by T. A. Foster
Beau placed the basket on the ground, and pulled out the blanket I had folded inside. As if he had a beach blanket full of sand, he shook it a few times before letting the corners fall to the ground. I worked out the gathered fabric and sat in the middle, giving Beau limited choices.
I poured two glass of champagne and handed one to my reluctant date. “Want to make a toast?”
“Nah. I’ll pass.” He took the glass and chugged the champagne.
“Brownie?” I offered a container of brownies I had baked earlier today.
“Sure.” He bit into the largest one in the pile. “So, what’s been going on?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I certainly wasn’t going to tell him Nina had to scrape my brokenhearted self out of bed and put me back together, or that I had been scheming for two weeks on how I was going to get him back. I opted for another truth. “Nina isn’t talking to me.”
He stopped devouring the brownie for a second. “What? She’s your best friend. How did that happen?”
“I told her what happened with Derek last week at the concert. She isn’t exactly over it yet.”
“That sucks. You two are really close.”
“It does. Thanks.” I reached for one of the brownies. “She just needs time, I think.”
“Probably.” Beau was back to his one-word answers. “It wasn’t your fault though. I heard what he said to you.”
“You did? You didn’t mention it.”
“He had no right to say any of that stuff. Like I said—he’s a jackass.” It was hard to see in the dimly lit garden, but I thought I saw jealousy flicker in his eyes.
“I don’t know if I really ever said thank you for what you did at the concert. So, thank you.” I reached across the blanket, but stopped before my hand touched his leg. It felt too soon. “What about you? How’s the bucket list coming along?” I leaned back, resting on my side.
He looked around the garden. “I can check this one off. Thanks. I’m almost done. I’ll definitely have it finished before graduation. I can’t believe it’s just around the corner.”
Ugh. Graduation. The issue that was hanging between us no matter how many glasses of champagne I filled us with. I looked at my empty glass and debated refilling it.
“Ok. Drinks are over. Let me get you back to your car.” Abruptly, Beau started shoveling the snacks into the picnic basket.
I thought I’d at least be able to flirt my way into a second glass of champagne. He was like a brick wall tonight that I couldn’t climb over.
“I’ll just walk back. You can go.” If he wasn’t going to stay, I didn’t need him hovering.
“No way. I’m not letting you walk alone at night across campus.” He folded the blanket and stuffed it in the side flap.
“Ok. Fine. You can walk me back.” I didn’t want to argue with him. We had actually reached a place where we were at least talking again.
We trudged up the hill, then down a steeper hill until we reached my car. It must have been the champagne swirling in my head because it didn’t seem to take as long to return.
I pulled out my keys to unlatch the truck when they fell from my fingers and hit the pavement. Shit. Why did Beau make me such a klutz? He swooped in front of me and picked the keys off the asphalt.
“That’s settled. I’m driving.”
“No. No. I’m fine. I can drive home. It’s less than a mile.”
“Uh-uh.” He pressed the unlock button and opened the passenger door for me.
Annoyed, I slid into the seat and fastened my seat belt. “But what about your motorcycle?”
“I can run home. I didn’t ride here. It was such a nice night, I decided to walk.”
I looked at him suspiciously. He was always on two wheels.
“Let’s get you home.” He put the car in drive and careened us up the hill.
***
Nina’s bedroom light was on. Good. Maybe we could talk tonight. Beau parked my car next to hers.
“Good game. And good picnic.” He smiled. I thought I caught a glimpse of that look, but it was fleeting.
“It was. I think I’m turning into a sports fan after all. I guess I have you to thank for that.” I gazed straight into his eyes, wanting to memorize every little feature on his face and lips. “Thanks for driving me home. I didn’t mean for you to have to do that.”
“No big deal. I should know by now what a lightweight you are.” I wanted to sigh—he knew something about me. He turned and handed me the keys. My palm felt his fingertips hovering just over my skin. I clasped my hand around his and pulled his hand toward my waist.
I wrapped my other hand around his neck and urged him closer to me. His skin was warm.
“London, stop. What are you doing?” He breathed heavily just as my mouth claimed his. I dropped the keys and reached across the seat so that both of my arms were around him. His lips sank into mine and I felt my body burning for more of him.
Beau pushed back and broke the kiss. “I can’t do this.” He jumped out of the car and started jogging. I threw my head against the headrest. Dammit.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Monday night rolled around and it was time for Love Match. I had planted myself on the couch with Ugly Quilt and a hot bowl of popcorn. Beau and I only had two dates left. Two dates until the project was due. I needed Victoria’s help more than ever. I needed the kind of date that would bring Beau back. I pressed the power button on the remote and waited for the show to start.
