Page 17 of The Pretender

“True.”

“Madison is great. Robin’s Grove is small, quaint, but I’ve never had issues when I’m in town.”

“That’s good.”

“What about you?”

“I’m fine with whatever. I want you to feel comfortable with me and treat me like anyone else you’ve dated.”

Deo nods, grazing his bottom lip with his teeth as he gazes out the window. The city around us could not be more differentfrom the one we just left. It’s less crowded, less busy, less chaotic. The driver navigates the traffic easily, making it to the freeway and heading to our destination with ease.

“You grew up here?”

Deo nods. “Yep, but I knew when I was young that I would leave. This city was too small for me. I thought a bigger, more urban environment would be my jam.” He’s quiet for a second. “And it was for a long time, but there’s so much that goes along with it, isn’t there?”

“Yes.”

“Like the cost of things. Rent is a beast. Traffic. People everywhere. All the time. I didn’t live in the best neighborhood, so I had to deal with sirens a lot, police around, helicopters sometimes. Still, I kind of loved it for a long time.”

“What changed?”

He shakes his head, turning his pretty eyes to me. “It got too hard, I guess. Lonely. It’s hard to find people who want real connections because there’s so much vying for your attention there.”

“Very true.”

“Were you raised there?”

I nod. “Nearby. Moved to the city over twenty years ago.”

“Did you like it?”

“I didn’t know anything different. Growing up, my dad was a truck driver, so he was gone a lot.” A flood of bad memories rush in. It’s no wonder I ended up following in his footsteps in some ways. “He got in with some bad guys. They were always hanging around the house.”

“What kind of bad guys?”

“Just bad.” I exhale in a huff. “My mom always said don’t be like them. Be a good man. At the end of the day, your goodness is all that matters.”

“And you’ve been successful. She’d be proud.”

I scoff at that. She’d be devastated.

The driver exits the highway and heads towards the big sign announcing Robin’s Grove. Deo briefly tenses, then blows out a breath and shakes out his shoulders. He whispers something I can’t make out.

“What was that?”

Deo swallows, forcing a smile to his lips. “Reminding myself of the fancy drink side of this. I haven’t seen my family in more than two years. It’ll be good to see them.”

“I’m sure they’ll be happy too.”

We turn down a long road lined with trees that probably look amazing in the fall when their leaves are changing, but they’ve gone dormant for winter. We pass a massive stone sign announcing the winery and vineyard, but it’s seen better days. The wording is so faded from the weather that it’s hard to make out, and some of the stones are crumbling away.

“You have visitors here?”

Deo shrugs. “I’m not sure anymore. We used to, but things have been rough for a while.”

“Which building?” the driver asks.

“That one to the right.” Deo points ahead to an old wooden structure that looks out of place at a vineyard. I guess I was thinking more Tuscany than farmhouse.