Prosecco and Peonies

by SJ McCoy

  “Is that all right with you?” The girl was looking at her. Waiting for her to reply—though what the question might be, Molly had no idea.

  “I’m sorry?”

  The girl smiled. “Will the waterfront cabin be okay for you?”

  Molly frowned. Were they trying to make a buck off her? Offering her an upgrade she didn’t need? She shook her head. “I’m fine with just a room.”

  The girl looked confused. “I’m sorry, but as I just explained, all the rooms in the lodge are booked up. It’s a very busy weekend. Mr. Walton said we should put you in the waterfront cabin. It’s the nicest accommodation we have.”

  Molly stared at her. She had to get it together. “Mr. Walton?”

  Marcos stepped forward. “Ben. You know, the guy who owns the place. I think he’s probably trying to make up for the fact that you got bumped from the new lodge.”

  “Oh.” Molly felt bad. She didn’t exactly get bumped. She’d volunteered to take a room over here when it turned out that there was enough room for everyone.

  The girl was still looking at her, waiting for her answer.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not with it. Of course, that’ll be fine.” She could treat herself. It wasn’t like she couldn’t afford it.

  “Great. I’ll need to see your ID.”

  Molly handed over her driver’s license and credit card, but the girl gave the credit card back.

  “I don’t need it. He’s comped the room, to make up for the inconvenience.”

  Wow. “There’s no need.”

  The girl either didn’t hear or didn’t want to engage with her anymore. She carried on tapping away at the computer and then handed Molly a key and proceeded to draw on a map of the resort, indicating where her cabin was.

  “I’ll call for a golf cart to take you down there.”

  “I can take you if you want.”

  Molly turned to look at Marcos. Did she want?

  He held her gaze as she mulled it over. They both knew that her answer was about more than whether she wanted a ride to her cabin.

  She swallowed and then nodded. Of course, she wanted him to take her. The past, the pain, the questions she still had, none of them could override the fact that he was here; she was in his presence—and she didn’t want that to end.

  “Okay, then.” The girl handed her an envelope. “Have a wonderful stay, and if you need anything at all, just dial zero.”

  “Thanks.” Molly wanted to apologize, to explain that she wasn’t normally this ditzy. But it didn’t matter.

  She and Marcos walked outside in silence. She didn’t know what to say—where to start, and it seemed he didn’t either.

  “My car’s in the square outside the restaurant. Do you want to drive to the cabin?” he asked.

  “How far is it?”

  “Can I see the map?”

  She handed it over and finally allowed herself to really look at him while he studied it. Butterflies swirled in her stomach as she watched him trace his finger over the map. She tried to distract herself by looking at his face, but that was no better. His dark hair was sprinkled with a few grays around his temples—why was that so much sexier on men than on women? His olive skin looked older, no doubt about it, but that, too, only made him more attractive. His long dark lashes hadn’t changed. Nor had his gorgeous, big brown eyes which looked up from the map and locked with hers.

  For a moment, neither of them spoke. At least, not in words. His eyes told her he was sorry. She was pretty sure hers told him so was she. He reached out and touched her cheek. It was a simple gesture, but she felt like she’d been struck by lightning. Tears welled in her eyes even as her stomach did a somersault and her nipples stood to attention.

  “It’s a two-minute drive or a ten-minute walk.”

  “Shall we walk?”

  He smiled and hitched the strap of her duffel bag over his shoulder. “I’d love to.”

  He fell in stride with her as they walked, making her smile. When they were kids, he’d been a good four inches taller than her. She’d guess it was six now. The first time they’d gone hiking together, she’d bitched at him that she couldn’t keep up with him. After that, it’d been one of their many in-jokes that he allowed her to set the pace. She felt a touch of heat in her cheeks. He’d loved her pace in the bedroom and claimed that he was the one who had to keep up with her.

  He shot a glance at her as they walked. “Am I going too fast?”

  She shook her head. “No, this is perfect.”

  He smirked—that was a new one; he hadn’t been a smirker before. She understood it, when he said, “Good. I wouldn’t want to get there before you.”

  She had to laugh. They might have been young lovers, but he’d been a very considerate one—always trying to make sure she got there at least once before he did. She almost told him that she wasn’t sure she’d get there at all these days—she was too out of practice. But she thought better of it. One shared joke didn’t mean they were back to the level of intimacy they’d once known. Instead, she asked, “How do you know your way around this place?”

  “I stayed here for a few nights when I first arrived.”

  “And where are you staying now?”

  “I rented a house on the water, just outside of town. You know me, I prefer to be away from the hustle and bustle.”

  “I don’t know you anymore, though, do I?” Damn. Why had she said that?

  He shook his head sadly. “I haven’t changed much. I’m working on it.”

  “Working on what?”

  He stopped walking and looked her in the eye. “I made one mistake and then lived a life I didn’t want to be in for the next ten years. I don’t plan to ever be that stupid again. And …” He looked away and then looked back at her with that smirk. It was new to her, but she liked it on him. “I’m working on taking the stick out of my ass and learning to relax.”

