Текст книги "The Other Boy"

Автор книги: Hailey Abbott

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! ! !

Twenty minutes later, David heaved a long sigh as he gazed down at the heap of shining bones in front of him. “You were absolutely right,” he said, wiggling around until he was lying flat on the bench of the picnic table at the side of the parking lot. “That was the world’s best lunch. I’ve never had barbecue sauce that good.”

“Mmmff,” Maddy agreed, gnawing at a rib. Her fin140

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gers were sticky and she knew she probably had a smear of sauce on her face somewhere, but she didn’t care. All she felt was happiness—she’d had a great meal, a successful morning, and she could feel the warm sun as she reclined at this old picnic table with David. He suddenly popped back up.

“What is it with you?” he exclaimed, staring right at her.

“Do I have more sauce on my face?” Maddy asked, reaching for her napkin.

“I’m not talking about sauce,” he said. “I’m talking about you. You keep confusing the hell out of me. How many girls do you know who can go from picking out fancy furniture to eating pork in an old parking lot and be perfectly comfortable with both?”

Maddy shrugged. “I love ribs. Anyway, don’t you think this kind is a hundred times better than the stuff you get in most restaurants?”

“Yeah, of course I do. I just wasn’t expecting you to think that too.”

Maddy leaned forward and slurped her iced tea without picking up the Styrofoam cup. Her hands were still covered with sauce. “Actually,” she admitted, “I’m kind of surprised at me too. I mean, I really do love ribs. But you’re right. It usually wouldn’t occur to me to just pull over somewhere like we did. I don’t know what it is—the place looked good and I just felt like it, ya know?”

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David was staring at her thoughtfully. “Yeah,” he said, piling their trash up in the middle of the table. “I feel the same way—it must be something in the air up here.”

Whatever it is, Maddy thought, scrubbing at her hands with a napkin, I like it.

142

Chapter Sixteen

!

I’m so glad Dad agreed to go with the cream color,”

Maddy said, keeping her eyes on the strip she was carefully painting by the door. “Can you believe he actually wanted maroon?”

“If you want total honesty,” David replied, “I thought maroon would be fine, but now that we’ve started, I can see what you mean. The maroon would’ve been really dark.”

“Right. When you have a small space, even with these high ceilings, you want to open it up with a light color.”

They had been painting most of the morning. The tasting room was explosively hot, and the breeze through the open double doors didn’t help much. 143

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Maddy had been combating the problem by occasionally dunking a bandanna in water and then tying it around her head. She felt like she had already sweated off about two pounds in water weight.

A trickle of sweat ran past her forehead, stinging her eye. She straightened up carefully and tried to wipe it away with her forearm, since that was one of the only parts of her body not sprinkled with paint. She cast a surreptitious glance at David. He had taken off his shirt long ago, pointing out that it wasn’t very comfortable wearing a piece of sweat-soaked cotton all day in ninetyfive-degree heat. His tanned back was smooth and muscular above the waist of his baggy shorts. He was carefully painting the walls with a long roller. As a result, a gentle shower of paint had covered his curls, face, arms, and shoulders. He looked like he’d been dusted with powdered sugar.

“See—this is why we make a good team,” David said, spreading wider and wider swathes of bright cream onto the dingy plaster. “If this was all left to me, it’d be maroon with whatever furniture I saw first at Target.”

Maddy knee-walked over to a new section. David’s words sent a warm feeling all through her body. “You’d be fine,” she told him. “But maybe there is something to what they say about a woman’s touch. . . .” She tied up the bottom of her old tank top, exposing her sweatbeaded stomach. 144

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David set his roller carefully in a tray of paint and turned around to wipe his face with his T-shirt, which he’d flung over the back of a chair. A wicked thought occurred to Maddy. She rose and padded silently across the floor toward him. “Then there’s this sort of touch too,” she said to his back, and lifting her wide brush, she painted a long cream streak between his bare, sweaty shoulder blades.

