“Don’t worry, I’ll figure this out.”
“I’m sure you will. And you’ll do it without hurting anyone, least of all a girl who has already been through enough.”
David swallowed. That was simply Nate, trying to remind David to take the high road. As a DeLuca should. As anyone with a heart should. He wouldn’t hurt Mallory. Couldn’t.
“Maybe you don’t give her enough credit. She knows.”
“Knows what?”
“That I’m leaving.”
“Without her?”
“What the hell you mean ‘without her?’ Of course I’m leaving without her. She lives here, I live in Colorado. And I’m sorry, Nate, I love ya and all but I’m a Colorado DeLuca. Born and bred.”
“What are you going to do? Re-up?”
“I have to go back.”
“What about this resort deal? Sounds like a great opportunity and I know you’d have a snowboard surgically attached to your feet if you could. Why not go for it?”
“Because, it’s not that easy. I hate leaving shit undone. And that…feels undone.”
“Maybe it will never be done. There is that.”
He didn’t expect Nate to understand. His family didn’t get it, either. The connection, the brotherhood he had with his Army buddies went beyond anything he’d ever expected or experienced. The bond formed while facing death together was truly an unbreakable one.
“From what I’ve seen, every soldier feels compelled to go back. But you also owe it to yourself to grab for your own slice of joy. You’ve served your country and done your duty. Maybe now it’s time to do what you want.”
It had been a while since he’d allowed himself that luxury, and even now it seemed selfish. But hell, he’d done what he wanted last night and he didn’t feel an ounce of guilt about it. Except for the whole “leaving” part.
Frankie walked in the kitchen then, and Nate’s eyes followed her every movement.
“Is my decaf ready?” She headed towards the carafe.
David stared into his mug. “Wait. This is decaf I’ve been drinking?”
“I’ve decided to support Frankie by drinking decaf, too.” Nate said.
David snorted. These two lovebirds were on his last nerve. He needed to get back to Colorado and the brothers who cursed, farted, burped in three-part harmony, and generally managed to make him look like the good one without even breaking a sweat.
“Well, you might have warned me.” David set down the coffee that was now dead to him.
“Now, you see,” said Frankie, coming behind Nate to ruffle his hair. “That’s love.”
Love. He supposed it had to be, when you were willing to give up something you needed in order to support someone you loved.
Chapter 8
Mallory had never been to Founder’s Day before, but she’d certainly heard a lot about it since she’d been in town. Abby DeLuca-Tanner and her husband Jack were very involved in the celebrations. Dozens of homes on historic Krug Court dated back to 1864. This year one of the homes Abby and Jack had purchased was one of five finalists selected by the Historical Preservation Council. Only one home would receive the prestigious Memory Lane Award, and the DeLucas had their money on Abby and Jack. Apparently thousands of tourists were expected this weekend, all to explore the most historic homes in St. Helena in the annual Memory Lane Manor Walk.
There would be gourmet food in each residence and bottomless wine tastings. To hear Sara tell it, foodies and historians came from all over the world for the celebration. Mallory heard that the Napa Grand Hotel had been sold out for this weekend a year in advance. A year!
It would be hot again today, so Mallory chose a flower print sundress with her strappy wedge sandals. It was always nice to have a little extra height around David, who towered over her. But he didn’t intimidate her anymore. She’d seen firsthand that the heart of the man was as gentle and tender with her as he was strong. Sexy. Funny. Larger than life.
He’d be leaving soon, and that hurt her heart a little bit. But she wasn’t operating under any illusions, then or now. Maybe someone who was watching from the outside might think that Mallory had fallen back into some old habits. Thinking that all she had to offer a man was physical comfort. She couldn’t blame anyone for thinking that, but they’d be dead wrong. For the first time in her life, she had found the gold standard. She’d experienced the gold standard. Its name was David DeLuca, and from now on he’d be the benchmark every other man would have to meet.
