Chapter 5
I could’ve asked a million different questions, but I wanted to start off fun. “Would you rather have everyone you know be able to hear your thoughts or access your internet history?”
“Internet history.” She didn’t even hesitate.
“Really? You have nothing to hide? No porn fetish or searches of weird bodily functions you can’t decide is normal or cancer?”
“Is that what you’d want to hide?”
“No. I just thought you’d take longer than a second to choose.”
“The only thing I search on the internet is cake designs, cake recipes, and my bank account. I’m pretty boring.”
“Lanes, you are far from boring.”
A slight pink tinged her cheeks, and she bit her bottom lip. “My turn. Would you rather have telekinesis or telepathy?”
“Telekinesis, no doubt.”
“Seriously. You’d want to move things with your mind over reading people’s minds?”
“I’m a bartender. I hear some crazy shit people are willing to let out of their minds. I wouldn’t want to know what they keep under lock and key. People’s minds are a scary fucking place.” He nodded toward me. “What about you? Same question.”
“I immediately thought of telepathy, but not anymore. You’re right. People say horrible things, imagine what they don’t say. Like that woman in the tasting room.”
The woman who pissed me off so much, I put my lips on Lanes to prove a point. I didn’t need to know what was in that woman’s head. I already knew it was a cesspool of despicable thoughts that made her feel better about herself. She was exactly why I would never want to read someone’s mind.
“She was an idiot.”
“I know, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t a shit ton of them out there. So I think it goes to say, don’t feel obligated to kiss me every single time someone lets their bad thoughts out of their mouth.”
“About the kiss… I never apologized.”
“Yes, you did.”
“I want to apologize again.”
She took her foot off the brake, and the car rolled forward. “You don’t have to. I know why you did it, and even though it was probably unnecessary, I appreciated it all the same. Now. My turn. Would you rather spend a night in a haunted house or go on a road trip with Albert?”
I tapped my chin as the question tossed around in my head.
“How are you not blurting out haunted house?” Her tone picked up an octave in exasperation.
“A haunted house would actually be pretty cool, but a road trip with Albert?” I held my hands up and acted like I was physically weighing my options.
“You would kick Albert out of the car at the first light,” she said.
“Most people would.”
Albert was a cranky old bastard who purposely drove his tractor on the main roads to piss off tourists, and also liked to pick fights at the town hall meetings, but it was all smoke and mirrors. Beneath his exterior, he was a cool guy. He was like an old, neglected dog. You just had to be patient and willing to work with him.
“I bet he has some great stories to tell, though. I’ve been trying to wear him down and open up to me. Did you know he was around in Vine Valley before Burt supposedly found that Big Foot track in the woods? Before your family’s vineyard even existed. He’s watched us all grow up. Watched many come and go from the town and life.”
Lanes always saw the value in people. Saw beyond the fa?ade to something deeper. I always admired that about her. Respected it.
“He’s a Vietnam vet who has lived a hell of a life. He was drafted. Watched his number come up on the TV at Don’s. He was only eighteen.”
A slight gasp came from her. “I had no idea. I couldn’t imagine. My God… how terrified he must have been.”
He told me he damn near shit his pants, but he was called on to serve his country and wasn’t going to argue. “He was awarded the Medal of Honor.”
Lainey’s eyebrows drew together. “Isn’t that one of the highest honors you can get?”
“Sure is.”
“Albert… Vine Valley’s very own Albert… is a hero of war?”
“He’s more than that. He risked his life by attacking enemy forces that allowed his platoon to escape. He was captured. And was a prisoner of war for over a year.”
“Wait. How do you know this?”
“He told me.” He told me a lot more, but those things… I wouldn’t repeat. It wasn’t my story to tell.
“Albert?” Confusion consumed her tone as she shot a glance at me. “He’s not exactly an open book.”
“He can be. You just have to be willing to talk to him.”
“So he sat in the tasting room one night and unloaded his secret past?”
Albert would never. He’d be afraid of someone in town overhearing. While the older generation in town were well aware of Albert’s story, it was never mentioned. They were probably all scared of Albert. But when he was somewhere where he felt safe, he tended to let his stories flow more freely.
“Something like that.”
“My mind is blown right now. I always see him with the American flag pin on his jacket and the U.S. military hat, but I never thought much more about it.” She swatted my chest. “See, this is exactly why you’re amazing at your job. People like Albert feel comfortable enough to open up to you.”
If that were only the case here. In reality, it was Albert’s attempt at cheering me up. He thought if I knew how shit of a time he had, I’d naturally realize the blessing my own life was. In a way, it had that impact, but it also made me feel wildly inadequate.
“Oh, thank heavens!” Lainey said and clapped quickly before putting her hands back on the steering wheel.
The car picked up speed, and the traffic all but vanished behind us. We were moving again.
“See,” she exclaimed. “I told you we’d make it in time.”
