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“Behaving professionally. Believe me, I’d much prefer to kiss the living daylights out of you.”
“Well, on that we can agree.” I give him my most professional smile. “It was a pleasure sitting next to you, Chief Wainwright. Let’s do it again sometime soon.”
“You betchya, Miss Wilder.” He winks and turns toward the fire station.
I’m just getting into my car when I spot Scarlett. She’s standing by the side of the town hall. And standing way too close to her, looking like he’s deep in conversation, is George Shumaker.
* * *
“Oh, you guys! This is beautiful!” Bailey clasps her hands together as we step off the vintage tour bus to the winery that Nikko recommended.
I fall in love with it immediately.
It’s on a hill with a beautiful view of the mountains, which are lit up by the late afternoon sun. A stone path leads from the parking lot to a rustic little building. Around it, the lawn is dotted with picnic tables and Adirondack chairs. One extra long table has a white canvas top to keep off the sun and a sign that says “Reserved for Hart-Cassavetti.”
A handful of patrons are dotted around the tables, but we’re obviously going to be the big crowd tonight, and it will be even bigger when the guys join us later.
“Good call,” I tell Lucky. “This place is gorgeous!”
“Isn’t it? Nikko gets all the credit.” Lucky waves us toward the picnic tables. “Grab a seat. I’ll let them know we’re here.”
We’re soon joined by the rest of the bachelorette party: Nikko’s friend and manager Heather, Melody, who teaches the yoga classes Bailey has been taking, Bailey’s friend Amy from when she worked at the Cantina, and April and her girlfriend, Marnie, who are friends of Joyce and Hunter’s and are becoming friends with the rest of us.
We’ll be here on our own for a couple of hours, drinking wine, eating cheese, and getting pictures of Bailey’s face when she opens her gift from Jezebel’s Cavern, then we’ll be joined by the guys.
And then, I guess, we’ll have more wine.
Bailey blushes and laughs as she opens her gifts, which range from sweetly lacy to downright dirty. The look on her face when she opens my gift doesn’t disappoint, but she surprises us all when she says, “Well, this will be handy when Nikko is traveling,” and we all burst out laughing.
The winery owner brings us tasting after tasting as the sun sinks lower. There’s a lot of laughter and jokes, and I’m pleased to see Bailey looking relaxed and happy.
The tastings add up. When I excuse myself to go find the ladies’ room, I realize I’m tipsier than I’d thought. Good thing I got the vintage party bus to handle driving us to and from town. Right now, it’s on its way to Nikko’s to pick up the guys.
Hoping I’m not outright wobbly, I make my way into the building. The indoor seating area is scattered with rustic-looking tables and the walls are painted with murals of grape vines and birds.
One of the servers directs me to the bathroom, which is just as pretty and rustic-wine-country as the rest of the place. I catch myself thinking that maybe Jeremy and I should come here on a date sometime.
Then I remember that I’ve put the kibosh on public dating at least until the Addison is settled—assuming we’re still speaking to each other if one of us gets it and the other doesn’t.
Then I remember that my backup plan if I don’t get it is to leave town and I should probably say something about that to Jeremy—
Stepping back out into the main seating area, I run smack into the man himself.
My first thought is delight at seeing him. My next thought is horror that he might be here with another woman. My third thought is that as the one who wants to keep things light, I can’t really complain if he is, and my last thought is that keeping things light may not be as appealing as I once thought.
All this takes about a second and a half before Jeremy puts a stop to the runaway train in my head. “There you are!” He looks me up and down. “We-ell, don’t you look incredible.”
Maybe it’s all the wine or maybe it’s relief that he looks glad to see me, but I actually giggle. “What are you doing here?”
“Joyce introduced me to Nikko a few days ago when I was in the Flying Saucer and he invited me along. Man, that guy can cook. He served us this grilled wagyu steak that was like…” Jeremy shakes his head in awed disbelief. “Best thing I ever tasted. After you, of course.” He winks.
I duck my head and giggle. What is happening to me? I’m not usually the blushing and giggling type. I step closer and run my hand down the soft fabric of his dress shirt, tilting ever so slightly. “I’m glad you’re here.”
His grin gets wider. “Blaze Wilder, are you a little tipsy?”
I giggle again. “Maybe.”
“Well, don’t get too drunk. I have plans for you later tonight.” He gives me a meaningful look.
