Piper held out an arm. “Lead the way.”
Though Piper was reasonably sure the party couldn’t yet be in full swing—it was still early—there was a significant number of people milling around, both inside and out. The house was gorgeous and spacious, open concept. Once she and Lindsay walked through the front door, they could see almost the entirety of the first floor, straight through to the sliding glass doors that led out to the backyard where part of a white party tent was visible, along with the sparkling blue of an in-ground pool. Piper looked around slowly, impressed with the style, the décor. All the trim was painted a creamy ivory, and in each room, the walls were a different color, but they all blended seamlessly into each other. The sage green in the front great room led to a melted-chocolate-ice-cream brown in the dining area, which led to a muted orange in the kitchen…an orange Piper would never choose in a million years, but that worked perfectly in this design. Light oak hardwood floors ran throughout, and Piper followed Lindsay into the kitchen, where more than a dozen people chatted and munched hors d’oeuvres.
“Lindsay!” a voice said cheerfully, and Piper observed a woman who had to be Lindsay’s mother as she moved quickly toward them and wrapped Lindsay in a hug. It was almost eerie, how much alike they looked. They had a very similar haircut. Lindsay’s mother’s was a little bit brassier, indicating she probably had it colored regularly. Her eyes were the same startling green as Lindsay’s, and they were built alike, both tall and lean, their smiles almost identical. Piper was certain this was exactly what Lindsay would look like in twenty years. Not a bad future. Not a bad future at all.
“Mom, this is my friend, Piper Bradshaw. Piper, my mom, Darcy Taylor.”
Piper reached out a hand and shook Darcy’s. “It’s very nice to meet you. This is for you.” She handed over the wine.
“Well, isn’t that nice? You didn’t have to do that, but I thank you.” Darcy took a moment, looked back and forth between them, then asked Lindsay, “Are you two…?”
Lindsay’s eyes widened in horror. “God, Mom. No. No, Piper is my boss’s daughter.”
“Oh! Bradshaw. I thought that name was familiar.” Darcy lowered her voice a tiny bit before saying, “Too bad. She’s very pretty.”
Lindsay groaned. “Ma. Seriously. Enough.”
Piper grinned and kept on grinning, finding the entire exchange very entertaining.
“Come outside and see Emma,” Darcy said, grabbing Lindsay’s hand and tugging her along.
Tossing a glance over her shoulder as Piper followed, Lindsay said, “My mother has no filters. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. She said I was pretty.”
Lindsay scoffed, then caught Piper’s raised eyebrows. “Not that you aren’t. You are. Very. I mean, not that I think…God. Never mind. I’m going to stop talking now.” Lindsay turned back to her mom as they went through the back door, but not before Piper noticed how red her face had gotten.
Oh, yeah. Very, very entertaining.
Lindsay’s stepsister, Emma, threw herself at Lindsay, wrapped her in a hug. “I’m so glad you came.” She, unlike Darcy, looked nothing at all like Lindsay. Red hair and freckles, blue eyes that sat close together on her face, small frame. Piper pegged her at about five-three. But she was full of energy and smiles and was instantly likeable. For a brief moment, Piper wondered what that was like.
Lindsay handed over the blue envelope she’d been carrying, then introduced Piper.
Emma shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same here.” Piper noted the firm handshake, the eye contact. “Congratulations on graduating. What are your plans?”
“Well, I’ve been doing an internship at an architectural firm for almost six months and they’ve offered me a job. I’m leaning that way, but I’m not positive yet.”
“And that was your major?”
Lindsay jumped in for Emma. “Architectural design and business administration.”
“Wow. Dual major, huh?” Piper was impressed. “That’s tough. I did the same thing.”
“Yeah? What was yours?”
“Economics and business administration.”
Emma nodded, then lowered her voice. “I’m really glad it’s over.”
Piper laughed. “I was, too.”
An older couple was coming out the back door and called Emma’s name. “Gotta go meet my public,” she said with a grin. “I’ll see you later on, probs.” And she was off.
“She’s really nice,” Piper commented.
