“Wow. That’s quite the story. Where does your studio fit into this?”
“Well, that part happened when I went back to get my car. I’d already decided I wanted the vineyard, so I knew I’d need somewhere to set up shop. I’d already seen that the space next to the garage was for lease, so I enquired about that and thus ended my road trip. I’d expected to go exploring, but instead I found a place to call home instead.”
“And you got Duke out here too.”
“Oh yeah, he loves it. We’ve had a lot of fun and frustration renovating the farmhouse together. But I couldn’t have done it without him. He’s been great. And dare I say, it’s brought us closer too. We’ve really bonded these last few years—something that was hard to do growing up since he left home so early. It’s like we finally got to know each other, you know?”
“Are you worried his new relationship will affect that at all?” he asks. “Like, is he planning to stick around and keep working on the vineyard with you?”
“Of course. And Ava is lovely, so I figure I’ll be able to rope her into helping out too. They’re staying in a little bungalow on the property for their honeymoon. So I was thinking of seeing if Duke wanted to add on to that and turn it into a real home for the both of them. I don’t know. There’s a stack of land, so they can do that or build something new. Or even buy a completely different place. I’d love for them to stay nearby though.”
“I like that you two have become so close,” I say, lifting my drink to toast her.
She does the same. “Me too,” she says, clinking her glass against mine before we both take a sip. Then our meals arrive. And when I say Dottie has a healthy appetite, I’m probably understating. That burger didn’t even stand a chance.
“Gosh. I’d barely eaten all day, and I didn’t realize I was that hungry. Holy hell,” she says, holding her hand to her mouth and burping lightly. “Pardon me.”
“Burp away, Dot. In some countries, it’s considered rude not to,” I say, grinning from ear to ear because everything about this woman is just a delight. I love that she’s not trying to be anything other than herself with me. She’s perfect. And the more time I spend with her, the more I know without a doubt that I have to have her.I’m sorry, Duke. But I can’t keep my promise to stay away. I can promise not to leave her though.
That single thought shocks me. I’ve never wanted to stay long-term anywhere for any reason before. But I guess that was before I reconnected with Dottie.Maybe she’s the thing I’ve kept leaving the farm in search of all these years?
“Can I bring out your dessert?” the waitress says as she appears to clear away our empty plates.
“You ready for dessert, Spot?” I ask, already knowing the answer by the way she’s leaning back and rubbing her beautiful belly.
“I’m gonna need to walk off dinner a bit first. I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach.”
“Oh, you want me to get it to-go then?” the girl asks.
But before Dottie can get her answer out, I jump in fast. “How about you just hold off twenty minutes or so. I’m gonna take this one for a swing around the dancefloor to see if we can make some room.”
The waitress smiles. “OK. I’ll check in on y’all in a bit.”
“Thank you, darlin’,” I say, watching her walk away before turning back to Dottie. “So how about it? You ready to have that dance with me?” I hold my hand out across the table.
“I don’t know. What happened to you not being much of a dancer and the two of us just being friends?”
“Friends can dance?”
“They can, but… I don’t know how to say this so I’m just gonna spit it right out—this doesn’t feel like a just friends thing, Theo. Am I reading this right?”
“You’re reading it right,” I state, reaching further across the table and taking her hand in mine. She sucks in a breath, and I have to admit I get a great delight over watching the way she blushes at my touch.
“So, what are you saying? Is this a…date?”
“I guess we’ll find that out when I walk you to your door later tonight,” I say, standing from the booth and pulling her to her feet so I can do exactly what I should have done a couple of days ago—hold her close and dance with her like she’s mine and mine alone.
DOTTIE
“You’ve surprised me, Theo,” I say, stepping outsideValentinesinto the ice-cold air at a time I don’t even want to think about. We ate, we danced, we talked, then we ate and danced some more. Now my feet are sore, and my belly is full, and if it wasn’t for the excited energy thrumming about under my skin, I’d wonder how I’m going to get up and go to work tomorrow. But as it stands, I could probably run on little to no sleep for a solid week. Theo seems to have awakened something in me. Something I’d started to think was impossible.
“Surprised you?” He chuckles, fishing into his pocket for the keys to his truck. “I think the only thing that’s surprising about me is that I’m pushing fifty, and I still have all my hair.”
I laugh at that. I don’t know why, but perhaps it’s because I don’t see him as a forty-nine-year-old man. Just like how in my mind, I don’t feel like a thirty-nine-year-old woman.
“You think that’s something? I’m a thirty-nine-year-old woman and I still have my…” I clamp my lips together before I can finish that sentence.What the hell is wrong with me?I can’t believe I was just about to admit that I’m still a virgin before we’ve even defined whether this thing we’re doing here is dating or not. I don’t want to scare him away.
“Your what?”
