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

by Kimi Flores

  As I continued to stare out into the open fields, I felt lighter than I had in years. Ever since I’d opened up to Dani the other day, I felt closer than ever to her. Damn, I wanted so much more with her.

  It killed me to go back to the villa afterward, and I hated myself for feeling the slightest bit relieved when the test had come out negative. At first, she’d pretended like she wasn’t disappointed, but I knew better. There was very little we could hide from each other, no matter how hard we tried.

  Double checking the room’s set-up, I glanced back at the long conference table in the center. This room was where we held all our meetings and our contracted wedding coordinators met with their clients. In the past, we’d employed our own wedding coordinators, but after dealing with high strung control freaks, flirtatious drama queens, and the last one who’d drank on the job, we’d decided to contract outside agencies and let our bookkeeper handle the money exchange. Because I was a bit of a control freak myself, I was still in charge of the events calendar.

  Today, I’d scheduled a meeting with a potentially new vendor. Dani was on her way with Dad because, no matter what, he was still part of this vineyard. Even if he had no idea what was going on, I would always include him.

  I normally didn’t like working with new vendors, but a lot of the suppliers Dad had established relationships with had passed on. Now I was stuck either dealing with their benefactors, who had no idea how to run a business, or large corporations, who had begun to offer subpar products in order to cut their overhead.

  Whatever happened to good old fashioned mom and pop organizations?

  When a voice cleared behind me, I turned to find Samuel and another man at the open doorway. The sun was so bright, I couldn’t see either very well.

  “Zachary, Mr. Valiente is here to see you.”

  “Thanks, Samuel.” As he left, I gestured for the other man to come in, and I stretched my hand out to greet him when I saw his face clearly for the first time.

  “Marc Valiente.” He stood next to a rolling cart filled with coffee samples with a winning smile on his lips.

  I shook my head slightly, not believing that karma had actually delivered this asswipe to my door. My grip tightened in his hand as I mumbled, “You've got to be joking.”

  His head tilted as he asked curiously, “Excuse me?”

  Anger flowed through my veins like volcanic lava. Yanking my hand away before I broke his fingers, I asserted, “I know who you are.”

  He looked confused. “What do you mean?”

  Dani had sworn this guy hadn’t done anything to her, but in my mind, he was the closest thing to Eric that I could get to that could actually vindicate Dani. I crossed my arms firmly over my chest. I wasn’t giving this fucker a second to sell me his bullshit. “I’m not interested, Mr. Valiente.”

  Dani led Dad into the room and halted, her smile falling when she heard my words then noticed Marc. Shades of confusion marked her face before her protectiveness for Dad took over.

  I looked at her and pointed to dad with my eyes. “Will you call Samuel, please?”

  Slowly turning around, she hesitantly affirmed, “Sure.”

  Once it registered who Dani was, Marc gripped the handle of his rolling cart and dropped his head. “I get it. Because of my brother, I’m guilty by association.”

  Something about the way he said that and thinking about what Dani had mentioned before made me stop for a moment. Plus, Dad was already ‘helping’ by placing Marc’s samples on the conference table.

  “Hold on a moment,” I said to Marc as Samuel and Dani returned.

  I glanced quickly at Samuel, trying not to show suspicion. “Hey, Samuel, will you show Dad that thing you were telling me about earlier?” For the first time since the doctor had given us the dreaded news, I was thankful my father wasn’t as alert to his surroundings.

  “Yeah, sure.” By the look on Samuel’s face, he had no idea what I was talking about, but he followed my lead anyway. “Come with me, my friend. I need to get your opinion on something.”

  Dad put down the final items he’d been holding and patted his dearest friend on the back. Flashes of the olden days when those two had conquered everything on the vineyard passed through my mind in a quick flurry. I shoved down my sadness because I was too pissed.

  As they exited, I heard Dad rambling about that same damn cigar story he told at least three times a day. I was never going to live that shit down.

  I closed the door as Dani’s eyes met mine and she snickered, changing the mood in the room.

