That said, I knew there was no way his presence would escape everyone’s notice. We were a tight-knit group, and it wasn’t like the area was all that big. People were bound to wonder what he was doing there. It was Charlie who had come up with the idea of telling everyone that he was an independent consultant and nothing more. Let them think that we were working on some sort of secret project we were keeping under wraps for a spring or summer launch or something like that.
I felt sort of bad for deceiving everyone. After all, most of these people had spent their whole lives working for the winery. Some of them had been there since Gramps held the reins, or since Mom was still here every day running the place. They deserved to know that we were facing problems and doing everything that we could to fix things.
But it wasn’t safe for them to know. If the IRS uncovered any sign of cooked books, everyone would need their innocence to keep them out of jail.
I hated to think of the consequences if I didn’t manage to keep Hayden around. I also didn’t want anyone to think that he was any different from any other employee who came to work at the winery. I didn’t want them to realize there was no special project, and I definitely didn’t want them to learn about my ‘prior history’ with him, not that it had been very long. It was still embarrassing, though.
I wasn’t sure how they might find out about that date, but I wasn’t taking any chances. Let everyone see me treat Hayden just the same way that I would anyone else at the company, and maybe he wouldn’t attract any undue attention.
So I swallowed down my personal feelings about the man and went to ask him if he wanted to go to lunch.
There was a part of me that honestly hoped he would say no. Based on my own schedule, I timed it early enough in the day that maybe he wasn’t hungry. I knew he had gotten there late, so he must just be sitting down to work. Maybe he’d already realized what a huge amount of work he had in front of him and decide his best bet was to take a working lunch there in the office, with just the books for company. Or, maybe he would decide he wanted to spend as little time with me as possible and decline.
But instead, Hayden smiled at me and agreed to come along. I tried not to think about how cute he looked when he smiled like that and pretended not to notice when his eyes traced their way along my body as I led him out to the parking lot. Something about the intensity of that stare made me feel naked somehow. I refused to think about that, though.
“You know, this place is really beautiful,” Hayden said, as we climbed into the company car. He gestured out towards the vineyard. “I know it’s probably way more spectacular in the spring and summer when the leaves are on the vines, but there’s something about the hills and the naked vines that I love as well.”
I blinked over at him in surprise. It was a sentiment that I hadn’t expected from him. Most of the people who came to work here did so because they wanted to work at a winery. Because they saw the beauty of the place and were willing to put in the hard work needed to create the product of love that was wine.
My thoughts of Hayden were of a guy who just balanced books. Whether here at the winery or anywhere else, I assumed he did the same job with little if any interest beyond the task at hand. Maybe there was more to him than met the eye, though. Maybe yet again, I was jumping to conclusions before I really got to know him.
“I’ve loved coming here ever since I was a little kid,” I admitted to Hayden. “I don’t know if things are the same for everyone who ends up going into their family business one day, but for me, I always knew that this was where I wanted to end up.”
Hayden nodded as though that made total sense, even though I knew he couldn’t have any idea what it had really been like for me. “I was actually thinking this morning that my son would love this place,” he said, much to my surprise. “He loves being outside, and I think he would understand just how beautiful a place it is.” He grinned crookedly. “Actually to pick some grapes, but I know that won’t happen for a while now.”
“Not until the end of summer and the start of fall,” I agreed, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Hayden had a son.
Not only did Hayden have a son, but he dropped that information into the conversation so casually. But then again, why should he care who knew? He was a grown man and able to make his own decisions. That would definitely explain why his brother was trying to set him up on dates. Hayden didn’t get out much because he had a son at home.
I wondered why Ace hadn’t mentioned anything about that before, but for now, all I did was file the information away in my head and move on.
“How old is your son?” It wasn’t a particularly interesting question, but at least it was something we could talk about. That’s what I’d been most worried about when I’d invited him to lunch—what would we even talk about? It wasn’t like we had anything in common with one another, and our history to date had been awkward at best.
“Six going on six hundred, it seems,” Hayden said, rolling his eyes fondly. “His name is Booker, and he’s smart as a whip. A really great kid.” He grinned over at me. “Honestly, I don’t think I could ever have another one, though.”
“Why not?” I asked, surprised at the turn in the conversation. It seemed a little personal, if you asked me, but I didn’t know what else to do but keep talking. “Is he a little too much to handle?”
“Oh no,” Hayden said, shaking his head. “The opposite, honestly. Ever since he was a baby, he’s just been so easy. He hardly ever cries, is really well behaved, and honestly, he’s everything I could possibly have wanted in a kid. I don’t think I could ever get that lucky again.”
I laughed, but couldn’t think of what to say in response.
Honestly, I still could barely believe that he had a kid. And not only that, I couldn’t get over the way Hayden talked about his son. You could tell just how much he cared about Booker. Clearly, the kid was the center of Hayden’s whole universe.
