by Joleen James
"Be my guest." His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. Eyes told so much. It bothered her that she couldn't read him. Would she see victory in the depths of his dark eyes?
"I'm surprised to see you," Danielle said. "I thought you'd be working this time of day."
"Nah. I like to hang out with Maria in the afternoons." Nico grinned.
Something wild and wonderful stirred inside Danielle, making her remember every good feeling she'd ever had for him. Why would he smile at her like that? They'd barely been civil to one another since she'd been back.
"I'm in the fields by three a.m. most mornings," he said. "I usually knock off around this time."
"That's nice." She wished Kaiden's father wanted to spend time with him. "Maria's a lucky girl."
He studied her for a second, then said, "Thank you for today."
"Don't thank me, Nico." She watched as Kaiden splashed Maria, glad her son was having fun. "Whether you believe it or not, it's hard for me to sell."
"I don't doubt that."
His words were warm and oozed sincerity. She almost believed he cared about her. Almost. She was no longer so naïve she believed everything a man said to her. No, now she was cynical and didn't trust anyone.
"I don't want to talk about the vineyard." Danielle returned her attention to the kids. "I'm glad the kids are getting along."
"Me, too," Nico said. "Maria gets lonely. It's her first summer here without her mother. Liz is with her new boyfriend in Italy for five weeks. I know Maria's glad for the company."
"So you share custody with your ex-wife?" Danielle asked.
"Yes. Liz lives nearby. So far it's working okay. How about you? Do you share custody with your ex?"
"I wish he was that interested in Kaiden, but he's not," Danielle said, not wanting to get into the sordid details of her divorce. "I have Kaiden all to myself right now."
"I'm sorry," Nico said, his voice gentle.
"I'm sorry, too." She was so sorry for Kaiden, sorry she couldn't have chosen a better father for him.
"Come in, Dad," Maria called, her dark, wet hair shining in the sun. Her smile lit up the afternoon, her enjoyment of the water contagious.
"I'm coming." Nico removed his sunglasses, and then pulled his T-shirt up over his head, tossing it onto the grass.
All thoughts of her ex-husband fled Danielle's mind when Nico's naked torso appeared -- all that tanned, smooth skin. His chest, shoulders, and arms were well-muscled, his stomach flat and corded. He definitely had the abs of a man who did hard, physical work. A fine sprinkling of dark hair covered his chest and stomach, disappearing into the waistband of his trunks. The words Italian Stallion came to mind. What would he be like in bed, hot, erotic, sensual?
Thankful her sunglasses hid her eyes, Danielle knew she should look away but couldn't. Nico had a gorgeous body, a model's body, a body made for sin. She couldn't remember the last time she'd thought about any man in a sexual way. Her sex life with Peter had been non-existent the last three years of their marriage and lukewarm at best in prior years. She'd be lucky if she could even remember how to have sex.
"Are you coming in?" Nico flashed another wicked smile.
"I didn't bring my suit," she said with regret.
"Don't let that stop you." Nico laughed, no doubt at the shocked look on her face. Taking a running leap, he jumped in, making a giant splash which started a water fight between him and the kids. Danielle watched from the shore, and suddenly, the weight of the day vanished. Kaiden's laugh, his smile, his joy tumbled through her. A second deep chuckle joined Kaiden's. Nico. An answering spark leapt to life, warming Danielle from the inside out.
But she kept her eyes on her son, careful not to look at Nico. What would be the point? She wouldn't be staying. And she sure didn't need any more heartache.
Chapter Three
The ring of the phone pulled Danielle from sleep. Disoriented, at first she couldn't remember where she was, much less locate the phone. Thankfully, the ringing stopped. She glanced at her alarm clock. Eleven a.m. Eleven! Why had Lola let her sleep so late?
Danielle jumped up, grabbed her robe, and opened the bedroom door, dashing across the hall to Kaiden's room. His bed was made and he was nowhere in sight. Well, wasn't she a good mother!
She raced down the stairs to the kitchen, coming to a stop when she realized that Lola wasn't alone. Her father's personal assistant, Gayle, sat at the table with Lola.
