by Zoe Ashton
“You run your own agency? Like you have a company with employees?” Linda asked as she took a seat next to her husband, Justin.
“Sure do. Eight employees and I’m the sole owner. I started the firm a couple of years ago, and over time I was surprised to find that it’s been doing really well,” I said, taking a long sip of the local wine. I couldn’t remember ever tasting wine so delicious before.
“That’s very impressive, Damien,” Oscar said as he started helping Shelly with the salad.
“I’m guessing that’s what attracted you two, didn’t it? Two artistic souls. Did you know Mabel always wanted to be a designer?” Elsie turned to her sister while Mabel avoided everyone’s eyes and remained focused on getting the kids settled down.
“Yeah, she still does, and I’m sure she’ll get there,” I said, and everyone sighed and agreed. Eventually, Mabel had no other choice but to come back over and sit beside me. I gave her an encouraging look, hoping she might start relaxing a bit. I was glad when she reached for her glass of wine. Maybe that’s what she needed, I thought.
“Which brings us to … how did you two meet? Mabel has told us precious little,” Erica said, and an enthusiastic buzz rang out in the room. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mabel chug down her entire glass of wine like it was an energy drink. I shifted in my seat, wondering if she might want to take the reins for this one, while the others only got more rowdy by the minute. They all wanted a story, and I wasn’t about to disappoint them.
“Alright, alright … I’ll tell you. I suppose she never told you because it’s a little embarrassing,” I said and everyone fell silent. Even Shelly came over and sat at the other end of the table, across from her husband, and turned her excited eyes towards me. I took in a deep breath and gently placed a hand over Mabel’s. Thankfully, she didn’t jerk it away. I could sense the stiffening of her muscles, and I stroked her hand. She was expecting the worst.
“C’mon, Damien, tell us why it was embarrassing!” Adam urged me on.
“Well, because she wasn’t interested in me,” I said, and everyone burst out laughing.
“Mabel wasn’t interested in you?” Elsie screeched.
“Yeah, she turned me down like six times before she finally agreed to go out with me,” I said, and I looked at Mabel. She was blushing, with her face turned to her lap.
“Where did you meet?” Shelly asked.
“At our gym. I’d been watching her for two months before I had the courage to go and talk to her, and she shot me down,” I said. Everyone was in bits by now. None of them could believe that their Mabel had a story like this, which she’d hidden from them for so long.
“So, why did you finally agree, Mabel?” Linda asked her sister directly this time, and Mabel lifted her face. She glanced at me once, and I saw the sparkle in her large green eyes. She shrugged her shoulders and looked back at her sister.
“One day at the gym I saw him with his shirt off,” she said, and everyone burst out laughing again. I was laughing too. Shelly came over to plant a kiss on top of Mabel’s head and gave me a hug. Elsie and Linda jumped to dramatically cover their kids’ ears while Adam leaned over to pass me a high five.
The family was happy with that story, and now when I turned to Mabel, a smile had formed on her face. It could be possible that, like me, she was beginning to have some fun too.
Chapter 11
Mabel
I was holding onto Damien’s arm tightly while he led me back towards my old bedroom. I’d had a little too much wine, and I could hear my sisters laughing in the background.
“Don’t trip Mabel,” Elsie said.
“She has a strong man to hold on to,” Linda added.
“Hush you two! They’re adorable together. Sleep tight sweethearts,” mom called out after us.
The floor seemed to be revolving, and a dull ache throbbed at the back of my head. Instinctively, I buried my face into Damien’s arm, and I felt the strength of his bicep as he led me slowly.
“You okay?” he asked in a soft voice. Even through the haze of my drunkenness, I sensed the way my body was reacting to our proximity. He had been charming the entire night, the perfect boyfriend … attentive to me and polite and friendly to my family. I had seen the look of satisfaction in my mom’s eyes. She was genuinely happy for me and proud that I’d found such a complementary match.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I muttered and pulled myself away from him. It wasn’t only the wine that was making me sick. It made me sick to lie to my family. I could already predict how upset and unhappy they would be when I finally told them that we had broken up. They wouldn’t understand why such a match made in heaven had come to an end. They’d blame it on me.
Damien had stepped away from me when I pulled back, but now I stumbled in the dark. His hands grabbed my waist from behind, and he pulled me close to himself. I could feel his washboard abs pressing against me as he held me close. The scent of his masculine cologne.
“Steady,” he said, and there was a strain of humor in his voice.
“I can manage, thanks,” I snapped and pulled away from him again.
“Alright,” he said and held up his hands defensively. Even in the darkness of the corridor, I could see the blueness of his eyes. His delicious lips. How chiseled and angular his jaw structure was.
Damien walked past me to push open the bedroom door so I could step in easily. He followed me in and flipped the light on. The brightness of the lights made me squint, and I moaned. The wine was taking its toll on me.
