by Darcy Burke
Everyone chuckled around the table, which prompted Emma to squeal in her high chair between her parents. Sara and Dylan both turned to their five-month-old daughter and made silly faces and nonsensical comments. Cam smiled as he answered his mom, “I’m going to try to cook something. Don’t hold your breath.”
Mom got up and started gathering plates. Sara joined her, saying, “Let me help you clear the table.”
Dad jumped to his feet. “Come on boys. Sara, sit and enjoy your daughter.” When Dylan stood, Dad waved him back down. “Not you. The other ones.”
Dylan leaned back in his chair and grinned tauntingly at his half-brothers.
Cam picked up his plate and one of the serving dishes and bussed them to the kitchen, passing Dad on his way back out. Mom stood at the open dishwasher and shook her head at her three sons. “Look at all of you—alone. Couldn’t one of you have brought a date tonight?”
Cam and Luke and Jamie exchanged glances, but it was Cam who spoke. “Don’t look at me. You know I’m a committed bachelor. Jamie’s the one with a girlfriend. Where’s Madison?”
He shrugged. “Busy.”
Mom frowned. “You’ve only brought her over once. Didn’t she like us?”
Jamie set the dishes he’d brought on the counter. “We’ve only been dating a couple of months, and we’re not that serious. But really, she’s just busy tonight.”
“I see.” Mom pursed her lips as she started loading dishes in the dishwasher. “What about you, Luke? Why aren’t you dating someone?”
“Because he’s still hung up on Paige,” Jamie said.
Luke scowled at him. “You’re full of crap. I don’t have time to date anyone. It’s summertime, and I’ve got crops to tend.”
Jamie smiled at him. “You’re such a good target.”
Luke punched him in the arm.
“Ow!” Jamie massaged his bicep.
Luke grinned. “You’re a good target too.”
Mom straightened. “Boys, knock it off.” She added another dish and then lifted her gaze to Cam’s. “Maybe if you’re willing to try cooking, you’ll be willing to try dating someone. It won’t kill you, you know.”
No, it wouldn’t, but his heart had barely recovered from his last girlfriend, and he had no desire to put it to another test. At least not yet and maybe not ever. “Maybe someday, Mom, but like Luke, I’m busy with the winery right now. Sorry, but you’re going to have to get your grandma fix with Emma.”
That was what this was really about. She adored her step-granddaughter, but she was still just a “step.” Mom had never fully embraced Dylan as her son, not when his own mother was still a big part of his life. On one hand, Cam understood her not wanting to intrude on Dylan’s relationship with his mother, but on the other, Cam thought Dylan might have liked that, especially when he was growing up living in two households for a week at a time. It had been a chaotic upbringing, and Cam hated that Dylan had suffered because of it.
Cam supposed it probably played into his reluctance to settle down. Divorce was a common occurrence, and the breakup he’d gone through eight years ago had been just as devastating. He couldn’t imagine going through that after marrying someone, especially if they had children.
“And why not?” Luke asked, addressing Cam’s comment about getting her grandma fix. “Emma’s adorable. In fact, why don’t you go do the grandma thing, and we’ll finish up in here?”
Mom stopped and looked at them. “Really? That’s very nice of you.” She smiled, and the warmth in her gaze was full of love and pride. “I have the nicest boys. Thank you.” She hugged each of them and started for the dining room but turned back. “Wait, I bet Emma would like a cookie.” She grabbed a box of some sort of baby biscuits from the pantry and left.
Luke wiped his hand over his brow. “Whew, dodged that bullet.”
Jamie started filling the dishwasher, and Cam went to rinse dishes.
“I knew you weren’t just being nice,” Jamie said, laughing.
“Hey, whatever it takes to end the inquisition.” Luke sent their little brother an arch look. “Unless you’d like me to call her back so she can ask you more questions about why Madison isn’t here.”
Jamie shuddered. “No, thanks. We’ve got a low-key thing going. I realized as soon as I brought her to brunch here last month that it was a dumb move. Mom hasn’t stopped asking about her since.”