  Keeping my tone cool and calm, I pointed to the seat in front of Marc and gestured for him to sit. “You’re still here because I loved the samples you sent, but there’s obviously bad blood in the air. I’m not going to do anything that’ll make Dani uncomfortable, so have a seat and convince us why I should do business with you.” I pulled a chair out for Dani and waited for her to sit.

  “Zachary, he’s fine. You don’t need me here.” Her melancholy tone didn’t match her stamp of approval.

  I swept my hand across the chair, insisting she take a seat. “I’d like you to stay and help me make this decision.”

  She needed to know right now that, being my best friend, teammate, and what I could only dream about in the future, meant her feelings were important to me. I would always stand by her, even if it cost me a business deal.

  Marc looked unsure, but I imagined somewhere in the back of his mind he was thinking about what a large account we would be. The vineyard might’ve been known for our wine, but we had plenty of patrons who also drank coffee during events. Plus, we were firm believers in helping fellow businesses in Santa Ynez. My dad and some of the other older business owners had started that trend. It was what had made our community so strong.

  With all of us seated, Marc began. “First, I want to apologize for my brother’s behavior. I went back to your condo to make sure you were okay, and it was empty.” His skin turned a faint shade of red, showing that he’d been as humiliated that night as Dani had.

  Dani placed her hand on my thigh as though she wanted to make sure I was paying attention to what she was saying. “There's nothing for you to apologize for. You didn’t do anything. To be honest Marc, I was thankful for your compassion.”

  He held up his hand. “Please, let me explain.” He fiddled nervously with a pen. “We grew up in a very poor neighborhood in L.A., and our mom wasn’t around a lot since she worked three jobs. Just like every other kid in the apartment complex, gang members tried to suck my brother in, so I took it upon myself to care for him.”

  He leaned back in the chair and played with a coffee pod that he’d picked up from the cart. “I’ve worked hard to build everything I have to give both he and my mother a better life. But as a result, Eric has no regard for anyone or anything but himself. So yeah, I do have something to apologize for.”

  Relaxing my shoulders, I carefully watched Dani as he explained. The empathy on her face was apparent. When I’d first met her, she seemed to have a strong, brassy side, but as I’d gotten to know her, I’d realized that was just a front. In reality, she was one of the most compassionate people I’d ever met. Her kindheartedness was one of the many things I loved about her.

  Marc continued, “And just so you know, he moved away with his girlfriend and I haven’t talked to him in months. He’s never faced his responsibilities, so he’ll keep running until he’s caught.” His eyes saddened.

  I nodded, truly feeling for him. If I’d learned anything being around Dani, it was that sharing understanding wasn't always a sign of weakness. “I appreciate your honesty, and I want to thank you for what you did for Dani that day. God knows what could’ve happened had you not stepped in.” I paused and then added, “Can I offer you some advice about family?” I watched him to see if I’d overstepped. He waved for me to continue, and I saw a man who had tried everything to keep his family together, only to be slapped in the face each time. “In short, it doesn’t matter how much
you love a family member or how far ahead of them you run to spread the safety net, they’ll never change until they’re ready. Your job isn’t to spend your life paying for their iniquities, it’s to continue to live and be there when and if they reach out to you for real help. And sometimes the best thing that can happen to you is for them to leave.” I wished someone had told me this when I’d tried to save my own mother.

  Reaching over to the back of Dani’s chair, I ran my thumb across the nape of her neck. “So what do you think?” I asked her.

  “I think we need to sample some of the coffee.” She pointed to the dispensers on the rolling cart. “It smells so good in here.” She gave me a sexy smirk, but there was still an underlying sadness there. I didn't know what she was trying to hide, but I was fairly sure it had nothing to do with Marc. I’d recognize her body language if she was uncomfortable with him.

  I lifted my gaze to Marc who seemed surprised. “Do you have any ready?”

  “Uh, yeah. Sure do.” He scrambled to get cups ready for us.

