Intertwined Hearts Series (4 book collection): (Intertwined Hearts, An Exceptional Twist, Tangled Paths & Grafted Vines)

by Kimi Flores

  Oh great. Now I have to go to the bathroom.

  Frustrated, I turned my lights off and just left my hazards flashing in case someone else drove by. It was late so the chances of that happening were slim to none.

  I lowered my backrest and settled in the seat, opting not to find out if Stella’s blanket was clean or not. Feeling sorry for myself, I dozed off with thoughts of how crappy this day had turned out to be. I had no idea how much time had passed when I suddenly felt like I wasn’t alone. Lights flashed on the other side of my closed eyelids and I had to take a chance. Peeking at my driver’s side window, I found a man standing there, staring down at me.

  “Ahhhh!” I let out a blood curdling scream and nearly peed my pants.

  “Ma’am. You can’t sleep here.” The officer yelled through my window. “Are you in need of assistance?”

  I looked back and saw the police cruiser's flashing lights, as well as a tow truck pulling up. Tears filled my eyes as I rolled down my window. “Yes,” I blubbered. “My truck broke down and I need to get home.”

  He gave me a warm, reassuring smile. “We’ll get that taken care of. Where do you live?”

  Wiping the tears away, I managed to get out. “Evanwood’s Vineyard.”

  The officer looked at me strangely. “Zachary and Joel’s place?”

  I barely refrained from rolling my eyes. Of course he knew them. Everyone in the valley knew who they were.

  “Yes, I work for them.” That kind of hurt to say. I hoped I did more than just work for them, but this cop didn’t need to know that. “Please don’t call them. I don’t want to bother them.” I hoped I didn’t sound like I was trying to hide something.

  At first he looked at me suspiciously, then he seemed to let whatever he was thinking, go. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you squared away.” He waved the tow truck driver over at the same time he kept an eye on me. I watched from the side mirror as they spoke.

  The tow truck driver’s large frame towered over the officer. As I watched them, I heard the sound of a speeding car hauling ass. My eyes widened and my heart pounded as the officer dove out of the way right before the sports car came hurtling past us.

  “Holy hell!” I heard one of the guys yell.

  The officer didn’t waste any time. With his arms flying to his shoulder radio, he shouted something in my direction, jumped in his cruiser, blared his siren, and took off after the speeding driver.

  I thought I’d lost my help when the tow truck driver got in his truck and started to drive forward. Without thinking, I hopped out of mine and waved at him to stop. “Don’t leave me!”

  Could this fucking night get any worse?

  I felt like such an idiot when he pulled in front of my truck and backed up. He’d only been positioning the tow truck in order to haul me away.

  The very large man that I’d just made a complete ass of myself in front of slowly approached. Fear paralyzed me when I realized that I had no idea if this guy was legit. AAA hadn’t sent him. What if he was a serial killer and that cop had been working with him? How did they even know I was out here?

  I knew I was sounding crazier by the second, but I didn’t want to end up tied up in someone’s basement while they fed me from a dog bowl and made me pee in a bucket.

  He bent forward to talk to me and just enough of the dome light inside my truck shined on the side of his face. All I saw was a beautiful green eye and the longest eyelashes I’d ever seen on a man.

  I took a step back, I’m pretty sure I mirrored one of those idiots I would’ve scream at in said horror movie.

  He flashed a bright, knowing smile. I bet he got that reaction from women all the time. “Why don’t you take a seat in my cab while I get you hitched to my truck.”

  Flustered, I agreed and fished around as I picked up my things, handed him the keys, and shuffled forward. I snuck a look over my shoulder and found him watching me. Still unsure, I pulled open his heavy door and climbed inside. The small cabin smelled like mint, even though there was a balled up fast food bag in the center console.

  I fiddled with my phone, hoping I could get a text out just in case, but no luck. It didn’t take long for him to hook up my truck and jump inside next to me.

  “I’m Aiden, by the way,” he said in a friendly voice.

