Page 81 of Wine & Dine

31

Property

[Garrett]

The next day, Dolores directs me as I drive us to her house. The place is small, looking almost like a cabin with a single window next to the front door. We enter a cool room that’s neat and comfy but tiny.

“I hadn’t turned on the heat as I wasn’t here,” she explains. An overstuffed couch sits on top of an area rug facing a television on a low table. There’s a hall off to the side of the TV stand. Her kitchen to the right.

“It’s not as nice as your condo,” she mutters, and I turn on her as we stand behind her couch.

“Don’t do this,” I plead. I don’t want her comparing things. I came from a home that didn’t look too different from this one. Tidy, orderly but small. I’m not judging her, especially as it’s a small town, and she’s been a single woman. The thought gives me pause.

“What I want to know is if you slept with him here?” The idea of her with that red-haired grease monkey makes my blood boil, and I’ve tried not to think of it since yesterday when I saw him briefly in the diner. She didn’t need to introduce us for me to know who he was. Wild orange hair lay limp over his ears with a patch of facial hair here and there. His eyes devoured Dolores even though his words sliced her up. He called her old, and I felt her bristle before me. She hadn’t heard me enter the diner, too lost in the mess around her, but I wanted to throttle him for insulting her. Only, I sensed her instability. She couldn’t handle a pissing match, and I didn’t need one either. There was no comparison between him and me, especially after her reaction when I touched her back. If she had flinched, I knew I’d lost her, but she didn’t. She leaned back, pressing into the comfort of my hand, and then when she turned to hug me, I didn’t worry. But standing in her home, I envision him everywhere with her.

“I thought we said we weren’t doing this.”

“I need to know.” I don’t want to share all our indiscretions, but there was something about the way he looked at her. She wasn’t as casual to him as she led me to believe. Or she didn’t see the way he peered at her as though he owned her, possessed her. Giving her up isn’t going to be easy for him, even if she fooled herself into thinking he didn’t care about her. His evil glare said he did, at least on an ownership level. I shiver with the thought. She’s mine, I seethe.

Her silence is my answer.

Without looking up, she corrects herself, “Well, not everywhere.” She eyes the floor and shifts toward the kitchen. I’m on her in a second, lifting her to cradle my hips and carrying her into her kitchen. I lay her out on her table, devouring her neck and her jaw, struggling to get all the layers back off her body. I’m a madman, come to stake my claim.

“Garrett,” she murmurs between kisses. “Not here. It’s too cold.” She’s kissing me, but she’s telling me to stop, and I do, pulling back as I feel the weight of my crazy.

“How he looked at you makes me insane.”

Her head tips in question when she weakly grins up at me while sitting on the table.

“We can’t stay here,” I whisper, knowing I’ll hurt her feelings after I told her I wanted us to live together.

“Why?” she whispers, touching my cheeks.

“I’ll see him everywhere with you.” I close my eyes at my own weakness. Jealous and petty and wanting her all for me. Soft lips brush mine.

“I agree. It’s too lonely when I think of being here.”

“But I’m here now,” I teasingly assure her, tugging at her hips. I might have to swallow my pride in this case.

“I’ll sell. I can use the money to manage the damage to the diner.”

“The diner isn’t damaged; it’s being renovated, and you’ll have all the money you need.” I lower my eyes, scratching at the back of my neck because I know I have to tread lightly. “But I wouldn’t mind you selling this place if you want. We can stay at the Lodge for a while until we figure something out.”

“Magnolia would never forgive me. Plus, she has all that room. We can stay there.”

I’m pleased to hear this solution as I’d prefer to be at the heart of the operation where the vineyard begins and so does our adventure.

“I need about an hour to pack up some things. Why don’t you head to the Lodge and check out? There’s also a hardware store in town. Duncan’s. You might be able to get a dog bed for Wally. I’ll call Denton, and he can meet us here with his truck.” I love how she’s thinking of things. Planning is a sign of accepting. She hasn’t said yes to anything, but after our checklist discussion, she seems calmer.

Note to self: negotiate in the bathtub more often.

+ + +

After I check out of the Lodge, I find a dog bed for Wally and a grocery store for some necessities, then head back to Magnolia’s. Dolores called me to say Denton can meet us in an hour and a half at her place.

As I arrive at Magnolia’s, I knock, not wanting to let myself into her home. There are so many things to discuss, and I don’t want to have any conversations until Dolores and I can talk to her grandmother together. Magnolia has other plans, though.

“What are your intentions?” she says after I’ve set the groceries on the cabinet with a makeshift counter of plywood over the top. She has an old refrigerator for now, but I’m assuming something industrial and flashy is coming based on the space provided. I pause while placing things in the fridge, debating if I should speak candidly to the matron of the Chance family.