Blend

by Georgia Beers

  She’d been in the office for about half an hour answering emails and getting ready to open when she heard rapping on the door. A glance at the clock on the wall told her she had another forty-five minutes before she needed to open, and she sighed. A customer who wanted her to open early, most likely. The office led into the back area of Vineyard where the cheeses and supplies were stored, and a small window looked out over the square parking lot. It was pouring now, and when Lindsay saw the tip of a bright green kayak, she stopped in her tracks.

  Piper was here.

  The butterflies that suddenly formed in her stomach annoyed her. Why was she there? They weren’t scheduled to meet until tomorrow. Was there something wrong? Something she wanted to bitch about? Though they’d been good on Friday night, so Lindsay couldn’t come up with anything.

  “Maybe you need to let her in and find out, Linds,” she muttered as she headed out toward the front door.

  Piper was visible through the window, dressed in her kayaking gear, hair in that damn ponytail, and soaking wet. Lindsay unlocked the door.

  “Hey,” she said, ushering Piper in. “Oh, my god, you’re soaked. Get in here.”

  Piper entered and stopped inside the door.

  “Let me get you a towel,” Lindsay said. She found two in the back room and also grabbed the sweatshirt she kept in the office for when the air-conditioning got too cold for her. Piper hadn’t moved but was looking around Vineyard with an expression Lindsay couldn’t identify. “Here,” she said, and wrapped one towel around Piper’s shoulders. A shiver went through her body; Lindsay felt it under her hands and pulled away quickly. She handed Piper the other towel and took a subtle step back. “What were you doing out in this?”

  Piper shook her head. “I had this weird urge to kayak. It’s much later than I normally go, but I just…needed to. Like an idiot, I never checked the weather.”

  Lindsay looked out at the sky. “It’s not lightning, is it?” The thought of Piper out in the middle of the lake in a rainstorm was enough to make her a little nervous, but thunder and lightning on top of that…

  “No, thank God.”

  “Has that ever happened?” Lindsay asked, turning back to her. She watched as a rivulet of water left a trail down the side of Piper’s neck, from her ear down to where the towel lay across her shoulder.

  “What? Have I been caught in a storm?” Piper toweled herself off, patted her face dry. “Once.”

  “Were you scared?”

  “Terrified. I didn’t go back out again for more than a month.” Her grin was sheepish as she looked at Lindsay. Then her teeth chattered and they both laughed.

  “Here.” Lindsay handed over the sweatshirt. Piper took it gratefully and pulled it over her head, and there was something inexplicably sexy about Piper wearing Lindsay’s clothes. She swallowed hard and glanced away. “It’s starting to ease up,” she said for no reason.

  They stood side by side, no words, for a long moment, just watching the rain subside as the sun did its best to break through the clouds.

  “Do you have to open soon?” Piper asked, and though her voice was low, it felt loud in the silence.

  Lindsay glanced at her watch. “In about twenty minutes, yeah.”

  “Well, the least I can do is help you take the chairs down, right?” Piper smiled and Lindsay had to take a moment because it was so weird to have Piper not scowling at her.

  “How come you came here?” The question was out of Lindsay’s mouth before she even realized she was going to ask it. Piper gave her a quizzical look, and at that point, Lindsay had to press on. “I mean, you were in your car. You could’ve just gone home.” She did her best to keep her voice gentle, light, non-accusatory. “But you came here. How come?”

  Piper rolled her lips in, bit down on them, moved her gaze to the window, before finally meeting Lindsay’s eyes. She looked away quickly before answering, very softly, “I’m not sure.”

  Before they could say more, there was a knock on the window that caused them both to jump. A familiar-looking bearded man waved like crazy, a big smile on his face.

  “Matthew?” Piper laughed and went to the door to let him in.

  “I thought I saw you pull in here,” Matthew said as he wrapped Piper in a big hug. “I was across the street getting some yarn for Shane and his new project.”

  “Lindsay, you remember my good friend, Matthew?”