I thought I heard footsteps walking down the hall. I hit pause just as Nina poked her head around the corner. “Hi.”
“Nina? Hi.” I pulled the quilt back so that there was an open spot on the couch. She sat next to me, curling up under Ugly Quilt.
“Watching Love Match?” She reached for some popcorn.
“Yes. It just started. Want to watch?”
“This week is hometowns. I’m not missing it. This is one of the best episodes of the whole season.” She mumbled as she stuffed more popcorn in her mouth.
And just like that, we were ok.
Before I pushed play, I stopped. “Wait. What are hometowns?”
“Oh, those are the dates when Victoria goes to each of the bachelors’ hometowns and meets his family. It’s awesome. Someone always has a nutty uncle or something. This is definitely make it or break it time for the men. If Victoria doesn’t click with the family, there is no way he’ll make it through the rose ceremony.”
“I didn’t know anything about this episode. I thought the whole show was dates.”
“Yes, they go on dates, but in the hometown. Just watch.” Nina reached across my lap again for the bowl. “Holy shit, London! You have to go to Beau’s hometown!” She was squealing loudly. I had missed the squealing even if my ears were in pain. “This is too perfect. I had completely forgotten about the episode.”
“You realize my life is not a TV show episode? What if he doesn’t want to do this hometown thing?” Beau might be more resistant to this idea than to a baseball game. My attempt at reminding him about us ended in an utter fail in the front seat of my car.
“Have you been staying on plan?” Nina sat straight up.
“Sorta.” I was going to have to fess up.
“What’s sorta?”
“I kissed him in my car the other night. It seemed like a good idea at the time. In retrospect, maybe not such a good idea.”
She leaned forward. “What did he do?”
I giggled, remembering Beau running out of the driveway and down the street. “He ran. Literally ran away—all the way back to his apartment.”
Nina started laughing. “Well, that’s one reaction.” She halted her giggling fit. “But it means he’s totally into you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He couldn’t handle it, so he ran. It’s obvious. We just need to get you two in a situation where he can’t run. Like hometowns.”
“I don’t want to cage him.”
“It’s not caging, London
. You are just eliminating escape exits. That’s all.”
Nina’s eyes zipped back and forth. “How about you take him home with you instead of you going to his house? He will definitely be stuck.”
“To my house? You realize my parents aren’t the most open-minded people on the planet.”
“Oh, they’re fine. They’ll like Beau.”
“But it’s a bit crowded at home. I don’t know if I should take him. Meeting my parents is a big deal. They might scare him away.”
“Your parents aren’t going to do anything like that. It will be fun.” Nina’s smile was wide.
“You really think this will work?”
“You worry too much, London. Watch how Victoria does it. It’s going to work. He’ll win your parents over. They’ll fall in love with him and then you’re on to overnights.”
“Overnights?” I was nervous just hearing the word.
“Let’s just take it one week at a time.” Nina smiled. I was glad to have my friend back.
***
The phone call to my mother had been awkward. Explaining to her that I was coming home for the weekend with a boy that wasn’t my boyfriend was tricky. She was way too nosey.
“But, London, what kind of professor would assign a weekend trip? I don’t see how this is proper by any standards.” This was the same mother who made sure I was in an all girls dorm my first two years on campus.
“Mother, she didn’t assign the trip. It’s just how the project has evolved. He’s nice. You’ll like him. He’s pre-law.”
“Pre-law? Hmm…I’ll mention that to your father. All right, if you have to, then we’ll get the guestroom ready for him.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it. We’ll see you Friday night. Tell Daddy I said hi.”
“London, be careful on the drive. The roads are still slick at night.”
“Yes, Mother. I’ll be extra careful. Bye.”
I hung up the phone with my mother and sighed. Nothing about this weekend was going to be easy. My parents had always had high expectations for me. I knew they didn’t want me to pursue acting. My mother thought it was a total waste of my time, and my father thought I was neglecting more important brain cells. They both would have been much happier if I had gone into pre-med or law, like Beau.
Now, to plan B—getting Beau to go along with this concocted Nina idea. I only had a few minutes until class. I grabbed my backpack and headed out the door.
***
Professor Garcia was particularly wrapped up in today’s theory. She recounted her days in graduate school and how she selected a dissertation on gender communication styles. I was trying to be less critical of her; she was, after all, my new ally in class. Without her support, I wouldn’t be getting ready to ask Beau to go home with me for the weekend.
