“Are you jealous?” Rachel teased.
“No.” Avery crossed her arms. “Absolutely not. Why would I be jealous?”
“I don’t know, maybe the bit about you taking issue with Regina being all over Logan?”
Avery rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. He’s my boss. It’s my duty to protect him from opportunists like that one.” She raised her chin and gave a reverse nod in Regina’s general direction. “That’s not what I came over here to talk about. Are you sure you’re okay with the whole Eli situation? Because I never would’ve put you in an uncomfortable situation like that had I known the two of you have history. And while we’re on the subject, why don’t I know about that history?”
“It’s a long, long story that I can’t get into right now, but if it makes you feel any better, something good may come out of it. Has Logan mentioned anything to you about him and Eli opening a restaurant on the vineyard property?”
Avery shook her head. “That doesn’t surprise me. I think that would be more Eli’s department. But now that you mention it, Logan wanted me to ask you if you’re free to cater a Christmas party he’s having for some of the kids from the Barrels. It’s on the twenty-third.”
“Oh, the night before Christmas Eve. That makes it a little tough.”
“That’s too bad, he was very impressed with your food at Felicity’s Ball. He was really hoping you’d be available.”
Catering his party would be another opportunity to show him what she could do in the kitchen.
“You know what? Tell him I’ll make it work. You don’t have to say that. Tell him I said yes. Does he want to talk to me about the menus or will he leave it to you and me?”
“I have a feeling he’s going to leave that to us. Let’s talk about it later. Maybe even tonight when we meet Savannah for drinks. We’re still on, right?”
Her mother was taking Katie to a kids’ Christmas program at the community center tonight. That meant she was free to have a rare night out with the girls, rather than their usual quick cup of coffee in the mornings or lunch on the fly before she had to pick up Katie from preschool. She wasn’t complaining, but sometimes it was nice to have a girls’ night out. Hers would end around seven-thirty. But it was the quality that mattered. Not the quantity.
“We are. I’m looking forward to it.”
“So, tell me more about this restaurant that Eli and Logan want to open on the vineyard property. And why don’t I know about it?”
Rachel shrugged, but she couldn’t contain her smile. “Well, Eli came to see me Monday and said he and Logan wanted to talk to me about possibly helping them open it.”
Avery’s mouth fell open. “See, I knew everyone would love your food. Are you going to do it?”
Rachel shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s an exciting thought, but he just mentioned it. We haven’t talked details or specifics yet.”
“Does this mean that you’re going to go through with the Mama Bear Cookie offer? Sort of seems like a sign, doesn’t it? I mean, you’ve always wanted to open a restaurant. Mama Bear wants to buy you out at the same time that a restaurant opportunity becomes available. It kind of feels like kismet.”
“Kismet?” Rachel asked. “The play?”
“No, kismet means destiny.”
“Good because if you started singing Some Enchanted Evening, I’d have to walk away and never speak to you again.”
“Umm, Rachel?” Regina called. “A little help, please?”
She had four people at the table.
“I need to get back to work and help her.”
“Or not. Maybe she will fire you.”
“Don’t tempt me. I’d rather go and have coffee. I haven’t even had a full cup this morning. And shame on me. This is a good cause. I just wish we could talk and catch up.”
She suddenly wanted to talk to Avery about everything—all about her history with Eli, about the kiss on Saturday night, about the chance he was offering her—and about what was going on between Avery and Logan. Because she wasn’t buying her saying it was nothing.
“So, what are you going to do about the restaurant?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to have dinner with Eli on Friday night and try to figure it out.
Chapter Seven
As the week progressed, their Friday night dinner plans morphed into an overnight business trip to tour three local Hill Country wineries and stay overnight at the Red Bird Vineyards, where they’d planned to dine at the restaurant and sample plenty of wine.
Eli’s rationale was if they stayed over—separate rooms, of course—they wouldn’t have to worry about drinking and driving.
She’d smiled at the thought of being alone with him. “That’s very responsible of you.”
“I have my moments.”
Since it was going to take some arranging, he hadn’t expected Rachel to be able to get away, but she’d called on Thursday afternoon and said she had arranged for Polly to open and close the store and for Betty, her neighbor babysitter, to pick up Katie from preschool and keep her overnight.
He’d offered to pick her up, but since she’d told Betty she was going away on a business trip—which this was; it was business—she insisted on meeting him at his place where she’d leave her car and they could go together.
She arrived at his bungalow about nine-thirty Friday morning and he invited her in for coffee.
“This is a nice setup Logan has here,” she said as she glanced around the living room.
“It’s great, isn’t it? The entire apartment that I grew up in would fit in the living room.”
He tried to see the place through her eyes. The open-concept plan, with a large living room, dining room, and kitchen. The vaulted, beamed ceilings and hardwood floors topped by expensive rugs and furniture. The generous windows let in a lot of light.
She took a seat on a stool at the kitchen island. “How long are you going to stay here before you get a place of your own?”
He set a cup of coffee in front of her. “I figured I’d stay here until after the holidays and then find a place. Do you want crème or sugar?”
