16. Secrets of Sucré Estates
SECRETS OF SUCRé ESTATES
Rory.
“And you hold it from here.”
His hand hovered just above mine enough for me to feel the heat as I gripped the reins.
I looked down at my hands, then back at him. “You not even gonna guide me? Just throwing me out there like this?”
“You wanted to learn,” he said. “So learn.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, then looked back down at Spades. The horse shifted under me and I could feel every movement without the saddle.
“This feels very unsafe, Marlon.”
“It’s not,” he replied. “You just don’t have control yet.”
“Comforting.”
I didn’t know why I still tried to get any type of comfort from Marlon. He’s been cold to me the whole week since that night at his house when I asked to me his. I could tell he was testing me because everything I did was a nitpick with him. An excuse to cuss me out about not listening.
I didn’t care though. I liked the punishments he came up with after. And trust, there is no end to all the…creativity that possesses Marlon when he’s in the sheets.
He stepped closer then, finally placing his hand over mine, adjusting my grip.
“Not like that,” he said. “Relax your wrist. You too stiff.”
“I’m sitting on a horse with no saddle, Marlon. I think stiff is appropriate.”
“You’re making it worse,” he said. “The more tense you are, the more he feels it.”
“Why we gotta do this with Spades, anyway? I wanted Titan.”
“We’ll do both. Spades is just easier for me to work with. We’re more familiar with each other. Titan’s new and Wyatt did most of the bonding.”
“Hm.”
“Don’t. I don’t wanna hear no slick shit. Focus on this.”
I exhaled slowly, trying to do what he said.
Spades shifted again, and I sat up straighter.
“Okay,” I said. “Okay, I got it.”
“You don’t got it,” he replied immediately. “Use your legs. Not your hands. Guide him.”
“Do this, do that, do this, do that, make up your mind before he throws me off and kills me!”
Spades moved when I got loud.
“Oh! Hell no—”
“Relax,” Marlon shushed the both of us. “He ain’t going nowhere. And didn’t you say you know how to ride?”
“I am an equestrienne, yes. But the conditions in which I ride are way different than this. No saddle? No boots? No helmet? You do this every day?”
“I’m starting to think you just scary.”
“That’s not the point,” I said, gripping tighter.
“That’s the problem though,” he replied. “You’re scared so the horse is scared. Relax and listen and you’ll get it.”
I shot him a look but he didn’t care. He just continued with his drill sergeant ass instructions.
“Too tight.”
“Loosen up.”
“Stop fighting him.”
“I’m not fighting him,” I snapped.
“You are,” he said. “Use your legs and the reins together. Lean into him.”
I did that and adjusted again then Spades settled.
“…oh,” I said quietly.
“Yeah,” Marlon replied. “See what happens when you follow instructions?”
I was tempted to flip him off but it didn’t end good for me last time and I’m still sore from that. So, he could have it.
We moved through the vineyard after that.
The rows stretched out on both sides, vines full and heavy with grapes, leaves brushing lightly as we passed. The ground was dry but firm under his boots as he walked beside me.
He reached out at one point, plucking a grape from a cluster without breaking stride.
“Open,” he said, holding it up to me.
“Can you wash it first?”
“Open your mouth, Aurora.”
“Fine.” I leaned down slightly and took it from his fingers while looking him in the eye.
It was sweet, but not overly and surprisingly clean already.
“That’s good,” I said.
He nodded. “This row always does well. It’s the row me and Wyatt were working on.”
I gave him a look and he gave me one right back. Don’t.
Marlon reached out again, running his fingers along a cluster of grapes as we passed.
“You see the difference?” he asked.
I leaned in slightly. “Between what?”
He gestured to the row on the opposite side. “These.” Then to the right. “And those.”
I squinted, leaning closer. “They look the same.”
“They don’t,” he said. “These got more exposure. Soil holds water better. Those over there dry quicker.”
I stared harder like the answer was gonna suddenly reveal itself. “…still look the same.”
He huffed quietly.
“Here,” he said, picking one from each side. “Taste.”
I popped it into my mouth.
“Okay,” I chewed. “Still good.”
He handed me the second and I tasted that one too. My face changed immediately. “…oh.”
“Yeah,” he said.
“That one’s… sharper?”
“Less balanced,” he corrected.
I nodded slowly. “Okay. I see it now.”
“That’s what I check for,” he said. “Consistency. If one section’s off, it affects everything down the line.”
“Is this what you do when you disappear ? Walk around eating grapes?”
“I check quality,” he said. “Soil, growth, consistency. What’s working. What ain’t. I used to do it daily, before you showed up.”
