Risking the Vine (Romancing the Vine Book 1)

by Gemma Brocato

  Dad sat at the kitchen table to keep them company while Jac helped her mom get their meal on the table. As they worked, she explained her plan to them. A plan they heartily favored.

  “So exciting for you to restart the farm,” her dad said. “It will be nice to see you happy at something you love. Not working for that—”

  “Brad!” her mom scolded.

  “Jac hasn’t been happy at MedServices since the last time Ted screwed her out of promotion. I’m thrilled she’ll be out of there.”

  Her dad beamed at her, pride evident in his eyes.

  Mom clucked, but said, “I’m happy too. Jacqui, I’d love to help you redecorate. The first thing to tackle will be the wallpaper in the kitchen. It was lovely when my dad put it up thirty years ago.”

  Jac shuddered. “You’re right. That’s a lot of years to accumulate grease and grime.”

  Tears gathered in the corners of Mom’s eyes. “Not much has changed since I was a girl. Dad always promised, but there never seemed to be time. I’d give anything to have him still here, choosing new wallpaper.”

  Jac missed the old man almost as much as her mom.

  “Your Gramps has been gone for three years. That’s long enough for the soil to lay fallow. It’s time to make the farm pay again.” Mom’s voice shook slightly.

  Dad had talked about the markets and which spices and herbs he thought would be more in demand. “Are you planning to venture into Brassica crops?” He’d surprised Jac with the depth of his knowledge.

  They’d spent the rest of her visit discussing the pros and cons of different options. Conversation had been lively and peppered with laughter.

  Luke had shown up at her condo just after sunset. When he’d walked through the door, his level of frustration had shot high, leaving him in a foul mood. “The bargaining session didn’t go well,” he complained. “Brian was belligerent in the face of the nurses’ demands. They still refuse to return to work.”

  “Poor baby,” Jac crooned. It was the only thing she could offer, to be supportive.

  “I stayed after negotiations to work a short shift in the emergency room. The second Bella shown up to relieve me, I blew out of there.”

  He decompressed over a quiet dinner, actually relaxing. By the time they’d finished off a loaded pizza, Luke was laughing at her stories about Deidre.

  Jac spread a blanket on the floor and ordered, “Okay, take off your shirt.”

  The heat in his eyes burned hot as an autumn bonfire. He tossed his pale blue button-down over the back of the sofa, and didn’t resist when Jac pushed him to the floor and made him lie on his stomach.

  She straddled his hips, sitting on his butt, and massaged the tight knots in his shoulders and back, his groans of contentment the only reward she needed.

  After she’d finished rubbing him down, Luke led her to the bedroom, where he kissed her slowly and stripped away all of her clothes. His lovemaking was sweet, seductive.

  In a word, perfect.

  Afterward, he held her, hands stroking soft circles on her back. Using his chest as a pillow, she drifted off and slept soundly until the alarm buzzed them awake.

  A sense of peace, of love and domesticity, swept through her while he fixed breakfast. Still, Jac cautioned herself against getting used to having him there every morning. Sadness loomed at the idea. He’d be having breakfast at his home, while she’d be living apart from him.

  Impatiently she pushed away the negative thoughts and forced herself to focus on the time they had together.

  Chapter 22

  On Monday Jac arrived at work early, counting on no one else arriving before her. Peace reigned in the cube farm, steadying the severe case of nerves bounding around her stomach.

  Doubts about the course of action swamped Jac as the clock on the corner of her desk ticked away the minutes until her meeting with Ted Fleury. Panic fizzed like a bottle rocket. What if I’m making a bad choice? A decision based in anger because he didn’t give me the promotion he promised?

  She pulled her purse onto her lap, searching for the check she’d shoved in her wallet. Practicing yoga breathing helped, as she flicked her thumbnail over the corner of the eight-inch strip of safety blue paper. It didn’t take long for her jittery nerves to settle.

