by Hope Ramsay
With all that activity, Andrew’s father needed help, and the family was expected to provide it. Andrew had never missed a Harvest Festival, except for his undergrad years at Yale. Even Andrew’s spoiled sister, Amy, showed up for the grape harvest, as did his younger brother and many of his cousins.
So Andrew left Laurie’s bed in the wee hours of the morning, not because he wanted to, but because Dad expected him to show up at the vineyard at six in the morning, bright-eyed and wearing his burgundy Bella Vista Vineyards golf shirt. He made it on time, but maybe not so bright-eyed—a fact Dad noticed.
“Where were you last night?” Dad asked in a gruff voice as he pressed a Styrofoam coffee cup into his hand.
“I’m not going to answer that question.”
His father gave him an oh-so-sober look. “Does this mean you’re finally over Valerie?”
Boy, that was a good question. “Maybe,” he answered.
His father gave him a long, searching look. “So, I hear on the family grapevine that you were seen dancing with Laurie Wilson.”
What was it about Dad? Andrew could fool a lot of people but he couldn’t fool his father. So he didn’t try to. He just nodded his head and said, “Yeah.”
“Be careful with your heart,” Dad said. “I’m not sure Laurie knows what she wants.”
Andrew locked gazes with his father, but Dad didn’t say another word about Laurie. He just nodded his head to indicate that the father-son conversation was closed. A moment later, he slapped Andrew on the back. “So where is your brother, Edward?”
“He said he would drive down this morning. He had some kind of big meeting last night about the Higgins campaign.”
“Well, that’s a lost cause. Come on, it’s going to be a busy day. And this year, your sister can’t help because she has a job.” Dad didn’t even roll his eyes at that statement, proving that he’d come a long way over the summer. There had been a time last spring when Dad had been uber confused over Amy. He’d wanted her to grow up and be responsible, but when she decided to take a job working on the landscape crew at Eagle Hill Manor, Dad had kind of lost it.
Amy had worked her way up to assistant wedding planner, but she’d surprised everyone when she’d married Dusty, the chief landscaper. Although Dusty wasn’t a landscaper now. He was in the thick of building an eco-tourism business. The Liberty Run Fishing Lodge was under construction and would open its doors sometime next year.
“You up for managing the wine tasting?” Dad said.
“Sure, but don’t you want to schmooze the customers?”
“No. I just bought a brand-new Massey Ferguson tractor, and I’m itching to drive it.” Dad’s eyes lit up like it was Christmas Day. “So I’m handling the hayrides and leaving Ozzie to do the tours and supervise the grape stomp. Camilla will handle the caterers, the live music, and all the other craziness.”
Ozzie Casano had been Dad’s viticulturist for decades, and his wife, Camilla, was the winery’s business manager. Ozzie and Camilla shared a three-bedroom apartment above the winery’s business office and had been part of Andrew’s life for as long as he could remember.
Andrew got to work, helping with the final decorations in the tasting room and toting bales of hay to various strategic locations. He kept very busy until 10:00 a.m., when the doors opened. But at that hour the trickle of customers wasn’t enough to keep his mind from wandering back to the events of the night before.
Laurie had been…He didn’t have the words to explain his feelings. Sex wasn’t love, of course, but it was easy to make that mistake with a woman he’d known for years. He genuinely cared about her. She was his best friend’s fiancée; his boss’s daughter. She didn’t fit as one-night-stand material, no matter what she said last night. And bottom line: The sex had blown him away.
He’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t want to make love with her again. But doing that would be fraught with complications.
Luckily, the crowd grew through the morning, and the winery got too busy for Andrew to brood about what had happened. He threw himself into the task at hand and didn’t come up for air until almost two in the afternoon.
He was standing behind one of the tall counters pouring wine samples when he caught the unmistakable spark of red hair in his peripheral vision. He turned, almost out of reflex.
For the last two years, Andrew had never stopped looking for that precise shade of deep auburn. Every time a woman with that particular hair color crossed his path, his heart would skip a beat, his step would quicken, and a fleeting moment of hope would slam through him. He’d search out the woman’s face, only to be disappointed one more time. It was never Val, until today.