  I shifted my body closer to the door. “Dani.”

  “So you’re at Evanwood’s, huh?” He asked as we took off.

  “Yeah. Let me guess, you know Zachary and Joel, too.” Wouldn’t be surprised.

  He raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Yeah, when you grow up in the same town, you kinda know everyone around.”

  I relaxed a bit. Maybe I had watched too many episodes of Criminal Minds. Then again, not all serial killers had crazy eyes.

  “Plus—” he leaned back and used his wrist to steer the truck. “—my sister and he dated in high school, and again a few months back.”

  My stomach bottomed out. I knew Zachary dated. Of course he did. Why shouldn’t he? But an old flame? He said he didn’t want a relationship that would lead somewhere.

  I’d never heard of her before and wondered how close they were.

  “Oh hey, I’m sorry,” he said suddenly. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Are you two together?”

  I didn’t realize I was letting my feelings show. “No,” I squeaked then cleared my throat. “No. I take care of his father. I’m just tired.”

  “Oh, I heard about what Joel’s going through.” He scratched his jaw. “My sister said she saw him flipping a lid in front of one of our parent’s neighbor’s houses a while back. She called Zachary to come get him.”

  I wasn’t used to small town gossip, and although his dementia wasn’t exactly a secret, I knew how private Zachary was. And now I knew who had called him that day to let him know. And why he’d stepped out of the house once he’d heard her voice.

  Why was I suddenly so irritated? I had dated and slept with several men after Zachary. I had no right to be upset.

  “So what do you think is wrong with your car?” Aiden asked, pulling me out of my mental rabbit hole. Why did tow truck drivers always ask that question? I wasn’t a freaking mechanic.

  “Not sure. It just backfired and died.”

  Flipping down his visor, he seemed to be looking for something when a handful of business cards fell into his lap. “I can refer you to a repair shop if you don’t have one.”

  I hadn’t even thought that far ahead. “That would be great.”

  He was still gathering all the cards with one hand when we got to the winery. I pointed to the front parking lot. “Just leave it here. That way it can be towed easily later.”

  Once my truck was unhitched and Aiden was ready to take off, I began digging in my purse for my wallet. “How much do I owe you?”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He waved a hand. “It’s a slow night.”

  I blinked at him. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah.” He shrugged like it was nothing. “We all try to help each other around here.” He flashed the same smile he’d given me when I’d been surprised by his looks earlier.

  Was I giving off some kind of vibe?

  He craned his neck, looking down the long, dark driveway. “Are you staying back there?”

  “Yeah.” My tone was laced with uncertainty.

  “There aren’t any lights on. Let me walk you.” He seemed like he was being sincere, and I was too tired to argue. My intuition told me he was a good guy but I’d been wrong so many times before. Worst case scenario, I could make a run for it and scream my lungs out if he tried anything.

  We made it down the long driveway, and of course I had to sneeze right before we passed the dark front house.

  “Bless you,” Aiden said as we got close to my door. “Oh, and let me give you my mechanic’s number.”

  I pulled out my phone which was just about to die.

  He reached his hand out. “Mind if I just type it?”

  “Sure.” I handed it ove
r and let him tap away. Seemed like a lot of numbers for one shop.

  “Just in time.” He held up my now dead phone and handed it back. “I, umm—added my number too just in case you needed another tow. Or you know, wanted to hang out sometime.” He seemed a bit bashful for such a big, strong guy. It was kind of endearing.

  I didn’t even have a chance to respond before he held up his hand in a wave and walked away. “Nice meeting you, Dani. See you around.”

  I stood there, staring as he left. The old me would’ve invited him in. But as desperate as I felt tonight—being stranded in what felt like the middle of nowhere—and as nice as Aiden had been, I didn’t feel that need to keep him with me for the night.

  Actually, I was feeling pretty good about myself by the time he made it to the end of the driveway and drove away. Smiling, I was happy for the first time tonight. I turned in time to see Zachary standing at the side door that led inside his kitchen. He stared at me for a few seconds with a look I couldn’t decipher before backing away and quietly closing the door.

