He lifts a sharp brow. “Says the kettle.”
“Lucas, this has been wonderful, really…” I trail off because I’m considering it, and he must sense it because I can see a smile budding on his perfect lips. “I meant what I said this morning.”
“You didn’t really say anything.”
He plants his head on my chest. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t planning on you answering your door naked.”
“I wasn’t naked.”
“Stop stalling. Come with me, let’s not leave it alone, not yet. Let’s explore this thing.”
It was exactly what I’d asked for—risky, consuming, a whirlwind, and still, I was terrified to embrace it. But there’s a fine line between being responsible and being predictable. So I leap.
“Okay.”
“I brought you some tea,” the woman who had introduced herself as Audrey when I checked into the inn approaches, setting it down on the table. “You’ve been out here for hours.”
I sit up in the lounge chair and thank her. “With a view like this, I don’t think many can blame me.”
“You didn’t touch your breakfast,” she presses, concern lining her features. She’s an older woman with white-tipped hair and kind eyes. Dressed casually in jeans and a sweater, she has a ‘no bullshit’ air about her that puts me at ease. “I’ll be happy to warm something up for you.”
“I’m not very hungry.”
She nods and then turns to leave before pausing and looking back at me with maternal regard. “You know, I don’t often say this to guests; in fact, I never do, but if you want to talk, I’d be happy to listen.”
“Thank you so much, but I just came to clear my head.” I look out at the endless row
s of vines lined perfectly over the rolling hills. “It’s so beautiful here.”
“Thank you, my husband and I have spent our lifetime building this place.”
This piques my interest. “How long have you been married?”
“Thirty-six years this spring.” She gives me a knowing grin. “I’m guessing a few more years than you’ve been alive.”
I nod, mustering a weak smile. “A few.”
“Well, it’s taken a lot of hard work for us to get here,” she says, looking out at the sun-kissed rows of budding vines. “Maintenance, oh God, the maintenance, the cost. We’ve had some failed years so bad we didn’t think we would see another.”
I’m positive she’s not talking about her vineyard now, and I can’t help my reply. “Was it worth it?”
“That’s the golden question and deserves a straight to the point answer. Some days, I can’t imagine doing it another way. Others, I wish I had.”
I sip my tea in silent encouragement for her to continue. She takes the lounge chair next to me.
“Every person decides their own path, I guess; but ultimately, it’s a decision to stay on the one you’ve chosen, and no one in the world can tell you what is best for you—better than you.”
“I agree with that.” I sit up further, pulling a blanket at the end of the chair over my skin to batter the sunset chill. “What do you do on the days you wish you had chosen differently?” We exchange a look when she hears the slight crack in my question.
“Well,” she says, soaking in the view before turning back to me, “I embrace those days because it’s all a cycle, and in the end, I know the other days are coming. You know, love grows right alongside resentment and neither are more powerful than the other. We’re the ones who balance that scale.”
Nodding, I sip my tea in attempt to hide my threatening tears.
“There is no secret, just a decision you have to make every single day and my decision has always been love. I can tell you this, if I would have gone the other way, I would have missed today.” She stands. “And today was good.”
Unable to hold them, the tears slip from my eyes, and I bat them away. “Sorry, I’ve been off the grid emotionally lately.” Embarrassed, I sink where I sit.
“Mila, I’m not going to play dumb to your celebrity. I’ve been watching the two of you for years, and I think you’re both lovely. But at no point in time when I watched did I think you were perfect because no marriage is. You are safe here, I promise.”