“Black is fine.” She blew on the hot liquid and then took a tentative sip.
“There’s just one thing missing,” she said.
“What’s missing?”
“A Christmas tree. You need a Christmas tree if you’re going to be here through the holidays.”
He made a noise of protest, but she held up her hand.
“Eli, what kind of a holiday will it be if you don’t have a tree?”
It would be the best holiday of his life if he got to spend it with her. If him getting a tree would make her happy—
“You’ll have to come with me to pick it out.”
She smiled. “I’d love to.”
“We’ll get it tomorrow on our way back from our fact-finding mission. But you’ll have to help me pick out ornaments and stuff to decorate it with because I have nothing.”
“I can do that,” she said.
They spent the day touring three vineyards and sampling the food at the on-site restaurants and bistros. At Rusted Fish Winery, the ordered from their lunch menu.
Next stop was the Hedgehog Falls Winery, where they sampled selections from the light bites menu.
It had turned out to be a beautiful day. A little chilly, but warmer in the sun. They sat out side under the arbor savoring a bottle of Blanc du Bois. They talked about all the different types of menus they could offer: Lunch and/or dinner; full menu or light bites. And then there was the actual food. They had a lot to consider.
During a lull in the conversation, she took a deep breath and seemingly before she could lose her nerve, she asked, “Who were you covering for before you left town?”
“Does it really matter? It was a long time ago. I was a kid, Rachel.”
“But you maintained that you were innocent. You said I didn’t stand by you. That’s a pretty heavy accusation. I think I deserve to know.”
“And if I told you I
really was guilty, that I did it, would it change things between us now?” He reached out and took her hand. “Would you not want me to do this?”
She looked at his hand, but she didn’t pull away.
But he did. “I was covering for my brother.”
“Caleb?”
Eli nodded.
“Why would you do that? Stealing a car is a felony. Why would you take the blame?”
“Because he’d already been in trouble—twice. He would’ve gone down for that one.”
“So would you. If they’d convicted you, you would’ve gone to prison.”
“I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I knew I wasn’t guilty. It was a chance I had to take.”
“The sheriff caught you behind the wheel of the car,” she said.
“I was trying to return it before Donna noticed it was missing, but I was too late.”
“But what about Caleb? Where is he now?”
“He’s doing all right for himself. He’s in Houston working on an oil rig. He finally got himself together. After I left, he knew he was on his own. My aunt threatened to throw him out of her apartment and made him get rid of the chip on his shoulder and grow up.”
“Even though he was willing to let you take the fall for the crime he committed.” She held up her hands. “I’m sorry. That sounds so judgmental. I didn’t mean it to. I’m an only child. I guess I don’t fully understand the bond between brothers.”
Eli sipped his wine. “The way I look at it is everything happens for a reason. Like I already told you, if Donna hadn’t sent me packing to California, I wouldn’t have learned the wine business. If not for that, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”
“So, you don’t think we would’ve ended up together if you hadn’t left?”
He shrugged and toyed with the stem on his wineglass. “It’s hard to say. Do you believe if I’d stayed in Whiskey River, you wouldn’t have married Lyle?”
She stared into her wineglass, moved it so that the wine swirled around the bowl.
Eli answered for her. “That’s not a fair question. You don’t have to answer it.”
A tear ran down her cheek and she reached up and swiped it away.
He could be such an asshole sometimes. He shouldn’t have brought up her husband. The guy was dead. That had to be upsetting to her. “Hey, I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m a jerk. Just forget I said—”
“No, it’s not your fault. I just—I’ve never told anyone this before…I didn’t love Lyle. In fact, I was ready to leave him the day he died. I’d just discovered I was pregnant and I knew I couldn’t stay.”
A sob wracked her whole body. “I know you’re probably thinking I’m horrible, taking Lyle’s unborn baby away from. But I—I couldn’t stay with him. It wasn’t safe.”
Eli got up and went around the table to sit next to her and pull her into his arms and comfort her.
He wasn’t sure if he should ask, but he was going to. “What do you mean it wasn’t safe?”
Rachel sobbed into his chest.
“Did he hurt you?” Eli asked.
Rachel nodded through the sobs and buried her face in his shirt. “He hit me. After we’d been married a couple of months, he got so moody. He traveled a lot with his job, and when he was home, he would drink a lot. And when he would get drunk he would be so emotionally abusive. But he only hit me once and that’s when I decided to leave him. No one knew I was leaving him. They think I’m the poor widow. They have no idea that he hit me and I was going to leave.”
“That son of a bitch.” Eli fisted his hands and pounded on the table. “If he was alive I’d kill him.”
Rachel shook her head. She sat up and wiped tears away from her eyes with the cocktail napkin that Eli had handed her.
“I had no business marrying him,” she said. “He wasn’t easy to live with, but I thought I was strong enough to ignore his verbal jabs and emotional punches.”
“Emotional and verbal abuse is still abuse,” Eli said. “You didn’t deserve that, Rachel. I can’t believe he laid a hand on you.”