Suddenly, I felt kind of bad for hiring Hayden, realizing that this busy month probably meant he wouldn’t get to spend as much time with his son as he usually did. “Where is Booker while you’re here at the winery?” I asked, curious now.
“Well, he’s in school at the moment,” Hayden said, glancing at his watch. “And later, he’s got an afterschool program, then my brother will probably pick him up and bring him home. Ace is great with him.”
That was yet another thing I had a hard time picturing. I could only remember Ace at the gym, putting me through my paces. But then again, that was also the Ace who looked out for his brother. And cared about him enough to set him up on dates just so he wouldn’t be lonely. Maybe I did know the side of Ace that was great with his nephew.
Anyway, the more important thing to think about right now was Hayden and his son. I cleared my throat, feeling awkward, but knowing I needed to approach the topic. “You know, if you ever wanted Booker to hang out around the winery while you were working, you wouldn’t be the first person to bring in their kid,” I told him. “Like you said, it won’t be time to pick grapes for a while, but we could probably rustle up some drawing supplies or something for him to do.”
“I appreciate that,” Hayden said. “But don’t you think that would make people suspicious about why I’m there?”
I shrugged. “Let them wonder,” I said. “Honestly, I’m betting everyone will just think there’s some confidential project in the works that the two of us are consulting on.”
“Like what?” Hayden asked curiously.
“We could be looking at expanding our distribution,” I pointed out. “We’re a boutique winery, meaning we only bottle a certain amount of wine every year, not like the huge brands that you might be familiar with. But we sell our wine all over the world. And there are always other sorts of things too. Maybe a new type of wine in the works for the coming season, new vines, a new marketing tactic, it could be anything. We just want to keep them guessing for now.”
“Fair enough,” Hayden said, noddin
g. “I’ll keep that in mind, I guess. For now, it’s probably easier for Booker to stick to afterschool programs and home, just because I have a lot of work to do here and don’t need anything distracting me. But I appreciate that you’re okay with him coming in if I was in a pinch. That means a lot.”
Again, there was a surprising warmth in his voice, but this time, it was directed at me instead of just being there because he was talking about his son. I took a hasty bite of my sandwich and tried not to feel too flustered.
I didn’t like Hayden, I reminded myself. He seemed to abide by no schedule but his own, and I wondered if he ever wore anything other than jeans, flannel shirts, or hoodies. But there was more to him below the surface, I could tell, and there was something about this lunch that made me want to know more.
With a shake of my head, I tried not to think about that. He was just here to fix the books, and then I would never see him again, I reminded myself. No sense getting to know him too well. It wasn’t like we would ever be friends, and we certainly weren’t going to be anything more than that. That ship had already sailed.
Hayden asked a couple questions about the winery, and we chatted about that while we finished up lunch. Then, I drove us back to the vineyard.
“Thank you for lunch,” Hayden said, sounding sincere. “It was fun.”
“Just the sort of thing I do for every new face around here,” I said, trying to impress upon him that it was business as usual and nothing more. We weren’t going to make this a thing, getting lunch together. Although, I guess it could help cement the idea in people’s minds that Hayden and I were working together on some project that was so hush-hush we couldn’t talk about it where anyone else might overhear.
I shook my head. No. We weren’t going to make getting lunch a thing. Hayden didn’t look a bit disappointed by my pointed remark, though. If anything, he looked amused.
“Well, I appreciate it,” he said. “Anyway, I should get back to work and dig in. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“You too,” I said and breathed a sigh of relief as he walked away. There was nothing that I could do about the confusing mix of emotions inside me right now. I wanted to dislike Hayden, but there was something about him that made that difficult.
But now I had to push those thoughts out of my head and get back to work myself. I’d leave Hayden to look over the books, at least for now. But that didn’t mean there weren’t plenty of other projects on my plate. I felt a little calmer after I took a tour of the vineyard, checking out the pruning process and chatting with some of the other employees. It was almost as though things were totally normal around here.
That night, though, as I made to leave, I noticed that light was still spilling out from the room where Charlie had set Hayden up with the books. I frowned and went to turn out the light. Late for everything and no care for the environment, or my utility bills, I mused.
But when I got to the room, Hayden was still there, a frown on his face as he read over the books and scribbled something on a pad by his side. He looked up when I tapped on the door. “What are you still doing here?” I asked him.
Hayden looked surprised to see me and then glanced at his watch. He shrugged. “I just have a couple more things I’d like to get through before I go home,” I said.
“What about Booker?” I couldn’t resist asking.
Hayden looked momentarily guilty. “He’s fine with Ace,” he said. “The sooner I get this done, the sooner I get to spend more time with him. He knows how it works.”
I wanted to say something about not overworking himself but remembered that he had come in late that morning. I also recalled what Ace had told me before about Hayden not being like the normal worker. If this was the way he wanted to set his hours, so be it.
For a moment, I considered sticking around with him. We could order some takeout, and I could help him go over the books. Yet, even as I considered it, I was sure that I would just get in his way. Besides, we’d already had lunch together that afternoon. I didn’t need to spend any more time with him today. It was clear that he was a man of his word and that he was going to do everything in his power to sort out our problems. I didn’t need to charm him anymore.