She deserved someone like him. Someone who put a woman first, who took care of her needs and desires before his own. She’d learned it was possible for a man to be both sweet and strong. That was David. And sexy. Yeah, that too. She couldn’t stop thinking about their night together. It was good to know that he’d be safe in Colorado starting a business and not off in the desert possibly losing his life. She couldn’t live with that thought. The way she looked at it, he’d done his duty to his country, and now it was time to have his life.
He’d be happy in Colorado, and as the years passed, she would always picture him working at the resort, skiing and snowboarding in the winter. Eventually his hair would grow out completely from that military cut. If she ever got to the area, she might look him up, but she realized that was a long shot. She would stay here in St. Helena and eventually meet a good guy. Someone like David. She wished it could be David, but no amount of wishing would change hard facts. This was all temporary for him. She was temporary, and she’d been the one to let her heart get involved.
Not his fault. She clipped Sugar’s leash to her faux diamond studded collar and took her for her daily walk, passing in front of the Napa Grand Hotel and all the tourists walking around, a map of the town in their hands.
“Excuse me, miss?” A woman dressed to the nines in a designer suit and wearing some quite amazing diamond bling on her wrist stopped Mallory. “Can you please tell me how to get to the Cork’d & Dipped?”
The bling was a bit of overkill in Mallory’s humble opinion, especially in this heat. It was loud and so bright it nearly blinded her. Huh. It was indeed possible to have too much bling. Who knew? Mallory gave the woman and her companion directions, and was stopped three more times for directions to the St. Helena Corkery and The Pungent Barrel Wine and Cheese shop. It felt good to know her way around town and direct the tourists. She’d finally become an official resident. She belonged. Soon, she’d send for Mama to visit. Maybe someday she’d buy a piece of land here. Anything was possible.
When her cellphone rang with It’s Raining Men, Sugar was in the middle of squatting to pee near a tree at the Community Park. Clovis would be working at the Boulder Holder all weekend. She loved being the one to direct the influx of tourists to the best of her lingerie lines.
“Hey, Clovis. What’s up?”
“Oh, Baby. I’m so embarrassed.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“I just…can’t say it over the phone. It’s too humiliating. Can you come over?”
Mallory hung up. “Hurry, Sugar. We’re needed!”
Sugar shook the dirt of her princess feet and trotted next to Mallory as they hightailed it to the Boulder Holder. A few tourists were leaving the shop, bags in hand when Mallory arrived a minute later.
“Yark! Yip!” Sugar said, which meant, “Thank you, please come again.”
Clovis sat behind the register. “Thank God you’re here!”
“What’s wrong? Is it your knee?”
Clovis had missed pole dancing class recently, and Mallory had assumed her knee had been bothering her too much.
“You could say that.” Clovis blushed. “It’s just that since I missed class on Thursday, I was having a little fun late last night with Giles. He said there was no way I could pole dance, and I said ‘I most certainly can! Baby is my teacher.’ The man didn’t believe me! He said I was too advanced in age to pole dance. Too advanced in age! I just couldn’t have him believing I’m an old lady. Of course, you know I don’t h
ave a pole in my house. So I tried that move I saw you do in class before you let us near the pole. The one with the broom, to practice. Only it didn’t work out so well.”
Mallory cringed, picturing that. “Oh, no.”
“I felt fine afterwards because I proved my point. The man had to admit it: I can most certainly pole dance!”
“But now?”
“Now my hip is reminding me that I’m an old woman and maybe I shouldn’t pole dance with a broom.” Clovis stood, grabbing her cane. “Can you take me to the clinic?”
“Let me just take Sugar home, get my car, and I’ll come back to get you.”
“Thank you. I’ll be sorry to miss all the tourists but there’s always tomorrow. Maybe a little ice or deep heat rub is all I need.”
Mallory returned and helped Clovis into her car for the ride to St. Helena Urgent Care. They were on their way, but traffic was a bitch as expected.
“I had to hurt my hip, today, of all days.”
“That’s okay, if I’m late getting back I’ll just let David know. He can always meet me.”