Lindsay nodded, watching Emma go. “She’s a good kid. I should spend more time with her.” Piper wasn’t sure if that last comment was meant for her or if Lindsay was talking more to herself, so she didn’t comment. After a beat, Lindsay shook herself slightly and turned to Piper. “Something to drink?”
A few minutes later, each of them had a clear plastic cup of wine. Lindsay took a sip, made a face. “Ugh. I bet Ed bought this in bulk.”
“Ed’s your stepdad?”
“Mm-hmm.” Lindsay nodded in the direction of the back deck where a stocky guy with thinning red hair stood chatting up two other men. Piper watched as the threesome was joined by Lindsay’s mother and two other girls, one another redhead and one with long, dark hair and arms so thin, she looked like she’d stepped out of a Tim Burton film. Then Lindsay’s mother gestured their way. The girls hesitated, then began walking in their direction.
“We’re about to be visited,” Piper whispered.
“Terrific,” Lindsay said as she followed Piper’s gaze.
“Hey, Linds,” the redhead said. “Long time, no see.” Her voice wasn’t pleasant. In fact, it seemed to Piper that it was more accusatory. And also kind of grating.
“Yeah, well.” Lindsay tipped her head toward Piper. “This is Piper Bradshaw. Piper, this is Maddie Taylor. Emma’s sister.”
Piper noticed Lindsay didn’t say Maddie was her stepsister. She reached out a hand and Maddie shook it. “Nice to meet you.”
“And this is my friend Ash.” She turned to Ash and explained, “This is my stepsister, Lindsay. The one I told you about.”
“Oh,” Ash said, and her dark eyes lit up with recognition. “The bartender.”
“Right,” Maddie said.
Ash gave a wave rather than offer a hand. “Hey.”
“I’m not a bartender,” Lindsay said, her voice low with annoyance, telling Piper this wasn’t the first time she’d stated that to Maddie.
“Well, you work in a place with a bar and you pour wine, right?” Maddie turned to Ash, her expression one of exaggerated confusion. “That sounds like a bartender, doesn’t it?”
Ash nodded.
“Actually,” Piper said, stepping in because the misery that was blooming on Lindsay’s face was too much to watch, “Lindsay’s so much more than a bartender. She’s actually in the process of becoming a sommelier.” She focused her eyes on Maddie. “Do you know what that is?” she asked, lacing her voice with obviously false innocence.
“I don’t,” Ash said, apparently not getting what was actually happening.
“Yeah, it’s a wine expert,” Piper explained. “It takes a lot of time and study and knowledge to become a sommelier, and there aren’t that many in the state. Sommeliers are sought after by magazines and wineries and they judge contests, many that are international.” At this point, the two were just blinking at her, and Piper focused her gaze on Maddie. “Are you an expert at anything?”
Maddie’s freckled skin gave her hair a run for its money in redness as she stammered, “Um…no. Not really.”
“Huh. That’s too bad. Maybe, if you work really hard, you can be as amazing as Lindsay one day.” Piper sipped her wine and then smiled at the girls as the conversation stalled. She let the silence hang as Maddie toed the grass and Ash looked around the yard as if trying to find an escape route.
“Hey, is that Jake and the guys?” she asked, poking Maddie in the shoulder.
“Oh. Yeah. It is.” With a q
uick glance at Piper and Lindsay—but no eye contact—Maddie said, “We need to go see them.” And without another word, they skittered away.
Piper watched them go over the rim of her glass as she sipped her wine. Maddie threw one look over her shoulder, but that was it. When Piper looked back at Lindsay, she was sure she saw wetness in her eyes. A hand on Lindsay’s upper arm, she asked, “Hey, you okay? Look, I didn’t mean to—” She was stopped by Lindsay’s upheld hand, her grin.
“No. Don’t apologize. Just let me bask in this moment.”
“Okay…” Piper furrowed her brow and gave Lindsay some time, but kept her eyes on her.
Finally, Lindsay took a deep breath. “Thank you,” she said, very quietly. “I’ve never been able to stand up to her like that.”
“No? Well, you should start. I paved the way for you. You’re welcome.”
