by Joleen James
"You've got it bad," Jacques said with a sad smile. "I still think you're making a mistake."
"I'm just sorry we won't be working together anymore."
Jacques smiled. "Don't be sorry, my friend. I'm going to enjoy my retirement. I wish you luck. When you taste your first bottle you better call me."
"You know I will." Funny, it wasn't as hard to let the vineyard go as he'd thought it would be. He wished things could be different, that he could stay on at Whitney and finish what he'd started, but he didn't want the vineyard between them and for more than one reason now. Finding out about Phillip and his mother had tainted the vineyard. If Danielle wanted to keep the place for herself or for Kaiden, that was fine with him, but he had his own path to take, his own legacy to build for Maria.
He intended to give Danielle his resignation as soon as the grapes were harvested. From that point on, Jacques would take over, the winemaking would begin, and he'd be free to move on, to court Danielle, to pick up the pieces of the family they'd started to build together with Kaiden and Maria. He wanted to make a life with the woman he loved, and he was going to do it.
***
Danielle picked up the business line. "Hello, Whitney Vineyards." She glanced at her calendar, at the big red X on today's date, September 18th. Forty-eight days to go, then she'd be free of the vineyard.
"Danielle?"
"Yes."
"This is Miles Germaine," he said smoothly. "I wanted to check in with you. Rumor has it Whitney Vineyards is about to harvest."
"What can I do for you?" she asked, while neither confirming nor denying the rumor. Jacques had told her the brix was perfect. Harvesting would begin immediately, by hand. Nico didn't want to use machinery. He harvested the good old fashioned way. Workers had been arriving all day, ready to begin the process. Picking had to be quick, while the grapes were at their prime. The harvest would go on day and night until complete.
"You said before the vineyard wasn't for sale," Miles said. "I have to ask again, will you consider selling? And if so, do I have a fair shot now that Nico is out of the picture?"
"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't understand. Nico isn't out of the picture."
"Isn't he?" Miles asked. "I'm told he's bought St. Regis."
St. Regis? Danielle's grip tightened on the phone.
"Really?" she managed.
"You didn't know?" Miles asked, obviously surprised.
"No," she confirmed.
"You can understand why I'm calling," Miles went on. "Nico's leaving changes things."
A slow anger simmered in Danielle. What was Nico's game?
"I'm sorry," she said. "Nothing's changed."
Miles sighed. "I had to try. Thank you for your time."
"No problem." Danielle hung up. What was Nico up to? After everything they'd been through, was he just walking away? Why, when his dream was about to come true?
Danielle picked the phone up and punched in Nico's cell number. She got his voicemail. Frustrated, she left the house, intending to search him out. She wasn't about to let him leave.
Oh, no. He was staying here at Whitney and choking on it. She was the one leaving.
And the sooner she made him understand that, the better.
***
It was going to be a long night.
Nico parked the golf cart in front of his place, and got out. Darkness came sooner now, and although it was only eight o'clock, night had arrived. He intended to grab a quick sandwich, run over to Whitney House and check on Maria, then head back out into the vineyard. Every hand was needed for the harvest.
A movement on the porch caught his eye. He squinted into the darkness. Danielle. She rose from the rocker.
His heart sped up. "Hi." Longing for her washed through him. He wanted to crush her to him, make her admit she felt as much for him as he did for her. "Is everything all right?"
"No."
She sounded odd, upset. He trudged up the stairs, stopping directly in front of her.
"What's wrong?" he asked. For her to come to him, something major must have happened. "Is it Kaiden? Has Peter pulled something?"
"Everything is the same with Kaiden," she said. "He likes Sun Grove Elementary. In fact, he's upset that I have to pull him out tomorrow for the final custody hearing, but the judge wants to talk with him."
"Are you worried?"
"Of course, but that's not why I'm here."
"Why are you here? Do you want to come inside?"
"No," she said quickly. "This won't take long. I had a call today from Miles Germaine."