  Her phone buzzed with an incoming text message. Two seconds later, it buzzed again. Jac swiped her finger over the screen to reveal a message from Luke.

  Not that you need it, but good luck with your meeting.

  His next message melted her heart all over.

  I love you.

  Okay, it came on a text, not uttered through his gorgeous, talented mouth. But the sentiment was far from impersonal. In her mind, she heard the echo of his whispered profession of love not only from Saturday but again last night.

  As she was typing her return message, the phone buzzed a third time. Pressing ‘send,’ she switched to the new message. Her smile grew larger as she read Jules’ text.

  I’m Team Jac all the way. Go kick some ass.

  In the next cube over, Allen cleared his throat for the tenth time in the past five minutes. The irritating noise overshadowed the sound of Jac’s laugh.

  From the window in her cube, a flash of yellow captured her attention. Ted had arrived in his canary-colored Corvette a mere fifteen minutes before their scheduled appointment. He eased into his reserved slot in the ‘rock star’ parking section, front and center by the main door. Right next to Deidre’s new ride.

  Crap, when had she arrived? Jac popped up to peek over the fabric-covered walls toward Deidre’s office. As expected, the door was closed against intrusions.

  A little nervous and a lot sick to her stomach, Jac beat a fast retreat to the ladies room. She lurked there, practicing her speech, until it was nearly time for her appointment with Ted.

  Drawing a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and smoothed an errant strand of hair behind her ear. Time for a short pep talk. I can do this. I made the smart choice.

  Everything had aligned for her; the loss of the promotion, the unexpected windfall of funds, the support from friends and family. And Luke.

  Her fingers slipped the first time she grasped the door handle. Scrubbing a damp palm over her straight red skirt, she breathed deeply again, trying to slow her racing heart and calm the boiling churn in her gut. Jac exited the bathroom, head held high.

  Confidence accompanied her to her desk where she retrieved her formal letter of resignation. With another deep, calming breath, she headed to Ted’s office.

  Before Jac had time to reconsider—not that she would—she stood outside his solid wooden door, fist poised to rap on the portal. Suddenly, down the corridor Deidre’s office door flew open, crashing against the wall as she barged into sight. Lips pursed together, eyes narrowed, the woman stalked toward Jac.

  “What are you doing? Get back to work,” she barked.

  The woman needed some serious lessons on winning friends and influencing people. It appeared power had gone straight to her bleached blond head. Deidre oozed impatience as she propped her hands on her hips and tried to stare Jac down.

  “I have a meeting with Ted,” she replied, despite the fact it wasn’t any of Deidre’s damn business. Tension gripped Jac’s neck in a painful vise. She shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to roll the sudden tightness away.

  Dismissing Deidre, she concentrated on knocking on the door. Her heart clutched at Ted’s gruff, “Come in.”

  A quick flick of her wrist later, Jac was past the point of no return. Deidre tried to crowd in after her. Jac didn’t bother to hide her irritation. “This is a private meeting, Deidre.”

  The woman continued to splutter as Jac shut the door in her face. Heart racing, she pivoted to address Ted. Every word she’d rehearsed in her head, each damn syll
able, vanished at the sight of his stern face. A lifetime passed while Jac stood still as a sentry next to the door.

  “I’m very busy today. Let’s hear it. What can I do for you this morning, Jacqui?” His sparse smile appeared forced, as if inconvenienced to have to meet with her.

  What the hell is wrong with everyone this morning? She was a good employee and should be treated with some degree of respect. Ted and Deidre deserved each other.

  Anger trumped good sense. She did what she’d promised herself she wouldn’t do. Instead of the speech she’d practiced, she blurted, “I’m done, Ted. I quit.” Temper gave way to dizziness. Her head spun as she nearly lost her breath. She eased back against the door, grateful for the solidity of it. Pressing her lips together, Jac focused on breathing in and out through her nose.

  She’d done it. She’d followed through and quit her going-nowhere-fast job to pursue her avocation. Her dream.

