by Lucinda Race
Dad’s voice grew quiet but he gave Sam a sharp look. “That is exactly how I felt about your mother after our first date.” His face softened. “Your mother always said our hearts knew before our brains. It was love at first sight.”
“I’m not in love with Sherry. I like her and she’s smart and beautiful, but we’re worlds apart.” She was too good for him. But that wasn’t something he could share with his father.
“What are you talking about?”
“She’s educated. I have a two-year degree and work with my hands.”
“Did she say something to you?”
“Well, no.” Sam scrubbed his hand over his face.
“Then you’re creating obstacles that don’t exist. Get in your truck and go there.”
He scoffed. “And make a fool out of myself? No way.”
“Son, what would you risk for the right girl?” His father turned up the volume on the television.
He was pretty sure it was a deliberate action so Sam would have to think about that question. He picked up the plates and carried them into the kitchen.
He returned to the family room. “I’m going out for a while. I won’t be long.”
He called back, “Take your time. The Duke and I are going to spend a couple of hours together.”
Sam hopped on his scooter and bumped down the path toward the south field. Riding up and down the rows was a good way to clear his mind. Could Dad be right about things with Sherry? But could he let go of his pride or ego for love? If what he felt was love. Yeah, he had always liked her in school, but he’d noticed while spending the week with her that she seemed to fit, like she was born to this land. The dogs loved her, and Dad, who didn’t warm up to new people, he liked her too. Sherry didn’t seem to mind he had work-worn hands, so maybe it was his hang-up and not hers.
He skidded around another corner and came out on the road where she had her flat tire. Why did he always end up right back here? He stopped the scooter and killed the engine. He could picture her face, the way the breeze teased her ponytail. His heart flipped in his chest. It was then that it dawned on him: Sherry had taken a step back. He had to see her, to ask her about that guy. If she wasn’t dating anyone, would she want to date him?
He turned the key and gunned the engine. He raced back to the main house at top speed while his idea grew. He wouldn’t call her today. Dad would have to agree or Sam would have to wait until Sherry came home from college before he could see her again.
He jogged up the steps and through the back door. It slammed behind him. He hovered in the family room doorway.
“Dad, I’ve got a plan. Can I run it by you?”
“Is this to win the heart of a certain young lady?” His eyes twinkled.
“It is, but I’m going to need your help.”
Dad pointed to the vacant chair next to him. “Let’s talk.”
* * *
Sherry flipped her textbook closed. There was no use in studying when she kept replaying the short conversation in her head. Sam had sounded distant, almost like he was the guy from high school. And certainly not engaged in a conversation like they had just two weeks ago. Maybe after the date he had reconsidered and didn’t want to get involved with her. They had fun, but it wasn’t going to amount to anything more.
Her phone rang and she glanced at the time. She picked up the receiver and said, “Hi, Mom. All’s fine here.”
“Sherry, honey, you sound tense. Are you having trouble studying? I know all about senioritis. I remember when I was getting ready to graduate, final exams and the last papers for each class were just excruciating. It’s almost as if you’ve proven yourself over the last four years; why not just get on with it and give you good grades?”
“Mom, take a breath.” She couldn’t help but smile into the phone. Leave it to her mom to solve any perceived issue.
“I’m fine,” Sherry went on, “but you’re right. I’m ready to move home and start the next phase of my life.” She stretched out her feet on the sofa.
“Good. Have you been checking the help wanted advertisements?”
“I meant to thank you for subscribing to the paper for me.” She glanced at the stack of unread newspapers. “They’ll be helpful in my search.”
“It was actually Dad’s idea to get the short-term subscription.” She could hear Mom call to her dad. “Hold on, Dad wants to say hi.”
After a rustle of the phone, she heard, “Hi, kiddo.”
“Hey, Dad, thanks for the newspapers.”
“Well, every little edge of getting that resume out and into the right hands can only help. If you need me to review it, I’m happy to.”
“That’s okay. My advisor looked it over. I’m all set.”
“Alright then. Well, study hard and we’ll talk next week.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Her mom got back on the phone. “If you need anything before Sunday, give a call. We’ll be there around ten to bring a load home.”
She had forgotten that was next week already. “I’ll have my winter stuff packed up.”
After a few more minutes of small-town chitchat, Sherry hung up. She picked up the most recent edition of the newspaper and tossed it back on the table. Who was she kidding? She chafed at the idea of working in an office. Maybe she’d go sit outside. A rumble of thunder shook the building. Well, there went that idea. She plunked down on the sofa. She was so ready for college to be over but what would come next, she had no idea.
Chapter 9
One more week and Sherry would graduate, but first, she had to spend one more Sunday night in this apartment. She surveyed the boxes around the room; despite the need to pack, the last several weeks had dragged. She was ready to leave even though she still hadn’t applied for any jobs. After looking, nothing excited her, but she needed to get a couple of interviews lined up for next week, if for no other reason than to quiet the guilt she felt about not being totally honest with her parents. She had opened the cabinet door and withdrawn a can of tuna when a knock on her door stopped her.