He turned toward the woman who had just taken a seat at the bar and knew a moment of utter surprise.
“Hi,” Val said, the skin between her freckles darkening with a blush. “I knew you’d be here today. You’re dependable, Andrew Lyndon, you know that? It’s what I love most about you.”
She leaned her elbows on the bar as if she planned to stay awhile. His heart twisted in his chest. Val certainly had a catastrophic sense of timing. The day she walked out on him was the day he had planned to propose. And now, here she turns up like a bright copper penny on the day after he thought he’d finally let go of her bittersweet memory.
Apparently he hadn’t yet excised her from his heart because right now it was thumping against his rib cage like a drum line. Val. Beautiful, mercurial, wild, impetuous Val. He’d fantasized about this moment hundreds of times. He’d been so sure that he could forgive her. After all, she’d been the color in his life. When she’d left, he’d become a dull gray person.
But now, standing there looking into her witchy green eyes, he remembered the crazy ups and downs of living with her, and he wondered if he truly wanted that much drama in his life.
He should go. He should run. He should get out of this tight space where it was suddenly hard to breathe. But he remembered what Laurie had said last night. Moving on wasn’t the same as running away.
So instead of running, he leaned in close to Val and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Chapter Fifteen
The parking lot at Bella Vista Vineyards was full, so Jessica had to park her Mustang in the grassy field next to Jamie Lyndon’s million-dollar home, and the three of them had to hike up the road a quarter mile to the tasting room.
It was one of those beautiful, warm September days in the valley with a deep blue sky, lots of sunshine, and temperatures in the mid-seventies. The vineyard’s guests availed themselves of the sunshine by sitting at the wrought iron tables scattered over the patio. They sipped wine and ate barbecue while enjoying traditional bluegrass music compliments of Joker’s Wild, a local roots music band.
As Laurie and her friends headed toward the tasting room—a building that looked like a restored barn with weathered wood and big sliding doors—they had to move to one side to make way for a tractor pulling a trailer piled with hay and laughing families. The tractor came to a stop near the platform where the grape stomping competition would soon begin, and the driver, who wore a wide-brimmed brown felt fedora, tipped his hat back and said, “Laurie Wilson, is that you? How are you doing?”
Laurie almost jumped out of her skin because the man’s voice was so much like his son’s. She turned to find Andrew’s father, Jamie Lyndon, the owner of Bella Vista Vineyards, staring down at her. She had never realized, until this moment, how much Andrew looked like his dad. Andrew was taller, slimmer, and obviously younger, but Jamie Lyndon had the same serious brown eyes.
Mr. Lyndon set the brake on the tractor, hopped down, and covered the ground between them in a couple of strides. He took her hands and pulled her into a fatherly hug. “I never had the chance to say how sorry I was about you and Brandon,” he said, pulling back.
Damn. Another pitiful moment. “It’s okay, Mr. Lyndon. I’m doing fine.”
“So I’ve heard,” he said, giving her a dark probing stare.
>
Damn. He had probably heard Matt’s story about seeing her dancing with Andrew. She forced a smile. “Andrew has been a good friend.”
He nodded, but the intensity of his stare didn’t waver for one moment. “I’m glad to hear that. You tell whoever is manning the bar, that you and your girlfriends are welcome to drinks on the house.”
“Thank you, Mr. Lyndon.”
He turned with a wave and headed back toward the tractor, directing the next batch of kids lining up for hayrides.
“So what did you mean about Andrew being a good friend?” Jessica asked.
“He’s been nice to me, which is more than I can say for the rest of Brandon’s friends.” Laurie bit her lip to stop from blurting out the rest of the truth. Instead, she hastened her pace through the doors and into the tasting room, which wasn’t nearly as crowded as the tables outside.