Nico's guard went up. "What did he want?"
"He wanted to know if he'd be in the running for Whitney Vineyards with you out of the picture."
She knew about St. Regis. "I see."
"I don't," she said. "Is it true? Are you walking away?"
"Yes."
"In God's name, why?" she asked, the words filled with anguish. "After everything you went through, that you put me through, why would you leave?"
"A couple of reasons. First, learning about Phillip and my mother threw me for a loop. I can't look at this place the same way. Second, I don't want the vineyard this way, with you angry at me," he said, choosing his words carefully. "I want you, Danielle, not the vineyard."
She shook her head. "I wish I could believe you."
"You can. Let yourself believe in us."
"I can't." She moved away from him.
He followed, his fingers closed around her arm, and he turned her to face him.
"You don't get to leave," she said, a hitch in her voice. "I'm the one leaving."
Her mouth was just inches from his, so close, her words didn't even penetrate his brain.
Nico kissed her. His arms went around her, and she struggled but only for a second before she melted against him. Her hands fanned out against his chest.
He deepened the kiss, burning with the need to make her his. Still kissing, he yanked opened the front door. Inside the cottage, they kissed their way to the bedroom, to the bed. Their clothes melted away. They made love with a fierceness that rocked him, a savage, frenzied, desperate mating.
In the back of his mind, he knew enough to know he wasn't touching Danielle's soul like he usually did. She withheld a piece of herself from him. And in the aftermath, when he wanted to hold her close, she pulled away, sitting up.
"This doesn't change anything," she said sadly.
Nico sighed, but held his tongue. In his mind, it changed everything. She still wanted him, and whether she realized it or not, she'd just taken the first step back to him.
***
Danielle was furious with herself. She'd let Nico get to her last night. Why hadn't she left well enough alone? No, she'd confronted him, and look what had happened. They'd ended up in bed.
She'd been stewing the entire way to Seattle. She glanced over at Kaiden. He sat beside her, playing his video game, blissfully ignorant of the turmoil that raged inside her.
Fat raindrops hit the windshield. Great. Danielle flipped on the wipers, the rhythmic sound of the swishing blades filling the small car.
She exited the freeway, making her way to the courthouse where the hearing would take place. After today, the parenting plan would be in place, the final order for custody granted.
She pulled into the parking lot. "We're here."
Kaiden glanced up. "There's Dad."
Peter stood beside his car, dressed in a very respectable navy suit. Danielle glanced down at her own dove gray suit, glad she'd dressed up. Peter waved.
Kaiden bolted from the car, running to his father.
Danielle followed at a slower pace.
"Hi," Peter said when she joined them.
"Peter."
"Let's get this over with," Peter said.
They entered the courthouse together, separating when they got inside, each of them meeting with their own attorney. Thirty minutes later, it was over. The parenting plan was final, the boundaries for visitation clear. D
anielle spoke with her attorney a minute longer. He suggested she give a copy of the plan to Kaiden's school, and to anyone else who might care for him and be alone with him, such as a daycare provider. Danielle thanked her attorney, and then left to find Kaiden and Peter.
They waited for her in the parking lot.
"Dad wants to take us to lunch," Kaiden said as soon as he saw her.
Lunch with Peter was the last thing she wanted.
"We really should start back," she said. "It's a long drive."
"Please, Mom," Kaiden pleaded.
"You don't have to join us," Peter said. "We could grab a quick bite and meet you in an hour."
She eyed Peter. Was he already trying to pull something, and they were still in the courthouse parking lot? "I don't know."
"Just come with us, Mom," Kaiden said.
"All right." She didn't trust Peter enough to deviate from the parenting plan.
She followed Peter and Kaiden to a nearby restaurant. When they were seated at the table, Kaiden excused himself to go to the restroom.
The minute he was out of earshot, Peter leaned back in his chair. His insolent stare roved over her as if he were sizing her up. "Have you thought any more about my offer?" he asked.