Cam handed him a bowl for the dishwasher. “Madison didn’t dump you after that, huh?”
“Nah, she actually thought it was cute. She felt flattered that Mom was so interested in her.”
Cam wasn’t surprised. Their mother could be intense, but she was also fun, and she had no trouble chatting people up. She had a great knack for finding a common topic and making people feel engaged and included. He’d employed some of her techniques in sales situations, and they’d worked well for him.
Jamie pronounced the dishwasher full, so Cam dropped a soap packet into it and programmed it to run later. “You know,” Jamie said, “you’re both using the winery as an excuse to live a monk-like existence. Cam, I get why you’re doing it. I mean, it’s been eight freaking years, but whatever. But Luke, from what I can tell, your breakup with Paige wasn’t tough. Or is there something you’re not telling us?”
Luke and Paige had been together for about three and a half years—most of them in California. They’d tried a long-distance relationship when he’d moved back here two years ago, but it had barely lasted a year. Luke didn’t disclose much, so they all assumed the long-distance thing just hadn’t worked out. Cam also assumed things hadn’t been that serious since she hadn’t moved with him. She worked for a winery. It wasn’t as if there weren’t any winery jobs around Ribbon Ridge.
Luke shook his head. “Don’t do Mom’s dirty work for her.”
Jamie laughed. “Not guilty. Just trying to figure you guys out.”
“Why, so you can write a dissertation on romantic relationships?” Cam asked. He was only half kidding. Jamie had told them just yesterday that he was considering pursuing a PhD.
“Ha. Very funny.” Jamie leaned back against the counter and folded his arms. “I’m all about the money, man. No psychology or human development for me.” Yes, he was a numbers guy through and through. In fact, he was probably the least likely of them to succeed in a romantic relationship given his overly analytical mind. He wasn’t so great at demonstrating emotion.
“I’m thinking it’s ironic that you’re the one in a relationship,” Cam said.
Luke grabbed a beer from the fridge and nodded. “Good call.” He held up the bottle. “Anyone else?”
“Hit me.” Cam held out his hand, and Jamie did the same.
“Let’s not get all crazy and call my thing with Madison a relationship,” Jamie said. “We hook up once or twice a week maybe. It’s extremely casual.”
Luke pulled the bottle opener from a drawer and popped his top, then handed it off to Jamie. “Is it exclusive?”
Jamie opened his bottle and rolled his eyes, grinning as he gave the opener to Cam. “Yes. I’m not Cam.”
Cam was used to their teasing, but of late it had grown stale. Why did he care? They weren’t wrong. He didn’t do exclusivity. Not since She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.
“True. My bad.” Luke lifted his bottle. “To doing whatever the hell we damn well please.”
Jamie stepped forward and tapped his bottle to Luke’s. “Indeed.”
Cam did the same but felt a strange knot in his gut. He’d spent eight years guarding himself from pain and heartbreak, but was that how he planned to spend his entire life? For the first time, he didn’t really know.
Brooke crossed the finish line of the 10k two seconds before Jana. Naomi, who ran much faster than either of them and had likely finished at least five minutes ago, waved at them from just past the finish area.
After collecting their medals and grabbing waters, Brooke and Jana joined Naomi, who appeared rested and beautiful.
&nbs
p; “You barely look like you ran a race,” Jana said, her face still red. “I hate you right now.”
Naomi laughed. “I run at least five miles every day. This is like a walk in the park for me.”
Jana glared at her. “You’re not helping defuse my hatred.”
Naomi laughed harder. “Sorry.”
Jana looked down at herself and made a face. “It’s not fair. You have the legs of a gazelle, while mine are like a rhino.”
Brooke laughed. Naomi was blessed with long, athletic legs. Her form was built for running, whereas Jana was curvier, and yeah, her legs were kind of short. “Not a rhino. How about a miniature horse?” Brooke suggested.
Jana transferred her glare to Brooke. “You’re not helping either.” She suddenly laughed. “Screw it. I need a beer. This after-party has beer, right?”