  “Well, damn!” She laughed. “I would never have expected it, but I have to say it suits you.”

  His smile lit up his face. “Thank you.”

  They walked on in silence for a few more minutes, and then he pointed as the road curved off to the right. “Your place is down there.”

  “It’s all by itself?”

  He nodded. “Ben gave you best of the best. I wanted to rent this one when I came, but it was all booked up.”

  “Great. I can’t wait to see it.” When they rounded the corner, she was stunned. The cabin was beautiful. It stood right down by the water’s edge with its own little beach. The way the trees surrounded it made it seem as if it were the only building for miles around. “Wow. I feel bad, though. It’s the best one of them all. Ben probably makes good money on this place, and he’s letting me have it for nothing.”

  Marcos smiled at her. “You deserve the best; you are the best.”

  She held his gaze for a moment. “Thanks.” She didn’t trust herself to say anything else.

  ~ ~ ~

  Once they were inside, Molly went straight to the wall of windows and stood there staring out at the lake. “It’s so beautiful!”

  He wanted to tell her she was beautiful. She was. Her hair was longer, she carried a little more weight, and he loved it. She seemed softer. He stood there watching her. She hadn’t changed. She was delighted by the view, it was so obvious it made him smile. It made him wish he were more like her—more straightforward.

  He went to stand beside her. Part of him wanted to launch into everything he needed to tell her—everything he wanted to apologize for, how wrong he’d been. But he stopped himself. He could see that Kenzie might be right. At this moment, Molly was happy. She was lost in the simple pleasure of taking in the view. Why would he spoil that? Why would he want to pour cold water on her enjoyment and drag her back into the pain and the past? Instead, he smiled with her and tried to see the place through her eyes, to appreciate the beauty. “Isn’t it?”

  She nodded. “I feel lik
e I should offer you a drink or something, but I obviously don’t have anything. I should have stopped at the store we passed.”

  Marcos smiled. “There’s probably something in the fridge. When I stayed, there was water, wine, and soda, plus coffee and bread.”

  “Ooh!” Molly made her way through to the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Bingo! And how about that, it must be because it’s the nicest cabin, there’s champagne in there, too.”

  Marcos pursed his lips. He doubted there’d be champagne—or if there was, it wouldn’t be high quality.

  Molly laughed when she saw his face. “How could I have forgotten what a wine snob you are.”

  He gave her a rueful smile and held up his hands, letting her know he had no defense.

  She took the bottle out and held it up to read the label. “Oh. My mistake. It’s not champagne at all; it’s prosecco.”

  He went to stand beside her. It was only so he could read the label, but it did feel good to be close to her. “Hmm, that’s not bad at all.”

  She raised her eyebrows at him. “Wow! Are you lowering your standards in your old age?”

  There was something about the way she said it that caught him wrong. He suspected that she was somehow talking about herself. Caterina came from old money, and that was something Molly had asked him about when she found out about her. She’d thought maybe he’d decided she wasn’t good enough for him. “No. My standards are higher than ever, but I’ve redefined what’s important.”

  She cocked her head to one side and looked him in the eye—so there had been more meaning to her question.

  “I know now that quality is so much more important than reputation. Some of the old houses bottle up ditch water, and people pay a premium for it because of what it says on the label.” He tapped the bottle she was holding. “These guys haven’t been around for very long. They’re still making their name, but they make fabulous wines. I’ve had their prosecco before. It’s very good.”

  She nodded and put it back in the fridge.

  “You don’t want to share it with me?” He had to ask.

  She shook her head. “Not yet. No.”

  His heart sank. It shouldn’t. She’d said not yet not never. “Would you like me to go?”

  “No!” She put her hand on his arm. “I thought I would want you to go, but please don’t. I don’t want to drink bubbly with you—I don’t feel like celebrating. I don’t know that I’m ready for any of the conversations we need to have, but I don’t want you to go.”

  He held his arms open wide as he’d done at Antonio’s wedding and just as she had then, she stepped inside them and rested her head against his chest. He closed his eyes as he hugged her to him. In the few moments they stood that way, he felt as though his future slotted into place. This was how it was supposed to be. This was how it was always supposed to have been. He’d cost them far too much time with his stupidity. Now, if she’d let him, he planned to make up for every single moment they’d lost.

  “I don’t want to go. I never want to leave you again, Molly.”

  Her head jerked up, and she met his gaze.

  He nodded and had to swallow around the lump in his throat. “I love you. I never stopped loving you. I know I don’t deserve another chance, but I hope with all my heart that you’ll give me one. Let me show you who I am now, who we can be. I was the boy who hurt you, but I want to be the man who makes you happy.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks, and his heart pounded in his chest as she shook her head. Was she saying no?

  She buried her face in his chest, and he felt her shoulders shake. He held her closer, wishing he could take away her pain—all the pain he’d caused.

