by Kim Karr
He shook his head. “Not to my knowledge, but I’m Baldwin Perkins and I knew your father a very long time ago.”
Tyler offered a hand. “Sir, it’s nice to see you.”
“And you are?” the older man asked.
“Grandpa,” Tabitha said, having just come out of the bathroom with Emerson on her hip. “That’s Tyler, Grayson’s friend. You met him at our wedding.”
The nearly ninety or so year-old man gave Tyler the once over. “Yes, of course, now I remember.”
Tabitha handed Emerson to Grayson and marched over to hug the old man. “If I had known you were coming, Grayson and I could have picked you up.”
His grin was wide enough to show his teeth. “Took one of those fancy Ubers,” he said. “Your sister arranged it for me.”
She laughed. “That’s Stacy for you. Always communicating. Well, I see you’ve met my friend, Paris.”
“What’s that?”
She repeated herself.
He nodded. “Oh yes, I have, and I was just telling her I knew her father a very long time ago.”
“You did?” she asked. “I didn’t know that.”
He put a hand to his ear. “Speak louder. I can’t hear you.”
Again, she repeated herself.
“Yes,” he said. “I sold him and that Holiday boy the largest piece of land I ever owned, and for what I considered a steal, too. They were green but eager to start making wine and I just couldn’t take that away from them.
“Grandpa,” she said louder. “This is Tyler Holiday. That Holiday boy’s grandson. I already told you, you’ve met him before.”
“I have?”
“Yes, sir,” Tyler responded.
The old man looked him up and down one more time. “You look just like your grandfather.”
Tabitha shook her head. “Do you want to come to my house for lunch?”
“You have a hunch?” he asked. “About what?”
She laughed. “Oh, Grandpa, never mind. Just come with me.”
The rain was letting up and a bit of sunshine was shining through the clouds by the time we stepped outside.
I sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. It was over. My father would be laid to rest and my life would change forever.
As I was staring out over the peaks and ridges of the valley, Tyler walked up and stood beside me. “Are you okay?”
Feeling better than I had in a long time, I turned to him. “I think I am.”
Sunshine streaked his face, and in the light I could see all the golden flecks in his brown hair. “Do you want to ride with me to Tabitha’s?” he asked.
“Oh,” Tabitha said, running up to us. “I’ll ride with Paris, and Grayson can take my grandpa and Emerson, that way she won’t have to come back later to get her car.”
My eyes went to Tyler. He said nothing to contradict her, so I responded by saying, “Okay.”
Tyler nodded his head and then said to Tabitha, “You don’t think your grandfather would know anything about the survey lines being changed on Vince Gable’s property, do you?”
She twisted her lip. “It’s worth asking, but the battery in his hearing aid must have died, so it’s a crap shoot if you’re getting the right answer.”
Tyler looked at me. “What do you say we give it a try?”
I smiled at him then. “I say yes.”
I didn’t mean our relationship . . . but I felt like I did.
Paris
I WASN’T SURE what to expect, but this wasn’t it.
Taking a sip of my wine, I sat in the chair and looked around. Tabitha’s house was gigantic. It was decorated by the most sought-after decorator, but it still had an overwhelming warmth about it.
From its high ceilings and tall windows that overlooked the tree-lined street to its light walls and recycled wood floors. She was less than a twenty-minute walk the town of Calistoga and in a neighborhood made up of many families her and Grayson’s age.
I looked down at the custom-made table. It matched the kitchen cabinets and showed a craftsmanship that demonstrated superior quality.
Lane sat across from me. The sleek ponytail she wore left her face unframed and she looked vulnerable. I watched as she sipped a glass of wine and shot darts at Christian with her eyes.
“She’s in warrior mode,” Darcy announced, setting a tray of fresh cut fruit and pastries down.
I raised a brow. “Should I know what that means?”
She tucked her chin-length swing of hair behind both her ears. “Just imagine what NASA is like before a rocket gets launched.”