“I didn’t peg you for a lightweight,” he said as I stumbled over to my bed. I’d forgotten that I’d insisted he should take the bed for the night. Damien remained standing in the middle of the room while I sat down with a thump on the bed and the mattress made me bounce a few times.
“I drank too much,” I said groggily, and a small laugh escaped his lips.
“You have a lovely family; they’re amazing people,” he said and pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants. I flung the shoes off my feet and fell backward on the bed, with my legs still swinging off the side.
“Yeah, well, they clearly think you’re amazing too,” I said, staring up at the ceiling. Lying down made me feel a little better, but it still hadn’t done anything to cure the incessant thumping in my head.
“Are you jealous?” I heard him say and I rolled my eyes. That made my head hurt, and I winced.
“Why should I be jealous of you?” I said, and Damien laughed again.
“That they like me more than they like you,” he said, “I’m only joking. They clearly adore you,” he added.
“No, I’m not jealous. I just wish that they didn’t like you so much, and they didn’t care if we broke up or not,” I said and massaged my temples with my thumbs. My mind was swimming; I could barely formulate the words anymore. I knew my speech was slurred and by this time, I just wanted to fall asleep.
“You don’t have to worry about that for some time now,” Damien said, and then I felt his hands on my ankles. He was carefully swinging my legs over onto the bed. I was dumbstruck again. His hands on my skin had an electrifying effect on me. I allowed him to pull out the covers and tuck me in. I had no energy to fight him off, and by this time, I was glad he was doing it. It was sweet. I’d never experienced this before, apart from my mom or Elsie tucking me into bed when I was a kid.
“I’m afraid of disappointing them,” I blurted out when he was finished. If I were sober, I would have been embarrassed by what I’d just said, but I wasn’t sober, and so I wasn’t embarrassed. Just keenly aware of his presence beside me. Damien kneeled down next to my bed, so close to me that I could feel his breath on my face. I avoided looking at him directly, because I knew that if I did, I’d kiss him. With whatever sense I still had left in me, I struggled to avoid that temptation.
“You’re not disappointing them now. They’re happy. And trust me, Mabel, I can tell … there is nothing you can do to disappoint your family. They love you and
are proud of everything you do,” he said and then I felt his hand on my forehead. His large warm hand. He was clearing the stray strands of hair away from my face. It was strangely calming. The wine made me forget that technically I didn’t know this guy.
My eyelids felt heavy, and they shut of their own accord. I could feel myself drifting away, with Damien’s hand still on my face, stroking my forehead gently.
“I’ll take the couch. Sleep well, Mabel,” I heard him say, but before I could say anything, I had drifted off to a deep, peaceful sleep.
Chapter 12
Damien
I woke up and went for a run with Elsie’s husband, Adam, on the hilly track behind the Pratt estate. We chatted casually, and I felt relaxed and energized at the same time. By the time I returned, it was already ten, and Mabel was still not up, so I decided to take a shower. Linda and Oscar were flipping pancakes, and Shelly was trying to feed it to the kids by the time I appeared in the kitchen.
“Morning, Damien!” Shelly looked up, with a fork of banana pancake in her hand. Duke and Daphne were both fussy eaters, which I’d discovered from the previous night’s dinner.
“Morning, everyone,” I smiled at them and ran my fingers through my damp head of hair.
“Have a seat; have some pancakes,” Oscar said cheerfully, and I took one of the stools at the breakfast bar.
“Where are the others?” I asked, and Shelly shrugged her shoulders.
“Sleeping in. Just like Mabel. We have a family full of late risers,” Shelly added, and Linda protested.
“We all had too much to drink last night, mom. Leave them alone,” she said and then turned to me.
“I’m going to take the kids to the amusement park. Oscar and Adam are coming with us. Do you want to tag along?” Linda continued while Oscar placed a stack of pancakes in front of me.
“I might wait for Mabel to wake up and see what she wants to do,” I replied, and Shelly exchanged looks with Linda and smiled.
“You two are inseparable!” Linda said with a laugh and came over to take the fork from her mother.
“Morning, guys,” I heard Mabel’s voice and I whipped around in my chair to look at her. She had showered and changed into a gray lace maxi dress, cinched at the waist with a wide leather belt. She’d plaited her bronze hair to one thick braid behind her head, and surprisingly had sunglasses on already.
“Going somewhere?” Oscar asked and immediately, Linda burst out laughing.
“She’s hungover, Oscar!” Linda said, and Mabel ignored her sister and walked over to the counter to peck at the pancakes waiting there.
“Grab a plate, honey,” Shelly rebuked her gently, and Mabel shook her head.
“I think I’ll throw up if I eat anything,” she said and went over to the refrigerator to pull out a carton of orange juice instead.
“Your wonderful boyfriend refused a day at the amusement park, because he’d rather spend time with you instead,” Linda turned to her sister to say. I continued eating my pancakes without saying anything and sensed Mabel’s eyes on me.
