Chapter 24
NOLAN
“I need coffee,” Alexa said as she stumbled into the kitchen on the wrong side of noon.
Nolan looked her up and down. She hadn’t bothered to change out of the yoga pants she’d slept in, her hair hung limp around her shoulders, and she wore dark smudges under her eyes like war-paint.
“You don’t need coffee. You need a shower, a pair of boots, and sunscreen.”
She sniffed her armpits and grimaced faintly. “Okay, fine, you’re probably right about the shower, but why would I need boots? My slippers are perfectly comfortable, thank you.”
“You’re not going back to work. We’re going hiking.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Have you been talking to Chase? You’ve been talking to Chase, haven’t you? Did he put you up to this?”
Busted. The call had come as a surprise as Nolan supervised the transfer of Syrah from the fermentation tanks to fifty-nine-gallon oak barriques, and he’d nearly ignored it.
With no more “accidents” since Alexa installed the cameras, the winery was finally functioning as it should, and this vintage was going to be a good one.
He didn’t need any interruptions. But he was also expecting a call from a potential new buyer, so he’d answered.
And had an interesting conversation with a man he’d once considered a rival.
“Alexa has three different lives, any one of which would be enough for a normal person,” Chase said. “And now she’s decided that three isn’t enough of a challenge, so why not try adding a fourth?”
“A fourth?”
“With you.” Chase was kind enough not to add “you idiot” at the end.
“But if you think she’ll take her foot off the gas on lives one, two, and three, you’re mistaken.
She’ll work herself into an early grave if you let her.
Which means it’s up to the people around her to enforce balance in her life, to help her make space for new things, and by ‘people,’ I mean you, seeing as you’re the only person in close proximity at the moment. ”
“Alexa doesn’t take direction well.”
Chase chuckled. “Believe me, I know, but you need to curtail her screen time for a day or two. The red room thing affects her more than she lets on.”
“Last night, she was threatening to quit the whole investigation.”
“She says that every time, but a day later, she’s back in front of her laptop, crawling through the rancid depths of the dark web. Look, take her out on a hike or something.”
“A hike? No way will Alexa go on a hike.”
“Don’t ask her, just tell her. It works better than you might think.”
“Are you messing with me?”
“Not right now.”
Chase had spent longer with Alexa than Nolan had, and Nolan was still finding his feet around her again. Maybe he should risk trying the “alpha male” thing?
“I might have spoken with Chase,” he admitted.
“Ganging up on me isn’t fair.”
“Fair or not, we’re still going hiking.” Nolan leaned in close and kissed her forehead while also preparing to duck. “I don’t play by the rules either, baby.”
“Ugh.”
Was that acquiescence? “We’ll take a picnic. I made a chocolate gateau.”
He’d baked it in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep from worrying about Alexa. She might have hated exercise, but the way to her heart was through her stomach, always had been. Nolan figured he could bribe her beyond Wi-Fi range with cake.
“Well, I’m not going up any hills,” she grumbled.
“This whole vineyard is on a hill. We’ll go downhill on the way back.”
“Sometimes, I hate you.”
“I prefer to think of it as deferred adoration.”
“Just make my coffee, okay?”
* * *
“How hungry are you?” Nolan asked as he heard footsteps approaching in the hallway. He’d packed bread, three kinds of cheese, and olives, but the cooler wasn’t big enough for the whole gateau to fit inside.
“I brought my own salad.” He’d almost forgotten Marielle was still in the house. In the week since the barrel racing contest, she’d kept a low profile, much to his relief. “Do you realise how many calories are in that cake?”
The design contract was so damn close to completion. To Nolan’s untrained eye, the bathroom looked more or less finished, and there couldn’t be more than a week needed to tidy up the second cottage.
“Alexa doesn’t count calories.”
“She might get away with that now, but just you wait until she gets older. Middle-aged spread is going to hit her hard.”
Lord, give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the patience not to strangle my interior designer.
Nolan nearly told her to forget the rest of the work, that he’d make other arrangements, but he didn’t want to drag Alexa’s team in from San Francisco when the project was so close to the finish line.
“How about you focus on getting the bathroom done instead of insulting my girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend? Wow.” Marielle shook her head, incredulous. “She’s done a real number on you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“An old acquaintance you haven’t spoken with for years shows up out of the blue with a male ‘friend,’ then fast-forward a couple of months and he’s nowhere to be found, but she’s moved in? Believe me, that girl is after something. Money, probably.”
“Alexa doesn’t want my money. She has her own.”
“You know that for sure?”
“Well, I haven’t seen her bank statements, but—”
“And where does she live, huh? She showed up here with a bunch of suitcases, and I bet she has no intention of leaving. Are you charging her rent?”
“Of course not. I—”
Marielle’s tone softened, and she rested a hand on Nolan’s arm.
“I’m just looking out for you as a friend.
The whole thing is weird, if you ask me.
I bet Alexa and Chase are running some kind of con together.
It’s only a matter of time before you catch her in a lie, and then the whole house of cards will come crashing down around her ears.
” When Nolan didn’t answer immediately, she followed up with, “You know I’m right. ”
He opened his mouth to issue an emphatic denial, but doubts crept in.
He’d laid all his cards on the table with Alexa, but she still held so many of hers close to her chest. Yes, she was gradually opening up, but she wasn’t anything like the woman he’d expected her to become, and Nolan doubted she’d ever let him in completely. Cut her and she’d bleed secrets.
And she did lie.
All the damn time.
“You’re wrong,” he managed, and triumph flashed in Marielle’s eyes because she knew he was lying too.
“I’m going to install the mirror,” she said, and flounced out of the kitchen.