Barreled Over (Starlit Fields Winery #3)

Prologue

Watching Peter tell off our oldest brother will be the highlight of Valentine’s Day. The only people who have gone toe to toe with him are Piper and Paula. It’s good seeing Peter choose his own happiness over working all the time. If anyone deserves it, it’s him.

He’s making googly eyes at his girlfriend. While that’s sweet and all, we have an event to run. Well, be present for. We’ve set it up in a way that it takes care of itself outside of any problems that may arise.

“Not to kill the vibe, but people are pulling in.” I tap on Peter’s shoulder. “So be all romantic when you get home. I know I will be.”

“With whom?” He glances over at me. “This whole evening is about couples, and you don’t have a date.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Piper included singles tickets and we have our own little area. I’ll be leaving here with one.”

“You’re way too cocky for your own good.”

I shrug and walk away. The last place I want to be is around everyone who is coupled up.

Not that I have anything against having a partner; it’s just not for me.

I enjoy my freedom. I can see and be whoever I want.

There’re no expectations from someone else, and it works for me.

Tonight is about having fun…no strings. Just the way I like it.

The first of the couples comes into the event building.

I do my job and greet them as they come in.

Piper didn’t mention how many tickets she sold, but there are more people here than I realized.

A lot of them I don’t even know. I figured Asheville would show up to support our new services, and they have, but the number of faces that come through the door that I haven’t seen is astounding.

Our little winery is growing in popularity.

Grandpa would be proud of the direction we’re going.

“So, I have a proposition for you.” I jump at Piper’s voice next to me.

“Jesus, Piper, you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that. I could have had a heart attack.” I grab my chest to emphasize my point.

“Please, you are the picture of health.” She waves away my concern. “Anyway, seeing as how you’re so good with people, I think you should take over events.”

“Isn’t this something that has to be approved by Pierce?”

“I plan on bringing it up in our next meeting.”

“After that showdown earlier, you should probably wait on that. Plus, it’ll give me time to think about it.”

“Fine.” She pouts and turns back toward the room. “I’m gonna check on a few things. Don’t embarrass us tonight.”

“As if I would ever.” It’s nice to know she thinks so little of me.

“Please, you’re a walking talking playboy. Keep it in your pants.” She gives me a stern look and walks off.

She’s not wrong. While I’ll try to be on my best behavior, I still plan on leaving here with a date. Is it so wrong of me to want to have company? Especially on a day that’s all about love.

Now that quite a few people are here, I leave my position at the door. Latecomers can figure it out. Peter and Callie are staring at each other like lovesick teenagers. I’m happy for them, and it’s about damn time, but ugh. I never want to look like that in front of people. No thanks.

My first stop is at our wine table. The best idea Piper ever had was to hire servers. We don’t have to worry about it, and we can mingle with our clientele. This is why she makes these decisions, I don’t know why she wants me to do it. I’m probably the flakiest Summers’ kid.

After getting my glass of wine, I grab a couple of appetizers and lean against the wall, scanning the crowd for someone who might catch my interest. The people who came alone are noticeable.

They are standing off to the side with space around them.

Nobody is mingling. Well, I say that, but there are a few creepy dudes trying to pick up women who clearly aren’t interested.

Maybe I need to get with my sister and figure out a way to keep those people out.

One them notices me staring them down and quickly backs off. I’m not trying to intimidate them, much, but this isn’t the place to act like that. It’s never a good time to be a creep. One of these days, the guys who partake in those behaviors will realize they’ll never get a date.

There’s a woman sitting in the corner of the room. Her eyes are wide as some guy makes his way toward her. She does her best to let her long blonde hair shift in front of her face. Clearly the guy walking to her doesn’t seem to notice the clear stay away from me vibes.

I can tell by the way she’s bouncing her leg up and down; she’s nervous. I’m not sure if it’s because of the attention from this individual or crowds in general. Either way, I need to divert the attention from her.

I stop back by the table to fill my glass and get another glass of our sangria. I’m not sure if that’s what she’s drinking, but the coloring looks the same.

“Here’s the wine you asked for.” I hold it out to her and hope she takes the help.

“Thanks.” She smiles up at me.

The guy has his mouth open as if he’s about to say something, snaps it closed and heads in the other direction. He looks familiar, and I’m pretty sure he went to school with one of my brothers. I’ll have to ask them about it later.

The woman’s body visibly relaxes. “Thank you for that, and the wine.” She lifts up the glass in question. “I’m not exactly here to meet anyone.”

“Then why are you here?” I hope the question isn’t rude, but it feels a little weird for her to be at a Valentine’s event, in the singles section, if she’s not trying to connect with someone.

“I was forced against my will.” She takes a sip of her wine. “My friend and her boyfriend got tickets. They wanted me to tag along because they think I need to find someone who makes me as happy as they are.”

“They sound like my sister. It’s perfectly okay to be happy with yourself. Relationships never work out.”

“Why are you here, then?” She eyes me cautiously.

It’s a fair question since she doesn’t know who I am. Hell, she probably thinks I’m doing the same thing I just saved her from.