“That’s … nice,” she said at a loss for words.
“I’d be happy to go to the park if you really want me to,” I said to Linda, and she waved her hand in the air.
“Enjoy the honeymoon period, guys. Justin wouldn’t be caught dead going to the amusement park when he can sleep in on vacation instead,” she said and arched her eyebrows sarcastically.
“So what are you two going to do for the day?” Shelly interrupted us. Mabel drank from the carton directly and went over to pinch Daphne’s cheek.
“I’m quite beaten up actually,” Mabel said, and I pushed the food around on my plate. I could sense that she was uncomfortable again. She didn’t want to give me the impression that she actually wanted to spend any time with me, away from her family.
“Why don’t you show him around the vineyards and the fresh air will do you good too,” Oscar suggested.
I stood up from the stool and walked over to Mabel.
“That sounds like a great plan, babe. Let’s go for a walk,” I said and reached for her hand. Even through the dark tint of her sunglasses, I could see her eyes expand. She almost looked afraid of me, and it made me smile. This was fun! Mabel was adorable when she was uncomfortable.
“Yeah, honey. Go along. I’ll pack you a hamper of sandwiches or something,” Shelly added, and Mabel looked from me to her mother.
Duke started whining, and Linda had to come over and take him into her arms. She patted her sister on her arm before she left the room.
“You two have a nice day now; see you for dinner later,” Linda said.
“Yes! We have a five-course meal planned for the anniversary,” Shelly said.
“Who all are coming?” Mabel asked, going over to place the orange juice back in the refrigerator.
“Everyone, everyone who can make it. We invited everyone we know,” Shelly said and turned to wink at me. I laughed, as did Oscar, and Mabel let out a huge sigh.
“It’s going to be a full house,” she said and then threw her arms around her mother. “But it’ll be great, mom. Congratulations, you two. I’m so happy for you,” she said and smiled at Oscar.
“Thank you, honey. Now go on and enjoy the sun,” Shelly said and slapped her daughter’s butt and winked at me again. I was beginning to really enjoy their company!
“Let’s go, Mabel, and make hay while the sun is shining,” I said, and Mabel lifted her sunglasses just to roll her eyes at me, which made me laugh more.
“Here, let me give you some sandwiches,” Shelly said, scurrying around the kitchen to gather some leftover turkey sandwiches from the previous day. Mabel and I waited beside each other, watching Shelly making the arrangements.
And the whole time, I couldn’t help but look forward to finally spending some time alone with her. I’d barely been able to sleep the previous night; all I could think about was being in the same room with her and how much I wished I could have her in my arms again. But it was becoming increasingly clear to me now that she wanted nothing more than the weekend to just get over.
Chapter 13
Mabel
Damien was walking beside me with his hands behind his back as I hesitantly showed him around my parents’ stretches of vines. Not like I knew much about it; I hadn’t ever participated in the family business much, so I wasn’t turning out to be the best tour guide.
“What about your sisters, do they help out much with the family business?” Damien asked me, and I shaded my eyes with my hand to look at him.
“Not really. Erica is the only one who is really interested, and the men help out sometimes, especially Adam, with the accounts,” I said as we approached the gazebo at the end of the fields. Damien was thinking again. It was our family’s usual picnic spot.
“Do you mind if I ask you a question, like of a personal nature?” he said, and I jerked my head around to look at him. I still remembered the way he had tucked me into bed the previous night, how tempted I was to kiss him.
He was in a pair of fresh jeans and t-shirt, and his sandy blond hair was ruffled in the warm breeze that was blowing. He looked charmingly boyish, and I licked my lips.
“Okay,” I said in a small voice, and Damien stole a few nervous glances at me.
“I wanted to ask about your father. I mean, Oscar is a great dad …” he said, and I nodded my head.
“Yeah, he is,” I said.
“I’m sorry if I’m intruding,” he was quick to say.
“No, it’s alright. It’s an understandable question. Well, he passed away just after Erica was born,” I said, and Damien fell silent.
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” he said, and I shook my head again.
“It’s fine; don’t worry about it. We’ve all healed that wound,” I replied and looked away from him. It was strangely freeing to be able to talk about dad. We spoke about him very little in my family, afraid of how everyone might react.
“How old were you
then?” he asked as we stepped into the gazebo. The view of the vineyards from this spot was breathtaking, and I discovered that my mom had recently decorated it with bunches of wildflowers.
“I was about three, Erica was only a few months old, and my other sisters were slightly older,” I replied, and Damien took a seat on one of the white wrought-iron chairs that were neatly arranged at the center of the gazebo.
“That must have been very hard for your mother. Did you live in Napa Valley?” he asked, and I nodded my head, taking one of the other chairs.
“Yeah, my dad didn’t own a vineyard or anything. He ran a convenience store in town, and my mom had very little resources or help to keep the business afloat,” I said and took out the packed hamper of sandwiches from my bag.