  When she finally looked up at him, her eyes were red, her cheeks were stained with tears, and she sniffed—and he’d never seen a woman look more beautiful than she did at that moment.

  “You don’t want to?” he asked.

  “I do want to. I wish I could, but Marcos, I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m brave enough or strong enough. I won’t lie to you, I still love you. I never stopped loving you, either, but is love really enough? Part of me is still angry at you; part of me doesn’t even want to forgive you. You don’t know me anymore. I don’t know you, and a couple of quick conversations over the course of a few days isn’t going to help.”

  “What if it could help?”

  “How?”

  He smiled. He’d puzzled out a way that he could put Kenzie’s advice into practice. He hadn’t been able to imagine spending time making a new beginning with Molly without first addressing the past. Now he knew how. “First of all, are you ready to have someone in your life?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “I don’t mean me. I just mean are you at a place where a relationship would be good for you? Is it something you’d want?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  His blood ran cold as a thought struck him. He had to ask. “Is there someone in your life who you might have a relationship with—again, I’m not talking about me.”

  He held his breath.

  She shrugged. “Not really.”

  That wasn’t the answer he’d been hoping to hear. “Yes and no are the only acceptable answers.” He winked at her, trying to soften his words.

  She shrugged again. “Grady would like to have a relationship with me.”

  “Who’s Grady?” He asked too quickly, but he couldn’t help it.

  “He works for me. I brought him in as a manager.”

  “I see.”

  “No, I don’t think you do see, Mr. Pouty Italian. He likes me. He asks me out, but I haven’t wanted to go.”

  “Why not?” He knew he had no right to be jealous.

  “You know damned well why.” Her eyes flashed with anger, and she stepped away from him. “Why are we playing twenty questions anyway?”

  He went after her and put a hand on her shoulder. Now that he was around her again, he constantly felt the need to be close to her, touching her. “I’m sorry. My idea was that—if you want to—instead of starting out by rehashing the past, we could make a fresh start.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that if you came here and met a guy you liked and who liked you too, you’d spend some time with him, get to know him, wouldn’t you? And then, if you still liked him, maybe you’d see him again after you go home. Maybe, after a while, the two of you would decide that he should move to Napa to be with you.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “What are you saying, Marcos?”

  “I’m saying … would you give me a chance this weekend, while you’re here—a chance as a new guy you can get to know?”

  She held his gaze. “And just pretend we don’t know each other?”

  He shrugged. “That sounds like role-play and maybe taking it a little too far.”

  She smiled. “It could be fun.”

  He chuckled. He’d missed her sense of adventure. “It could, but I don’t want to just pretend.”

  She nodded slowly. “We could try it, I guess. Like I said, I want to be around you, but I’m not ready to talk about everything we need to talk about.”

  “So, we don’t. We save it for a little further down the line—but don’t think I want to avoid it. Leaving you is the biggest regret of my life. I need to explain myself—no excuses.”

  She nodded again. “Okay. We’ll get to all of that. For now … Hello, handsome guy who just walked me to my cabin. Would you like to stay and have a glass of prosecco with me?”

  He relaxed. Molly was perhaps the only woman on earth who’d go along with what he knew was a crazy idea, but he was so thankful to her. “Why yes, beautiful lady. Thank you. I’d love to hang out with you and drink some bubbles.”

  Chapter Four

  Molly sipped her prosecco and stared out at the lake. This was weird—good, but weird. A couple of hours ago she’d been expecting to spend the weekend with Chelsea and
Grant and Mary Ellen and Antonio. She’d wondered when she’d get to see Marcos. She’d suspected it wouldn’t be until tomorrow night. Now, she was sitting here with him out on the deck overlooking a little sandy beach. The whole weekend lay ahead of them, and she had no idea how she wanted to handle it. She looked up as Marcos came back outside.

  “How’s the restaurant doing?”

  She nodded. “It’s doing really well.”

  “There was never any doubt you’d make a success of it.”

  She nodded. He was right. Molly’s was her life. She’d known it since the day her dad opened the place and named it after her.

  “What are you doing now? Antonio said you were trading cryptocurrencies, but I find that hard to believe.”

  He chuckled. “I would have, too, not so long ago. I told you I’ve changed.”

  She smiled. It was becoming apparent that he had. “I know, but it can’t be as risky as I thought it was. There’s no way on earth you’d be doing it if it were.”

  “True. It’s not so risky at all once you understand it.”

  She drained her glass and set it down. This wasn’t working. They weren’t going to make a fresh start by having a stilted conversation about what they each did for a living.

  Marcos smiled. “You haven’t changed that much, have you? If I’m reading you right, you’re restless and sitting around here talking isn’t your idea of fun.”

  She blew out a sigh. “I’m sorry. It’s just too weird. After all these years not knowing if we’d ever get to talk at all, now we’re here, and we may as well be talking about the weather.”

  He got to his feet and held his hand out to her, pulling her up to join him. “So, what do you want to do? Do you want to rent a boat? Go four-wheeling or horseback riding? Go for a hike? You name it, we’ll do it.”