Lindsay chuckled, then leaned closer and whispered, “Also, I’m not studying to be a sommelier.”
“I know. But…why not? There are classes. You just have to sign up.” Piper fixed on those green eyes, was close enough to see the black circle around the outside that set them off so perfectly. “I think that’s a business cost that’s a no-brainer. My mother would agree. In fact, I don’t know why she hasn’t suggested it by now. Sign yourself up and use the business account.”
Lindsay blinked at her for a full ten seconds before saying, “Seriously?”
Piper snorted like that was the most ridiculous thing ever. “Yes. Seriously. You run the place and you already know so much about wine. Why shouldn’t you go all the way?” Lindsay’s expression then was a mix that Piper couldn’t quite pinpoint. Surprise. Happiness. Uncertainty. Excitement. And more. Lindsay held up her cup and Piper tapped it with her own. “Yeah, I’m going to need help with food pairings down the line. I stink at those.”
“You got it.”
That whole exchange, that fifteen minutes of the party, seemed to somehow bolster Lindsay and her confidence. Suddenly, she wasn’t the wallflower she’d warned Piper she’d be. Rather, she grasped Piper by the hand and led her around the party to various corners of the yard and into the house, introducing her to so many people that they eventually just blurred together in Piper’s brain, despite her efforts to remember them all. They refilled their glasses with the less-than-stellar wine and continued to mingle. Inside in the great room, Lindsay’s stepdad was talking golf with a few buddies. As they approached, he said something that made them burst into laughter, and then his gaze landed on the two women.
“Hey, Linds. I thought I saw you earlier. How’s it going?” Up close, his complexion was ruddy, his blue eyes set close together just like Emma’s. He reached out a hand and awkwardly clapped Lindsay on the shoulder, like he wasn’t sure if he should hug her, so he decided not to.
“It’s going pretty well, Ed. How are you?”
Ed nodded and introduced Lindsay to the three men standing with him. Piper immediately forgot their names.
“This is my friend, Piper Bradshaw. Piper, my stepfather, Ed Taylor.”
Piper shook his meaty hand, made sure her own grip was firm.
“Bradshaw,” one of the men said. “You related to Tommy?”
Piper nodded, that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach that she’d come to expect whenever her father was mentioned rearing its ugly head and poking around in there. “He was my father.”
“Good man, that one. I was sorry to hear.”
“Thanks,” Piper said, then sent a glance to Lindsay that she hoped wasn’t too pleading.
“Well, we’re going to go wander a bit more before we take off.” Lindsay grinned at the men, then lowered her voice and leaned close to Ed. “Hey, next time you throw a party, ask me for wine advice, okay?” She held up her cup and grimaced, which caused the other three guys to burst into laughter.
And then Lindsay’s hand was grabbing Piper’s again and they were moving through the house some more. Piper tried not to notice how good it felt to hold somebody’s hand. To have somebody hold her hand. She wasn’t at all a touchy-feely person. In fact, she tended to avoid unnecessary physical contact because it was…slightly uncomfortable for her. But this? This was the opposite of uncomfortable. This was warm and pleasant and felt…right. Somehow. Piper blinked rapidly, trying to expel the train of thought from her head.
They meandered a bit more, said hi to a few people, and then found Darcy again, in the kitchen, fussing over dishes.
“Mom, why aren’t you out there visiting with your guests?” Lindsay asked.
Darcy gave her a half-smile. “Because I needed to get away from the guests for a minute.” She winked at them. “You doing okay, Piper? I’m sure attending a party where you don’t know anybody isn’t your idea of a fantastic time.”
“I’m doing great,” Piper said, and was surprised by how honest the statement was. Lindsay threw her a look then, one Piper could read. Clearly. It was joy.
“I think we’re going to take off,” Lindsay said. “Do you need anything before we do?”
Darcy shook her head. “Just make sure you say goodbye to your sister first.” And then she hugged Lindsay, who looked like she’d been taken off guard by the contact. Piper was next. Darcy wrapped her in a hug as well and thanked her for coming.