"The offer where I give you money to stay out of your son's life?" Danielle asked dryly, sickened that Peter would even bring up such a distasteful, immoral subject. "I would never do that to Kaiden."
Peter leaned forward, his hands braced on the edge of the table. "Then I guess you'll have a lot of sleepless nights, wondering if I'm going to bring him back."
"I have the law on my side," she said, the hairs on the back of her neck standing at attention. "I'll have you arrested."
"If you can find us."
His eyes drilled into her. His words chilled her to her core. Would he really take Kaiden from her, hide him? "He's your son, not a bargaining chip. Let me ask you something. If I didn't have an inheritance coming, what would you use against me? How would you manipulate me?"
He snorted. "Lady, I'd run so far away from you, you'd never find me."
"And Kaiden?" she asked, her heart twisting into a hard knot.
He reached across the table, grabbed her wrist, giving her hand a jerk. "You're not getting a dime of child support from me."
"Let go of me." She yanked her hand free. "We have a legal agreement. They'll garnish your wages."
He smiled, the warped, twisted smile of a man who thought he was winning a battle. "Not if they can't find me."
"You're a bastard."
Kaiden returned. He took his seat, his forehead scrunched with worry. "Are you guys fighting?"
"No, honey." She forced a smile. She didn't want Kaiden to worry. "There's nothing more to fight about."
They finished their lunch, but Danielle didn't breathe a sigh of relief until they were back on the road, putting mile after mile between them and Peter.
As the miles stretched on, she began to form a plan. The way she saw it, Peter was going to disappear from their lives, one way or the other. If she sold the vineyard or kept it, giving herself a nice income, Peter would make sure she felt threatened each time he took Kaiden.
She couldn't live like that.
If she walked away and let the vineyard default to Nico, Peter would disappear without any money. Either way, the snake would slink off, leaving her alone with her son.
She'd be damned if she'd give Peter a penny. He didn't deserve Kaiden. And he'd made it crystal clear he saw Kaiden only as a meal ticket.
That made her decision so much easier.
"Honey," she said.
"Yeah?" Kaiden replied.
"What would you think about staying and going back to Seattle now?"
"Are you kidding?" He cracked a smile. "Really?"
"Yes," she took the upcoming exit and pulled over. "Let's not go back to Whitney House."
"What about the ninety days?" Kaiden asked. "Won't you have to give up the money?"
"Money isn't everything. I just want us to be happy," Danielle said. "I'll find a job. I know enough about wine now I'm sure I could get a job in a wine shop, or better yet, maybe I'll enroll in classes, start my own winery. After all, I am Danielle Whitney. Growing grapes is in my blood."
Kaiden's grin widened.
"So we're staying in Seattle?" she asked.
Kaiden nodded.
Danielle continued off the exit ramp, then made a U-turn, getting back on the freeway in the opposite direction, toward Seattle.
She was walking away.
Whitney Vineyards now belonged to Nico. She blinked back her tears, her heart filled with so many regrets.
She glanced at Kaiden, knowing in her heart she'd done the right thing for them both.
Chapter Eighteen
Nico's back ached. He let himself into the cottage, collapsing on the couch, intending to catch a couple of hours of sleep. He'd worked sixteen hours straight. His body had burnt out. His mind was mush.
He closed his eyes and tried not to think about Danielle. She'd gone to court on Thursday, but she hadn't returned yet, and it was Saturday.
Lola told him she was staying overnight with a girlfriend and would be back on Monday. He never thought she'd miss the harvest, and he wondered what was really going on. He'd called her, afraid Peter might have done something to her, but she'd assured him, in a cool voice that everything was fine, that the parenting plan was in place.
So why did he feel so uneasy?
Unable to shut his mind off, he sat up and reached for the phone. The red light blinked, signaling he had messages. Nico retrieved the missed call.
"Nico, this is Richard Slone calling."
