by Reina Torres
They were close enough for him to feel her breath catch in her chest. “What if we skip dinner?”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, gorgeous,” he drew in a breath and held her closer, “I’m looking forward to getting you home. But before that I want to show you off. You, and that dress, are too good to keep all to myself.”
Jordan’s soft laughter was music to his ears. “Well, once the party is done, I’m all yours.”
“Promises, promises.” He liked the smile on her lips. He liked her happy and knowing that he put it there.
“Excuse me,” someone stopped just off to the side and cleared their throat. “Excuse me, Miss Schultz?”
That got Jordan’s attention. He felt her tense up in his arms. With a sigh, Jordan let go of his hand and turned around. “Hello, Nora. You look lovely tonight.”
Vance saw the older woman standing beside Jordan, her dress was indeed lovely, but unlike Jordan’s gown, hers looked to be a vintage dress from the 1930’s, much more conservative in design.
“Thank you,” Nora’s tone showed a little bit more than shock, and the solemn set of her expression hinted at somber emotions. “You look nice too.”
Jordan’s expression lightened a bit at that and Vance knew that the compliment was unexpected, but not unwelcome. “Thank you.”
Nora opened her mouth once and then closed it again, as if she was trying to say something, but couldn’t quite manage it.
It seemed like Jordan was prepared to wait for her to gather her thoughts, but the band was starting up another song, an Otis Redding classic, and he wanted Jordan in his arms again.
“Nora?”
Jordan looked at him, a curious narrowing of her eyes, but she didn’t have a chance to say anything because Nora had found her voice.
“I wanted to say… I wanted you to know,” she swallowed and sighed, “that I am… sorry that you were upset that I posted a video of you on my Facebook page.”
Jordan’s burnished red lips parted in shock. “You are?”
Nora nodded, a stilted bob of her head. “Yes. And I hope that you’ll accept my apology,” she slid a look at Vance before she continued, “and I want you to know that I won’t do it again.”
Jordan leaned back in shock, seeming to struggle as she processed Nora’s words. “You’re not going to post videos anymore?”
“I said,” Nora’s words had a little bit of bite before she pulled it back, “that I wouldn’t post any more of ‘you.’” She gestured at the ballroom full of people. “Everyone else is fair game.” She turned her head to look at Vance. “Satisfied?”
He sighed and shook his head. “If that’s the best you can do. Thank you, Nora.”
“You’re not welcome, Mr. Donovan.” With those parting words, she turned on her heel and she left.
Jordan met his eyes with a wide-eyed stare. “Vance-”
He took her hand and pulled her into his arms. “Can you glare at me later, they’re playing ‘These Arms of Mine,’ Jordan.”
“You’ve got a one-track mind, Vance.”
“I beg to differ, my dear,” he spun her in a circle and slid his hand to the base of her spine so he could splay his fingers over the curve in her back. “I wanted to make sure that even if Nora isn’t going to be nice to you that she’ll at least keep from sinking her talons into you-”
He cut off his words because he couldn’t say the rest of them. He just hoped that Jordan didn’t hear the thoughts in his head. Because as she laughed and swayed in his arms, his thoughts were plagued with the knowledge that he had less than a week left in St. Helena before he had to return home.
The trouble was, with every day he spent in the small California town, the less he wanted to leave, and it had everything to do with the amazing woman dancing in his arms.
He was probably going to hate himself when he left, but he knew he had to go. It was the only thing he could do.
Chapter 10
Vance stood at the kitchen counter peeking into the small collapsible cooler sitting just beside the refrigerator. When he couldn’t quite see what was under the top layer of containers, he nudged the cooler and tried to move the containers around. He was just about to reach in and lift out one of the boxes when a hand slapped at his.
“Stop peeking!”
He waited a moment and when Jordan walked past him again he gave her bottom a good swat.
“Hey!” Jordan glared at him over her shoulder. “What was that for?”
As if he didn’t have a care in the world, he shrugged. “For making me wait.” He watched as she rubbed her backside with a narrowed-eyed pout. “And if you don’t want another one, you better hurry that ass up.”
