conversation.
“How do you do feel about your ex now?” he asked.
She shifted in her chair, slightly less grateful for uncomplicated conversation. He wanted to talk about Jeff? What did that mean?
“I’m not sure how to answer the question,” she admitted.
“Are you still mad?”
“No. I was angry and bitter for a while, but that got old. I still resent that I worked my butt off at jobs I hated to put him through medical school. I paid the bills for him to become a doctor and then he left. It’s never fun being a cliche.”
Nic stared at her. Something flickered in his dark eyes, but she didn’t know what he was thinking.
“He’s not rich?”
The question hit her like a slap. Logically she knew she shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was. After all this time did he really think she’d done what she’d done for money?
“Jeff was dirt poor. I never married him for his fortune.”
She waited for Nic to ask why she had married him, but he didn’t.
“Was there someone else?” he asked instead.
“For him, yes. In fact he’s marrying her as soon as our divorce is final.”
“Are you okay with that?’
“I’m no longer fantasizing about him contracting a disease that makes his privates fall off, which I think makes me a broad-minded and mature individual. It’s not exactly the same as wishing him well. Most of the time I don’t think about him. I regret marrying him, but I can’t change the past.”
“Divorce can be a bitch.”
Not the reaction she’d been hoping for. She’d thought maybe Nic would express his feelings about the past… namely theirs. Eventually they were going to have to talk about what happened. Just not tonight. She was dealing with too much already.
“You never married,” she said, then realized how he could take the question and hoped he wouldn’t.
Nic raised his eyebrows. “You’re right. I didn’t.”
She wanted to explain that she hadn’t meant to imply anything by her question. It wasn’t as if his decision not to marry had anything to do with her. Although now that they were talking about the subject, she really wanted to know why he hadn’t picked up a wife somewhere along the way. It couldn’t have been due to lack of female interest.
But she wasn’t brave enough to ask and he didn’t offer. Instead he sat there looking both relaxed and dangerous, which was quite the trick.
The tension returned. She fought against the urge to throw herself at him, and he…well, she didn’t know what he was thinking.
Obviously not about their kiss, she realized when he looked at his watch and said he had to be getting back.
“Max needs his beauty sleep,” he told her as he stood.
She rose and looked around for the puppy. Max had curled up on her jacket in the corner. Nic walked over and scooped him up. Max barely stirred.
“Good luck with that,” Nic said, jerking his head toward the vat. “Don’t forget you promised me a couple of cases.”
“I believe it was just one case, but I’ll see what I can do.”
“Night.”
She watched as he headed for the door.
Nic was that irresistible combination of dangerous and sexy. The sleeping puppy in his arms only added to his charms. Sexual predator and nice guy. Women had sold their souls for a whole lot less.
Brenna liked to think that she was smart enough to have learned from her past mistakes. Falling for Nic all those years ago had only complicated her life. Falling for him now would mean she hadn’t learned anything. The problems they’d had before still existed, along with a couple dozen more. Nope, the best course of action was a business-only relationship. Nothing personal, nothing intimate. Nothing stupid.
Unfortunately, where Nic was concerned, she’d never once done the right thing.
8
Brenna was so tired, her eyelashes hurt. But it had been worth it, she reminded herself as she opened the back door and stepped into the hacienda.
Three days ago she’d been offered some premium Chardonnay grapes that were normally never available for sale. It had meant working the better part of a week from dusk until dawn, which also meant little or no sleep for her. But now that the work was done, she could walk into the fermenting room and see all the gallons of wine she was going to produce. Four Sisters Winery would open with a bang.
The downside was she only had a couple of days until the Pinot grapes were ready, so if she wanted to sleep, this was her day. She’d managed to duck out of the Marcelli Wines office early. Now all that lay between her and fifteen blissful hours in her bed was the distance of the house.
She crossed the kitchen, then came to a stop when she heard voices in the living room. She recognized the Grands, her mother, and her sisters. There was also a less familiar voice belonging to Francesca’s soon-to-be stepdaughter.
Brenna hesitated. While she adored Kelly, she really, really needed to get some sleep.
There was a low murmur of voices followed by loud laughter.
“Hell,” Brenna muttered, walking toward the sounds. She was a sucker for her family.
“Hi, all,” she said as she entered the living room.
Everyone looked up and called out a greeting.
The women were sewing, beading lace for Katie’s and Francesca’s wedding gowns. It was slow, meticulous work that made Brenna’s hands cramp.
“I know you want to help,” Katie said holding up a lace rose.
“I would love to except I’m really busy right now. You know, with extra work.”
She emphasized the last two words, hoping her sister would get it. Katie wasn’t slow-witted, so she must have chosen to ignore the hint. Instead of giving Brenna a break, she simply batted her eyes and said, “Come bond. You know you want to.”
“Yes, stay, Brenna,” twelve-year-old Kelly said.
Brenna could have blown off her sister, but she had a harder time refusing Kelly. Grumbling under her breath that this was her own fault for not slipping up the stairs when she had the chance, she sighed heavily and crossed to the large coffee table. She chose a piece of lace from the pile there, and collected a bag of beads. Katie passed over needles, and Kelly shifted to make room for her on the sofa.
“What are we talking about?” Brenna asked the girl.
“Your mom and the Grands are discussing menus, but Katie and Francesca aren’t saying what they want, which is making everybody else crazy. Not me. I don’t care, but I think Grandma Tessa is getting a twitch.”
Brenna glanced at her grandmother, who was deep in conversation with Francesca. “Why is the menu changing?”
Kelly grinned and her green eyes sparkled with humor. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s just, like, food, right?”
Brenna pulled one of her curls. “You are so not, like, Italian.”
Kelly giggled.
“So are you excited about school starting in a few weeks?”
Kelly rolled her eyes. “I’m so totally not. Although my dad said I can have a lot of new clothes because I finally convinced him that styles are completely different here on the West Coast. Francesca helped. She told him it wouldn’t be good for my self-esteem to look like a geek.”
Brenna laughed. “Do we still use the word geek?”