  Lindsay nodded. “From the night we sat down with your mom, yes. Hi, good to see you again.” Lindsay shook the man’s hand, remembering how much she’d liked him.

  “What are you doing here like this,” Matthew ran a hand up and down in front of Piper. “Did you get caught in the rain? Nice sweatshirt, by the way.”

  Piper sent a small smile her way. “I did get caught. I was soaked, so I came here to dry off and Lindsay was nice enough to lend me her shirt.”

  “You came here instead of going home?” Matthew actually sounded like he was thinking out loud rather than asking a question he expected an answer to. Piper had a weird look on her face, so Lindsay jumped in.

  “We were just talking about that. I mean, it’s her family’s place, so maybe it’s natural that she just wanted to come here. Old habits or…” She let her voice trail off, turned over a chair.

  “I guess that could be it.” Piper joined in, turning chairs over.

  “Mm-hmm,” was what Matthew said.

  “It’s family. I get it,” Lindsay said.

  “Do you have family here?” Matthew asked her as she cleared another table of chairs.

  “I do. My dad and his wife live on the east side of town. My mom and her husband live at the other end of the lake.”

  “Ah, so you have two families. Siblings?”

  “Only steps,” Lindsay said. “Three stepsisters and two stepbrothers.”

  “Wow. So there are six of you altogether.”

  “Well…” Lindsay hesitated, as she always did when talking about her family dynamics. “Yeah, sort of.”

  Piper set a chair down and looked at her. “Sort of?”

  Lindsay scratched her forehead and stared at her feet for a beat, acutely aware that Piper was listening and unsure why she felt a mix of excitement and hesitation about that. “I’m not really much of a part of either side. To be honest.”

  “No?” Piper asked, and the sympathy on her face seemed genuine. “Don’t you get invited to gatherings and stuff?”

  “Oh, yeah. I totally do. It’s just…it’s always a little weird and uncomfortable. I’m kind of the black sheep.” The fact that Lindsay didn’t really talk about this stuff to anybody floated through her mind, but like a small child caught in a lie, she just kept talking. “Like, I have to go to my stepsister’s college graduation party on Saturday and I’m dreading it.”

  “Why?” Matthew asked. Piper’s curious expression mirrored his.

  Lindsay dropped into the last chair and pursed her lips as she thought. “Because while I will know a lot of the people there, I’ll mostly hang by myself. It’s always like that. I end up being the wallflower in the corner, people-watching.” She added a chuckle so she didn’t sound quite as pathetic as she suspected she did, her eyes on her feet. “Which is fine.”

  “You should go with her.”

  Lindsay heard Matthew say it and looked up. He was looking at Piper.

  “What?” Piper said, her dark brows in a V above her nose.

  “You’re great at those things; small talk is your jam. You could keep Lindsay company, give her somebody to talk to, somebody to people watch with.” Matthew was gesturing with his hands now, as if this was the single greatest idea in all of mankind. “I’m sure there will be alcohol, right?” He glanced at Lindsay, who nodded. “So, free drinks and a day out of the house. Get to know each other. You’re partners in a business.” He shrugged, and Lindsay got the odd sensation that his act of innocence was just that: an act. “Could be fun.”

  Piper was staring at Matthew with an unreadable expression
on her face (Lindsay was beginning to realize this was a talent of hers). Matthew was staring back at her, a large grin on his face, his eyes dancing with what almost seemed like challenge. Lindsay looked from one of them to the other as the door opened and a trio of customers looked in hesitantly.

  “Are you open?” one of them asked.

  “Yes, absolutely.” Lindsay gestured them in. “Grab a table and I’ll be right with you.”

  “What time is this shindig, Lindsay?” Matthew asked as she headed toward the bar for menus.

  “Two o’clock.” She gave the trio their menus and returned to where Matthew and Piper still stood, and the weirdest thing happened in that moment. Lindsay couldn’t explain it. At all. Not even a little bit. But suddenly, the idea of hanging at a party with Piper seemed…not frightening. Not strange or nonsensical. It seemed…enticing. It seemed like…a very good idea. And much to her own astonishment, she turned to Piper and said, very simply, “Wanna go with me?”