She stopped rubbing, drawing her hand up to her hip instead, giving him the impression of a World War II era pinup. “And maybe, I want another… or two.” With a wink, she headed back into her bedroom, her laughter trailing behind.
Zipping up the cooler, Vance walked into the living area and set it down next to his rolling carryon bag.
Ava barely looked up at him when he sat on the arm of the couch. “Let me guess,” she sighed, “she’ll just be ‘one more minute.’”
Vance slid down onto the couch and dropped his feet to the floor. “So, this isn’t just to make me stress about drive time?”
It was Ava’s turn to shrug. “You tell me.”
“Oh great,” Vance leaned his head back on the couch cushion. “Should I just get some sleep?”
Jordan’s phone on the coffee table lit up and started buzzing.
With a furtive glance in his direction, Ava reached out her toe and dragged the phone to the edge of the table, from there she picked it up and hit the SKIP button. When she tucked the phone between her hip and the couch cushion, Vance got the idea that something was up.
“Is that a business call?”
Ava shook her head and looked back down at her book. “Don’t worry about it.”
Jordan reappeared and set a bag down beside his. “Almost done.” She gave him a wink. “Just one more.”
Sagging back against the sofa he watched her walk out of the room again. “This isn’t usual, is it?”
Ava laughed. “Nope. I think she’s just trying to impress you.” Leaning closer, Ava lowered her voice to a whisper. “Just let her, okay?”
He nodded in response.
Jordan popped back in, a light jacket over her arm. “Okay, I’m ready to go, let’s get on the road.”
Grateful to be getting a move on, Vance was on his feet in a moment and grabbing every handle he could fit in his hands. “Come on, babe, we’ve got an almost two-hour drive ahead of us,” he paused and shook his head, “just get in the car.”
Jordan gave him a little pout. “Seriously, tell me where we’re going!”
Ava rolled her eyes. “Mom! Get in the car! Go have some fun.”
Vance was herding Jordan to the door with an insistent nudge of the bag he held under his arm. “Come on, let’s go. You heard the boss.”
Jordan blew her daughter a kiss. ‘You know how to reach me-”
“Mom, go!”
“I’m only a call- oh! My phone!”
Vance felt his heart ache in his chest. “Please get in the car!”
“But, my phone!”
And that was the moment they heard it. All three of them froze at the unmistakable buzz that sounded between Ava and the couch arm.
Vance looked back and saw the pinch of disappointment on Ava’s face. “What’s wrong?”
The mood in the room changed in a heartbeat. Jordan must have seen Ava’s expression as well, because she easily moved around Vance and walked up to her daughter. “Ava.” She held out her hand, and even though Ava shook her head at her mother she dutifully handed the phone to her.
Vance saw the way her expression darkened as she read the screen.
“Hey, babe?”
She held up her pointer finger, asking him for patience with her eyes. He nodded and stepped back leaning aga
inst the doorframe as she took the call.
“Hello, Bra-” she winced away from the phone and even from where he stood, he could hear the shout from the other end. “Steve, wait. Steve… stop.”
She moved off into the kitchen and Vance started to follow her, but Ava waved him down. Begging him silently to hold off.
“Steve,” Jordan’s voice cut through the silence, “that’s not fair and you know it.”
He heard enough to be worried and stepped into the open archway to watch Jordan. She was leaning against the counter, one hand held her phone and the other repeatedly pushed her hair from her face.
“She changed her mind, Steve. Sure, she could have given you more notice, but it’s not like you don’t already have a nanny for the kids, hey!”
Something must have been said, or a noise over the phone, but rearing back, Jordan dropped the phone on the counter with a clatter, the speaker flaring to life. “Don’t be a bitch, Jordan! It’s all about money for you, isn’t it?”
“Steve, just stop.” Jordan drew in a breath but Vance saw her shoulders shaking. “That’s never been true and you know-”
“What I know is that I gave the nanny a vacation because Ava was coming to Chicago to watch my kids. What don’t you get about it? Don’t you understand how hard this has been?” There was a long sighing pause. “Jordan, look-”
“No!”