  Ted’s brows lifted toward his receding hairline. He unfolded his lanky body from his chair and stood, his knuckles whitening against the blotter on his desk. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “As of two weeks from now, I will no longer be working for MedServices. I’m sure Deidre will be just fine on her own.”

  Although his expression didn’t change, a shadow passed through his eyes. The concept it might be panic made Jac inordinately happy.

  The chair squealed in protest when Ted dropped into it, his posture defeated. He propped an elbow on the armrest and rubbed his temple.

  For a moment he stared out the corner windows toward the trees lining the parking lot. “Is it the money? I’m sure you were counting on the extra income you were expecting with the promotion that went to Deidre.” He swept his gaze back to her. “I can probably work something out.”

  The words of her speech came flooding back. She straightened away from the door and stepped across the room. Slipping her formal letter of resignation onto his desk, she rested her hands on the back of the chair across from him. “I won’t lie and say the extra cash didn’t matter. God, who doesn’t want more money? But me quitting isn’t about the money. It’s about respect, Ted. You promised me that promotion.”

  Hell, he’d dangled the carrot for so long, it had practically sprouted roots. “I’m ready for the responsibility, the clients like me, and I’m damn good at solving problems. For whatever reason, you gave the job to Deidre. For crying out loud, Ted, I’ve spent the last few days cleaning up a half-a-dozen messes she’s already created with her incompetence.”

  “I appreciate your contribution to fix the things Deidre has messed up. I’m worried if you leave, she’ll never learn.”

  For fuck’s sake. Jac wanted to rail at him that the woman started working for MedServices at the same time she had. Pretty much the only thing she’d learned in all that time was how to cheat at Words With Friends. And really, who needed to cheat at an online game of Scrabble?

  Instead, Jac kept her voice even. “Deidre should know the job inside and out by now. No one held my hand, yet I learned the billing system anyway. Surely you have confidence in her. You promoted her.”

  Brows lowered, Ted couldn’t hold her gaze for long before he shifted his eyes away. In that moment Jac realized he truly regretted his decision.

  He scrubbed his hand over his chin. “Can you give me more than two weeks?”

  “I’m sorry, Ted. I can’t. I’ll be moving to Eugene soon.” Jac shot her hip and rested her palm on it, tipping up her chin. Cutting the strings here was liberating. So why was the awful weight of disloyalty sitting on her shoulders?

  Because she wasn’t the type of person to leave anyone in a lurch.

  Her work ethic, and the need to help, rose on a cloud of disgust. “I’m willing to work as a consultant of sorts for the next two months if it helps.”

  “Thank you. I do appreciate the offer.” Ted’s voice was tight, his face somber. “Am I going to lose any more employees over Deidre’s promotion?”

  “You’d have to ask them.” Jac sure as hell wasn’t about to tell him she was certain everyone in her unit was actively job-hunting. “You should consider sending Deidre to the team building camp I attended last week. It’s a class operation and she’ll learn a lot. It wouldn’t hurt.”

  Ted rolled his eyes and folded the letter on his blotter in thirds. When he finished, he stood and offered his hand. “I made a mistake. I’ll probably regret it for a long time. But my sister can be a dog with a bone. To keep peace in my family, I had to promote Deidre. I’m going to miss you. What are you going to do?”

  Stunned by his admission, Jac took his hand. “I’ll be restarting my family’s herb farm. I’ve already lined up a wholesale customer. The learning curve is steep, but I think I’m up for the challenge.”

  He gave her a genuine smile, one that reached into his eyes. “Jacqui Bishop, I have no doubt you’ll be a success. I hate to lose you, but I’ll wish you good luck anyway.” Picking up her letter of resignation, he circled round the desk and escorted her to the door.

  Once there, he turned in the opposite direction and his shoulders slumped as he stepped into Deidre’s office, shutting the door behind him.