  For the next half-hour, we drank some of the best Cuban style coffee I’d ever indulged in and spoke business. I caught Dani looking off in the distance several times and figured we’d bored her. But her thoughtful gaze had me wondering what was going on in that head of hers.

  All business talk ended and we’d learned that, after Marc had graduated from business school, he’d managed to get a handful of investors to support his coffee shop. I was impressed with his ethics and could definitely see myself doing business with him.

  It wasn’t until he mentioned he and his new bride were expecting their first child that Dani’s expression changed. She seemed to have been battling with both sadness and hope. They talked about how far along she was, the baby’s gender, and details about her plans after having the baby. This subject always made me uncomfortable, but I tried to act interested and support Dani when she’d glance at me with her beautiful smile. I’d been wondering if she was ready to try to get pregnant again, but so far I hadn’t had the balls to ask.

  By the time we wrapped up, we were starving. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t grateful when Marc said he couldn’t join us for lunch. Not only did we need to check on Dad soon, but I had to get Dani alone to see what was going on with her.

  On his way out, Marc shook my hand once more and gave Dani a friendly smile. “Thanks for your time again today. I hope to hear from you soon.”

  I assured him, “We’ll hash out the details later, but I’d love to carry your coffee.”

  With a quick nod and a big smile, he waved goodbye and rolled his cart away.

  Puffing out a breath of air, I stood and stretched my arms up. Dani watched me as she used her index finger and thumb to play with her bottom lip.

  “Come on. Let’s go grab some lunch.” I pulled her hand away from her mouth and led her down the hall until we stood in front of the fridge where I normally kept our clientele’s food.

  After washing our hands, I passed Dani wrapped deli sandwiches I’d made earlier, grabbed a covered bowl of fruit, another of marinated olives, napkins, and a couple Italian sodas, then led her outside.

  The moment we stepped on the grass to the side of the tasting room, I noticed it was in need of a trim. Frowning, I looked all around. We hadn’t hosted any events here in a few weeks, but I was usually more on top of things like that. It might have seemed like a little thing, but it was further proof that I’d been so busy lately, I hadn’t paid attention to a lot of the small details.

  Dani sat down at one of the rustic wooden tables and closed her eyes as she leaned her head back, allowing the sun that peaked through the trellis above to warm her face. Seeing her like that stole my OCD thoughts away from mundane lawn care.

  The scent of rosemary drifted in with the gentle breeze as I took a seat across from her and arranged our food. The wild herb grew all over the Santa Ynez Valley, as well as our property. It was a beautiful sight to take in during the spring when light purple flowers covered the large bushes.

  Taking a big bite of my sandwich then wiping my mouth with a napkin, I studied her as she began to eat. She was way too quiet for my liking. That was, until she moaned while chewing. I couldn’t help but smile. I was tempted to hand feed her all day just so I could hear it.

  I leaned toward the edge of the table to get closer. “What’s got you so thoughtful today?”

  Her eyes met mine and she stopped chewing for a second. Placing her sandwich down, she swiped the hair out of her face that the breeze had just blown there. As minor as it seemed, that one little movement was so damn sexy. I felt like such a pervert, staring at her as dirty thoughts began to fill my head. It had been way too long since our night together.

  “Philomena’s gone.” The corner of her mouth lowered as she picked at her sandwich.

  Well, shit. Now I really felt like a jackass. I clenched and unclenched my hand. “When did she pass?”

  She gave me a small smile. “No, I mean she’s not there anymore. I guess she had a stroke over the weekend and it paralyzed her. Her niece came and got her this morning before I showed up.”

  “Why didn’t the senior center call you?” Their lack of respect was infuriating. They had to know how much Dani loved her patients and would’ve wanted to be there.

  She shrugged, looking sad. “Because I wasn’t registered as her nurse. We met a year ago while I was caring for another resident and we struck up a conversation. I was still trying to build a name for my business, so when she offered to hire me to visit her and keep her company a few times a week, I gladly agreed. I’d kept an eye on her blood pressure and that sort of stuff, but I wasn’t technically treating her for anything. She was the healthiest person I’d met in a long time. Hell, she was healthier than I was at the time.”