Lane glared at her. “I’m right here and I can hear you.”
Darcy shrugged and pointed to the tray. “Come girls, eat.”
Reaching for the tray, Lane glanced at her. “How’s that dollhouse coming for your niece?”
She sighed. “Slow. Want to help?”
Lane glared at her now. “Hell, no,” she said and pushed the tray toward me. “Eat.”
I shook my head. “I’m full.” In truth, my stomach was a little upset after dinner, and I wasn’t so sure about the chocolate eclairs.
Lane shrugged and fixed herself a small bowl of berries. “Missed you in the gym this morning. Where were you?” she asked Darcy.
Having come into the room, all-ears Tabitha came straight for the conversation. “You missed going to the gym? Since when?”
She shrugged again but this time a pink blush washed over her cheeks. “I was busy.”
Lane squinted at her friend’s easy smile and slumberous brown eyes. “At six in the morning?”
Darcy turned even redder.
“Oh, my God, you had morning sex,” Tabitha declared.
Taking a seat between Lane and me, Darcy leaned forward. “Actually, I had amazing morning sex, thank you very much.”
Tabitha refilled her glass and reached for a raspberry, muttering, “Bitch.”
All eyes were on her and we almost all said in unison, “You have sex all the time.”
With a laugh, Tabitha dropped down in the only remaining empty seat at the table. “That’s half asleep sex, which is nothing compared to morning sex.”
“It was pretty great,” Darcy told us.
“Nasty, nasty bitch,” Tabitha clarified and popped a strawberry in her mouth.
We all laughed this time but then Tabitha sobered and looked at me. “Is this okay?”
I took a sip of my mineral water and set it down. “Is what okay?”
“That we’re not talking about your father?”
I smiled at her. “God, yes. This is exactly what I needed.”
She took my hand. “Good, then I want to hear more about Darcy’s morning.”
Tyler came striding in with his hands tucked in his pants. “What was Darcy’s morning like that made it so memorable? Interesting case or something?”
“Or something,” Tabitha coughed under her breath.
Tyler raised the sexiest brow and picked up one of the small tarts. “Yeah, probably best I stop asking.”
Tabitha’s lips twisted. “Did my grandfather wake up yet?”
He finished chewing and then nodded. “Actually, I was coming in here to see if I could steal Paris to talk to him.”
Pushy Tabitha practically blasted me right out of the chair. “She’d love to.”
Making a face at her, I got up and smoothed my pants. “Yes, that sounds like a great idea.”
As I followed him, Tabitha called my name. “Paris.”
I looked over my shoulder. “Call me in there if you need help. And good luck.”
I sent her a smile.
My instinct was to grab ahold of Tyler and I had to force myself not to. At the entrance into the living room, he stopped and almost placed his hand on my back, but he refrained. “Ladies first.”
I passed him and sat on the sofa across from the chair Mr. Perkins was perched in. He was sipping a glass of whiskey and raised it when he saw me. “Hello.”
Tyler sat beside me, but n
ot too close, and spoke loudly. “Mr. Perkins, Paris and I were hoping to ask you a few questions.”
The old man set his whiskey glass down. “No need to shout young man. I can hear you just fine. All I had to do was turn my damn hearing aid on.”
Okay then, the battery hadn’t died. Good. I grinned at him. “We were wondering if you remembered any of the details from the property you sold my father and Tyler’s grandfather.”
He studied me. “That was a long time ago.”
“Anything you can remember might be helpful,” Tyler told him.
Crossing one leg over the over, Mr. Perkins scrunched his features. This man was a cross between country and country club. “How about you start by telling me why you want to know?”
Tyler leaned forward. A sense of overwhelming power emanating from him as he told Mr. Perkins about the letter his grandfather left him and what he’d discovered about the property.
I sat forward too, mesmerized by the determination in his voice.
His huge body warmed mine just with how close he was. We were not touching, but I felt like we were. From the corner of my eye, I watched his profile as he spoke—with his strong jaw, sexy lips, that facial hair, and those long lashes—he really was beautiful.
