“Almost ten months.”
“Has your mind changed in that time?”
“I’m very stubborn.”
He laughed. “That’s an excellent trait.”
“I don’t think my mother and stepfather would agree with you.”
“And what about your dad?”
Skye’s smile dropped. “He died.” A lump formed in her throat. “A long time ago,” she said quickly, waving her hand in the air as though it didn’t matter. As though the grief wasn’t still lodged in her gut.
“In my experience, the passage of time doesn’t really ease the ache in here.” He stood, pressing his fingertips to the centre of his chest. Skye’s eyes widened.
“Personal experience?” She prompted gently.
His nod was slow. “I lost my mother when I was nine.”
Skye’s eyes swept shut on a wave of sadness. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“There is no easing of sadness, no matter how much time passes. All we can do is honour them with our choices.”
“Yes, exactly,” Skye nodded quickly. “I know how much my father would want me to be back on our family property. It never sat right with me that my mother sold it, after he died. A love of the outback is something we shared.”
“And when you are doing this,” he gestured to the vines. “You feel close to him.”
Skye’s eyes filled with shimmering tears. “Exactly.”
They stared at one another for several moments, the air around them sparking with awareness and understanding. Skye’s skin pricked with goosebumps and her stomach knotted in anticipation—but of what? She felt as though her skin was on fire, heating from the tips of her toes all the way to her scalp.
His eyes roamed her face and she felt sure he was going to kiss her. That he wanted to kiss her.
But just like that, he took a step backwards, shaking his head a little and finding the horizon with his eyes. “Thank you for working so hard for the winery. I wish we had a hundred more of you.”
Disappointment was an ache in her belly. She forced a smile to her face. After all, it wasn’t the first time she’d felt attracted to someone who hadn’t wanted her back.
“Anyway,” she let the word hover between them, to see if he’d say anything else. When he didn’t, she took control, needing to finish this before she did something silly and lost control of her pride altogether. “I’m going to get back to it. Thank you for the croissant and coffee.”
Her smile was dismissive. He still didn’t leave. Her heart stammered and she waited, until finally, he nodded once and then bent down, picking up the picnic blanket. “It was…nice…to meet you, Skye. Goodbye.”