But the moment she entered the room, she became instantly aware of Andrew. His presence tugged at her as if he were a magnet and she were made of iron. But the attraction pulled in only one direction, because he seemed utterly unaware of her arrival. Instead his gaze was riveted to a willowy woman with auburn hair who sat at the bar. He leaned in her direction, smiling that flirty smile that sometimes escaped his emotional control.
Laurie came to an abrupt stop. No. This was not actually happening. Was it?
“What’s the matter?” Jessica turned with a concerned expression.
“Val,” Laurie breathed.
“Who?” Jessica asked.
“Andrew’s old girlfriend. The one I told you about. The one who dumped him.”
“The redhead?” Jessica asked.
“Oh, wow, maybe you were right. He’s not gay,” Madison said. “Oh, Laurie, I’m so sorry. You kind of like him, don’t you?”
Laurie nodded as her composure unraveled. For an instant, she was teleported back to that moment when Brandon told her he didn’t want to get married. She couldn’t breathe, and down deep the betrayal was like a knife plunged right into her heart.
She had no right to feel this way. She had no claim on Andrew. Last night had been about experience and no-strings sex, right? God, she was such a ninny.
“She’s not much to look at,” Madison said.
“Now you’re just being catty,” Jessica replied. “C’mon, let’s get our free wine and stop worrying about the Lyndons. I think they can take care of themselves.”
Jessica, always the trailblazer, made a beeline for the empty bar stools beside Val. She claimed three of them and planted her fanny on the one nearest to Val. “So what’s the best wine here?” she asked, leaning toward Val and Andrew.
“The Chardonnay,” Andrew said before he glanced in Jessica’s direction.
On the other hand, Val turned on her stool, her eyes widening as her gaze met Laurie’s. “Oh my God, Laurie, it’s so good to see you.” Val jumped down from her perch and threw her arms around Laurie as if they were long-lost BFFs. In truth, they had never been very close even though their respective boyfriends were best friends. “How’s Brandon? Did you guys finally tie the knot?”
Laurie glanced at Andrew, hoping to read his reaction, but his mild-mannered Clark Kent mask of steel was back in place. His eyes looked vacant, as if he’d just been knocked on the head with a two-by-four.
Laurie turned her attention back to Val. “No, Brandon and I are not together anymore.”
“Oh.” Val backed away a step, and the dreaded moment of awkward silence descended.
“All water under the bridge,” Madison chimed in, ever the helpful one in a difficult social situation. “Andrew, we’d like three glasses of the Chardonnay. Your dad told us the wine is on the house.”
Apparently happy to have something to do, Andrew pulled down three white wine glasses from the overhead rack and concentrated on pouring. When he finished, he slid the glasses in Jessica’s direction. “There you go,” he said, never once making full eye contact with Laurie.
“Why don’t we see if there’s a table outside?” Laurie said. She snagged her wine from the counter and didn’t wait for her friends to respond. She turned and strode toward the patio.
What the hell had she said last night about running away and moving on? Yeah. She was an idiot. There were times, like this one, when the only sane option available was running like hell.
Val occupied her barstool until the wine-tasting event came to a close. And even then, she didn’t leave her perch. She behaved as if the last two years hadn’t happened. As if she were entitled to stay after the doors had closed.
Andrew’s father made it clear he wanted her gone. Everyone had been invited to dinner up at Charlotte’s Grove, and Val was most definitely not on the invitee list. Andrew waited until everyone had left for Aunt Pam’s house, and then he walked her to the door.
“Why does your family always come first?” she asked, reminding him of the many fights they’d had over his family.
“Because they do.”
“But I need to talk to you. I need to apologize.”
“Yeah, okay, I get it. But this isn’t the time or place.”
Val’s lower lip quivered, and he suddenly remembered just how good Val could be at manipulating his emotions. “Could we meet somewhere for drinks? Just to talk.”
Damn. He didn’t want to talk to her. He had moved on, much to his own surprise. “Yeah, sure,” he found himself saying. “I’ll call you.”
That promise, insincere as it was, had been enough to get her out of the tasting room and back on the road to D.C. Thank God, because he didn’t want a heart-to-heart with Val.