Vance felt the pain in her voice knife through him, even halfway across the room.
“You ‘look,’ Steven.” Jordan’s tone had gone ice cold even though he could have sworn he saw her face flushed with heat. “You are a self-centered, conceited, good-for-nothing man if you think either one of us, me or Ava, don’t understand how ‘hard’ this is.”
She drew in a breath as if her tanks had gone dry and she was sucking in water to refill them. “You know how to talk a good game and I’m glad if Maeve thinks the sun rises and sets in your ass, but Ava and I know the dirty truth, because we’re the ones you walked out on.”
Vance heard the painful smack of sound and saw Jordan’s hand flat on the countertop, her arm still reverberating with the impact.
“What you need to do, is check yourself, Steve. Replay this little bitchfest in your head. And think.” She balled up her fist and hit the counter. “Really think!”
He started across the floor when he heard the tight push of her voice and knew she was close to tears.
“You said you needed Ava to watch your kids. Did you hear that, Steve? Ava is your child too! And all you can think about are your kids with Maeve. Your first daughter deserves better! She deserves parents that put her first. She deserves to have more love than you’ve ever given her. And I thank God for men like Gabriel and his brothers. They’ve shown her how men really treat women, with respect, not just doling out their affections like gumballs and short changing people just because they’ve found something new. Something ‘better.’”
Vance heard the pain in her words and knew that much of what she was saying had to have been said to her by Steve at some point. He knew that if he ever ran into the asshole, he’d be hard pressed not to break his nose and make him eat his tie.
“So, if she wants to stay here with me during her break, she can stay. She is an adult and the last I checked, she doesn’t owe you a thing. And I’m glad. You better straighten yourself out if you ever want a good relationship with ‘your kids,’ Steve. Pretty soon, Ava’s not going to care anymore.”
She didn’t so much ‘hang up’ the phone, as drop it repeatedly on the counter until Steve ended the call on his end.
Jordan didn’t turn around. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
Vance crossed the rest of the room to her side and reached out to touch her shoulder, but stopped when she flinched.
“Please?” Her voice was small and… helpless. The sound was like a knife through his heart. “Don’t.”
“Honey, I-”
“Mom?”
Vance stepped back as Ava ran across the room and threw her arms around her mother. He watched as Jordan smoothed her hands down Ava’s back, murmuring to her daughter and his heart continued to break knowing that this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened to the two of them.
“It’s okay, Mom. I’m okay. You should go,” Ava was trying to disentangle her mother’s arms and set her back apace. “You guys should go and have some fun,” she smiled through the tears that were painting her cheeks a dark charcoal color from her eye liner. “Seriously!”
Jordan shook her head and grasped Ava’s shoulders. “I should stay here with you. Make sure you’re okay.”
“Mo-om!” Ava’s voice was still quavering, even as she cajoled her mother. “Please. I’m-”
“I have a solution.”
Vance watched the two ladies turn to look at him, holding the car keys in his hand. “I think it would be a good idea for you two to spend some time together tonight,” he grinned at Jordan’s beatific smile. “There’s a second bedroom in our cottage. We can sit on the couch and watch movies in front of the fire. And I know Jordan will be happier having all of us close tonight.”
Seizing the solution, Jordan gave her daughter a quick kiss on the forehead. “Go grab some clothes and come out to the car.”
Ava nodded, and rose up on the tips of her toes to give her mom a huge hug. Then, running up to Vance, she pulled back her arm and gave him a big ol’ slug on the arm before giving him a big hug.
When she disappeared into her bedroom, Vance gave Jordan a questioning look.
Jordan shrugged and answered him back with, “She likes you!”
And he sighed. “Just great. I could do without that kind of ‘like’”
“Thank you.” Jordan shook her head and held out her arms to him. Without a second thought, wrapped his arms around her and held her tight to his chest. “And don’t worry,” she pressed a kiss to his cheek, trailing her lips to his jaw bone, “I’ll make it up to you later.”
He returned the favor. “I think it’s my turn,” he smiled even though she couldn’t see it, “to do something for you, Jordan… just let me hold you tonight.”