  As Jac slipped back into her cubicle, happiness charged through her. She’d closed another door on her old life, and the new career she’d chosen stretched in front of her the way the vines at Team Vino had marched over the hillside.

  Pulling her phone from the drawer, she typed in a text.

  I did it! She added a smiley face and pressed ‘send’ to shoot the message to Luke.

  Nerves jumped in her tummy and adrenaline blasted through her. She’d done it. Jac had everything she’d wanted. A new job, a new home.

  A new love.

  Chapter 23

  Despite being dog-tired, Luke’s spirits unfurled like a banner being hoisted on a flagpole. Three days ago, the nurses had presented their best and final offer in the negotiations. By sheer dint of will, he’d browbeaten Brian into accepting the terms outlined in the bargaining agreement.

  He’d convinced his boss, the attorney, and the HR rep that a full-on strike wasn’t in the best interests of the center. A picket line would make the nurses’ sick-out this week look like a picnic in the park.

  Once they’d done a final review on the numbers and the budget, he’d shoved the pen in Brian’s hand and stood over him as the man scrawled his signature on the dotted line. Since then, Brian had barely spoken half a dozen words to Luke.

  This morning, Luke had run into him in the cafeteria. Clearly pissy, Brian had pointedly stood, picked up his tray, and stomped off, leaving Luke standing with a steaming cup of coffee burning his fingers. He would have thought the cold anger seething in his chest at the intentional snub would have instantly iced the brew.

  Brian’s behavior rivaled a pouting three-year-old, which in turn pissed Luke off. The guy’s demonstration of his displeasure escalated during today’s weekly staff meeting. At one point the so-called professional CEO of the medical center yelled across the room for Luke to “shut the fuck up.”

  It had taken every ounce of willpower Luke could summon not to vault over the wide conference table and plant his fist right on Brian’s snarling snout. A glance around the table confirmed Luke’s theory that most everyone present thought Brian Evert was nothing more than a dick with ears.

  Luke typed a virtual reminder on his laptop to find the business card of the recruiter who’d placed him at St. Simeon’s. Her services would certainly be needed again.

  At the end of the regular Thursday meeting, Brian smacked his pen down on the table. His belligerent tone grated worse than sand in board shorts when he growled, “Luke, stay a moment. Everyone else, please give us the room.” He shoved his chair away from the table and stood, feet planted wide.

  Luke couldn’t remember ever seeing
a group of people moving so fast to stow their belongings into briefcases. Brian stood by the door, arms crossed, bouncing on his toes. To call his stance combative was an appropriate choice of words. The legal staff, the doctors’ representative, the facilities director, and the Director of Nursing evacuated the room.

  Luke should have been concerned about the prospect of this impromptu meeting. He was fairly certain he’d be getting his ass handed to him. At the very least, he was heading for probation, all because he did his job. He refused to feel bad that he’d helped the management team negotiate a contract which ensured the ongoing financial success of the hospital.

  Wasn’t that what the exercise at Team Vino was all about? Hadn’t he just learned the importance of getting along with co-workers and maximizing the team’s efforts? He’d taken to heart the lessons he’d learned there. He just hoped Brian saw it the same way.

  Luke took a stance next to the conference table, hands propped on his hips, and waited for whatever line of bullshit was about to spew from Brian’s mouth. Once the douche had shut the door after the last person, he did an about face, leaned his back against the wall, and gave Luke what amounted to the stink-eye.

  Since he hadn’t called the meeting, Luke said nothing while he waited for Brian to pronounce sentence on him.

  He didn’t have to wait long.

  The man’s breath erupted like a premature ejaculation. “Rossi, your negotiations with the nurses’ union cost the company a million dollars.”

  “Really? Because I thought my negotiating saved us two million.” Luke spoke around the knot in his throat and struggled to keep his tone even. He didn’t want to continue working here, but he hated the stigma of getting fired.

  “How do you figure? You reduced bonuses by forty percent. Your creative accounting will result in an average five percent cut in pay for administrators in top management.”