After a few seconds during which they listened to the sounds of Bo’s retreating footsteps, CiCi spoke.
“If you’re… um… recovered,” she said haltingly, “I think we ought to go.”
Walker looked down at his lap and concluded that it was safe for him to stand and leave. “And where do you want to go?” he asked suggestively.
She stood. “Somewhere with you.” She offered him a hand to help him off the barrel, but he declined.
“Remember what happened when I did that last time?”
“Yeah,” CiCi said. “And your point is?”
“I thought you wanted to leave,” Walker countered and rose without taking her proffered hand.
CiCi kissed him quickly once he was on his feet. “There. That little kiss shouldn’t cause you any problems.”
But Walker grasped her about the waist and pulled her back to him.
“Yeah, but this might.”
He held her to him and kissed her tenderly, then put his forehead against hers, holding her silently for several seconds.
“Why… why has it taken us so long to get to this place?” he stammered as he held her tightly.
“Your happy place?” she joked, although she sensed the seriousness in his question.
“No, just here, together, finally like this.”
She had to give him credit. He was an observant, intuitive man. And he was looking for reassurance, even after the small intimacies they’d just shared.
Walker sensed it. Her fear.
But how could she tell him it was nearly impossible for her to trust after having a father and husband desert her?
The moment wasn’t right, and she wasn’t ready.
“Just afraid,” she said, a true but not full explanation. “But maybe it is about you. I don’t think I could handle having my heart broken by someone as great as you.”
“Breaking hearts isn’t on my to-do list. Never has been. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever broken anyone’s heart.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’ve usually been the one on the unhappy end of a relationship, that’s why. I’m not that great.”
She wanted to ask questions about his marriage—because hadn’t that split been mutual and amicable, as he had told her one day at The Windmill?
“If you haven’t broken anyone’s heart, maybe you are that great. But you’re also great for another reason.”
“Me?”
She nodded and took his hands in hers. “I’ve never had any man be so polite to me, Walker Cain. You’ve been a gentleman and so respectful. You’ve gotten to know me, and you don’t know how much I appreciate that.”
“I’d like to get to know you even better.”
“Sounds like a promise.”
“It is if you can stand me hanging around.”
“I think I can bear that burden,” she said before they reentered the building.
Walker pulled her through the distillery quickly, telling her he was still worried that she could be adversely affected by the heat. “Since I’m around, I need to stop by Hannah’s office and tell her that everything with the delegation went fine this morning. Do you mind? She said she’d be here later in the day.”
“I don’t mind, but do you want me to wait in the lobby?”
“No, come with me,” he said, still holding her hand.
“You realize that if we show up like this together in Hannah Davenport’s office,” CiCi said, briefly holding up their entwined hands, “we’re more or less making some kind of formal announcement to all of Craig County that we’re… we’re…”
He stopped as they exited the front doors of the distillery. Another tour group was coming through, and they had to move out of the way to allow the chattering tourists and the guide to pass.
“That we’re what?” he asked, obviously amused at her embarrassment and confusion.
“That we’re together, I guess is the way to put it.” She briefly considered using the thing phrase, but quickly decided against it since it was vague and silly.
“I have a better way to put it.”
“And that would be?”
“CiCi Summers, will you be my girlfriend?” he asked stiffly and formally. He kissed her hand and bowed.
“Yes, kind sir,” she said just as stiffly, but trying to stifle her laughs. She even gave a little curtsy.
Once in the visitors’ center, they headed directly for Hannah’s office and found the lights on but no Hannah. A high titter of laughter drew CiCi’s attention to the far left and toward the large lobby.
“I’d know that laugh anywhere,” CiCi said.
They headed for the lobby, although they were not holding hands as they walked down the short hall and toward the light-filled and busy area where guests gathered before the tours began.
Hannah was standing in the middle of the space with a woman who looked an awful lot like a flesh-and-blood version of Jessica Rabbit in a black business suit and sensible heels. When CiCi entered the lobby from the hallway, she took a few steps forward until she realized Walker was not by her side. She turned to see him standing in half shadow on the threshold between the lobby and hallway, his mouth slightly open and looking stricken.
“Walker?” CiCi walked back to where he stood like a statue. “Something wrong?”
He shot a quick glance at CiCi and licked his lips. “I didn’t know they were going to interview her so quickly,” he muttered.
“Interview who? What are you talking about?”
Walker took a step back into the hall as though he were retreating.
“Walker?” The redhead called to him with a wave.
Hannah turned, and her expression of general pleasantness changed to something approaching exasperation. “Walker? CiCi? Come on over.” She motioned for them to join her.
Walker entered the lobby, and reached for CiCi’s hand, which she happily gave him. As they approached Hannah, CiCi could’ve sworn she saw the redhead’s smile fade as they came closer.
“Hi, you two,” Hannah said. “Thought you’d be off at The Windmill today.”
“We’ve already been,” Walker announced, looking from Hannah to the redhead, to whom he nodded curtly. “Had to come back here to pick up my phone. Forgot it when I was here earlier this morning with that group.”
