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“Maybe you are. Maybe, for once, the universe is on my side.”
Before I could even manage an argument, he stepped out of the car and onto the sidewalk. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to get my bearings. Everything about this day was not going to plan. It was one speed bump after the next. At least the cake arrived in one piece.
I got out of the car and rounded the hood. “I’m paying you back every dime,” I said as he motioned for me to walk in front of him.
“We can have that argument another day.”
“No argument. It’s my final decision.”
He all but rolled his eyes. “Sure.” He continued walking, and I grabbed his arm. I gasped at the solid muscle beneath my fingertips. His eyes landed on my hand, the dark blue turning midnight as he looked at me.
“I-I…” The words stuttered out, my brain lost to the endless depths. A horn beeped in the distance, and my brain reengaged. “I mean it,” I finally managed. “I’m paying you back.”
“What if I want to do something nice for you?”
My lips parted, but words didn’t come. It was those damn eyes of his, holding me hostage and making me forget what it was to be an actual human who had a brain and thoughts. I inhaled, letting the oxygen refuel my weakening system. I wasn’t some lovesick idiot. I was an independent woman who fought for everything she had. But it was also nice to be taken care of. Even I could admit that.
“But this is too much.”
“For you? It’s not even close to enough.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, tucking me against his warmth. It didn’t matter that I only came up to just under his shoulder. We continued toward the door. “So order whatever you want, and if you say one thing about the prices, I am ordering for you.”
“I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions,” I said.
“Never said you weren’t. But you also worry too much about money.”
“Most people do. Not everyone has an inheritance to fall back on.” I jammed a finger into his ribs. “And before you take that as a bad thing, it’s not. My dad can’t even help me out when I fall behind.”
“Ray’s a hardworking man, and if he could, he would.”
“I know that. He’s still paying for Austin’s student loans. A lot of good those did.”
My dad worked construction and made a decent living, but between his thirty-year mortgage, his truck payment, Austin’s student loans, and all the other necessities, he was barely getting by. I hated I couldn’t help him. He did everything to provide for Austin and me, and my dream was to one day pay him back, but the reality was I was struggling more than him. My business was profitable, thanks to social media, but I was one person and couldn’t keep up with the demand. I could hire help, but until I paid off all of my debts, I didn’t have much to offer. Austin worked cheap and while I hated I couldn’t pay him more, it was more money than he’d make anywhere else. He had a hard time keeping a job.
“Austin will figure his life out. Give him time.”
“He’s been out of school for nine years. How much more time does he need?”
“I’m three years older than him, and I still don’t know what I want to do with my life.”
We walked through the doors of the restaurant, and I paused.
“Are you saying you don’t want to work at the winery for the rest of your life?”
His lips pressed into a thin line. I stared up at him, waiting. I’d always just assumed that the winery was his life. That even if he thought he was nothing more than a glorified bartender, he wouldn’t want to do anything else. It was his family, his legacy. He was raised inside those walls and on those grounds.
“Hi again,” the woman who had showed us to the event room earlier said as she approached. “The cake looks wonderful, and the bride-to-be has already taken a thousand pictures of it.”
“That’s fantastic,” I said, pulling my attention away from Nero.
“We’re having a little car trouble,” Nero said. “We’re hoping we can get a table in the restaurant or bar area and have some lunch while we wait for a tow.”
“Absolutely. I have a couple of high tops in the bar, or I have a booth available in the main room.”
“What do you prefer?” Nero asked me.
“I’m short, so the high tops are like climbing a mountain to get my butt up into the seat.”
Nero snorted, and the hostess smiled. She wouldn’t understand. She was practically as tall as Nero. Even in heels, I would only come up to her chin if I was lucky.