Mr. Perkins rubbed his jaw. “You said Vince Gable’s winery is the only one of the three with direct highway access?”
Tyler nodded.
“I don’t think that’s right.”
“That’s the way the property was distributed.”
“Doesn’t make sense,” Mr. Perkins said. “The middle plat, although bigger, didn’t have highway access when I sold the land.”
Excitement swirled in the air. “That’s what we thought,” I told him. “But the old copies of the surveys we found amongst my father’s things aren’t clear enough to prove it.”
The old man slapped his knees. “Hot damn, if you wanted Highway Jane surveys, why didn’t you just ask me for them to begin with?”
Tyler and I both whipped our heads toward each other. “Highway Jane?” we asked in unison.
“Yeah,” Mr. Perkins said. “That was the original name put on the sales documents. I think I still have a bottle of that wine those two men made in the back of a pickup truck when they were trying to bribe me to give them an even lower price. Something about not wanting to take that third investor.”
“But you didn’t?” Tyler asked.
“Hell, no,” Mr. Perkins laughed. “I can’t stand the stuff. Now had they brought me whiskey, who knows what would have happened.”
We both laughed along with him although I found Tyler’s gaze and knew he was wondering what I was—yes who knows what would have happened.
“I have the surveys and the wine somewhere I’m sure. I just have to find them. Ask Tabitha, I never get rid of anything. Come by next Saturday and I’ll have the bottle and the surveys ready for you if you want them.”
I looked at Tyler.
He looked at me.
And we both smiled.
Highway Jane.
It couldn’t be more perfect.
Paris
I PROPPED MY feet up against the wall and hung my head off the side of the mattress.
My spirit was high and I felt lighter than I had in such a very long time. I was making a difference. I mattered.
We were making a difference.
We mattered.
We.
It had been a long week but a very fruitful one at that. The legal baton had been passed, so to say. I was now CEO of a completely bankrupt Highway 128.
Yeah, me.
But it was mine.
On a better note, the new wine blends had been decided on. They would be a mix of everything CJ was known for and include Highway 128 grapes.
It was the perfect merger. Our two wineries were becoming one more seamlessly than imagined, and the rebirth of Highway Jane was on the horizon.
In fact, the free-run wines were almost ready to bottle and the supplies had been ordered.
And then there were the CJ and Highway 128 vineyards, of which both had been pruned and framed, and were ready for spring to arrive.
I was excited and anxious, too.
Letting out a sigh, I stared at the clock. It was only five, and I had three hours to wait before the auction.
Before seeing him again.
This time, though, I sighed in frustration. Even after a cold shower, I still felt the warmth of Tyler all over me. The way he’d picked me up and swung me around when we’d gone to Mr. Perkins earlier today and retrieved not only the surveys, but the most perfect bottle of Highway Jane Chardonnay.
The label featured a pickup truck overlaid on top of the silhouette of a woman, of whom I imagined was Jane Holiday. The print was simple. It was black and white but the woman’s lips were red.
We both kind of fell in love with the concept and had decided to run with it. An entirely new launch would be in the works starting Monday.
It was exciting.
Being so close to him was exciting.
I was so turned on that my breasts felt heavy against the fabric of my tank top. I brought my head up to the mattress and pulled it up. Then I cupped them. Stroking each, I passed a palm over my nipples before pinching them both between forefinger and thumb.
A moan escaped my throat when they tightened under my touch. I tugged harder and felt a throb in my clit. Moving the taut flesh back and forth, I played with my nipples and couldn’t stop thinking of the way he used to play with them. The way he’d jerk them and make me cry out in pleasure.
My legs fell open at the very thought and my clit was begging for some attention. Still tugging on one nipple, I slid my hand right into my yoga pants and between my thighs. My clit was already swollen, tight, ready for my touch.