  Maybe the weird was contagious. Anything was possible in that second because Piper said, just as simply, “Okay.”

  “Perfect,” Matthew said, and clapped his hands together in elation, like he’d just accomplished something huge. “It’s a date.”

  Piper’s uncertain and hesitant smile seemed to say exactly what Lindsay was thinking. What the hell just happened?

  * * *

  Zack was working with Lindsay on Monday, and for that, she was extremely grateful. She was meeting with Piper soon and she’d decided to do whatever she needed to not be alone with her today. She knew the reasons. Didn’t want to analyze them, but knew them. One was because she was finding herself alarmingly attracted to Piper, and that made her entire world feel precariously tilted, like she needed to hold on to things as she moved through her day or she’d slide right off and into oblivion. The attraction wasn’t really a surprise. It had been brewing for over a month now. But there wasn’t any need for her to focus on it. There was work to be done.

  The other reason—and the one Lindsay really didn’t want to analyze—was that she didn’t want to give Piper an opening to bail on Saturday’s party. Her assumption was, if another person was in the room with them—Zack—Piper would feel uncomfortable bringing it up.

  Lindsay refused to think about how much she wanted that assumption to be correct.

  A couple tables were occupied when Piper walked in just after five.

  Lindsay looked up and Piper’s smile made her literally weak in the knees. She reached a hand out to the bar to steady herself. “Hi,” she said, smiling back and hoping it wasn’t so wide it made her look creepy. “You’re earlier than I expected.”

  Piper crossed toward her, blew out a breath that made her lips motor. “Yeah, I needed to get out of my office today. It’s just going to leave me extra to do tomorrow, but I couldn’t take it anymore.” She shrugged and they stood looking at each other for several seconds before Lindsay shook herself.

  “Ready to see my ideas?”

  Piper gave one nod. “Lead the way.”

  “Awesome. Zack? Could you join us?”

  Piper’s brow furrowed slightly, but Lindsay ignored it as she grabbed a manila folder from under the bar. Zack caught up with them and they all went through the door leading to the patio.

  For the next fifteen minutes—with the door propped open so they could keep track of the customers—Lindsay went over the idea she had for the patio, ways to make it work to Vineyard’s advantage. She talked layout, reinforcing the fencing around it to keep customers from walking to the water, décor, everything she’d researched to create a money-making space.

  “I printed out info on the furniture I think would work best.” Lindsay opened the manila folder. “I got a couple estimates for the fence repairs as well as a couple of heat lamps for cooler nights.” She flipped through several sheets of paper as she stood next to Piper, who seemed to be following her with diligence. “I’ve emailed this all to you as well. I know paper is a bit old school, but I got used to printing things out for your mom. She says it’s easier for her.” Lindsay looked up and into those hazel eyes of Piper’s and almost let herself drift away.

  “I think it’s all sick,” Zack said, surprising Lindsay, as she hadn’t realized he was looking at the information over her shoulder, and hauling her back to reality. “Super sick.” He was nodding his approval, as he meandered around the patio, picturing it all, Lindsay assumed, just as she’d done.

  “Right?” Lindsay said, grateful for the interruption. “Me, too.” She turned back to the folder. “I’ve added everything up, so you have a bottom line.” She indicated the number at the bottom of all her calculations. “I think it’s reasonable.”

  Lindsay held her breath as Piper took the numbers sheet out of the folder and stood close as she looked it over. Her eyebrows made a gentle V above her nose, her lips pursed in concentration, and Lindsay tried not to stare, but couldn’t help herself.

  “You’re right,” she finally said, lifting her gaze to meet Lindsay’s. “Seems reasonable.”

  Lindsay let out a breath, then covered her mouth in embarrassed humor.

  Piper laughed. “Were you worried?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Well. You did your research. You said you emailed me? I’ll take a closer look in the next couple of days, but I see no reason we shouldn’t be able to do this. Seems like it’d be worth it down the road.” She looked up and gazed out at the water. “It’s definitely a great view.”