He wanted to call Laurie and explain about what she’d seen today. He even pulled his iPhone out of his pocket, his finger hovering over her number.
No. He shouldn’t. He couldn’t. Last night had been a one-time thing. She’d been very specific about that. And really, did he want to get involved with someone on the rebound? Someone who had the power to screw up his career and his relationships with his friends and family? He shook his head and tucked his phone back into his pocket.
By the time Andrew arrived at Charlotte’s Grove, the buffet of barbecued pork loin, potatoes, and salad was already picked over. The family had gathered on the mansion’s back terrace, where propane heaters dispelled the autumn chill and party lights twinkled from the pergola.
He hadn’t taken more than three steps onto the patio before Aunt Pam descended on him. “Oh, darling, I’m so happy to see you. I heard all about Val’s reappearance from your father. I was afraid she’d waylaid you.”
Living in a large family was annoying as hell. Everyone gossiped about everyone else. He gave his aunt a kiss and ignored her reference to his ex. “I try never to miss your barbecues, Aunt Pam.”
“I hope you told that woman to back off.”
“I think I can manage to—”
“Don’t you let that woman jack you around. You can do better. Andrew, honestly, I’ve been working so hard to find you the perfect woman. And I keep coming up against blind alleys and roadblocks. Well, don’t you worry. I know everyone is upset about you and Laurie going out together, but we can just put that in the past. In fact, I have the perfect girl for you. You remember Lindsay Mayfield, Connie’s daughter? Well, she graduated from Mary Washington College last May, and since Connie is such a stalwart on the Jefferson County Historic Society, I convinced your uncle Mark to give Lindsay a job as a receptionist up on the Capitol Hill. You should give her a call.”
Was his aunt taking credit for his assignation with Laurie? What the hell was she up to? He thought about cross-examining her but he jettisoned the idea. He had learned long ago not to fight Aunt Pam’s matchmaking suggestions. Ignoring them was the far better response. He gave his aunt his most charming smile and said, “I’ll think about it.” Then he looked away, scanning the crowded terrace for his uncle Charles.
“You do that. She’d be so happy to hear from you. Maybe you can bring her to the Harvest Festival Ball. I have two extra
tickets.”
He didn’t respond to that suggestion. Instead, he extricated himself from Pam and crossed the patio without stopping for food. His uncles, Mark and Charles, were standing together deep in conversation. Uncle Mark looked up as he approached. “You made it. I hear Val has returned.”
Andrew ground his teeth. “Unfortunately yes. And even though I told her to get lost, I have no intention of dating Lindsay Mayfield.”
Mark grinned that big, toothy smile that had helped him maintain his senate seat for the last two decades. “That’s what you think.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that, now that Amy is married, David is settled, and Heather has a seat in Congress, your aunt has entered the we-must-find-Andrew-a-bride phase. I’m afraid she’s given up on Daniel for the moment. And, of course, everyone’s in an uproar because you went dancing with Laurie Wilson.”
Andrew groaned.
“Sorry. And by the way, you are taking Lindsay to the Harvest Festival Ball. I’m afraid there’s some sort of quid pro quo involved. The vote swapping on the Jefferson County Historical Society is more vicious than in the U.S. Senate. I gather Pam needed Connie’s vote on something important. Plus, for the sake of family harmony, it might be a good idea. You wouldn’t want people to think that you and Laurie were anything other than old friends, would you?”
Mark Lyndon was frequently called the bulldog of the U.S. Senate precisely because of the look he gave Andrew in that moment. “No sir,” Andrew said, and then turned to glare at Aunt Pam. She smiled back, like the cat who’d just swallowed the canary.
“I know, she likes to spring these things on us at the last minute. You weren’t planning to bring someone else, were you?” Mark asked, suddenly back to his friendly, avuncular self.
Andrew shook his head. “I wasn’t planning to go.”
“Well, now you are. Can I get you a drink? You look like a man who needs one,” Mark said.
“No. Actually, I was wondering if I could have a private word with Uncle Charles.” He turned toward Charles, who looked utterly surprised.