"There you are," Lola cried. "I knew you weren't really an early riser." She winked.
"Good morning, Danielle," Gayle said, her smile wide and welcoming. Dressed professionally in neat gray slacks and a crisp white blouse, her gray hair perfectly styled in a chic bob, Gayle looked every inch the capable executive assistant she was.
Danielle ran a hand through her own wild hair, hoping it didn't look as bad as it felt. "I'm sorry I slept so late. Why didn't you wake me, Lola?"
"You needed the rest." Lola got up and poured Danielle a cup of coffee setting the mug on the table.
"Thanks. Where's Kaiden?" Danielle sipped the coffee.
"He and Maria went outside to play. They're due back any minute."
"Okay." Danielle slid into a chair at the table and turned her attention to her father's assistant. "What brings you here, Gayle?"
"You do, actually," Gayle said, her tone all business. "You have some decisions to make."
"Me?" Danielle asked. "I don't work for Whitney Vineyards."
"That's not exactly true." Gayle slid an envelope across the table.
Danielle opened the envelope and counted six one hundred dollar bills. "What's this for?"
"It's the weekly pay your father has set aside for you for the next ninety days."
"I can't take this," Danielle said. "It's not right."
"Why not?" Gayle asked, as if Danielle were an idiot. "Your father didn't expect you to give up your life, your job, to come here for no pay. Besides, someone has to take Phillip's place. You are the logical choice."
She did need a job, but working for Whitney Vineyards wasn't what she had in mind. It seemed a little like stealing, or cheating when she didn't intend to stay on.
"I can tell you your father's thoughts on certain things if that will help," Gayle said, "but the business decisions should ultimately be yours."
"What about Nico?" Danielle asked. "Shouldn't he be the one making decisions?"
"Nico's in the fields by three a.m.," Lola told her. "If you want his opinion you'll need to wait until he comes in for lunch at the noon hour."
"Nico is production," Gayle said. "Phillip was the business end of the winery. Two completely different jobs. Of course I can't tell you what to do, but if it were me, I'd take the job. You can work from home and be near your son. Most mothers would jump at the chance."
Danielle recognized Gayle's rational for what it was, a way to play on her parental guilt. Still, it made sense. Being with Kaiden was a definite plus. She'd had a horrible time finding good day-care after the divorce when she'd worked for a local book-store. And she did need income. Groceries weren't free, and she had no idea what kind of money it took to run Whitney House. "All right. I'll try it."
"Splendid." Gayle smiled. "Welcome to your first day working for Whitney Vineyards."
"Thanks, I think," Danielle said, hoping she wouldn't regret her decision. "Okay, I don't know what happened to me this morning, but I'm up now. Let me shower and drink my coffee. What if I meet you in my father's office at noon?"
"Sounds good." Gayle stood. "I've got some things to do. I'll see you in an hour."
Danielle gave her a tired smile. "Great."
Gayle no sooner left than Kaiden and Maria burst through the kitchen door, their cheeks pink with color.
"What's happening, guys?" she asked.
"We're bored." Kaiden flopped onto the chair beside her. "There's nothing to do here."
"That's not true," Danielle said, echoing the words her own mother had said to her when she'd bee
n a child. "There's plenty to do." But she remembered endless summers, stuck here, so far from town she wanted to scream. She'd been a kid with no idea of the fun right before her, swimming, fishing, bike riding, with acres and acres of property to explore. Kaiden had a built in friend -- Maria. She'd had no one close by to play with.
"We want to go to the movies," Maria said. She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder. "I'm going to ask my dad to take us."
"You're here. Will you take us, Mom?" Kaiden asked.
Unable to resist his plea, Danielle said, "Okay, but it will have to be later, and with Nico's permission. Why don't you ask him when he comes in for lunch?" Danielle stood. "Right now I need to get dressed and meet with Gayle. You two stick close to the house until I'm done, got it?"
"Okay," Kaiden grumbled.
