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“They want what’s best for you,” Dale says, “so they’ll be in favor of it.”
Okay, okay. I give in. I’m not a selfish bitch, no matter how hard I try. “You should take it, Dee.”
Diana’s demeanor relaxes at my words. Man, she was really going to turn it down because of me. I couldn’t live with that.
“Do you really think so?” she asks.
“Yes, she thinks so,” Dale says.
My hands curl into fists as tension coils through me. He’s magnificent, but he’s an asshole. A magnificent asshole. “I can speak for myself, damn it. Yeah, Dee, take it. So you’ll be in Denver. You can visit, right?”
“On weekends, probably.”
“There you go.” Dale crosses his arms.
“You don’t have to worry, Ash. My parents are the nicest people in the world, and they’re thrilled to have you. As you can plainly see, we have plenty of room, and we live on a ranch, so there’s plenty of food.”
“You don’t have to keep convincing her, Sis,” Dale says.
Speaking for me again. Damn him! I say nothing this time. I don’t want to ruin Dee’s good news.
Diana jumps out of her chair. “Squee! We need some bubbly. Is there any in the house, Dale?”
“Probably in Dad’s wine cooler in the bar.”
“Awesome. I’ll get it, and we’ll toast my internship. Then let’s take a soak in the hot tub.”
Chapter Fourteen
Dale
“I’m happy to toast your success,” I say to Diana, “but I’ll pass on the tub.”
“Come on,” Dee pleads. “You love the hot tub.”
I do love the tub. It’s relaxing. But sitting in a hot tub with Ashley White will not relax me. Not in the slightest.
She’ll probably wear a black string bikini…
Hell, it doesn’t matter what color she wears. White. She should wear white against that gorgeously tan skin.
Or red. Fucking fire-engine red.
My groin tightens. Shit.
Dee comes back with the bottle of Steel Sparkling Blanc de Noirs and hands it to me. I remove the wire and pop the cork out with one swift motion. The swirling cloud of condensation rises from the opening.
Ashley’s eyes pop. “Wow. You did that beautifully.”
“What?”
“Opening the champagne.”
I can’t help myself. “First of all, Doctor, it’s not champagne. It’s Steel sparkling wine.”
“Duh,” she says. “I know that.”
“I know you know that. Time to start using correct terminology, don’t you think?”
“She gave you a compliment,” Diana says. “And you’re giving her a hard time.”
“It’s my job to give her a hard time. She’s here to learn from me.”
“It’s okay,” Ashley says, clearly forcing a smile. “We already had this conversation at the vineyards, and Dale’s right. I shouldn’t get lazy in my wording.”
I resist the urge to smile while I fill the three flutes Diana brought up. I hand one to her and then one to Ashley.
“To my brilliant sister.” I hold out my glass.
“To being second best!” Diana laughs.
“To new beginnings,” Ashley says.
To new beginnings.
A beginning for her, here at Steel Vineyards. A beginning for Diana, in Denver with the internship.
But no new beginning for me.
I am who I am. Who I’ll always be.
There’s no changing that.
I leave them laughing over their sparkling wine. Soon they’ll change into their suits for their dip in the hot tub. As much as I’d love to see Ashley White in a bikini, I can’t stay.
The vineyards are calling me.
I drive back to the guesthouse and pack a few things. A midnight snack of pâté de campagne with water crackers, a bottle of my best Syrah, and my dog. Everything else I need is in the shed.
A half hour later, I’m back in paradise, among the Syrah grapes, Penny lying at my feet.
I’ve laid out my sleeping bag and pillow, and I open the bottle of wine and pour myself a glass. Then I spread the meaty pâté onto a cracker and take a bite. Mmm. Delicious. Aunt Marj makes pâté out of Steel beef. Not the norm for pâté, but she’s an amazing chef. I used to love to help her in her kitchen.
I take a drink of the Syrah. The black fruit drizzles over my tongue, chasing the savory flavor of the pâté.
Perfection.
The vines watch over me as I enjoy my late-night repast. They hug me with their warmth. I finish my snack and my glass of wine, seal the bottle with the vacuum stopper, and wiggle into my sleeping bag, lying supine and draped in starlight. Penny lies next to me.
Nothing can hurt me here.
“They won’t hurt you again, Donny.”
My baby brother clings to me, tears streaking down his cheeks.
“I swear to you. They won’t hurt you again. I won’t let them.”
I mean the words with all my heart, but they are ultimately a promise I can’t keep. I mouth off to our captors, bite them and kick them, all so they’ll punish me instead of my brother.
Sometimes it works, and I pay the price. I go through hell to spare him.