  I was confused. Was she upset about losing a client or that she’d had a stroke?

  “Anyway,” She sounded so bummed. “Philomena once told me she hoped to just pass in her sleep in her apartment. She never wanted her niece to get her hands on her affairs while she was alive. Her niece never bothered spending time with her while she was full of life, yet she was there to take her away once she couldn’t fight for herself. The nurse working said the niece was rude to the staff and didn’t have patience for her aunt.”

  Folding her napkin, she talked quickly, ripping that sucker to shreds the more she continued the story. “It just bothers me that Philomena felt like she had no other options. I should’ve had a chance to talk to her—we could've worked something out.”

  “Can you contact her?” The meticulous side of me gathered the tiny pieces of paper into my hand. I didn’t need them scattered all over the yard.

  “No. I don’t know where her niece lives and she never had a cell phone.” Defeat and despair were not tones I ever wanted to hear in her voice. My need to fix all that hurt and worried her, began to shift into overdrive.

  I reached for her hand on top of the table and reassuringly caressed her knuckles with the pad of my thumb. “I’m sorry.”

  Tears began to take shape against the force she was using to hold them back. “Thanks.” Flicking her nails against the table, she stared down at her half eaten sandwich. “I’ve seen some pretty disturbing behaviors from relatives that are supposed to be caregivers. I know some of it can be attributed their exhaustion because it’s a hell of a lot of work to take care of someone else twenty-four hours a day, but a lot of the time, it stems from their greed. When some people know money might come their way as soon as someone else dies, they can become so damn selfish. It just makes me sick to my stomach.”

  She wrapped up her sandwich before the line of ants could attack, then she swept them off the table. “If you ever want to know someone’s true character, keep an eye on their actions when they have something to gain from a relative’s death.”

  I knew Philomena was someone special to her, but I was taken back by the history she had shared with Dani. “So I gather you and Philomena had some serious ta
lks. I’m sorry I didn’t get to know her better.”

  Lowering her head so her hair covered her face, she gave a soft giggle. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to talk to her, as well. She’s the one who encouraged me to not live a life of regrets. That life alone, without risk, could never compare to having a hot man to call my own and a family to love unconditionally.”

  I’m sure I’d been sending her some contradictory signals lately, because I’d been conflicted myself, but a large part of me hope she was referring to me. More than ever before, I wanted her to call me hers and vice versa.

  Clearing my throat drew her attention before I was ready to relate what I was thinking. We ended up playing the mirror game spontaneously. I would raise an eyebrow, she would follow along. A smile brought a similar movement of her lips. Once a few more gestures were copied, she broke out in giddy giggles that melted my resolve.

  My face turned serious and as nervous as I felt, I began to speak from my heart. “Dani, I’ve been thinking a lot—about you and me. About us.” That seemed to get her attention. “I want to figure out how we can make things between us work.” My feet took my body from the table, and I started pacing in front of her. I hadn’t completely thought this out, but I didn’t want to live a life of regret either. “I’d like us to go on dates, hold hands—” I peeked over to see what her reaction was. Shock mixed with hope and yearning covered her face, which reassured me to add, “—kiss.”

  As encouraging as her expression was, my heart raced nervously as I took this huge leap. “I’d like for you and I to be a couple, but I think it’s best for both of us if we take it slow. If this is what you still want too, I need you to be patient with me. I’m not ready for anything big, all I know is that I can’t stop thinking about you and how good we fit together.”

  She seemed stunned, hands in her lap, watching me pace. She sat there silently for what felt like forever as I tried to finalize my sales pitch on why she should be with me.

  “Dani, I know you’ve already got plans and you’ve been hurt in the past, so I understand if you don’t want to take that risk with me anymore. But I would never willingly hurt you again. It’s why I’ve been holding back. I just want to try to move past being friends and be together, as a couple. To take a chance on—” Turning around to finish my statement, I was face to face with her.