Page 48 of Love Among Vines

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

JADE

“Oh, honey,” a voice behind her said.

Jade jumped like a bomb had gone off. Her paintbrush clattered to the floor, which she had thankfully covered in a drop cloth earlier.

“It’s stunning.” Margie put a hand on her arm. “I knew you could do it.”

“Well, it’s not finished yet,” Jade said, surveying the scene in front of her. There were still at minimum two days of work ahead of her on the mural—layering, detail work, final adjustments. But her success in painting hadn’t been limited to the small scale of canvas.

In front of her, a massive mural splayed over the café wall. A quaint scene played out—harvest festival banners hung from the trees. Gingham tablecloths covered the picnic tables at the lakeside park, strands of Edison bulbs shone against the magnificent sunset that settled over the crooked lake.

The library towered above the scene. Townspeople were sprinkled over the sidewalks and village green.

There was Ted the baker, muffin in hand.

Margie was closing up the café, partially obscuring the sunflower on her door.

She looked over her shoulder and smiled at someone—David, her deceased husband, who Jade had rendered from the memory of the picture in Margie’s glovebox.

Cindy and Tom walked toward the lake, bag of wine barely visible slung over Tom’s shoulder. Gemma descended the steps of the courthouse, yammering into a cell phone, while Elena waved down the block, stooped grandmother at her side.

And there, crowded together on the dock, were Jade, Rett, and Penny. A little piece of them would live on forever, even if it was just in the acrylic world she had created.

“I think it’s just about perfect. We’re closing up, honey. Why don’t you get cleaned up and I’ll give you a ride home?”

Jade blinked wearily. The day was catching up with her. “Speaking of home. You know how you offered me the guest house? In case I decided to stay?”

A small smile appeared on Margie’s face. “Mmhmm.”

“We’ll have to talk about rent. I was thinking starting in January?”

Margie laughed delightedly and pulled her in for a hug. “You decided to stay?”

Jade nodded. “Rett and I talked about it. We want to see where things go. And I love it here.” She gestured to the mural. “It’s home.”

Home. The reality was setting in. This wasn’t just some bachelorette jaunt to the Finger Lakes anymore. She had finally found the place where she belonged.

Margie wiped a tear away and took a step back. “Well, I’m honored to be your new neighbor. We’ll talk about rent later.”

Jade smiled. “Let me just rinse these brushes and get everything covered up and I’ll get out of your hair.”

She ran a hand over her eyes. They burned, and rubbing them was like sandpaper. Her phone beeped, and she glanced at it.

Rett: How did it go?

Her heart warmed. He had remembered to check on her at closing time even though he was probably in the middle of doing setup for the party. She glanced behind her at Margie, who had turned back to the mural with her hand pressed to her lips. Her eyes were glued to the tiny David.

Jade: Good. I think anyway. How is setup going?

Rett: Only seven or eight disasters so far. Do we really need unbroken glassware? People can just drink straight out of the bottle, right?

Jade grimaced. It was time to make good on her promise to help with the party. She would just steal a cup—or gallon—of coffee and head over to the vineyard. But first she had to pick up Penny the furry menace and her study materials for her learner’s permit.

After an exhausting hour towing Penny in a bike trailer, she rolled to a stop at the rack outside Rhodes Vineyard. Covered in sweat and legs burning, she secured the bike and looped Penny’s leash around her wrist.

Boom .

The bird cannon went off, and Penny panicked.

Jade cried out as Penny bolted for the nearest cover—the bed of Rett’s truck.

“Penny! Knock it off!” She didn’t have the energy to wrangle the startled retriever. But Penny, who had not biked six miles of hills, was more than equipped to drag her mom across the parking lot.

She leapt into the back of Rett’s truck and crouched down, quivering.

“What’s going on?” Rett called.

Jade turned. He was walking toward them, sleeves of his button-down rolled up to expose his forearms. Even though she was delirious from lack of sleep and probably looked like she had just crawled out of a swimming pool, something in her stirred at the sight of him.

Not even just lust. Full-on, heart-staggering love.

Rett, on the other hand, looked none the worse for wear. How was it possible that he looked like he had just wandered off the set of a photoshoot for Vintner Monthly ?

“I thought maybe you could use some help. Apparently Penny had other plans.” She gestured to the dog, who was still hiding in the truck bed.

He pulled something out of his pocket and waggled it in Penny’s direction. She approached cautiously, like she expected the treat to explode. Finally, after two more Milk Bones, she jumped down.