I looked around again, taking it in. This was more than just a job to him.
“Huh. You actually like this,” I said.
“Yes.” He glanced at me. “It’s mine to take care of. And I like taking care of what’s mine.”
That sat with me for a second.
I adjusted my posture slightly, feeling more comfortable on Spades now.
Chewy ran ahead of us, darting between the rows.
“Chewy!” I called. “Don’t be in them people’s grapes!”
He ignored me.
“I hope a water hose trips his ass.”
“Stop hating on my damn dog! Let him have fun.”
Spades shifted again, and this time I adjusted without panicking. Marlon noticed.
“Better,” he said.
I smiled slightly but apparently Spades thought I was getting a bit too comfortable. We made it a little further before he decided he was done listening and he just… stopped.
I blinked. “Why did we stop?”
“You did something wrong,” Marlon said.
“I didn’t do anything—” Before I could finish responding, Spades shifted hard to the side. “Okay—no—nope—”
My balance slipped and I grabbed for anything. Which ended up being Marlon.
My leg slid, my grip failed, and next thing I knew I was halfway off the horse and fully grabbing onto Marlon to keep from hitting the ground.
He caught me quick. One arm around my waist, the other steadying me before I could fall completely.
For a second, neither of us moved.
“…I don’t like this method,” I said.
His grip tightened slightly before he eased me the rest of the way down. “And I don’t like to be touched. Yet here we are.”
I dusted myself off. “It’s not like I had a choice! He threw me off!”
“That’s because you weren’t paying attention to him.”
Chewy came running back then, clearly in a playful mood. Spades must be in one too because he started cantering as Chewy ran between his feet, giving me a damn heart attack.
“Chew Toy your ass is too expensive to be playing these types of games! What if he steps on you!”
But I was wasting my breath, because the two of them took off playing together as they ran down the row, passing the workers with ease.
“Welp,” Marlon shook his head. “There goes our ride.”
“What do we do now?”
He just shrugged, then walked in the direction our children took off in with his hands in his pockets.
Great.
We walked in a slow line between the rows. The sun sat higher now, warming everything without making it unbearable. Workers were scattered further down, some already ending their day.
I glanced over at him, watching the way his hand brushed along a cluster of grapes as we passed.
“Marley?”
“Hm?”
“Why did you and my daddy take over this place?”
He didn’t answer right away, he kept walking with eyes forward in focus.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…” I stepped over a low patch of uneven ground, adjusting my pace to match his. “You both were young when you got it. You could’ve sold it and got something else or done something else entirely. So why stay?”
He slowed slightly like the question made him think.
“Well. This place was exactly what I needed when I needed it. The people here…” He gestured ahead with his chin toward a group of workers loading crates. “They rely on it. I don’t want anyone who works for me to feel like they don’t have a place to rely on. I don’t want anyone to feel how I felt.”
I went quiet, watching him instead of the path for a second.
“You know I… I googled you and your brother.”
He stopped walking, shoulders tightening, then kept going like nothing happened.
“Why?”
“I was curious why you were so cold to him.” I shrugged. “I guess it’s ’cause your dad spent more time with him? ’Cause your mother was…”
“Rabbit. Please.” He cut me off. “Can you talk about something else?”
I pressed my lips together, then tried again.
“…you want to talk about us?”
“No.”
“Okay.” I kicked a loose stone out of my way. “You wanna talk about any exes?”
He shot me a look. “What? No, Aurora.”
“Then what do you want to talk about then?”
“Nothing. Let’s both be quiet.”
I let out a frustrated breath, stomping my feet with frustration.
“Ugh! It’s like you a damn CIA agent with all these secrets!”
“I just don’t like talking about that shit.”
I folded my arms, walking a little ahead of him now.
“Why? You think opening up makes you weak or something?”
He didn’t answer.
I stopped, turning around with a sigh.
“Fine! I’ll go get Spades and Chewy myself. Stay here and sulk.”
I started walking off, but his voice stopped me.
“Aurora.”
I turned back, impatient. “What?”
The look he gave me made me tighten up immediately.
“I mean, yes?”
He dragged a hand down his face, then took a breath like he didn’t want to say what came next but did anyway.
“I’m cold with Marcus because I don’t like my dad, okay? Matter of fact, I can’t stand his ass. And it ain’t for what you think either.”
That softened me a little, I stepped closer.
“Why then?”
He looked off toward the rows instead of at me.
“Look. My mother was… loose. And he was embarrassed of that, even though that’s how he even met her. When she went public about me being his, he fought like hell to prove I wasn’t. ‘Til the test said I was. But he still didn’t come around, he just sent his checks.”
He let out a quiet breath.