  Great. He probably thought I’d gone out and gotten laid just because we’d been fighting. In the past, I’d understand why he’d think that, but I wasn't that girl anymore, dammit.

  Once I got inside and found Stella already asleep on my bed, I forced myself to go climb under the covers. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. A very long, uncomfortable day.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Dani

  After getting home so late last night, and waiting for a different tow truck driver to take my truck to the mechanic this morning, the last thing I wanted to do was go for a jog. But I’d been pushing my workout regimen to the side lately and needed to get back on track.

  My lungs were burning and my thigh muscles and calves felt stiff as I took off down the road, further proving that I hadn’t been exercising enough. I promised myself that I could pig out today if I got this workout in first. Plus, it felt good to spend this time alone, clearing my head as I breathed in the crisp morning air and watched the sun rise further in the sky.

  The only sounds I heard were my heavy breaths and my running shoes slapping the asphalt. My stomach growled its protest, letting me know that I should’ve eaten something earlier.

  Before our argument yesterday, I’d planned on helping Zachary prepare for today. Now I wasn’t sure he even wanted me around. And to be honest, I was still upset with the way he’d behaved. I had enough crap in my life to make me insecure and second guess myself. I didn’t need him adding to it.

  Despite what Zachary and I were going through, I was looking forward to spending the day with everyone.

  Sweat dripped down my skin when I slowed my pace from a sprint to a walk just before turning into the tasting room’s parking lot. To the left was the long driveway that led to the main house, the villas, and the fields. To the right were several large oak trees shading Zachary as he sat on a bench. He was looking off into the distance, and I hesitated a moment before walking toward him as old feelings of apprehension came over me. I had to remind myself that we meant too much to each other to let one disagreement destroy our relationship.

  I tried to quiet my breathing, but his head snapped toward me as soon as he heard me inhaling and exhaling loudly.

  Jumping to his feet, he rushed toward me, abandoning a basket that was sitting next to him. I felt his fingers lace through mine as he pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around my damp body. His heart beat a million miles as he held my head against his chest. “I’m so sorry, Dani. I had no right to talk to you like that. My issues are mine alone, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

  Well, dammit. Those tears I’d fought off all night were suddenly making an appearance.

  “I promise we’ll talk about why I acted that way. I’m just not ready, and that has nothing to do with you. I—I just can’t relive those memories from my past yet.” He kissed the top of my head. “But, please forgive me. I won’t ever treat you like that again.”

  I squeezed him tighter and nodded against his chest. “Thank you for saying something. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through the day while you ignored me.”

  He exhaled, and I felt the regret in that one breath. “I don’t think I could ever ignore you, Dani.” He pushed me away gently in order to see my face, swiping my loose strands behind my ears. “I’m mad at myself for making you feel bad about a decision you’ve obviously thought about for a long time. I still don’t understand it, but that’s my problem, not yours.”

  I could’ve easily harped on him about the fact that I’d opened up and shared something important to me, but he was beating himself up enough for the both of us. If I did nag him, I’d be doing it to be spiteful and it just wasn’t necessary.

  He looked at the street as a car sped by. “I should’ve talked to you when you got home last night instead of making you feel like shit from across the driveway.”

  “Yes, you should have,” I said, a bit self-righteously. Couldn’t help myself. “But that’s over and you’re talking to me now.” I placed my hand on his chest, feeling that my sweat had soaked into the material. Taking a few steps back, I wiped my hands on my running capris. “Sorry, I’m all sweaty.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He grabbed my hand again and pulled me toward the bench he’d jumped up from. “Have a seat. You didn’t come for breakfast, and I wanted to make sure you ate.”

  I swear, Zachary was every hungry girl’s dream, but unfortunately, while I was trying to burn off calories, he continued to feed me more.

  He handed me a bottle of water and a fresh bagel slathered in peanut butter before he plopped down beside me.