“We’re not there yet.”
She growled, and damn it if that wasn’t the cutest fucking thing I’d ever heard.
“Take that back or knock on wood. I swear to all that is holy if we don’t get to that venue on time, I’m going to do ungodly things to you.”
My mind dove headfirst into the gutter, imagining what ungodly things Lanes was capable of. Her mouth on mine, her tongue trailing my body, her fingers raking down my back, cutting red lines into my skin. Her pretty blue eyes, blinking up at me as she took my cock deep into her—
“You okay?” Lanes snapped her finger in front of my face, and that beautiful erotic image disappeared, leaving me grateful for the fact that Lainey could not read my mind.
“Yeah, fine.” I scraped my nails through my hair, trying to center myself, but that image of Lainey kept poking at the edges.
She shrugged but didn’t say anything else. We drove the rest of the way in silence, our game of Would You Rather silently ending. I could have asked her more questions, distracted myself from the visions I couldn’t keep away, but if I was being honest with myself, I rather liked the images.
Lainey tapped her hand to the beat of a Taylor Swift song and hummed along to the chorus. She was doing nothing spectacular, yet the happiness that effortlessly poured off of her made me feel things I couldn’t explain. Or maybe I didn’t want to.
After all, this was Lainey. And like Franc said, she was simply too good for me.
An hour later, Lainey called her contact at the venue, who informed her they had a spot saved for her in front of the building. I hadn’t even thought about parking and if we’d have to carry the cake far. I enjoyed the city, but I preferred small town life. At least I didn’t have to circle the block to find parking. There was always plenty of parking in the lots unless it was bingo night at the rec center. Then it was every man and woman for themselves. Those old-timers took their bingo far too seriously.
We pulled up, and a woman waved at us before maneuvering a car out of a space. I watched in awe as Lainey parallel parked perfectly in the vacated space.
“What?” she asked when she put the car in park. “Laurent taught me and Sherry how to parallel park when we got our permits.”
“Of course he did.” Laurent taught me too, along with my two best friends from high school. It was just another thing Laurent was good at.
“Jealous?” she asked, and my head snapped to her pretty blue stare.
“Why would I be jealous?”
“I don’t know. You’re acting weird again. Stop that.”
“I’m not acting weird.”
“If you say so. Now, if you can get the door for me, I can grab the cake.”
“You are not carrying the cake. I did not sit in a car with you, losing my patience over traffic, to watch you carry the cake. I got it.”
“It’s heavy.”
“I can bench press two and a half times my body weight. I think I can manage.”
She popped the back of the car, and I leaned in, taking the perfectly packaged cake in my hands.
“Okay, just be careful.” Panic rose in her voice, and I shook my head.
“I’m starting to wonder if your idea of heavy and my idea of heavy are two entirely different things.” My eyes darted to hers, then, on their own accord, scanned her body from one sexy curve to the next. Jesus Christ. I needed to get a damn grip.
Lanes bit her lip and closed the car up with one swift yank. “Follow me,” she said and hurried in front. The damn cake blocked the best view of her ass.
It would be a damn miracle if we made it home without me either putting my foot in my mouth or attempting to kiss her one more time.
“You got that?” Lainey called to me as she stood with the door wide open, her foot resting at the bottom.
I didn’t dare pick up my pace. The only thing that mattered was getting this cake, Lainey’s hard work and devotion, through those doors and in place.
“Come on,” she said, egging me on. When I didn’t adjust my strides, she clapped her hands together. “You can do it. That’s a good boy.”
“Keep it up, and I’m holding you to belly rubs.”
With a laugh, she waited patiently for me to make my way through the doorway.
Once inside, Lanes took charge, greeting everyone as she moved through the venue with confidence and sunshine. Her rays touched all in her vicinity, making those lucky enough to be in her presence instantly brighten and offer a smile in return.
I placed the cake on a designated table and Lainey unboxed and made any last-minute adjustments. She stepped back, admiring her own work or maybe just making sure everything was perfect, before turning toward me and giving a high-five.
“All set?” I asked.
“We’re good to go.”
“Lead the way.” I followed behind her, and without the cake obstructing my view, my eyes lingered on the sway of her hips. Her beauty was natural, and I had no idea why I never noticed it before.
Outside, she inhaled deeply, and a smile spread wide across her face.
“Proud of yourself?” I asked. “You should be. The cake was amazing.” You were amazing.
“Why thank you. It did come out rather perfect. And it got here in one piece, so major win all around.”
“Ready to head back?” I didn’t want our time together to be over, but I didn’t mind the long drive we had ahead of us. I was looking forward to it.
“Yes, let’s go home.”
We hopped in the car, and I made a show of clicking my seatbelt. She let out that contagious laughter and turned the key…
The engine sputtered, squeaking like a trapped mouse.
And her laughter and car died simultaneously.