“Yep, and rum.” Naomi rubbed her hands together. “And hot guys. I chatted with a trio who finished right behind me. They’re waiting for us in the beer garden.”
Jana nearly choked on her water. “Ack! I look like hell!”
“You look awesome!” Naomi said. “That shirt does amazing things for your boobs. Which are already amazing. You can envy my legs all you want, but your tits are, well, tits.”
Brooke snorted. Saying things were “tits,” meaning “fantastic,” had become Naomi’s latest catchphrase.
Jana tossed a bit of water at Naomi, and she jumped back, laughing. “Yeah, well you can buy tits if you want them so badly. I’ll never have your legs.”
Naomi continued to laugh. “True.”
With nothing more to contribute to this odd conversation, Brooke finished the last of her water. “I think I’m going to take off.”
Both Naomi and Jana turned toward her. “No!” Jana said, her brows slanting over her eyes. “You always bail when we try to hook you up.”
“Yes, because I don’t want to be hooked up.” Their incessant prodding was one of the reasons—maybe the primary reason—she’d moved out of Jana’s townhouse and stopped hanging out with them as much. She’d invited them to the salmon bake thinking they’d maybe just want to have a girls’ night. But no, they’d both been on the prowl as usual.
“You’d be a lot happier if you just got laid,” Naomi said. “And these guys are hot.”
She probably wasn’t wrong—Brooke hadn’t had sex in ages. But she also wasn’t interested in just having sex with some rando. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. See you guys.”
She smiled and waved before she turned, hoping to take the sting out of her departure. She didn’t want them to think she was mad. At the same time, she couldn’t think of when she might call them to hang out again, which bummed her out. She’d latched on to Jana when she’d moved up here from Medford because she was the only person Brooke had known in the area. Then Jana had introduced her to Naomi, and it had seemed like she’d anchored herself with a couple of good friends. But now she realized that wasn’t really the case. Maybe she’d have better luck in Ribbon Ridge.
She thought of Cam. Was he her friend? Maybe, but he was also a coworker. Neither was the same as having girlfriends. Hopefully she’d find some, or she was going to get very homesick. And she didn’t want to go back home. There were too many memories. Too many things she wanted to block from her mind, including her ex-husband.
She drove back to Ribbon Ridge and decided to stop for a coffee. Her favorite brew was at a little place called Stella’s. It was a few blocks from her loft, so she drove straight there and was lucky enough to park right outside.
As she walked to the entrance, the door opened and out walked Cam sipping on a tall iced beverage. “Well, if it isn’t Brooke Ellis,” he said, smiling as he slipped his sunglasses on. His gaze dipped over her. “You already ran a race this morning?”
She looked down and realized she hadn’t removed her bib with the race number. “Yeah, a 10k over in Newberg. And now I need a coffee if I’m going to make it through the day.”
“Definitely—I know you have an important appointment this afternoon.”
She chuckled. “With you. Yes, very important.”
“Hey, I’ve been looking forward to it since we set it up.”
Had he? She had too, if she was honest, which she wouldn’t say out loud. He was already too flirty, and she shouldn’t encourage him. But hadn’t she done that the other night when she’d invited him to try to kiss her some other time?
She’d thought about that over and over and cursed her stupidity. She didn’t want to hook up with some random guy… Granted, he wasn’t random.
Yikes, what was she doing?
Time to change the subject to something safer. She nodded toward the cup in his hand. “What’s your poison?”
“Iced caramel macchiato.” He leaned close and lowered his voice. “Don’t tell them inside, but I never order the same thing twice in a row—I like to keep them on their toes.”
“Really?”
He laughed. “No, I just like variety.”
In coffee as well as women. Ugh, where had that icky thought come from? The vulnerable part of her that dictated she keep herself free and clear of nasty romantic entanglements. Only, it kept her free and clear of any romantic entanglements. Her divorce had been final for well over a year. Wasn’t it past time she moved on?
She pushed her attention back to their conversation. “Since you clearly come here often, what’s your favorite drink?”