  I twisted the top off the water and took a few large gulps before replacing it. The cold liquid felt like manna from heaven as it ran down my parched throat. The back of my hand wiped the water from my lips before it occurred to me that Joel wasn’t with him. “Hey, where’s your dad?”

  “Out with Samuel, getting everything ready.” Being the gentleman, he peeled back the skin on a banana before handing it over to me. We were well past the stage where I’d pretend not to eat so I dove in, scarfing every bit down.

  He gave me an appreciative smile before it fell. “Dani, I really do want to explain to you at some point.”

  “All in due time. I’m not going anywhere.” I licked the homemade peanut butter off my finger.

  He closed his eyes and nodded like my words had been music to his ears. Leaning his head back against the tree, he stretched his arms across the backrest and we sat in comfortable silence as I finished eating.

  I gulped down some water when he asked in a relaxed tone, “What happened to your truck? Samuel saw it being towed this morning.”

  “It broke down last night when I was coming home from Leah and Stefen’s.” I moved my mouth back and forth, clearing the peanut butter.

  No longer relaxed, he sat forward, staring at me. “Where?”

  “By the lake.” I swiped my tongue across my front teeth, making sure I didn’t open my mouth and have something stuck between them.

  “Why didn’t you call me?” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Please don’t tell me you thought I’d leave you stranded out there.”

  “No, I didn’t think that. I tried to call AAA first, but my phone had no signal. A cop came by and got it towed here last night.”

  Sighing, he threw his head back. “Is that why Aiden was dropping you off at your door in the middle of the night?” Hope mixed with relief covered his face.

  “I just met him, of course that's why he was there.” I was offended, even though just last night, I’d admitted to myself that I would’ve done more in my past.

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I saw him there and didn’t know what to think. We’ve known each other since—” His voice stalled, and he was looking uncomfortable.

  I decided to jump in so we could let it drop quickly afterward. “Yes, he told me you and his sister dated.” Finishing off the water, I hande
d him the empty bottle and smiled, letting him know I was fine with it. Fine with knowing he’d dated another girl. Recently.

  He crushed the bottle in his powerful hands, still looking down. “Dani, about Elizabeth.”

  I cut him off again. “I don't need to know. You and I are adults. We’ve been with lots of other people and, although we’re just friends, I really don’t want to know about your conquests.”

  He threw his head back again—this time he was laughing. “My conquests?”

  Flicking my wrist in the air, I said, “You know what I mean.”

  “Fine.” His laugh died down to a chuckle. “I’ll keep my conquests to myself, if you keep yours. I don’t want to know, either.”

  “Deal.” I nodded once, then patted his thigh thankful that we’d gotten over this hurdle so quickly. For today at least. “I’ve got to go get ready.”

  He looked at me longingly before tossing out a joke. “Yeah me, too. Some girl left her sweat all over my clean shirt.” He jumped away before I could smack his arm. I sneered playfully as he reached down and helped me up. “You know I’m just teasing.”

  As I stood and wiped the crumbs off my lap, I teased right back, “It’s not my fault you can’t resist hugging me in all my stinky glory.”

  We walked down the driveway, catching Joel fussing over a table cloth. “I never said you stink.” Zachary paused, almost unsure if he should keep going. “That’s actually one of my favorite things about you. I love your scent.”

  I kept my face forward, blinking a few times. That was not what I’d expected. I loved the way he smelled, too, but that seemed too intimate of a response so I settled for a simple. “Thank you.”

  When Joel noticed us, he called Zachary over.

  Zachary looked torn leaving me, but I encouraged him. “Go. I need to get cleaned up.”

  After showering, I dressed in my black capris, burgundy floral sleeveless, button down blouse, and maroon ballet flats. By the time I was ready, I got a text from Leah saying they’d just parked.

  Excited, I ran outside in time to greet her, Stefen, Abby, and Caleb. Both moms held their children while the dads struggled to get strollers and bags out of their SUVs. Caleb’s eight-year old daughter Madison ran into my arms.