“Are you okay?” asked Alex while they prepared the Friday night tasting sheets.
Peyton rolled her shoulders. “Maybe I’m coming down with something. I don’t feel sick, but I feel…off, if that makes any sense.”
Alex put her arm around Peyton’s shoulder and kissed her cheek. “I miss hanging out with you.”
“I have a feeling Kade will be leaving again soon.” Peyton scrunched her eyes and shook her head. “Sorry, that didn’t sound very nice, did it?”
“It’s okay. I’m actually happy that you are. It’s been too long comin’, girlfriend.”
“What about you?”
“Am I happy?”
Peyton nodded.
“Happy enough, I guess. I’ve gone out here and there, but there isn’t anyone I’m as serious about as you are Kade.”
She set the pen down she was using to make notes on the wine she was tasting. “Kade and I aren’t serious.”
Alex rolled her eyes.
“We aren’t.”
“You spend almost every night with him.”
“That’s because he’s gone so much.”
“Anything you say.” Alex walked out of the office and spun around when Peyton followed. “This isn’t something for you to get defensive about. I’m not criticizing you. All I’m saying is that I think the two of you are more serious than you realize.”
“Than I realize? I think I would know, Alex.”
Peyton watched her friend open a bottle of wine and then hand her a glass. “Drink this.”
She folded her arms. “Why?”
“You need to relax. What you said before, about feeling off? You are off. Big time.”
“Thanks a lot.” Peyton downed the glass of wine and Alex refilled the glass.
“Feel better?” Alex asked when the second glass was gone.
“A little. Nothing like getting wine-drunk in the middle of the afternoon.”
“Lightweight.”
Kade didn’t show up at Stave until a half hour before closing time. It had been busy all night and Peyton hadn’t really been paying attention until about an hour ago.
“Hey,” she said, walking over and pouring him a glass of Charbono. “This is really good.”
He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and picked up the glass with the other. Maybe whatever was making her feel off, was doing the same thing to him. Her earlier conversation with Alex was still bothering her too. Did Kade think they were getting too serious?
“Come here,” he said, pulling her over to sit on his lap. “What’s wrong?”
She looked into his eyes and smiled. “I’m not rubbing my neck, mister.”
He laughed. “You got me there.”
“So, you tell me.”
Kade looked around the almost-empty tasting room. “I ran into your ex tonight.”
Peyton tried to stand but Kade wrapped his arm around her waist.
“What did he do?”
“Got in my face.”
Peyton buried her face in his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
“Becker isn’t a threat to me, Peyton.”
“I know. You shouldn’t have to deal with him, though. How did he know who you were?”
Kade raised an eyebrow and Peyton realized how stupid her question was. “I was with Naughton.”
“What did he say?”
“It’s more what I said.”
Peyton leaned back and looked into his eyes.
“He gave me shit about spending time with his boys and I couldn’t help myself, Peyton.”
“Thank you.” She kissed him.
“What’s that for?”
“I know that whatever you said to him was in defense of Jamison and Finn and I appreciate it.”
“I didn’t lay a hand on him, but I let him know what kind of pond scum I think he is.” He shrugged, rolled his shoulders, and looked around a second time. “How much longer until you can get out of here?”
“I think Alex would be happy if I left now.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll tell you when we get home.” The minute the words left her mouth, she wanted to pull them back in. “Sorry. I meant to my place.”
When Kade nodded but didn’t say anything, Peyton felt even worse.
Things between them didn’t get any better throughout the rest of the weekend. By the time Kade left Sunday night, Peyton was relieved to see him go.
The next morning, he called and asked if they could meet for coffee. Peyton walked from her place near the beach across the highway and to the bakery. It was a beautiful morning and she needed to exercise away some of the stress she was feeling about whatever Kade was about to tell her.
When she got to the park, she saw him sitting under the same tree they had the first time they shared coffee and muffins. He waved her over and stood when she got close.
“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling her into him. He leaned down and kissed her.
“What for?”
He winked. “I couldn’t wait. I ate all the muffins.”
After they both sat down, he handed her a to-go cup and opened the lid to the bakery box, showing her he’d been kidding.
“What was your apology for, Kade?”
“I should’ve told you Friday night, but I didn’t want it to spoil our weekend. As it turned out, it did anyway.”
“You’re leaving?”
He nodded. “I’m sorry, Peyton.”
She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. “It’s your job.”
He leaned back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. “It’s getting harder every time I have to leave.”
“Kade…I…Alex said something Friday night.” She shook her head.
“Tell me.”
“She just said that we were getting serious.”
“Did that bother you?”
“A little. I mean, I don’t want you to feel like your obligated to me and the boys.”
He looked off into the distance. “Is that how you’re feeling? Obligated?”
“On top of it, you running into Lang. I just don’t want you to feel like…” She stopped talking when her eyes filled with tears.
“I don’t,” he said, pulling her arms from around her legs and her into him. “I like being with you, Peyton. I like spending time with the boys too. I do worry about how my leaving impacts the three of you.”
“You don’t have a choice.” There was something about the way his body tensed that made her wish she hadn’t said that either. When she tried to move away, he