“David DeLuca?”
In all the rush of the past week, Mallory hadn’t checked in much with Clovis. She’d barely kept up with her daily phone calls to Mama. “He’s my date to Founder’s Day.”
“Why am I always the last to know everything? But honey, David DeLuca? You don’t really want to get involved with someone like him. I hear he’s crazy.”
Crazy good. Mallory bit her lower lip to keep the smile away. “He came into the shop a few days ago and bought something.”
Clovis had a heart for men who bought lingerie. “Hmmm.”
“What’s that mean? Is that a good hmmm or a bad hmmm?”
“It’s just a hmmm. Tell me more. What did he buy and for whom did he buy it?”
“He wanted me to pick something out for him, so I did. The cheeky boy shorts.”
“He bought another woman cheeky boy shorts, then asked you out for Founder’s Day! Oh, that DeLuca Devil!”
“No, it’s not like that.”
But did she want Clovis to know that David had only bought them so he could have the Come Again condom swag? So he could tease her and fluster her about his condom size? Probably wouldn’t help his case much. She gripped the steering wheel tighter. Why did she want to help his case?
“Are you sure?” Clovis pressed, eyebrow quirked, lips pursed.
Mallory wasn’t sure of anything. What if he had bought the panties for someone else? He certainly hadn’t given them to her. Not that she wanted them, even if they were in her size. Who was walking around St. Helena wearing a pair of honeysuckle cheeky boy shorts in her size? Okay, probably a lot of women. But only one was wearing the pair she’d sold to David. She shook her head. She and David didn’t have any commitments to each other. The whole thing between them had just happened. She hadn’t planned it. It was the same old thing but yet different. And Clovis wouldn’t understand.
“No, I’m not sure.”
“I blame myself.” Clovis fanned herself, so Mallory turned up the air conditioning.
Dang, it was hot today. “How’s it your fault?”
“I should be looking out for you. I told your mother I would. You know how she worries after that poor excuse of a man tried to ruin your life. Lost all your friends, lost everything because he hit you and you wouldn’t stand for it!”
“They weren’t real friends.”
“You can say that again! I worry about you.” She patted Mallory’s knee. “I told Harper I hired you to be the sex, and I really did need your help. You helped us bring the sexy back.”
“It’s okay. I was happy to help in any way.”
“But you’re so much more than ‘the hired sex.’” She held up finger quotes. “And I hope you know it. You have a heart as big as Harper’s. As big as the Pacific Ocean. And I don’t say that everyday. You know how I love Harper.”
“I know. The feeling is mutual.”
“But if I got to pick another niece, for instance, hand-picked one for my family…you know I’d pick you.”
“Aw, Clovis.”
“So if a DeLuca is what you want, then I’m happy for you. I just want you, Mallory Gilham, to be happy. Whatever it takes. “
“I’m happy. Really.”
Except that now she wanted to know who had those panties.
After Mallory got Clovis situated in Urgent Care, and waited until Giles arrived to take her place, she realized she would be late. Especially with all the traffic she would encounter heading to the historical part of town. She texted David:
Running late. Will meet you there.
David texted back with the address on Krug Court where he’d be waiting for her. While it took what felt like ten times the amount of time it usually did to get to the Historical District, Mallory finally arrived. She parked her car in the first place she could find several blocks away and started walking. As she got closer, she saw tourists going from one home to another.
She also saw David in the distance, talking to a woman she recognized as being one of the teachers from the Get Bent yoga studio. Kristie? Krystal? Krissie? She had long dark hair and a lean and svelte figure. Tall. She squeezed David’s bicep. He laughed.
Is she wearing the panties?
When Mallory caught David’s gaze, she half expected to see the eyes of a man caught with his hand in the cookie jar. But instead, they shifted into a soft gaze that was completely fixated on her. He slid her a smile that made her think about last night. It was as if Kristie/Krystal/Krissie had disappeared.
“Been waiting for you, babe.”