Every few minutes, I saw her taking us in at the top corner. Beau didn’t seem to notice the new attention. He had no idea we had our own London and Beau super fan. If only class would end so I could ask him about the hometown date.
“See everyone Thursday. We’ll really dissect gender styles then.” She walked away from the podium and unclipped her microphone.
Beau shot out of the seat and had escaped through the doors before I had a chance to utter the first word of my question. I gathered my notebook and chased him out of the building.
“Hey, Beau. Wait.”
He paused at the bike rack next to the Manning Hall steps.
“I just wanted to talk to you for a second about the hometown date. Did you watch the Love Match episode last night?”
“Not yet. I’ll get to it later.” He unlocked his bike from the rack.
“Cool. No problem, but the dates were all hometowns. Victoria went to each of the guys’ family homes.”
“Oh. I didn’t know that. I’ll see it sometime this week.” He grabbed the handlebars and shook the bike loose from its station.
“I didn’t know about the hometowns either, but I already talked to my mom and she said we can go to Asheville for the weekend. I mean, if you want to.”
He swung one leg over the seat.
“Beau? Did you hear me?” I was standing right next to him.
“Yeah. I heard you. I don’t know about that, London. The whole weekend?”
“We could just go up Saturday night if that’s better? I don’t want you to do it if you’re not into it. It’s the only thing I could come up with after I watched the episode.”
He kept his eyes on the handlebar. I couldn’t even get him to look at me. “No, it’s cool. We can go, I guess. I haven’t been to Asheville in a long time, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was curious to meet your parents.” He finally looked up and smiled.
“Awesome! I mean, good. That’s good you want to do the hometown date.” Could I get more tongue-tied in front of this boy? “I can pick you up Friday. You know, whenever.”
“See you.” He peddled off in the direction of the student union.
He had actually agreed to go. I smiled. Hometown weekend was starting to look more promising by the minute.
***
Date Nine: Hometown Brotown
It was hard to keep my eyes on the road with Beau in the seat next to me. He kept changing the radio station halfway through the songs. The farther I drove us into the mountains, the harder it was to keep a station static-free.
“I think you need to give me the crash course in the James family before we get to your parents house. You never really talk about your family.” Beau gave up on finding music and turned the radio off.
“There isn’t much to tell. What do you want to know about them?”
“What do they do?”
“I haven’t mentioned anything to you about this already?” It seemed that in one of my tequila hazes I would have told Beau about my parents.
“No. You just said they were strict when you were growing up and you told me about the bargain they made with you about going to L.A. Is there something you’re not telling me? I’m getting nervous about the weekend now. Is your dad some kind of former spy like Jack Bauer or something?”
I laughed thinking of my dad doing anything threatening. “No, he’s not Jack Bauer—far from it. My parents own a winery.”
“A winery? That’s awesome. Why didn’t you tell me?”
I wasn’t sure what had kept me from telling Beau more about my life growing up. We did talk, but it was all about the present. Nothing else seemed to matter when I was wrapped in his arms. I definitely wasn’t thinking about my family or my childhood.
“It just didn’t come up.” I looked over at him. His forehead was scrunched up and I could tell I had annoyed him. “But that’s all about to change. You get to meet the James family in about five minutes.”
We drove past the town sign declaring we had entered the city limits of Asheville. Now, all we had to do was navigate the rows of coffee shops and wine bars and we would be close to the turn off to the family homestead. Beau’s eyes were glued to the scenery outside his window.
“What should I expect?”
“Well, my mom is the business manager and runs the marketing and finances for the winery. So, she’s pretty much a no-nonsense kind of woman. My dad was an attorney. I was too young to remember when he practiced law, but now he manages the property, the employees, and the grape production.”
I slowed the car as we reached the double iron gates. I rolled down the window and punched in my pass code.
“Mystic Vineyards?” Beau looked over the entangled M and V welded into the gate. “Wow.”
I waited for the gates to swing open fully then crept forward, taking us along the winding drive to my parents’ house and the family business. The sun was just starting to set on the rows of vines stretching out in front of us.
“Are there any grapes on them yet?” Beau asked as the gnarled branches crawled past us.
“No. It’s too early in the season. The vines are just starting to wake up after the winter.” He looked disappointed. “B
ut there’s plenty of wine. We always have wine.”
He laughed.
We turned another corner before the house came into full view.
“Shit.” I didn’t mean to say it out loud.
“What’s wrong?”
In the driveway, parked next to the house, was a line of cars. We had company. “Oh, nothing. It will be fine. You’re going to get to meet more of my family than I thought.”