She looked out the peephole and all she could see was a bouquet of flowers. Brad. Would he ever give up? She thought when they had talked at the lake that she had seen the last of him. She swung open the door.
“I’ve told you time and time again, I am not interested in dating you.”
The flowers lowered and she was looking into brown eyes that sparkled with laughter. Her annoyance evaporated. “Sam.” She breathed his name. “What are you doing here?”
“You don’t want to go out with me?”
She could feel the heat rise in her cheeks. She opened the door wide. “Come in.”
He walked into the living area and handed her a pizza box and the flowers. “I brought dinner.” He pecked her cheek and his lips lingered there. “I hope it’s okay.”
She turned her face so their lips met. His were soft and inviting. She took a step back and smiled. Without answering the question, she said, “Sure, come on in.” She placed the box on the wooden table in front of the sofa. “Make yourself comfortable. Sorry the place is in shambles; I’m moving.”
He took in the room. “It’s nice here. A lot of windows.”
“I got lucky being on the top floor and all. The downside, the stairs.”
His smile was easy and he appeared to be relaxed.
She didn’t have a vase so she grabbed a large garish red to-go soda cup and put the flowers in there. The cup and flowers weren’t the best combination, but she loved the sweet gesture. “I love wildflowers.”
“They suit you.” He handed her a bottle of wine. “This is from Dad. He says congrats on your big day.”
She took it. “How’s he feeling?”
“More like himself every day. He’s back in the office and working an abbreviated schedule. Surprisingly, he seems to be enjoying getting out of the office more.”
She opened a couple of drawers and closed them. She had to confess. “I don’t have a corkscrew.”
He withdrew one from his back pocket and grinned. “I thought with packing up your place, you might not.”
A smile tipped her lips. “Well, I don’t own one at all.”
With a chuckle, he took the bottle from her and kissed her cheek. “You do now.” He made short work of opening it. “Glasses?”
What was he doing here? It was just like the last few weeks of radio silence hadn’t happened. This was the way she had expected Sam to be on the weekend after their date.
She handed him juice glasses. “Will these work?”
He took them from her and poured a small amount in each glass. “Can we sit down and talk?”
They sat on the sofa facing each other. He set his glass aside. “I have to ask. Are you seeing anyone?”
“No. Why?” She studied him closely.
He took her hand and searched her eyes. “The Sunday after spring break, I was here when you got back.”
* * *
He watched as confusion filled her eyes. “I didn’t see you.” Her gaze was intense. “Why didn’t you come up to my apartment?”
He hesitated. “I saw you with a guy. He kissed you.”
“What are you talking about?” And then she rolled her eyes. “Brad. He’s my ex-boyfriend. I told you we broke up.”
“I’m curious. Then why did he kiss you?”
She laughed. “He was trying to convince me to take him back. He’s been doing that for weeks. But fat chance of that. Which is why when you knocked on my door, I snapped.” She squeezed his hand. “If you had come over, I would have told you then—and he didn’t kiss me. I stepped back from him before he could.” She gave him a warm smile. “I had one guy on my mind and he was an hour away, in my hometown.” Her eyes danced. “Is that why you stayed away?”
“In part, yes, and I know I was stupid, so please don’t remind me. Dad had a heart attack and things have been busy reorganizing the business. He wants to spend some time in the fields as part of his new exercise regime. I’m taking over more of the day-to-day business, working with vendors and the enologist.”
“Who’s that?”
“The person we hire to keep track of the vines and blend our juice into the right types of wine.”
“Sounds like an important job.”
His finger trailed down her arm. “Enough about wine. I want to talk about us and apologize to you for jumping to conclusions and wasting the last few weeks.” He caressed her hand. “Can you forgive me?”
She cocked her head and teased, “Maybe. But moving forward, if we’re dating, it’s exclusive. Agreed?”
He leaned in. “Can we seal that with a kiss?”
She brushed her lips across his. “How’s that?”
His arms circled around her and pulled her close. He lowered his mouth to hers. Tentative at first, he kissed her and she sank into his arms.
His blood warmed; he was lost in the sensations that rolled over him. He cupped her cheek and tipped her face so he could deepen the kiss. Her skin was petal soft and warm under his hand.
When he pulled back, they were both breathless. He brushed her hair from her face and was lost in the depths of her hazel eyes. “You are so beautiful.”
She laughed, and the sound betrayed her nerves. She looked down. “Thank you.”
“Well, since you’ve forgiven me, I have a proposal.”
She jumped back and her eyes popped. “What?”
He waved his hands. “No, not that kind of a proposal.” He chuckled at the deer-in-headlights look on her face. “Dad and I’ve restructured the workload at the winery.”
She nodded, her head tipped to one side. “Sounds like you’re immersing yourself in the day-to-day operations.”
“I’ve been running some numbers. I want to hire an accountant, part time to start, and I’d like to offer you the job.”
She opened her mouth and he said, “Hold on. There’s more.”
She waited for him to continue, but the smile on her face encouraged him to share the rest of his idea.
“I’m sure you want a full-time job so, if you’re interested, you could work about twenty hours a week on the gardens, learn about growing grapes, and over time, your role could evolve into a larger position.”