  “It is.” They stood quietly for a moment before Zack walked in front of them, disrupting their line of sight. “All right then. Zack, why don’t we head back in. Get to work.”

  With a nod, he went inside, Lindsay close behind him. At the door, she held it open and gestured for Piper to go in first.

  “Wine?” Lindsay asked once they were back inside and the patio door was locked.

  “I’d love to, but I’ve got some things I need to take care of at home.” Piper seemed slightly disappointed, and Lindsay tried not to be happy about that.

  “I understand. Saturday, then.” Lindsay held her breath.

  “Saturday.” Piper smiled at her, turned, and left the wine bar.

  Lindsay’s eyes stayed on her until she could no longer see her.

  Saturday…

  Lindsay tried not to grin like an idiot over the idea of Saturday.

  She was pretty sure she failed.

  Chapter Ten

  The jazz duo Smooth lived up to their name, with tinkling keyboards and a deep, thrumming bass that was both inviting and warm, and Lindsay stood behind the bar sporting a huge grin at the nearly full house before her.

  “These guys are good,” Bert said to her, as she leaned over the bar.

  “Right?” Lindsay nodded along to the beat as she surveyed the room.

  The music was not too loud, not too soft, and customers were able to listen, as well as carry on conversations. Bridget and Kevin were working steadily, filling and refilling glasses, bringing Lindsay orders for cheese boards to arrange. There were two empty tables for two, but that was about it. It was after eight and nobody seemed in a hurry to leave.

  Maya sat on a barstool, Bert standing next to her, both absorbed in the music, each holding a glass of wine. Maya turned to Lindsay and grinned widely, nodded her approval, her dreads bouncing. Lindsay wished Mrs. B. was there to see Vineyard this full, but she’d taken a few photos to text to her later.

  In the back room, Lindsay put together a cheese board, which Kevin came in and scooped up. “The band idea was a good one, Linds,” he said, with a smile.

  She gave him a nod of thanks, followed him out and reclaimed her spot behind the bar. The band finished their tune and the customers applauded. As they launched into the next one, Lindsay’s attention was on a trio of customers who were leaving. The door was held open for them and once they were out, the holder entered.

  She must have gone home after work, because though she was still what Lindsay
would consider “dressed up,” she wasn’t businessy. Dark jeans and black ankle boots. A coral lightweight sweater with the sleeves pushed up. A scarf in solid navy blue. Her hair was down, wavy and fun, more casual than Lindsay had seen it. As she smiled at Bridget, those dimples made themselves known.

  “Who’s that?” Bert asked, then brought her glass to her lips as if she hadn’t meant to say it out loud. Her eyes were focused on the same thing Lindsay’s were. “I think she’s looking for you.”

  “Yeah, that’s Piper,” Lindsay said, her voice low. Piper met her eyes and she gave a little wave.

  Maya’s head whipped around to look directly at Lindsay. “That’s Piper?”

  Lindsay nodded and sucked on the straw in the glass of water she kept under the bar as Piper approached. “Hey,” Lindsay said, sidling up next to her so she was close enough to hear. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight. What do you think?”

  “I’ve been here for thirty-seven seconds,” Piper said. “Let me listen.”

  Lindsay resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Piper’s typical negative-comment-first behavior, and bumped her with a shoulder instead. “I meant the crowd, smart-ass.”

  “Oh. Oh, the crowd.” Piper made a show of looking around, taking her time doing so. Lindsay could smell her perfume, something with a little spice to it. She liked it, inhaled quietly. “Not bad.” There was an unspoken could be better attached to it, but Lindsay wasn’t about to let that spoil her mood. Besides, it was about the answer she expected from Piper. Nothing was immediately positive. No compliments or kudos were given until she was 100 percent sure she wanted to give them. Lindsay was learning her.

  They stood and listened as the band finished their number, then announced they were taking a fifteen-minute break.

  Lindsay touched Piper on the arm. “Wine?”

  “I’ll have one. I can’t stay long; I just wanted to come see how things were going.”