He blew out a breath. “Whew, that’s tough. I love anything with caramel, but really espresso is my go-to. Here, try this.” He handed her his drink.
Stupidly, she realized she was about to put her lips where his had been. She looked at him as she took the straw in her mouth but couldn’t see his eyes behind the sunglasses.
“Are you trying to drink that in the most seductive way possible?” His voice had lowered but still held that sexy, flirty vibe.
Her belly pitched in response, and she couldn’t suppress a smile. Nor could she avoid batting her eyelashes as she sucked on the straw. She handed it back and licked her lips, fully aware of how “seductive” she probably looked. Flirting with him was probably a bad idea, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. “Delicious. I’m totally ordering that.”
“I’d love to stay and keep you company—really I would.” He sounded a bit pained. “But I have to get up to the winery. I’ll console myself with the fact that I get to see you in a few hours.”
Her stomach was still full of butterflies. His voice was so sexy, particularly when he flirted with her. “That you do. After I shower and make myself more presentable.”
He moved closer and leaned toward her ear. “Newsflash, sweetheart, you look absolutely stunning as is, and I’d bet you always do. See you later.”
His words sparked a delightful shiver along her neck that worked its way down her spine. She pivoted and watched him walk away down the street. Eventually, she turned and went inside, confident she’d never look at a caramel macchiato the same way again.
Chapter Six
The bright August sun hit Cameron full force as he stepped outside the front door of the winery a few minutes before one o’clock on Saturday. He slipped on his sunglasses and inhaled the scents of cut grass and blackberries. A bramble of bushes grew along the opposite side of the road, and this time of year, the air was full of the fragrance of ripening fruit.
At that moment, Brooke pulled into the gravel lot. He waved and walked to where she parked.
She stepped out of the car, and Cameron couldn’t help but look his fill. Her blonde waves grazed her shoulders, and she wore fitted khaki shorts with a cornflower-blue tank. She was also sporting her Burberry sunglasses so he couldn’t see her eyes.
She closed the car door. “Waiting for me?”
Absolutely. He’d meant what he’d said earlier—he’d been looking forward to this since they’d set the appointment. “You’re right on time. And dressed for a hike.” He dipped his gaze toward her boots. They looked worn. “You hike a l
ot?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know if ‘a lot’ is accurate, but some.” She kicked a pebble. “These are kind of old and beat up.”
“We should hike sometime. Hayden’s wife is really into it. We’ve taken some cool weekend trips.”
Brooke turned toward the winery. “Where are we starting?”
He noted that she ignored his invitation. She probably wanted to keep to business, as she’d told him the other night. But then he’d walked her home, and they’d had that near kiss. Plus, she’d openly flirted with him this morning with that sexy straw situation. It seemed like a social relationship might not be out of the realm of possibility. He sensed she preferred to take things—if there was ever going to be a thing—slow. He could do that.
A tiny voice somewhere in the recesses of his mind asked how he could keep things casual and nurture a slow-burn relationship at the same time. He pretended that voice was talking to someone else.
“We’ll start inside, if that’s okay,” he said. “Hayden will be here in a few minutes.”
“Sounds good.”
Cam held the door open as she stepped inside. Cool air greeted them, and he pulled his sunglasses off. “Hot one today.”
“Definitely.” She pushed her glasses to the top of her head. She wore very little makeup, and he stood by his earlier assessment that she was stunning anytime.
He turned his brain to the winery. “This is a gravity flow facility, which I’m sure you figured out. Top floor is business offices, and this main floor will be the tasting room—”
“This space exactly, right?” She walked over to the wall of glass doors that opened to the patio and pushed one open.
“Yes. The build-out is starting in a couple of weeks.” He followed her outside onto the covered deck. “This will be a pretty sweet place to sit and have a glass of Riesling.”
She flashed him a smile before returning her gaze to the panorama before them. “Gorgeous view—same as upstairs.” It overlooked the vineyard and the town of Ribbon Ridge below. “Did you lose much vineyard when you built this?”