I bit my lip and played with my clit in the same way I did with my nipple. Pleasure and pain lapped at my skin.
My shoulder blades pressed against the mattress as I pushed my hips against my fingers, and then slid them inside me.
It felt good but it wasn’t enough. I wanted him and his thick, hard cock fucking me.
Still, I gave in to the pleasure, and as I came, I knew I missed him. That I wanted him.
Why did life have to be so hard?
I blinked out of my lustful haze and glanced at my sister’s diary on my bedside table. After reading it in its entirety and discovering the imperfections of my family, perhaps I was starting to see life more clearly.
Or in a more confused context.
I wasn’t even sure anymore.
I closed my eyes but then my phone rang. I glanced over at the screen to see Darcy’s name light up. She had never called me. “Hello?” I answered.
“Hi, Paris, it’s Darcy. I hope I’m not bothering you.”
I pulled my shirt back into place and righted my yoga pants. “No, not at all. What’s going on?” I asked, trying to even out my breathing.
“I wanted to call and talk to you about Tyler without meddling ears anywhere around.”
I grinned. She meant without Tabitha. “I’m listening,” I said cautiously.
“I ran into Tyler at the hardware store today and we went for coffee.”
“You did?” I shouldn’t have sounded surprised, but I was. When he said he had some things to take care of today, I thought he meant work. Not that it mattered.
“Yes, I’m trying to finish my niece’s dollhouse and apparently the hardware store is the place.”
I laughed.
She cleared her throat. “Well, anyway, I just felt I had to tell you, I really think he has changed so much since high school and I’m not sure you see what all of us see.”
I bit my lip. “I see a grown-up man who likes to party as hard as he likes to work.”
“Liked, not likes,” she clarified.
“Perhaps,” I replied.
“He told me about his parents.”
“He did?” I don’t know why I was surprised to hear this.
“Yes, he did. And I have to say, I think all-in-all he took the news pretty well.”
“Is that your medical opinion?” I quipped, trying not to sound snarky but very aware I was coming across that way.
“Honestly, yes. I see a lot of messed up people every day, and Tyler isn’t one of them. He’s hardworking, caring, and most importantly, he loves you.”
My heart pitter-pattered. “Did he tell you that?”
“No, but he told me he told you that. And that he feels really bad it came out at the wrong time.”
Glancing at the ceiling, I pondered all of this. Had I been seeing what I wanted to see in order to push him away? Was it my own reluctance to trust and my fear that was driving me to push him away?
“Don’t be mad, but I’m just going to ask this. Is it him disappointing you you’re afraid of, or you disappointing him?”
I tugged on my bottom lip with my teeth and swallowed a rush of emotion. “To be honest, I don’t even know anymore,” I sighed.
“Everyone makes mistakes, and it’s okay as long as they learn from them.”
“Yes, I know that.”
“Nobody’s perfect, Paris, but maybe Tyler Holiday could be your version of it, if you’re willing to give him that chance.”
Willing.
Was I?
This week had made me believe maybe I was.
“I appreciate the call,” I told her.
“Of course. I just wanted you to know. I’ll see you tonight. Right?”
“Yes, I’ll be there.”
“And consider what I said. Okay?”
“I will. Thank you, Darcy,” I told her and disconnected.
Tossing the phone aside, I closed my eyes.
I had a lot to think about.
Paris
I WAS LATE.
And the Meadowood Resort in St. Helena was a mob scene. With more than a thousand people packed under a huge circus tent that was heated with towers all around and sealed with some sort of wood flooring, finding anyone was nearly impossible.
I’d fallen asleep and only woken when Tabitha called me. There was little time to get dressed, but I managed. On my way to the auction, I’d thought a lot about what Darcy had said. Are you willing to give him a chance? The answer hadn’t changed. I wanted to believe I was.
Arriving under the tent just in time to see the auctioneer take the stage, I sighed in relief. He was shuffling across to the podium and pointing to the first lot. “Is everyone ready?” he roared.