His blood boiled, but the son of a bitch was dead and his getting riled up was clearly upsetting Rachel. There was no need to rail. He took a deep breath and held her closer.
“I’m so sorry you went through that.”
“I thought it was the only way I could get over you. I don’t mean to put the guilt on you. I thought you left me.”
“Now we both know the truth. Donna is the one who kept us apart.”
“Seriously,” Rachel said. “I seriously thought you left me because you didn’t love—that you could never love a fat girl.”
“What the hell are you talking about? You weren’t fat.”
“I always thought you wouldn’t be able to love me because of my weight,” she said. “It’s always made me feel unlovable. I thought maybe that was some of the reason that you left when you did, like you did. Without saying goodbye.”
“You were not and you are not fat. You’re perfect. I’ve always thought you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met in my life. The sweetest. The kindest.”
“No. No, I’m not. I—I’ve never told anyone that I had already decided to leave him but he died before I could. I’d packed up my clothes and I’d left the house. I was on my way from Houston, back to Whiskey River, when I got the call that he’d had an aneurysm. He didn’t know I was pregnant. I hadn’t had a chance to tell him. He’d gotten back from a trip. He was tired and he was in the cups. There was no way I was going to tell him we were having a baby when he was drunk. I don’t even remember what set him off, what made him hit me. But after he did, I decided there was no way I was going to subject a baby to that monster.”
She stopped suddenly and looked up at him as if she’d said too much.
He pulled her back into his arms. “It’s okay. You did the right thing.”
“No,” she said. “There’s one more thing. He was at home when he died. He’d gotten my note telling him I’d gone and I wasn’t coming back. I’ve always worried that my note threw him into such a bad temper, that maybe I was the one who was responsible for his death. But after I got home, everyone felt sorry for me, the poor, pregnant widow. And for Katie after she was born, the poor baby girl who would never know her father. I didn’t want people’s pity. I knew I didn’t deserve it—for so many reasons. He died of an aneurysm. Logically, I know I wasn’t responsible for his death. But the ugly truth was, when he died, I felt like I was set free.
“I know that’s a horrible way to be. You have every right to think the worst of me. So, if you can’t do this—” She waved a hand in the air. “Whatever this thing is that we seem to be moving toward, I understand. But I figured I couldn’t very well demand the truth from you if I didn’t give you the same.”
He took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes.
“Let me get two things straight,” he said. “First, he hit you—he didn’t deserve you mourning him. The only thing you needed to be thinking about was how to start over and care for your daughter. Second, you are the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. So, don’t you dare doubt that and don’t you change a thing about yourself.”
By the time they checked in to the Angel Shine Vineyards Bed and Breakfast, the final winery on their tour, they were too emotionally spent to want dinner. So, they opted to go to their rooms. The B&B accommodations were separate outbuildings scattered throughout the property. Even though each unit had a small kitchen, a living room, and a separate bedroom, Eli had booked one for each of them, so as not to make Rachel feel pressured or uncomfortable.
After they parked his truck, he walked her to her bungalow. She had pulled herself together, even if she still seemed quiet. Neither of them wanted to rehash what they’d shared earlier at Hedgehog Falls.
“Would you like to come in and have one more glass of wine before we call it a night?” she asked.
Of course he would. He wasn’t quite ready to say goodnight to her.
&nb
sp; Rachel inspired a particular kind of calm in him that made him believe that everything in life just might be okay when they were together. Spending today together was proof of that. It was easy to be with her, even when they were talking about the difficult stuff.
It was as if when they were breathing the same air, he was sure everything would be okay. They were great when they were together. Trouble always wedged itself between them when they were apart.
She looked at him for a moment, unsaid words hanging in the air between them. “Do you remember the night that started it all for us?”
Did he remember? That day had set the gold standard for all lovemaking. It was a hot, humid August night. The kind that clung to you like a second skin, making everything steamy and sticky. They’d both worked the closing shift at Baron’s that night. After work, they’d hung around and talked for a while.
They’d been flirting with each other for weeks, but he had been hesitant to make the first move.
“It was your idea to skinny dip,” he said, the memory of it making him hot. He used the wine opener to open another bottle of the house Cabernet Sauvignon, poured two glasses of wine, and brought them over to where she was sitting on the couch.
“It most definitely was.” Her voice was hoarse and raspy, as if she still wasn’t quite herself yet. And she was looking at him in a way that had him gripping the edges of restraint to keep from reaching for her.
“If I hadn’t made the first move, we probably would’ve never gotten together. But once I got the ball rolling, I seem to remember you being a willing participant.”
“Are you kidding me? All it took was you taking off your clothes and walking down into the river. Good God, almighty. I will never forget that night.”
“I’m glad it was memorable.”
“Oh, you have no idea the things I remember.”
She was teasing him with the way she was looking at him from underneath long, dark lashes. The look unleashed a need that had him longing for what they’d shared all those years ago.
They may have spent years apart, but that longing had never subsided. He may have compartmentalized it, but it had lived inside of him every hour of every day. He’d never stopped dreaming of holding her, of breathing her in, of loving her with his mind and heart.
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