So I nodded at him. “All right. Well, I’m about to head out for the night. I guess I’ll leave you the key so you can lock up.”
I wasn’t sure that I was totally comfortable with that idea since I didn’t want him nosing around the place. For all I knew, he could be trying to gather information to sell to our competitors. But Charlie had been the one to bring the guy in, and the more he stayed late, the sooner we’d get to the bottom of this mess. I wanted things fixed as soon as possible.
Anyway, if I had any doubt about Hayden’s true motives, I just had to look at his response to my comment about leaving him a key. “All right,” he said distractedly, having already turned his attention back to what he was doing. There was something endearing about seeing him so hard at work like that, with such single-minded focus on the job in front of him.
I wanted to say something else, but I wasn’t sure what. And I didn’t want to disturb him anymore. I lingered there for a moment, just watching him. Then, I gave myself a little shake and headed out for the night. As usual, I did my best to forget all about work the moment I was off the premises.
But my thoughts over the course of the evening seemed to keep drifting back to Hayden. Had he finished up for the day and finally gone home? Should I swing back by the winery just to make sure? He was a grown man, though, and could make his own professional decisions. If he wanted to hang out at the winery for the entire night, working away at his calculations, then that was his prerogative.
Suddenly, I realized my dinner was burning and cursed myself for my inattentiveness. I didn’t like Hayden, I reminded myself. And there was no reason to keep thinking about him right now. I hurried over to the stove and flicked it off, then tried to salvage my dinner, putting Hayden out of my mind once and for all.
Chapter 15
Hayden
I rolled my eyes when I saw who was at the door. Of course, that early on a Tuesday morning, there was only one person it could be. I shouldn’t have been surprised to see my brother standing there and wasn’t. Not at all.
“You know, one of these days, I’m going to start charging you for breakfast,” I teased, as I headed back towards the kitchen and threw more bacon on the griddle.
Ace snorted. “No way. You would never do that,” he said confidently. “Anyway, if you did, Booker would want to play the pay game which you always lose. So it would kind of work out anyway.”
“I do not always lose,” I said, even though I knew that I lost way more than Ace did at least. Anyway, it was just good-natured teasing. The truth was, I liked having Ace come over for breakfast. And Booker loved that he got to spend a ton of time with his uncle.
“Where is the little booger anyway?” Ace asked, as though reading my mind. Rather than offer to help out, he sat down at the table, waiting expectantly for me to put the food in front of him.
I shook my head, but I couldn’t help grinning. Some things never changed apparently. This was just the way it always was. The way it always had been—ever since we were kids.
For a moment, I couldn’t help thinking about Booker and his lack of siblings. I thought back to the lunch conversation I’d had with Mallory the previous day, about how I wasn’t sure that I could ever have more kids since there was no way that I would get as lucky with them as I’d been with Booker. I knew full well it wasn’t the kind of conversation you had with a near stranger, but the words had just slipped out. It was unfortunate, especially since Ace had set the two of us up on that stupid blind date.
But Mallory hadn’t seemed bothered by the conversation. Or with finding out that I had a son for that matter. In fact, she even told me I could bring Booker by the vineyard sometime, which said a lot, given that I still wasn’t sure Mallory really wanted me to be there in the first place. She knew that she
needed my help, all right, but she definitely wasn’t too pleased by it.
I forced myself to stop thinking about her, though, and focus on Ace. And on not burning our breakfast. I shrugged one shoulder. “He’s probably still upstairs getting ready for school,” I said. “It’s still a little early.”
“True,” Ace said.
Just then, Booker wandered into the kitchen, his face splitting into a broad grin when he saw Ace sitting there at the table. “Morning, Uncle Ace,” he chirped.
Ace laughed. “Morning Booger,” he responded, holding out his hand so that he and Booker could do their secret handshake. I rolled my eyes fondly at the two of them. “You excited to go to school today?”
Booker wrinkled his nose. “I want to go skating,” he said.
Ace grinned. “Got to stay in school if you want to make it to the NHL someday, buddy,” he said. “But maybe if your dad works late again today, you and I can go skating after school.”
Booker sighed and sat down at the table with his uncle. “It’s not fair that you don’t have to go to school,” he said.
I chuckled. “We both finished school a long time ago,” I reminded Booker. “Just because we don’t go there now, it doesn’t mean we never had to.”
“Besides, now we have to go to work,” Ace said.
“But your work is fun,” Booker pointed out.
“But your Dad’s work isn’t, is it?” Ace joked.
“Guess not,” Booker said, looking over at me pensively.
I laughed and shook my head. “I actually think you’d like the vineyard where I’m working now, Booker. Lots of places for you to play hide and seek.”
“How’d your first day go anyway?” Ace asked. “Sorry I couldn’t stick around to chat last night; I had a date.”
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