Back out in the yard, they found Emma walking toward them. When she looked up and saw them waiting for her, she put on a cute little pout. “Aw, are you leaving?”
“We are,” Lindsay said.
Emma hugged her and Piper heard her whisper in Lindsay’s ear, “Take me with you.”
Lindsay laughed. “Oh, no. You’re the guest of honor. You have to stay until the bitter end.”
“Fine,” Emma said, injecting her tone with irritation.
“Do you ever come to Vineyard?” Piper asked her.
Emma looked stumped.
“The wine bar where Lindsay works.”
“Oh! You know what? I’ve never been.” Emma grimaced then, as if she realized how sad that was.
“Well,” said Piper. “You should come. See her in action. You’d be impressed.”
They finished up their goodbyes and, five minutes later, were seated in Piper’s car. Both of them blew out huge breaths of relief, then their gazes met and they cracked up.
“You survived,” Piper said.
“I did. You helped. In a big way.” Lindsay reached across the center console and gave Piper a fist bump. “Thank you.”
Piper had a smart-ass comment on her tongue, ready to go. But she looked into those green eyes, saw the genuine gratitude parked in them, and swallowed it down. “You’re welcome,” she said instead, her voice soft.
They sat quietly for a moment, and Piper was surprised by how easy is was to just…be with Lindsay. Not at all what she was expecting.
The ease was finally broken when Lindsay glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “Wow. It’s after six? I had no idea we’d stayed so long.”
“Me neither.”
“I should probably look in on Vineyard, make sure everything’s going okay.”
Piper studied her for a few seconds before asking, “Who’s there tonight?”
“Working? Bridget and Sharon.”
“It’s fine.”
Lindsay squinted at her. “What do you mean?”
Piper turned the key in the ignition. “I mean that Bridget is more than capable of running the place for the night. You know it and I know it.”
Lindsay opened her mouth as if to retort, but closed it again.
“Let’s go grab a burger or something.” Piper shifted the car into gear and pulled out into the street. “We didn’t eat much at the party, despite all the food. What’s wrong with us?”
“I can’t speak for you, but I can’t eat when I’m nervous.” Lindsay shot her a quirky half-grin.
“Understandable. Are you nervous now?” Piper realized that question could be construed as loaded only after she’d asked it. She waited, breath held.
> “Not at all.”
“Good. Then let’s eat.”
* * *
Lindsay was shocked by how much fun she was having. Despite her whole idea of finding Piper Bradshaw “intriguing,” she’d still been a bit uneasy about how this day would go. She’d expected it would maybe be fine. She also wouldn’t have been terribly surprised if it had been not fine, even a disaster. Some part of her had actually prepared for that.
What she had not prepared for—at all—was for it to be awesome.
It was a gorgeous night, the temperature had not cooled much, still hovering in the seventies, and they’d opted to sit at one of the half dozen picnic tables strewn around McDougal’s to eat. The burger joint had both a dining room and a walk-up window where you could pick up your food and eat it outside. It was on the opposite end of the lake from Vineyard, so Lindsay didn’t get here as often as she’d like to, which she scolded herself for every time she pulled into the parking lot and smelled the burgers grilling.
Lindsay stood alongside the pick-up window, waiting on their orders, while Piper saved their table. Once Lindsay looked in her direction, she had trouble tearing her eyes away. Piper sat on the bench, silhouetted by the sun as it slipped low in the sky and reflected its red-orange glow over the water. Her bare shoulders were visible against the black of her dress, her chestnut-colored hair still clipped back, but with many errant strands having escaped and now framing her face in gentle casualness. Her legs were crossed at the knee…those legs. God, had Lindsay ever seen a sexier pair of legs than Piper’s? She was saved from rifling through the mental catalog of all the legs she’d seen in her life by the woman in McDougal’s calling her number. A tray slid into view, piled high with two cheeseburgers, two orders of curly fries, two diet sodas, and a heaping stack of napkins.
Lindsay’s mouth started to water.
Piper looked up as Lindsay approached with the tray. “Oh, my God, did we order all that?”
“Afraid so. I think there’s a rule that you’re not allowed to leave until you eat everything.”
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