Finally giving up on getting any more sleep, with her mind reeling in a dozen different directions, she pushed off the covers and slid out of bed.
“You were good last night,” she told it like a fond lover before she headed for the bathroom.
She stood beneath the deliciously warm shower spray, feeling safe and warm, at least for a little while. She wasn’t going to hide here forever, of course. But for the rest of the day, if she could manage it without getting in anyone’s way, she’d hang out in the vineyards. Maybe even taste a little wine. Pretend her life was normal for a while.
Normal. That sounded really nice.
Forcing back the voice inside her head that told her avoiding the inevitable would only make it harder to take care of the ugliness later, she worked to convince herself that she deserved a tiny bit of normal. Didn’t she?
After drying off and putting on her jeans and T-shirt, she ventured out into the suite.
Okay, so maybe she’d taken longer than normal drying her long straight hair. It wasn’t that she cared about looking good for Chase. It wasn’t that she was nervous about seeing him again.
Oh, who was she kidding? No one, that’s who.
The bruise on her face wasn’t going to terrify small children or anything, but it wasn’t particularly attractive, either. Add that to her well-worn jeans and T-shirt and she wasn’t anywhere near looking her best.
She took a deep breath and threw her shoulders back before rounding the corner of the hallway to where it opened up to the kitchen.
It was empty.
Disappointment reared up in her before she could shove it down. Or pretend it hadn’t been there at all.
There was a bowl of freshly cut fruit on the kitchen island, along with an array of pastries that had her empty stomach growling. She had already picked up a chocolate croissant—her favorite!—and bitten into it by the time she noticed the note tucked beside the pretty red and yellow fruit bowl.
Chloe,
Good morning. I hope you slept well. Sorry I couldn’t stay to keep you company for breakfast. Please come join us out in the vineyards when you’re done eating.
See you soon,
HOTSTUFF
P.S. Almost forgot. There’s fresh squeezed o.j. in the fridge. Gotta make sure you get your vitamin C.
Surprised laughter rang out in the empty kitchen.
Chloe couldn’t believe he’d signed his note with the nickname she’d given him. In her experience, men didn’t have funny bones. Especially not when the joke was at their expense.
Looking in the fridge, she found the juice and poured herself a tall glass. Settling on one of the bar stools, she picked up the note and read it again, a smile still playing on her face.
Us meant Chase and his brother, right? She fought back a prickle of unease that she might have to meet more people than that. Frankly, she didn’t even want to meet his brother. But since she’d availed herself of his hospitality last night—right now, too—she wouldn’t feel right if she didn’t at least thank him for letting her crash in his guest house for a night. As soon as she was settled again, she’d get to work on a new quilt as a proper thank-you gift.
The croissant was down to little crumbles on the granite counter top and she was picking each one up with a wet fingertip before she admitted to herself that she was stalling again, hiding out in the guest house so she wouldn’t have to face Chase.
It was a beautiful day outside. She should go and enjoy it while she was here.
Chloe stepped out onto the wide covered porch. Shading her eyes with one hand, without thinking, she carefully scanned the area in front of her to secure her surroundings.
Even though she felt safer than she had in a while, she suddenly felt like trouble could come from anywhere, just when she least expected it. Just like it had last night.
Every time she thought about what had happened, she felt so stupidly naïve. How had she missed the signs that her ex had been on the edge? Thinking about it made her stomach feel like a tight fist was wrapped around it, clenching tighter and tighter.
Normal. She’d been planning to pretend everything was normal.
She took one deep breath and then another as she fought to repress her swirling emotions, her fears. Finally, when she felt steadier, she looked around her with a surprised gasp.
After the rain the previous night, the vineyard sparkled in the sunlight. The leaves on the vines were bright green, almost as if a child had painted the scene in primary colors with fresh crayons.
The vineyard was blissfully quiet, except, she noticed as she walked down between a tall row of vines, for the birds that were calling playfully back and forth to each other. As their cheerful songs filtered into her, she took a deep breath of the fresh air, the clean scent of dirt and growing plants and nature.
Unfortunately, a few moments later, her idyll was interrupted by the fast sound of footsteps and what sounded like a teenage girl sobbing. Chloe barely backed into one of the vines in time to avoid being trampled by a tall, thin girl.
Chloe’s heart thumped hard as she waited—and watched—for someone to come running after the girl. But when the coast was clear a few moments later and she stepped back into the middle of the dirt path, she found the elaborate ties on the girl’s dress had caught on a set of thick vines.
Chloe quickly made her way over to her. “Hold on a second and I’ll get you unstuck.”
The girl’s eyes were wide and still full of tears as Chloe worked on one of the silky threads.
Even though she was wondering what on earth the girl was doing wearing a dress like this—one Chloe knew first-hand must have cost a fortune—in the middle of a vineyard on a weekday morning, she asked, “What’s wrong?”