“I do,” she said. “Of course, you do too. You guys have been in Gracemont forever.”
Grayson smiled. His family was one of his favorite topics. He pointed to the wine bottles on the table behind him. “My grandfather started the winery, tearing down the apple orchards maintained by his father and planting the grapes instead. He built the winery from nothing. I’m proud to be a part of that heritage, of the traditions he created in making the wine.”
Grayson wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Lark so attentive, so engrossed in what he was saying. Usually, her focus either drifted, or she interrupted to launch into another topic. Right now, she was fully engaged. Curious and interested.
“It was always my intention to follow in his footsteps. Working in the winery, remaining on the farm, maybe one day settling down and starting my own family the way my brothers are.”
Lark reached for her water bottle, taking a long drink. September was always one of those unknowns as far as weather. He’d lived through Indian summers where the September temps rode into the nineties, just as he recalled early autumns that meant sweater weather hit too soon.
Today, however, was one of those perfect days that felt like the way September should always be—complete with a bright blue, cloudless sky, seventy-degree temp, and a gentle breeze.
It was that breeze that had blown a long strand of Lark’s wavy blonde hair into her face. Before he could think better of his actions, Grayson reached out, intending to tuck it behind her ear.
Lark jerked before he got there, brushing it out of her eyes and taking the tiniest step away, her posture suddenly stiffer.
He dropped his hand quickly, feeling like he should apologize, though he didn’t know why.
“It seems like quite a few of your brothers are settling down lately,” she said, the words coming out so quickly, he got the sense she was trying to distract him from her reaction.
Grayson rubbed a hand over his jaw, stroking his close-trimmed beard. “Yeah. They are. This past year has brought a lot of changes. First, Levi married Kasi and moved out. Now, Theo and Maverick are shacked up with their girlfriends in cabins on the farm. It’s a lot quieter at home these days.”
Grayson shared one of the three farmhouses on the farm with the other three Storm bachelors, Everett, Sam, and Jace.
“Sounds like you miss the way things were.”
He wasn’t used to this kind of introspection or astuteness from Lark. Though, to be fair, the two of them had never engaged in a conversation one-on-one quite like this. They were always surrounded by other people back home, and it made him wonder if this was how Lark acted in private conversations. If she felt less like she had to put on a show with fewer people to entertain.
“I do,” he admitted. “More than I expected.”
She studied him, her gaze thoughtful. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to hold on to things that matter.”
Grayson let out a slow breath, surprised by the tightness in his chest. “Yeah. I know.”
There was another pause. The kind that lingered just long enough to mean something, and he found himself looking at her again. Really looking at her.
And that flicker from earlier…when he’d touched her…
It sparked back to life. Stronger. More dangerous.
Grayson shoved the feeling way down deep, straightening abruptly and pushing away from the table.
“We should open some more bottles and restock stuff. The crowd will pick up again soon.”
“Okay.” She stepped back into place.
The ease between them shifted, but it wasn’t gone.
As Grayson reached for a bottle, the same stubborn thought kept tugging at the edge of his mind. Something was different about Lark.
And he liked it way more than he should.
By early evening, the sun had dipped lower in the sky, casting everything in warm gold. Strings of lights overhead flickered on one by one, glowing softly around all the tents.
The festival crowd had changed as day drinkers gave way to evening wanderers. Couples strolled hand in hand between the tents, while groups gathered near the stage when a blues band started playing.
The air smelled like wine, barbecue, and autumn.
Lark sighed happily beside him. “This is surprisingly nice.”