“Oh, how’d that go?” Hannah asked.
“They were really excited about the idea for Garnet Center Cut. Thought that was a great marketing move for us.”
“So do I,” Hannah said. “Wish we’d thought of it years ago. But then again, we didn’t have you here, did we?” she enthused.
CiCi heard what seemed like a normal conversation but was picking up a weird nervous vibe from all three of the people with whom she was standing. Like there was something everyone else knew but she didn’t.
“Oh, let me introduce you all,” Hannah said as if reading CiCi’s unease. “CiCi Summers, this is Jana Pogue.”
That name—Jana Pogue. Why was it vaguely familiar?
The two women shook hands and exchanged quick greetings. Jana seemed nice enough, but CiCi didn’t care for the way Jana gave her a very quick up-and-down look, something that always conveyed a distinct sense of contempt.
“And I know you two know each other,” Hannah said vaguely. CiCi watched Walker and Jana shake hands; he could barely crack a smile while she positively glowed at him.
CiCi felt jealous for the first time in years and moved a little closer to Walker.
“Jana just interviewed for the new heritage director position,” Hannah explained.
“This is a wonderful place,” Jana gushed as her eyes roved around the visitors’ center. “You’re all very lucky to work at such a gorgeous distillery.”
“Oh, I don’t work at Old Garnet,” CiCi piped up. “I’m the Craig Circuit Court Clerk.”
“Well,” Jana said, and she seemed to exude a sense of relief at CiCi’s clarification. “I really need to hit the road.” She thanked
Hannah for her time, shook her hand, and said she was very interested in the new position. Jana barely looked at CiCi, grinned at Walker, and left.
CiCi excused herself to the bathroom. “I’ll meet you back here in a few.” She headed toward far end of the visitors’ center lobby, opposite the way she and Walker had entered the building. As she walked away, she cast a glance back at Walker, who wasn’t looking at her but at the departing Ms. Pogue.
Hannah and Walker waited until the women’s bathroom door had closed behind CiCi before speaking.
“CiCi has no clue who Jana is, does she?” Hannah asked as she turned to Walker after watching CiCi disappear into the bathroom.
“No, and I had no idea you were interviewing Jana today.” Walker sighed, unable to hide his irritation.
“We wanted to interview Jana as soon as possible, and this afternoon was the perfect time. I thought you and CiCi would be nowhere to be seen, out for your normal Saturday afternoon thing.”
But today had definitely not been their normal Saturday afternoon thing, judging from their past dates at The Windmill. The definition of what was normal for them had certainly changed in the course of several passionate minutes behind the distillery building.
“Like I said, I came back for my phone.”
“Walker, I’m going to tell you right now that we’re probably going to hire Jana. She’s perfect and can start within a few weeks.”
“Great,” he muttered without enthusiasm.
Hannah let escape an exasperated grunt and frowned at him. “You told us that the idea of Jana coming to work at Old Garnet wasn’t a problem for you. But your words and your reaction are telling me the opposite.”
“And that’s not changed. I just wasn’t ready to see her, and especially under these circumstances, with CiCi by my side.”
“Okay, fair enough,” Hannah said. “But be warned. Like I said, it’s likely we’ll offer Jana the job, and as early as Monday morning. I have to get the green light from both Bo and Lila, but from the discussions we’ve already had, I think that’s what they want to do.”
“I don’t need to be warned, Hannah. I’m a grown-up, and I can handle this.”
“Well, just in case your inner child decides to make an appearance, I’m telling you so you can let us know if it is a problem for you. Because as much as I like Jana, she’s a dime a dozen compared to you. And I mean that not only professionally but as your friend. I don’t want anything to rock the boat here at Old Garnet. We’ve gone through some rough times over the past year or so and more than earned our bit of peace. I’m not about to do anything to disturb our happy home.”
“Really, everything’s going to be fine if Jana comes to work here.”
“Good to know. But I think you still have a problem.”
“What’s that?”
“You still have to tell CiCi,” Hannah said, tipping her head in the direction of the bathroom.
A few minutes later, CiCi returned to the lobby and found Walker waiting for her, alone.
“Where’s Hannah?”
“Had to go back to her office. You all right?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” CiCi hesitated but knew she needed to ask the next question—and that Walker was probably expecting it. “How do you know that woman?”
Walker claimed CiCi’s hand. “C’mon,” he told her. “Let’s go outside first.” He began to pull her toward the doors.
CiCi wanted to resist but allowed Walker to lead her outside into the hot spring day and to his car. After assisting her into her seat, he got in and turned the air-conditioning on full blast.
“Jana Pogue is my ex-wife,” Walker announced as his hands gripped the steering wheel with the car still in park. He didn’t look at CiCi as he made the revelation but soon turned to face her.
“You’re going to be working with your ex-wife?” CiCi asked slowly.
“I won’t be working with her. I’m off in the distillery. She’d be mostly in the visitors’ center.”
CiCi sat back in her seat, trying to digest this nasty tidbit of news.
“You knew this was going to happen?” she asked, staring straight ahead.
