Page 50 of WASP

Annie looked at the two travel mugs in the cup holders, side by side, chest warming at the gesture. “You spoil me.”

Max didn’t say anything, only grinned wider as she turned the car on and pulled them away from the curb, pointing the car in the direction of their road trip adventure.

* * *

Three hours into their drive, Max and Annie found themselves on the other side of Albany, New York, the sun steadily painting the sky pink as it finally began to rise for the day, casting a glow over the bright lights of the gas station they had stopped at.

“I’ve got the gas,” Annie offered, reaching for her wallet as Max unbuckled her seatbelt.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” She got out of the front seat, moving around the car, beginning to punch the buttons on the screen as she swiped her credit card. Max climbed out of the driver’s seat, slipping an arm around her waist and giving her a gentle squeeze that shot through her.

“Thanks,” Max whispered, lips ghosting her skin, placing the faintest kiss on her cheek that burned deliciously. Annie instantly missed the heat of her touch as Max moved away. “I need to pee, need anything inside?” She tilted her head towards the little convenience store. Annie shook her head no and continued filling up the tank.

Max returned at the same time the gas nozzle shut off, Annie placing the handle back in its plastic cradle. In Max’s hands were two steaming cups. “More hot water,” she explained. “I brought extra tea bags.”

They resituated themselves and, after some back and forth ending with Max declining Annie’s offer to drive for a little bit, they were on the road again.

“Want one?” Annie offered, holding out a Cow Tale candy to Max, its long cylindrical form still in its packaging.

“It’s not even eight a.m. and you’re going straight for the sugar?”

Annie shrugged, peeling back the crinkling wrapper and revealing the powder-dusted caramel candy with cream filling. She took a bite, letting the sweetness hit her taste buds. “I’ve always had a killer sweet tooth.” She smirked, taking another bite.

Max grinned, sliding her sunglasses down over her eyes, dark hair falling around her face. “So,” she started, her grip on the steering wheel tightening reflexively. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m dragging you all the way to Michigan.”

“Dying to know,” Annie deadpanned, making Max smile, a little reward she tucked away along with all the other smiles from Max she had been secretly collecting.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but I can kind of be a lone wolf sometimes,” she started, Annie clocking the shift from Max’s joking tone to a more serious one. She straightened in her seat, ready to listen, and remembered what Lynn had told her the morning they had waffles together—Max wasn’t someone who let others in easily. Was this going to be a moment where Max showed Annie a part of herself she held close to her chest?

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Annie followed, not wanting Max to feel like she had to apologize for that part of her personality.

“I know. I’m a proud introvert but I also know that it probably makes me a little hard to get to know.” Max glanced at her before returning her eyes to the road. “I’m finding myself in a bit of a unique…um…situation…and I’m not sure what the next step is.”

Annie waited for Max to continue, curious about where this was headed.

“Okay, I’m just going to say it.” She took a deep breath that was promptly followed by a long string of words all smooshed together. “I didn’t know it growing up, but my mom comes from a long line of grape growers and my grandparents, who I never really knew, left me about thirty acres of vineyards in Michigan when they passed.”

Whatever Annie had been expecting from Max, it wasn’t this. It wasn’t even remotely close. “Oh,” she said, unsure what else to say.

“That was about five years ago. The land is currently tied up in a trust that keeps the vineyard operational, but that trust dissolves at the end of the year, and then I become the sole responsible party for it. And I have no fucking clue what to do.”

“Yeah.” Annie let out a long exhale, thinking. “That is a lot.” She paused, trying to ignore the first thought that popped into her head—the mental image of Max packing up and leaving Wellington Point one day and never looking back.

“The way I see it, I have two options. One. I gamble everything. Literally every penny to my name and take out as many loans as I can. I do it. I try to work the land. Or I sell and take the money, which would be life-changing on its own.”

Annie chewed on the last bite of her candy pensively, reaching for her mug of tea. “Do you feel like one of those options is speaking louder to you?” she asked, curious if Max would say the answer she could already feel in her gut because to Annie—there was only one path forward.

After a long moment, filled with nothing but the sound of the highway zooming past, Max spoke. “I definitely have a direction I’m leaning toward, but I can’t tell if it’s something I’ll be proud of or live to regret. Either way, I need to see the property before I make any decisions. So that’s what we’re doing. We’re visiting my vineyard.”

Well after nightfall, they arrived at a tiny cabin surrounded by towering trees. The drive itself was supposed to take a little over fourteen hours. Still, factoring in stopping for gas, food, and Annie’s insistence on pulling off to get a photo of the two of them at Niagara Falls after they had crossed the border into Canada, the total time spent in the car was closer to fifteen and a half hours. Annie was exhausted by the time they arrived, but in the best way possible.

The car ride had flown by in a seamless mix of their usual quiet compatibility, singing along to throwback playlists, passing snacks back and forth, and a riveting round of the license plate game where Annie was still positive Max had cheated, claiming to have seen the Hawaii license plate on a truck that conveniently happened to be exiting the highway at the moment of Annie’s challenge.

Annie had been a little unsure when Max had said they were going to Michigan. That many hours straight together in a car could go one of two ways, and she was thrilled to be coming out of the drive even more smitten with Max than before they left Connecticut.

After fiddling with the lock box, Max produced a silver key and a moment later the door of the A-frame cabin swung open.