“I’m working the event.” There, that’s close enough to the truth. I don’t enjoy telling people I’m one of the owners, especially if I don’t know them.

“They let you drink?” She nods toward my glass.

“The owners are pretty lax.” I grin at her.

That seems to appease her curiosity, and she holds out her hand. “I’m Jasmin.”

“Parker.” I place my hand in hers and lightly shake it before letting it go. “So, where’s the happy couple you came with?”

Jasmin glances around the room before smiling. She lifts her hand to point out the only couple on the dance floor. “There they are.”

“Nice. They don’t care what people think about them. It’s a good quality to have.”

“Yeah, except they are absolutely disgusting in showing how much they love each other.”

“How?” That piques my interest. “Are they voyeurs or something?”

“No, nothing like that.” She shakes her head and giggles. It’s adorable. “It’s the heart eyes and notes they constantly send to each other. We can’t hang out without them telling a story about some cutesy thing they’ve done.”

“And that sounds like my brother,” I groan. “Why can’t the people that care about us understand we like being our own company with an occasional fun time mixed in?”

“Right? It’s like they can’t fathom a world where people are content in themselves.” She shakes her head again. “Are you on break? You’re making tonight bearable, and I could use a little of that right now.”

“Give me a few and I can clock out.” It’s not a complete lie. I need to let some of my siblings know not to come to me for anything for the rest of the night. They can go to the person who makes the decisions.

Peter and Piper are the first two I see. “Hey, if you need me…don’t.”

“Why? Are you leaving?” Piper’s eyes are laser focused on me.

“No, I’ll be here.” I hope that changes, though. “But there’s a woman I wouldn’t mind spending some time with.”

My sister claps her hands and squeals, actually squeals. “Go on. Meeting someone on Valentine’s Day is so freaking romantic.”

There’s a part of me that wants to correct her, but I know it won’t do any good. It’s better she thinks whatever she wants. She’s already seeing multiple dates for me and Jasmin. She gives me a quick hug and rushes off to find her boyfriend.

“So, she doesn’t know you’re one of the owners?” Peter asks, putting the pieces together. “Lying is a hell of a way to start something.”

“She knows I’m working the event; that’s all. Besides, she’s not from Asheville. There’s no chance I’ll ever see her again. Besides, you know I don’t do relationships.”

“One day you’re going to meet someone who will change that.”

“Never.” I shake my head and turn away.

“Famous last words.” Peter calls out as I head back to Jasmin. He’s out of his mind if he thinks anything is going to come out of this. From my quick conversation with Jasmin, I think we’re on the same page.

I weave through couples mingling with each other and find Jasmin exactly where she was when I left.

“That didn’t take long.” She smiles and pulls an empty chair next to hers. “Do events like this happen often?”

“It’s a new thing. I think they’re testing it out.” And we are. If it proves to be as successful as Piper thinks it’ll be, we’re going to continue it. I feel bad not telling her I’m an owner, but she’s being honest with her thoughts. She probably wouldn’t be if she knew.

“Maybe I’ll email a suggestion to do events that don’t focus around couples. This is a really nice space.” She glances out the window toward the lawn. “The lights in the trees are a great touch. It feels whimsical.”

“Yeah. It’s growing. The winery used to only sell wine but after blowing up on social media, it’s gotten a lot bigger.”

“It looks like it.” She turns her attention back to me. “So, what do you do for a living?”

“Marketing.” That’s my job title for now. If Piper has her way, I’ll be over event management with input from Paula. “What about you?”

Her eyes widen and she bites her bottom lip. “I’m actually between jobs right now. Trying to figure out what I want to do with my life and avoid upsetting my family.”

Damn. It seems like she feels the same frustrations I do when it comes to making the family happy. Not that they rely on me for that, but I don’t want to be seen as a disappointment.

“Understandable.” I’m not sure what to do to fill the silence. “Do you typically go to things like this? I mean ones that aren’t all about love.”

“Not really. I usually work nonstop and when I’m not working, I’m with my family. We’re very close-knit.” She sighs and takes a drink of her wine. “I’m also socially awkward and scared I’m going to say the wrong thing.”

“Seems like you’re doing a good job to me.”

“Only because you saved me from being hit on by that guy.” She places her hand on my leg and jerks it back the minute she realizes what she’s done. But it doesn’t hide the interest in her eyes. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“I bet you thrive in these circumstances.” Her eyes travel over my entire body. “You give off the whole center of attention vibe.”

“Who? Me?” She’s actually right, but I like the way she teases me. “Yeah, I enjoy events, but this one feels a little too…close.”

“Yeah, it’s almost like if you don’t have a partner, you’re kind of floating adrift.”

Finally, someone who gets it. “Do you want to get out of here? There’s a bar in town we can go to. Or, I live close by. We can drink and hang out.”

“Are you trying to get in my pants?” She jokes, but also leans closer.

“No, but if you’re trying to get in mine. I’m totally okay with it.”

“Lead the way.” She stands and finishes her wine.

I don’t hesitate and stand next to her. She loops her arm through mine, and we head toward the door.