story. But what do you think?”

She nodded, and there was a glint in her eye. “I’m not opposed to a little public declaration. A hand on the small of my back, a quick kiss when the mood strikes. Holding hands in front of the neighborhood busybodies.”

“As long as we’re not being chased by anything.”

She stared at him. “Is that likely to happen?”

“You should see the groundhogs we get in the vineyard.”

She made a note in her phone. “Oh, what will you tell your family after the event? When I’m gone?”

He hesitated. “The truth. That you’re an incredibly talented artist who needed to go back to New York to chase your dreams.”

“If it helps, I could stage a very public breakup.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary. I’ll just put in a couple weeks of dramatic moping. It’ll get the point across.”

“Fair enough. Well, while we’re talking about sex, let’s make it as un-sexy as possible so I don’t spend the next three-and-a-half hours thinking about jumping on you and committing a traffic crime.”

His lips pressed together. “Go on.”

“First, I have an IUD, but condoms are a must. It’s nonnegotiable. I don’t need to accidentally bring a child—no matter how perfect their genetic makeup and bone structure would be—into this world when I can barely afford my rent.”

“Got it. I’ll pick up a box when we do our snack run.”

“Second,” she said, “there will be foreplay. I spent too many years of my life faking orgasms with a warm-blooded jackhammer. I will coach you until you get it right. And don’t worry,” she added with a hand on his thigh. “I’m a very enthusiastic giver as well as a receiver.”

The leather creaked beneath his palms on the steering wheel, and his pants stretched a bit tighter than they had moments before. “I thought we were supposed to be making this un-sexy.”

“Right. Sorry.” She withdrew her hand.

“So,” she said after a moment passed. “What are your expectations of me? How can I best wow your parents? I’ll need to do some research, I’m sure.”

“For starters, I would appreciate it if you could name drop Rhodes Vineyard when you describe the circumstances of your remarkable comeback in your next big interview.”

“Obviously,” she said. “What else?”

“Reconsider the paint and sip night. You could also help with some things for the party. I’ll pay you as an independent contractor—I can’t afford to pay you what you’re worth, though.”

“Something’s better than nothing. We’ll talk about it.” Her expression was cloudy in the reflection of the window.

“Also, I always want you to be yourself,” he began. “But historically speaking, my parents will ask for your top three favorite musical scores and Hollywood actors.”

“Got it. I’ll look into it. I think we’ve made great progress today. Any other boundaries I should note?”

“Open communication and truth always.”

“Definitely. Is it super tacky if I request a case of wine for my services?”

“I’ll send you home with two.”

“Deal.”

She extended a hand over the dog, and he shook it, cementing whatever the next two weeks would bring.