"They'll be fine," Lola said, giving Danielle a push. "You go on and do what you need to do."
"Thanks." Danielle showered then went down to her father's office. She sat at his desk, running her hand over the smooth cherry surface. Slowly, she pulled the top drawer open. Paperclips, pens, pencils, sticky notes, all the usual things one would find in a desk.
Thinking that wasn't so scary, she looked through the other drawers, finding them filled with all sorts of things relating to the winery, nothing unusual, and plenty she didn't understand.
When she tried to open the bottom drawer, she found it locked. At first she was content to leave the drawer locked, but the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to see what was inside. She rifled through his desk again, searching for a key, but found nothing.
A soft knock sounded at the door, and Gayle entered carrying a stack of paperwork. "You look more awake now," she observed.
"I am." Gayle wore her tortoise-shell glasses perched on the end of her nose, making Danielle want to push them back up into place.
Gayle took the seat opposite her. "I usually sit here when I come to the house. Is that all right?"
"Of course." Danielle didn't consider herself Gayle's boss. "Sit wherever you like."
Gayle spread her work out on the desk. She needed Danielle's input on the new label design, her signature on the invoice for the new French oak barrels that had just been delivered, and her okay on a wine tour/basket for an auction. Her approval was also needed to authorize repairs on equipment used in the vineyard. Gayle assured her it was all standard procedure, nothing too scary.
"Is that it?" Danielle asked when they appeared to be finished.
"For now," Gayle said. "I'm leaving you the designs for the wine labels. Look through them. I've set up a meeting with Marketing for Tuesday morning. You can talk your choice over with them at that time." Gayle gathered up her neat stack of papers. "I'm going to take all of this back to my office."
"Okay. Gayle?" Danielle said, remembering the locked drawer. "Do you know where my father kept the keys for this desk? Some of the drawers are locked."
"I'm not sure." Her brow wrinkled and she pushed her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose. "Have you tried his key ring?"
"No, I have no idea where it is."
"Most likely, it's in his bedroom," Gayle said on her way to the door. "Let me know if you can't find the keys and I'll call a locksmith for you."
"Thanks."
Gayle closed the door on her way out.
Her father's bedroom. Did she have the guts to face what lurked behind that closed door? Coming into his office was bad enough. A bedroom was personal, private. No, she couldn't go in there, not yet; she wasn't ready. Whatever was in the locked drawer would have to wait.
***
Sun Grove's only movie theatre ran a two-dollar movie on Thursday nights. Tonight's movie was the new Disney picture. Luckily, neither Kaiden nor Maria had seen the movie. Danielle also looked forward to the show, to a little mindless entertainment. She didn't want to think anymore. The last couple of days had taken a toll on her, leaving her tired and cranky.
"Kaiden, we need to go," Danielle called up the stairs. She waited for Kaiden to appear before she grabbed her purse from the table in the hall.
A knock sounded at the door. Danielle answered the door, surprised to find both Maria and Nico.
"Hi." She pulled the door wide so they could enter.
"Hi," Nico returned. He came inside with Maria. Both father and daughter had cleaned up. Maria had her hair pulled into two pigtails, the ends tied with pink ribbons that matched the pink T-shirt she wore with her white shorts. Clean shaven, Nico's hair was still wet, the strands dark and glossy. He wore a blue collared shirt tucked into gray jeans, jeans that hugged his body in all the right places.
Why did he have to be so handsome? It would be so much easier to disagree with him if she weren't physically attracted to him. To cover her frustration, Danielle said, "I'll have her back right after the movie."
Kaiden and Maria ran past them out the open door to the car. "Well, maybe not right after," Danielle said. "We may stop for ice cream first. Is Mason's still on Third?" Mason's had homemade ice cream, the best. Danielle hadn't tasted anything close to it in Seattle. To her, there was nothing better on a hot day than a Mason's toffee butter crunch ice cream cone.
"Mason's is there," Nico confirmed.
"Okay, then we'll be on our way." Danielle started out the door.
"Wait," Nico said. "I'd like to come along, if that's okay?"