“Well, no, but—”
She turned on him, suspicious and irked. “I heard you say something that you didn’t expect she’d be interviewed so soon or something like that. Tell me the truth, Walker. You knew about this?”
CiCi was surprised at the anger and jealousy she felt starting to roil within her. But the real source of her wrath was that she felt that Walker hadn’t been honest with her. She saw how he’d looked at Jana. That wasn’t exactly an I’m-over-you-and-we’re-just-friends-now look.
“All I knew was that Hannah and Bo were interested in her, but I thought they’d try to get others in here for interviews. And I promise you I had no idea she’d be here at the distillery today or I’d—”
“Or what? Not brought me here?”
“No, I wouldn’t have done that.”
“Why?”
“So we could’ve avoided that awkward meeting in the visitors’ center.”
“Yeah, it was awkward, but mostly for you, not me,” she sniffed.
“I was surprised to see her. That’s all there was to it,” he said firmly. “So if you’re thinking that I feel anything for that woman, you can stop thinking that way right now. I filed for divorce, not her. I wanted out.”
“Then let me ask you this. Who broke whose heart? You told me not more than an hour ago that you were usually the one to walk away from a relationship with a big bunch of hurt. And from the reaction I saw you give her when you laid eyes on her, you’ve got a lot of hurt in there when it comes to your ex,” she said, poking him in the chest.
“Of course there’s hurt,” he admitted. “I’m not going to insult you and lie to you about that. Going through a divorce for most people isn’t a bed of roses. I expect most have some sense of loss. I know I did. I still do.”
“Was there someone else involved?” CiCi asked.
He shook his head. “No, nothing like that. No cheating by either party. The marriage simply fell apart, even though we went through more than one reconciliation attempt.” He put his hands on the side of her face. “But just because I’m sad sometimes about the past doesn’t mean that I can’t move on and be happy. Life isn’t some zero-sum game where we get one shot at happiness and then it’s over.”
“I certainly hope not, especially since I’m breaking my own rule when it comes to dating you.”
“You have a rule?”
She nodded, and pressed her lips together. “This will sound stupid, but I usually refuse to date divorced guys.”
“So how’d I get so lucky?”
“I don’t know that answer, quite frankly,” she admitted and smiled. “But the thing is, I have my own reasons for it, okay? And now that I know who Jana is, and when I match that up to how I saw her look at you and you looked at her… well, let’s just say I’m worried.”
“Don’t be.”
“Too late.”
“Can I ask why you have your rule?”
“I… I’m not really ready to talk about that yet,” she said.
“Someday? I really would like to understand.”
“Someday.” It was all she could give him in that moment.
“Does this mean you’re taking back your acceptance of my offer to be my girlfriend?” he asked. She could tell he was trying to be silly, but she also heard the fear in his voice.
“No, I’m not taking that back. But I will tell you this: all that reluctance you sensed in me these past several weeks? It was because you were divorced, because of my rule.”
“How can I make this better?”
“You’ve always got to be honest with me.”
“Done,” he said and they embraced.
Chapter 8
Walker drove CiCi home in silence as she mulled over the events of the day. Should she invite him into the house? Seemed like the expected thing to do after what had h
appened between them behind the distillery. Yet in the wake of the revelations about Jana, her willingness to let Walker into her life had taken a serious hit.
After parking in her driveway, Walker escorted her from his car and to the front door. Nervous and knowing it would be rude not to invite him in, CiCi asked and he eagerly accepted.
“Care for anything to eat or drink?” she asked as she walked through her front hall toward the back of the house. “I think I have a nearly full pitcher of lemonade in the fridge.”
“Lemonade would be great.”
In the hall leading into the kitchen hung a myriad of different pictures and items, all of them related to the resident of the home. Instead of following CiCi to the kitchen, Walker stopped to examine the objects, a hodgepodge of memories, precious mementos CiCi’s mother had placed on the wall. CiCi had never been able to bring herself to remove her mother’s handiwork, a homage to her daughter, now a bittersweet memory for that same daughter.
As CiCi moved about in the kitchen several yards away, Walker remained in the hall and inspected the photos. They served as a timeline of CiCi’s life, from her birth through college graduation.
She soon heard him laughing.
“So that’s your name?” he asked.
“Ah, saw that, did you?” she called from the kitchen as she removed the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge. She put it down on the kitchen table next to some glasses and joined Walker in the hallway.
“Catherine Charlotte Summers. Lovely.”
“Thanks.”
“How did you start to go by CiCi instead?”
“Someone started calling me that when I was little, and it stuck.”
“Who was it that did that? Your mom?”
“No, my dad,” she said, turning on her heel.
Walker followed CiCi into her kitchen and put his phone, sunglasses, and car keys on a counter. The area was open and bright and led to a deck behind the house where potted petunias spilled out of a variety of planters. To the left was a sitting area with a large dark blue overstuffed couch and a big wide-screen TV mounted over the mantle above the fireplace. CiCi indicated that Walker should take a seat at the kitchen table, and he did so as CiCi gathered a few cookies and placed them on the table before joining him.
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