“Let’s get her inside before the cannon goes off again,” he said with a glance at his watch.

He slung an arm over Jade’s shoulder and pulled her in for a kiss.

“I’m so proud of you. I went home and looked at your paintings over lunch. They’re incredible.”

Her cheeks grew hot. “They still need some touch-ups. But it was nice to finally feel it again. Maybe everything’s not lost.”

“Have you talked to the gallery?”

She shook her head. “I emailed my rep, but she hasn’t responded.” Her insides twisted again. She hadn’t heard from them for a year. They had moved on to other artists who weren’t constipated. But there was no harm in trying.

He squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t worry. They’ll respond. And if they don’t, I’ll just buy them all.”

“Ha-ha. You couldn’t afford me,” she said breezily and entered through the door he held open for her. It was a lie. But the support was nice.

The winery was warm and welcoming as always. A small fire crackled in the hearth. Three groups were in the tasting room, rapt with attention as Elaine, her husband, and someone she hadn’t met yet explained the complexities of what they were tasting.

Another half dozen people were in the gift shop, perusing shelves and clutching bottles.

“Busy day,” she remarked.

“Yeah. It’s made it difficult to take stock of what we have and still need for the party.”

“Well, you’re in luck. I know absolutely nothing about throwing parties beyond the odd birthday, but I’m here to help. And you can pay me in sexual favors,” she said in a low voice.

A grin spread across his face. “Don’t tempt me. Did you really ride your bike all the way here?”

She nodded. “What can I say? When there’s a dude in distress, I must assist.”

“But you didn’t sleep all night.”

“Neither did you.”

“I had a cat nap, thank you very much. If I can’t persuade you to go back home and get some rest, come with me to the storeroom.”

“Can I drop something off in your employee fridge first? I know how you feel about under-refrigerated backpack cheese.”

He laughed and led the way. With the cheese safely stored, he led her down into the basement of the winery. They walked past towering crates of bestselling bottles to a door at the back of the room.

“Is this your office?” She stepped inside the dimly lit room. An outdated computer stood on a desk with a blotter covered in neat handwriting.

“I could use your help, actually. I can set up for an event just fine?—”

“Really? Didn’t you mention that all of your glasses were smashed?”

“Well, besides that. I can set up an event, but I can’t make it glamorous. I would really benefit from an artist’s opinion. I have a catalogue from the event planning company. They need to know about décor by tomorrow.”

“Why didn’t you say so? Let me at it.”

She collapsed into the chair behind Rett’s desk and picked up the catalogue. “What’s our budget and the guest list like?” she asked.

“Three thousand for décor. Food’s already set. That much I could handle. I’m only expecting about two hundred people.”

Jade balked. Only two hundred people? How did he even know two hundred people? She lived in one of the biggest cities in the country and was barely on a first-name basis with more than ten people.

“Perfect.” She picked up a highlighter and began perusing. Penny curled up at her feet, and Rett went off, presumably to fret about something else.

She marked off items from the event planning company. Sparkly gold tablecloths, loud feather-centric centerpieces, bejeweled bottle sleeves, and antique-looking glassware. An art deco archway. Gold, glam, and pearls everywhere. After a few cuts, she calculated her total.

Boom, totally glamorous and slightly under budget. She stood up to find Rett, and Penny followed like a shadow. He was nowhere to be found. Probably schmoozing with the customers.

She trudged up the stairs and through the back room. No sign of him. She pushed through the doorway into the gift shop.

There he was, chatting with two customers. But something wasn’t right. His arms were crossed, and his body was tense.

Instantly, she went on high alert. Was someone being rude? She would summon her inner New Yorker and toss the troublemaker out of the building.

She looked at Elaine, who seemed similarly uncomfortable. Even the cashier behind the register looked wary. Who or what were these new arrivals? Business inspectors? The Health Department, maybe?

She stepped closer. They appeared to be a couple. The woman was blonde, tall, rail-thin, and dressed like she was a personal assistant to Lisa Vanderpump. She had a fresh blowout and her shoes would have broken Jade’s ankles.

And then there was the man. Something about him looked familiar.

She narrowed her eyes. Holy shit. He looked just like a slightly older Rett.

The same green eyes and skin tone. Rett was a little bit taller, but he certainly didn’t have the air of superiority that seemed to waft off the other man like a toxic fog.

Was this the girlfriend-stealing brother? She straightened her shoulders and marched toward them.