"Really?" Danielle asked, surprised. "I didn't figure you for a Disney fan."
He grinned. "When you have kids, you know Disney. Besides, I want to be with Maria. We don't spend as much time together as I'd like."
"I know what you mean. I feel the same way about Kaiden. All right, let's go."
"I'll drive," Nico said. His big, shiny, black pickup truck was parked beside Danielle's Jetta, making her car look even smaller and shabbier than usual. "I've got more room."
"You do," she agreed. Kaiden and Maria were already climbing into the back seat.
They got in the truck and Nico started the engine, pulling out of the drive. Danielle stared out the window, watching the scenery roll by. There were so many vineyards here now, the orchards of her childhood gone. While the landscape had changed, some things were still the same, the color of the sky, the wheat grass blowing on the side of the road, the scent of ripe fruit and earth in the air. Danielle rolled her window down a few inches and enjoyed the breeze.
"Gayle told me she put you on the payroll this morning," Nico said.
"Yes." She turned her face into the wind. "I'm not exactly sure what my job description is. She wants me to make decisions, decisions I have no business making. Decisions you should be making."
"You're the boss for now."
She brought her attention to him. "I'm not qualified for the job. I barely graduated from community college."
"Gayle will show you what to do. She practically runs the place anyway."
"What can you show me?" she asked on impulse.
He shot her a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, what goes on in the vineyard? Will you take me out there, show me the grapes? I want to see what my father saw."
"Are you saying you want to work in the fields?"
"Yes." The more she thought about it, the more she warmed to the idea. Being out in the vineyard held more appeal than sitting in her father's office.
"Okay," he said skeptically, "you're the boss."
"She's not the boss. We're not staying here," Kaiden said from the backseat. "My dad is in the city. We're going back, right, Mom?"
The panic in his voice reminded her of every reason they could never stay. "Right, honey. I'm only working at the vineyard during our time here." She didn't want him to worry. "Let's change the subject."
Nico's mouth moved into a thin line. Is that why he'd come along tonight? Was he worried about her being on the payroll? He probably thought she'd love the power so much she'd want to stay. Ha! Nothing was further from the truth. She didn't want this kind of life. She wanted freedom,
security, and a place of her own that wasn't filled with the ghosts of the past.
She glanced over her shoulder at the kids. Kaiden and Maria rode in silence, each of them staring out their own window. The sullen look was back on Kaiden's face.
Thankfully, they soon arrived at the movie theater. The kids couldn't get out of the truck fast enough. They ran ahead to the box office.
They made it through the movie and ice cream without any business talk. The kids enjoyed themselves, but Danielle felt an odd strain between herself and Nico. He didn't like her interest in the vineyard. Well, too bad.
On the ride home, both kids fell asleep. Conversation stopped, the country western music from the radio the only sound in the truck. Danielle silently thanked Toby Keith for filling the silence between her and Nico.
When they turned into the drive at the vineyard relief filled Danielle. Nico cut the engine, and the kids both stirred. Nico exited the truck, coming around to help Danielle.
"Thanks for driving," Danielle said as a sleepy Kaiden slid out of the back seat.
"You're welcome." Nico reached out to steady Kaiden. "Do you want me to walk you in?"
"No, we're fine. Thanks again." She started to move away, but Nico's fingers tangled in her sweater, stopping her. His eyes glowed, the heat making her stomach flutter.
"I'll pick you up at three a.m."
"Three a.m.?" Danielle echoed.
"That's the time I start work."
She could see the challenge in his eyes. He didn't think she could get out of bed and keep up with him all day. He was in for a surprise.
"I'll be ready," she said confidently.
From the truck, Maria called, "Dad, come on. Let's go."
Nico let go of her. "See you at three. I hope you're up for it."
Three a.m. What was the point of even going to bed? With a shake of her head, Danielle climbed up the steps. She let herself inside, closing and locking the door. She was replaying her conversation with Nico over in her mind when the phone rang.
Danielle went to the kitchen, picking up the call. "Hello?"