That’s right. They were pretending. She’d almost forgotten she was supposed to be the fake girlfriend. None of this was real. Might as well make it look good. With that in mind, Mallory launched herself toward David and jumped into his arms. She’d done this move plenty of times in dance competitions, and it took a strong man to catch her. She wasn’t a big woman, but many had tried and missed, even after hours of practice.
It was not a big surprise when he caught her. Easily. His hands dropped to her ass.
Legs wrapped around his waist, she kissed him long and hard. “Sorry I’m late.”
She slid down the length of his body, fingers trailing from his shoulders down his biceps to his big, callused hands. Kristie/Krystal/Krissie took Mallory in, giving her the once-over reserved for the competition.
“Oh, hi.” Mallory pretended she’d just noticed there was another woman in the vicinity.
“Mallory, this is Kristen.”
“Yeah, we know each other. Nice seeing you, Mallory. See you two later.” With that she was off in the direction of one of the homes.
Mallory watched Kristen go, but when she looked to David, he was studying Mallory. Not Kristen.
“Which home do you want to go to first?” One finger skimmed the inner curve of her elbow and she shivered at his touch.
“Any of them. But first, answer something for me?”
“Sure. Anything.”
“Who has the panties I sold you?”
He might have answered with another question: what makes you think I gave them to anyone? She’d feel like an idiot for asking and they’d get on with their day. Or he could lie. She had no right to ask, and that should make it even easier for him to tell her the truth.
He shifted from one leg to another. Stuffed his hands in his brown cargo pants. Looked at the ground. “I’d…rather not say.”
“You said anything, David.”
“Anything but that.”
She blew out a breath. The air was so stifling hot that she imagined she saw steam rising from the sidewalks. And steam coming out of her ears. Damn, she hated a hot September. Come on, Autumn!
“Okay. Let’s go.” She stalked ahead of him, not glancing back once.
At least it was cooler inside one of the homes. And the food and wine were everywhere. She walked up to a snack tray filled with hors d'oeuvres. Beautiful, enticing fi
nger food. Cream cheese and olive biscuits with olive parsley spread from Bovine Ristorante, pepper jelly goat cheese cakes from The Pungent Barrel Wine & Cheese Shop, Double-Double 50 Shades cookies from The Sweet and Savory Bistro.
“Oh, yum.” Mallory helped herself, glancing behind her to see David deep in conversation with one of the ever-present DeLucas. Marco? Who could keep track of them?
“Would you like a bottomless wine tasting, Miss?”
A waiter was at her elbow with a tray of wine goblets. Mallory thanked him and happily took one from the tray. Drank it in two swallows and put it back on the tray. A wine connoisseur she was not.
The waiter raised a brow but didn’t say a word as he continued walking through the parlor of the home. Mallory stole another glance and caught David walking purposely toward her. So she quickly ran out of the house and straight into another one next door. At another food table, she tried to get lost in the shuffle of foodies and winos. She heard words like “fruity” and “nutty,” “oak” and “hints of cherry” while she tried to move further into the crowd. In her peripheral vision, she caught David striding into the home.
Well, if he wanted to be her date he would answer her one question. She was afraid, of course, that she already knew the answer. David had been with someone else, and two women in two weeks would be player status indeed. He could achieve that with his hands tied behind his back. He could have at least been honest with her and not made a fool out of her. She deserved that much. Honesty.
Mallory helped herself to two of the chicken-bacon satays and one or two more glasses of wine.
“Hello, Baby.”
This from Clay Walker, suddenly standing next to her. This guy. She hated this guy. He’d been so mean to Harper. Just because he was a pediatrician and handsome in that “I go to the opera and ballet on a regular basis” way it didn’t mean he could get away with hurting her friend. And okay, so yeah, Harper was better off now with Adam. But still.
She glared at him. “My name is Mallory.”
“Since when?”
“Since I was born twenty-five years ago in Dallas, Texas!”
St. Helena Vineyard Series: Forever My Girl (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 6