She nodded. “Sounds just about perfect.”
Chapter 11
His last few days were filled with lots of laughter and fun, getting to know both Jordan and Ava, he was also winding down his new manuscript and pretty damn sure he wouldn’t have to worry about Maxwell throwing it at his head when he printed it out. In fact, he was fairly sure Max might just try to kiss him when he read the book. Something about the change of pace, or maybe just the space he was in physically and mentally made for good and productive writing time.
With just a few bridging scenes to add in the story, he was happy to take off for the afternoon, especially because Gabe had called to invite him to a family get-together.
Jordan had driven home to pick him up after she left the office, driving him out to the main DeLuca vineyard with a gentle smile on her face. He enjoyed the ride immensely. It was a quiet day, like so many were in St. Helena, and the weather was mild enough that Jordan rolled down the windows and they both felt the wind on their faces.
When they turned onto the dirt road that led up into the vineyard, Vance sat up and looked out the windshield at the assembled family that Gabe mentioned when he’d invited Vance over. The ‘family’ turned out to be the extended DeLuca family. Sitting at the head of a table that looked like it could seat at least fifty people, was Chiara, the matriarch of the family and a woman that Vance knew and loved. She had been a huge help in the beginning when he had been hired to work on the business plans for the DeLuca wineries. Sprinkled around the table were a number of familiar faces and quite a few new ones, along with the four DeLuca brothers and their sister, Abigail, there were now more wives, a husband, and children. He’d heard about all the relatively new additions to the family and the sheer number staggered him. Not to mention that at Chiara’s side was a man who looked suspiciously like Charles Baudouin.
&nb
sp; “When Gabe said a ‘small’ gathering,” Vance shook his head, “this isn’t what I had in mind.”
Jordan put the car in park and dropped her purse down on the floor beside her chair. Vance wanted to caution her about the idea, not wanting to temp a thief, but he realized that the same concern he’d have in New York wasn’t a problem here. No, St. Helena wasn’t the same as the concrete jungle he lived in.
Stepping out of the car, he was suddenly surrounded by old friends and new, and somehow, he lost track of Jordan in the time it took to get from the car to the big banquet table they’d set up amongst the vines. But when they were all shuffled into their seats, he was seated next to Jordan the entire meal, and enjoyed himself like he was part of the family.
When the dishes were cleared away and children packed off into the house at the center of the property, the party slowly wound down and after Vance offered his thanks to his hosts, he slipped away with Jordan, her arm tucked in his.
They walked through the rows of vines, both of them recounting their favorite stories of the vineyard. The walk, he realized, was going to be one of his treasured memories of his time in St. Helena. The quiet beauty of the approaching sunset had his blood coursing through his veins, and having Jordan at his side, even if she had insisted on wearing that silly floppy hat, made his heart ache in all the best ways.
They stopped at a break in the rows, a dirt expanse wide enough to fit a farm truck or a tractor without endangering the vines, and Jordan stepped far enough away that he could only keep hold of her hand if he reached for it, and he did.
“When I married Steve, things just kind of snowballed. I had Ava almost immediately after we married and I wanted to be a good mom and take care of her, and when Steve told me to stay home I was thrilled. The word ‘precocious’ must have been coined for Ava in a past life,” she laughed, a small spate of sound as she looked out over the vineyard, “she ran me ragged. And then Steve encouraged me to get out of the house as much as I could and connect with the community. I joined a bunch of clubs and took Ava to all kinds of enrichment classes and sports, whatever I could find. I thought I was building this perfect life for my family and my own life was crumbling and I didn't even know it.” She blew out a breath as if the telling of the words had been more of a marathon, and maybe it had. “Steve fell for his co-worker. Gorgeous and upwardly mobile. She had ‘goals and aspirations’ and I had a minivan full of dance shoes and soccer cleats. When Steve left, he took our bank account and my confidence and left me Ava and a stack of bills. Don't get me wrong,” she cut her hand through the air like a knife, “if he'd tried to take her with him, I would have fought him with everything in me, but he didn't want her. And I considered myself the luckiest woman in the world.