She sat back, stunned. “Wow.”
“Does that mean you’re interested? Maybe I’m too late and you already have a job lined up.”
She shook her head. “No. I have to set up interviews, but I’ve been dragging my feet.” She got up and paced the room and then sat down again. “You want us to work together?”
“I want to spend time with you so that we can get to know each other. Working together will give us that time. And with you working in the gardens, you can do what you love, too. I believe it’s the best of both worlds for us.”
She rubbed her hand over her forehead. “What does your father think of this idea?”
His face broke out into a cheek-splitting grin. “He’s completely on board. In fact, it was his idea for you to split your time in the office and outside. He likes what you did with the gardens and he wants to expand around the tasting room and other buildings in close proximity. You know, dress things up and make it more appealing when customers come to taste our wines. He’s looking to create an experience.”
Her eyes grew big. “I could spend part of my day working with plants?”
“It’s better than that. You have complete control over the design and budget. Dad wants it to be your project. He trusts you completely.”
He could see she was thinking and processing the new idea. A grin spread over her face. “I could make my parents happy because I’d be using my degree, and I’d still be doing something I love.” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “Yes, I accept your job offer.”
“Do you want to know what you’re going to get paid?”
She kissed his cheek. “We can talk about that later. Suddenly I’m starving and the pizza is getting cold.”
* * *
Sherry and Sam stood at her door, kissing good night. She didn’t want to say goodbye but knew he’d be back for graduation and then after taking a week to get settled at home, she’d be starting her new job at Crescent Lake Winery.
He looked into her eyes. “I had a great time tonight.”
“Me too. I’m glad you came.”
“I wish I hadn’t waited so long. We could have been seeing each other.”
She placed a finger over his lips. “We can’t change the past, so there’s no use talking about it.” She turned him toward the stairwell. “Call me when you get home. I’ll be up studying.”
He pulled her back into his arms. “You’re amazing,” He kissed her again and ran down a few steps before pausing and looking back over his shoulder with a grin. “Talk to you in a while.”
She hugged her arms around her waist and waited for the door at the base of the stairs to slam shut. In a few short hours, her life had changed dramatically. She had been jobless and boyfriendless and now she had both. Who cared if she was going to spend part of her workweek with balance sheets? She was going to be designing gardens and taking care of plants. She couldn’t wait to get home now.
Sherry scanned the large auditorium. Her parents and Sam were supposed to be sitting on the left side of the center aisle, but she couldn’t locate them. Confident they were somewhere in the crowd, she took her seat and listened to the commencement speakers send them off to their futures with sage words of wisdom. She accepted her diploma and walked across the stage to a sharp whistle. Her eyes followed the sound and there was Sam, standing and clapping. In the final moments of the ceremony, she moved her tassel to commemorate her education was complete. It was official. She was a college graduate.
She searched the throngs for Sam and her parents. Arms slipped around her waist from behind and lifted her off her feet as she was twirled around to face him.
“Congratulations.” He kissed her hard. “You did it.”
Mom, Dad, and Donald approac
hed them. She was hugged, kissed, and congratulated. She couldn’t help but grin.
She announced. “That’s it, then. We can go home.”
With a shake of his head, Dad said, “I made reservations for us all for an early dinner, and then we can head back to Crescent Lake.”
Sam slid his arm around her waist. “I told your parents we’d come back tomorrow and get the last of your things from the apartment. Unless, of course, you want to stay there tonight.”
She wondered if Sam was ready to stay with her, but she wasn’t. “I’ll go with you and we can come back tomorrow.”
She looked at her parents. “Where are we going?”
Dad named the restaurant and offered for Donald to ride with them, leaving Sherry and Sam to follow.
Sam tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks. I was surprised to see your dad.”
“Are you kidding? He called your parents and ask if they’d mind. He can’t wait for you to join the family business.”
With a laugh, she said, “I hope he’s not disappointed.”
Sam picked her up again and whirled her in his arms. “Are you kidding? I just heard you have a degree and graduated in the top of your class. I don’t think we’re paying you enough.”
“You are too funny.” She pecked his lips. “Come on, Sam. We need to celebrate.”
Epilogue
Sherry dressed carefully for her night with Sam. It was their one-year dating anniversary. Looking back, she marveled at all the fun they’d had. When she started working in the office and handling the accounts at the winery, her parents were less than thrilled, especially when they had learned about the gardening. And then thrown into the mix, dating the boss’ son and working together? Well, they would have chosen a different path for her, but Sherry was happy. Each day was a new fun-filled adventure.
She heard a car door slam and pulled back the white lace curtain. Parked in front of her parents’ house sat the snappy red Mustang convertible. Sam was striding up the walkway. Tonight, he wore a pale-pink button-down shirt and dark slacks. He was devilishly handsome, lean and tall. The shirtsleeves were folded back over his wrists, contrasting against his deepening tan. His bleached-blond hair swept off from his forehead. She couldn’t see his eyes; as usual, he was wearing dark aviator sunglasses. His gaze slid to her window. He lifted a hand and grinned.
