“A few. I was actually thinking of hashing some things out with the girls Thursday on our overnighter. If my brain was working now, I’d tell you more.”
Clearly, it wasn’t on full throttle. Couldn’t be. The last few words of her sentence were murmured as Mae drifted off to sleep. I’d give her hell tomorrow for falling asleep on me mid-conversation, but it was understandable. She’d been going non-stop.
Slowly, gently, I slipped off the brown cowboy boots she was fond of wearing. Then, knowing she’d wake up if I tried to get her under the covers, I headed toward the closet, pulled out the extra blanket, and gently laid it over her.
Heading toward the mini-fridge, I took out a bottle of water that was stocked in every room and put it on the dresser beside her.
You were always too good for me, Mae. I made myself unavailable to you by acting like a jackass. And you’re still too good for me. But I’m selfish enough not to care anymore because I know what it feels like to lose you.
Never again.
Tomorrow, I would do the unthinkable for this woman.
Because she was worth it.
28
MAE
“You are absolutely letting us pay you for this,” I said to Thayle as we walked into the cottage. “I know for a fact this is the best property. And how much it goes for.”
Not only was it a four-bedroom lakefront property, but this was the only one with an outdoor hot tub too. Pia, Delaney and Jules oohed and ahhed as we brought our overnight bags in. On the kitchen counter? Two champagne bottles on ice with glasses surrounding them.
“And what is that?” Pia asked as she and Jules gravitated to the counter.
“You’re not paying a dime, it was a cancellation. And that’s a welcome from the owners,” Thayle said. “The one on the left is for you.”
Pia pulled it out and laughed. “Non-alcoholic. This is awesome. Ish. I’d prefer that one.” She pointed to its partner that Delaney lifted from the ice.
“So would I but”—Thayle smiled—“I’m only pouring for the others. I’ll be partaking in yours.”
Everyone froze, took in that information, and offered a round of congratulations. They all knew Thayle had been to Grado Valley Vineyards throughout the years, but I was closest to her and gave her the biggest squeeze.
“Congratulations. That’s amazing. When are you due?”
We popped open the bubbly, and the non-alcoholic one, celebrating Thayle’s announcement. She and Pia got to talking all things baby prep and headed out on the deck while the three of us went about unpacking the charcuterie goodies we’d brought for a light lunch. The event was due to start up at the main winery building at four with plenty of food, but in the meantime, I was starving.
We talked about the huge order Delaney had gotten thanks to a feature of her custom-made jewelry in a well-circulated Finger Lakes lifestyle magazine. We talked about Jules’s dating life for a bit too.
When both of them looked at me, I tried to avoid the topic I knew they were curious about. One too complicated to put into words sufficiently. “I really have to remember not to skip breakfast so I don’t eat everything in sight by noon,” I said, reaching for my fourth serving of cheese and crackers.
“Speaking of cheese and crackers.” Jules took a sip of bubbly. “What’s the Beck status?”
“The Beck status, besides him buying the bar, is no status.”
“Guess you’re gonna pretend he didn’t escort”—Delaney said that last word with more than a hint of suggestion in her tone—“you to your room the other night.”
“I stayed at the inn,” I explained to Jules. “After being strong-armed into drinking wine even though I was supposed to be drying out this week.”
She nodded to my champagne glass. “You’re doing a great job.”
Delaney cleared her throat.
“Nothing happened,” I said. “We talked a little. I fell asleep. He covered me and left.”
And left a bottle of water by the nightstand which reminded me of the first time I drank too much. It was after a football game senior year of high school. Not only had Beck walked me home and covered for me by talking to my parents while I slunk off to my room, but he showed up at the window, courtesy of the tree right outside my bedroom, climbed in, and held my hair when I lost the contents of my stomach. That was before he lectured me about why I shouldn’t be hanging out with Curtis Daniels, the football quarterback, and his friends. According to Beck, they were bad news. As if he and his buddies were angels.
“Well, that’s just about the most boring report ever.” Jules made a pretend sound of disgust.
