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She sat down at her desk in time to hear her phone beep. She checked the text message and winced.
Did u get BBQ sauce at the store?
Crap, she’d forgotten. Her heart sped up just thinking about how such a small thing could set Asher off. Taking a deep, shaky breath she tapped out a response.
I’ll pick some up on my way home.
There was no response five minutes later, and she knew things were going to be bad.
A knock on her open door made her jump and Dustin threw his hands up. “Whoa, it’s just me. Was going to see if you wanted to scout a few sites that the bride and groom have picked out?”
Rylie looked at the clock and calculated how long it would take to check out some places. With any luck, Asher would be asleep when she got home.
“Sure, sounds good.”
Chapter 2
Dustin Kent enjoyed attention from beautiful women, and had never apologized for it. If a woman was already involved with another man, it was her own damn problem, not his. He never promised anything but a good time; it wasn’t his fault if they thought he was some kind of prince charming.
He turned onto the driveway of Heart and Soul Vineyard, trying to shake off the text message from the last girl he’d hooked up with. He didn’t know her name, he just had her in his phone as Talks A Lot.
Please, we belong together. Call me.
Why she’d become so fixated on him was a mystery, but he didn’t do clingy.
Dustin glanced over at Rylie, who was quietly looking out the window and ignoring him. He had no idea what he’d done to upset her, but she’d gone from laughing at his jokes just a few weeks ago and blushing so prettily at his compliments, to lashing out at him.
It was too bad, because he genuinely liked Rylie. She was a nice girl.
Which is probably why she sees through me.
Dustin didn’t have any illusions about the kind of women who were attracted to him. Gold diggers and thrill seekers; they saw him as a challenge because he didn’t do relationships. Why bother? He already knew he wasn’t cut out for monogamy, so why waste anyone’s time?
Dustin parked in front of the clubhouse and got out. He had every intention of opening the door for Rylie, but she didn’t wait for him to round the car and get it for her. As she stepped out, Dustin took a minute to admire her. Rylie had a curvy figure designed to keep a man warm at night, and she knew how to accent it. She was one of those girls who dressed to the nines; today she was wearing a black swing dress with cherries on it, a little red shrug, and bright red pumps.
Plus, there was something about those brown eyes that could suck a man in if he wasn’t careful.
“I think your parents’ vineyard is a little bigger, but this is still beautiful,” Rylie said.
Dustin shook off his crazy thoughts. Rylie had a boyfriend and from what he’d gathered, she wasn’t the cheating kind. And he wasn’t up for more than being a side piece.
“You’ve never been here?” he asked.
“No.”
“I thought maybe your boyfriend would have brought you here for a little wine tasting.”
Her expression turned guarded, and he wondered why. He’d heard mumblings around the office that no one seemed to like Asher, but he hardly remembered the guy. He’d been two years behind Dustin and besides the fact that he played football and was a bit of a meathead, there was nothing else that stood out in his mind.
“I’m not a big fan of wine,” she said.
Toni Hart, the owner of the vineyard, burst out of the door with a wide smile, forestalling any further questions from him. “Hey there!”
Dustin had known Toni since he was a kid. Even though his parents owned a rival vineyard, his mom and Toni were best friends. “Good afternoon, Toni! This is my partner, Rylie.”
Toni held out her hand to Rylie, her hand lined with age, and sporting coral pink nails. Her white blond hair was styled in a perfectly rounded bob, and her green eyes sparkled in a face that showed every one of her sixty-two years in the best way possible.
Rylie grasped it, a beaming smile lighting up her whole face. That welcoming expression made Dustin’s heart skip.
