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Good enough. Normally I’d balk at not working, but today? After what Dale’s been through? I need to be with him.
One problem.
He’s going to wake up eventually, and he may decide he needs to be alone again.
In which case, I’ll let him be alone.
I can’t try to hold Dale. If I squeeze my fist around a handful of sand, some of it escapes. If I hold it in the palm of my hand without squeezing so hard, it stays put.
Dale isn’t like a handful of sand, though.
No matter how much leeway I give him, he’ll leave if he wants to be alone. I can’t make him want to be with me.
I have no doubt of his love, but I have even less doubt of that need inside him to be alone at times.
I have to let him be the man he is.
I need a shower, but I don’t want to wake Dale, so I sneak into the master bath, grab my supplies, and head into one of the guest rooms to take care of things. Once clean and fresh, I head back to the kitchen to tidy up the breakfast mess. The drip coffeemaker beckons. Should I start a pot for Dale?
No. I want him to sleep.
I take my phone into the family room to check emails, when it buzzes.
Hmm. I don’t recognize the number.
“Hello?”
“Ashley?” A man’s voice. It’s familiar.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, it’s Brendan.”
It takes me a second to remember Brendan Murphy, even though we shared a bottle of Château Latour a few days ago. A lifetime seems to have passed since then.
“How are you?” I ask.
“I’m good. I called to see how you’re doing. I heard about the fire taking out some of the Steel vines.”
“Yeah. It sucks.”
“You’re actually lucky. The Pikes took most of the damage.”
Right. Colorado Pike Winery owns the land north of Steel Vineyards. They’re a smaller ranch, but they concentrate only on wine, and they produce more wine than the Steels. And they don’t have Ryan and Dale. Their wines are good, but they don’t have that special something that the Steel wines possess. Not that any of that matters. It’s a shame they lost so much.
“I understand,” I say. “I doubt that will be much consolation to Dale and Ryan.”
“Maybe not, but there’s always someone who has it worse than you do.”
His comment puts me on edge. “Did you call to chew me out, Brendan?”
“You think that was getting chewed out?” He chuckles.
He’s right. “Of course not. I’m sorry. It’s just that Dale’s a mess.”
“I’m sure. He’s a lucky man, though.”
“I doubt he sees it that way at the moment.”
“If he doesn’t, he should.”
I scoff. “Why is that?”
“Because he has you, Ashley.”
I smile. After I asked the question, I expected a smartass comment about Dale’s financial situation. I deserved no less. Instead, I get something nice. Brendan’s words are sweet, and he means well. Sure, he has a little crush on me, but he knows where my heart lies.
“Have you checked in with Ava?” I ask.
Brendan also has a little crush on Dale’s cousin, the baker.
“A few minutes ago. The bakery’s up and running. The air is a little smoky here in town, but we’re all okay.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
My phone beeps in my ear. “Hold on a minute, okay?”
“Sure,” he says.
Jade is calling, so I quickly put Brendan on hold. “Hi, Jade.”
“Hi, Ashley. I’m checking on Dale.”
“He’s asleep. Worn out.”
“But he’s okay?”
That’s another question, but, “Yes, he’s okay.” At least physically. He proved that last night.
“All right. Good. We need you both to come to the main house for dinner tonight. Big family meeting to deal with the fallout from the fires.”
“If it’s a family meeting—”
“You’re family, Ashley. You’re working with Dale and Ryan, and you’re Diana’s friend. We want you there. Could you tell Dale when he wakes up?”
“Sure. I have someone on the other line…”
“No problem. That’s all I have for now. Take care of my son. Please.”
“I will. Bye, Jade.” I go back to Brendan. “Sorry about that.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Big family meeting tonight at Talon and Jade’s.”
“Ugh,” he says. “I hate family meetings.”
“I’ve never been to one.”
“My mom and dad have them from time to time. I have to run. If you need anything, please let me know.”
I smile into the phone. “That’s kind of you.”
“Hey, anything for a friend. Take it easy.”
“You too, Brendan. Bye.” I shove my phone into the back pocket of my jeans, and—
“Ashley.”
Dale stands in the kitchen, his gaze burning into me. He wears nothing but a pair of jeans. His hair is still tangled and messy, makeshift dreadlocks forming from the dirt and soot. His flesh is still covered with streaks of gray and brown.
“Good morning,” I say. “Let me start some coffee for you.”
He shakes his head.
“You should still be in bed, then. You’re exhausted, Dale.”
