Dottie adopts a saccharine smile and looks at me like I have a hide even thinking she’d jump on the opportunity to make fun of someone who just put their foot in it, but thankfully she drops the pretense, and her smile turns genuine when she turns to Ava. “It’s lovely to meet you, Ava. I’ve heard good things about you,” she says, holding out her hand to my mortified girl.
“Uh, um…yeah, you too,” Ava manages, shaking Dottie’s hand like she’s living in a dream—or most likely, a nightmare.
“Duke says you make jewelry for an Etsy store?”
“Only in my free time,” Ava says, pulling her hand back from Dottie and wiping her hands on the side of her dress nervously. “I’m not good enough to make it a career.”
“As a person who makes a living from their artwork, you really need to let your customers be the judge of that,” Dottie says, giving her a wink before going to the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water before saying a quick goodbye and heading back into her shop through the black curtain.
“You share the breakroom with your sister,” Ava states as she stares after her looking pale. “I think I might just go and lie down in the trunk of some car and just pretend it’s all over for me. Are any of them set to be destroyed?”
She takes two steps toward my garage before I get close enough to stop her, wrapping my hand around her upper arm and drawing her close to me.
“Don’t run away, kitten.”
“I’m so embarrassed, Duke.” She looks up at me with watery eyes. “I was trying out that dirty talk, and oh my god, I failed so spectacularly. I never should’ve—”
“What you said to me was hot as hell, andhadwe been alone, I would’ve gladly taken you up on the offer,” I say, turning her so she’s facing me. My hands go around her waist.
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“OK. Well, that makes me feel a bit better. I spent all morning trying to figure out what I was going to say—I even googled how to do it. And I was so worried I’d sound stupid.”
I hook a finger under her chin and lift her pouty face. “Never. I happen to think everything about you is adorable and sexy.”
“You do?”
“Absolutely. I don’t talk to a hell of a lot of people. In fact, ever since comin’ to Whisper Valley, I’ve been a bit of a hermit outside the repair shop. You’re a breath of fresh air and sunlight, and I enjoy every minute I spend with you.”
She smiles up at me and presses her soft body into mine. “You’re making me all swoony here, Duke.”
“Good,” I say, dropping a kiss on her mouth before taking her by the hand and leading her through the shop while I grab my keys and lock things up. Then we transfer the picnic basket she brought with her into my truck and get on the road. I do my best to keep my fingers laced with hers as often as possible, touching her feels more like a need than a want, and I crave the connection.
“Where are you taking me?” she asks when we’re on the road for a few moments, the treelined landscape of Whisper Valley streaking past the windows on the way to the vineyard.
“I’m taking you to see my sister’s property. I want to show you what we’re doing to the place.”
“Really? Oh, that sounds wonderful. I’m excited. I’ve never been to a real-life vineyard before.”
“Don’t get too excited there, the land is in the process of being remineralized, so it’ll be a good few years before there’s any grapes to look at. Then even longer before there’s even a drop of wine, and who knows how good or bad it’ll turn out to be.”
“Sounds like this place is going to be a real labor of love.”
Glancing at her for a moment, I smile. She gets it.
Most people we talk to about the winery question why we’d go to all this trouble and spend so much time and money for a bunch of maybes. But what they don’t understand is that it’s not the goal that matters, it’s the journey to it. Dottie and I are genuinely enjoying reconnecting as we work on this project together.
“Dottie and I were born almost ten years apart, so we weren’t super close growing up. As adults, we’ve found a connection, and the vineyard is part of that. The grapes could end up sour and the wine could taste like vinegar, but we’ll always have the memories, you know?”
“Yeah,” she says, looking at me with a smile so sweet it melts my heart. She’s unequivocally mine.
Pulling up outside the farmhouse, I cut the engine and jump out of the driver’s side, heading straight around to the passenger side to let Ava out.
“Why, thank you, sir,” she says, taking my hand and stepping down from my truck. Her dress catches a little, and her thighs are exposed in a way she didn’t intend. And when she gives out a little yelp and tries to pull the dress back down to her knees, I stop her with my hands on her thighs and my hungry mouth on her lips.
“Maybe I should skip the tour and just take you straight to my room,” I growl as I release her from my kiss and let her dress fall back down.