Phillip's attorney?
"Please call me at your earliest convenience," Richard said. "I know you are in the middle of the harvest, but as soon as you're free, we have to go over the terms of the will. There is paperwork you have to complete in order to have the vineyard transferred over to you."
What the hell?
"Congratulations," he said. "Phillip would be pleased to know that the vineyard is in such capable hands. I'll look forward to your call."
The line went dead. What had Danielle done? With shaking fingers, Nico punched in her number, but got her voicemail. He hung up. Next, he dialed the attorney, but again got voicemail.
Frustrated, he slammed the phone down. Why would Danielle walk away? She needed the money. Why now, when she knew he was leaving? Had something happened between her and Peter? Had the bastard finally scared her enough she'd made the decision to give up the vineyard to protect Kaiden?
Nico left the cottage. At Whitney House he let himself in the back door. "Lola!"
"Lord o'mercy, what's wrong?" Lola asked, coming into the kitchen from the hallway.
"Where is she?" Nico asked.
"You know?" Lola asked, her eyes softening with concern.
"That she forfeited? Yes. Why did she do it?"
"Peter. The man said some ugly things to her after the hearing."
Rage filled his chest. He'd deal with Peter later. Right now he just wanted to find Danielle.
"I can't believe she'd just walk away," Nico said. "She's so angry at me."
Lola gave him a soft smile. "Something powerful happened between the two of you, something neither one of you can deny. What are you going to do about it?"
What was he going to do about it? A sudden, wild optimism seized him.
"I'm going to get her and bring her back," he said.
"You're in the middle of the harvest," she reminded him with a worried shake of her head.
"So?" Right now, he didn't give a damn about the grapes.
Lola was smiling now, a smile that went ear to ear. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go get her."
"I don't know where she is. Do you?"
"Course I do." She went to the drawer and fished out a piece of paper.
Nico scanned the address. He kissed Lola's cheek. "I'm bringing her home, Lola. I'm bringing them
both home."
***
Danielle pulled the covers up over Kaiden, tucking the blankets securely around his legs. "There you go, all tucked in nice and tight."
"I miss Lola," he said.
She kissed his forehead. "I miss her, too."
"I miss Maria."
She wondered where he was going with this conversation.
"Me, too," she said.
"I want to go back." He frowned. "I don't want to live in a crummy motel."
"You know this is just temporary," she reminded him. "We'll get an apartment this week, somewhere close to your school."
"I guess I liked Sun Grove," Kaiden admitted.
"What?" she asked, not sure she'd heard him correctly. "But you wanted to come back here, be with your friends. You start school on Monday. Things will get better then."
"I know, but I liked school there, too."
"Honey, we can't go back, at least not to Whitney House. Nico owns the place now."
Kaiden's face fell.
"I'm sorry," she said, hating she was disappointing him again.
"But it's our house," Kaiden said.
"Not anymore." Had she done the wrong thing again? She was so tired of trying to second guess everyone, Kaiden, Peter, even Nico. The sad thing was she wanted to go back, too. She didn't want to live in Seattle. She had to admit she was excited about going back to school, about learning the wine business from the ground up, but she could take classes in Sun Grove. More than anything she missed the vineyard. She missed Lola, and God help her, despite everything, she ached for Nico.
"Get some sleep," she said to Kaiden. "We'll talk about this tomorrow."
He turned on his side.
"Good night," she said.
"Night."
Danielle shut the light off on her way out of his room, slipping through the door into her adjoining room. The motel was like a mini apartment, complete with a small kitchen in the main room. Her own bed was the hide-a-bed in the living area.
The place was cheap and close to their old neighborhood. Tomorrow they were meeting with a realtor to look at apartments and houses for rent. She prayed she'd find something decent she could afford with the money she'd saved working at the vineyard.
Danielle curled up on the couch and turned on the television. Not finding any program that held her interest, she shut the TV off.