“Hey!” he yelped, swinging around at the touch of the brush. He swiped at his back and came up with a palmful of wet paint. Giggling uncontrollably, Maddy retreated to the other side of the room.

“I’m sorry,” she sputtered. “It must be the paint fumes. . . .”

“Riiight,” David said, advancing slowly across the floor, roller in hand. “I’m starting to feel a little lightheaded too. . . .” He raised the roller and charged at her as she shrieked and retreated behind a ladder, laughing so hard tears spurted from her eyes. For a moment, they feinted right and left, and then Maddy lunged toward the door. “Don’t even think about it!” David yelled, tossing aside a chair and running after her. Maddy burst outside and flew across the soft green grass, splashed through the stream, and came to a halt in the field on the other side. She turned around, grinning. David was standing on the other side of the stream, roller still clutched in his hand. “Come here, 145

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little Maddy-Mae,” he wheedled, stepping into the stream.

“Stop. Stop!” she cried, holding up her hands.

“Truce! I just couldn’t resist.”

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll forgive you if you come over here and get this paint off my back—here, I’ll even put the roller down.” He ostentatiously placed it several feet away. Maddy stepped back across the stream gingerly. She searched around for something to wipe his back off with.

“Wait, hold on,” she said, and dashed back into the tasting room. She returned with his discarded T-shirt. David was sitting on the grassy stream bank. “Here, turn around.” She dipped the shirt into the icy water and wrung it out. She knelt next to him and scrubbed, watching his skin turn red. They were quiet as she worked, and suddenly Maddy felt guilty—as if they were doing something wrong. But we aren’t, she told herself. It wasn’t like she was cheating on Brian or anything. They were just goofing around—and it wasn’t even like they had chosen to spend all this time together. They had to. Maddy was startled out of her reverie by the sound of a horse’s heavy breathing. She looked up.

Rain brushed her sun-kissed hair out of her face as she smiled down at them. “Hey, guys. I had a break in my schedule and thought I’d see if anyone wanted to go for a ride.”

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speaking to both of them, Rain hadn’t actually looked at her once. She quickly glanced over at David, trying to gauge whether he was excited or annoyed by the interruption. His face was frustratingly blank.

“Hi, Rain.” David squinted up at her.

“Looks like you’ve had quite a morning,” Rain continued, her offer going ignored. This perked David up. “You could say that,” he laughed, smirking at Maddy.

Maddy set the wet shirt aside. “Well, the paint’s all gone,” she said. She lay back on the cool grass and put her hands behind her head, staring up at the sky. A pale daytime moon was just visible overhead.

“Wow, thank you so much for cleaning up your own mess.” David grinned.

“So, anyone up for a ride?” Rain hopped down from the commanding gray horse. She reached into the saddlebag and took out a brush, giving the horse’s mane a few strokes.

David looked down at Maddy. She shrugged her shoulders, the warm grass tickling her arms.

“Actually, we’ve got a lot of work to finish up today. Maybe another time,” David offered without much enthusiasm. Rain looked surprised.

“Oh, well, okay. I should probably be getting back anyway.” She gracefully swung herself back up into her saddle. “Bye.”

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As Rain rode off, David sank back next to Maddy. He stretched his arms overhead.

Maddy turned to face him. “No riding with Rain for you today?”

“No,” David said, keeping his eyes glued to a passing cloud. He paused, as if unsure whether or not to continue. “She’s a little superior all the time, you know? Like anyone who’s not just like her is beneath her somehow?”

Maddy turned away so David wouldn’t see how broadly she was smiling. “Yeah,” she replied. “I got that vibe too.”

They chatted about the paint job for a while, and then David mentioned that the Robertsons, who had hosted the pre-harvest dinner, had asked him to cook for one of their upcoming parties.

“What are you going to make?” Maddy asked idly, gazing at a cloud that looked like a mushroom. David nibbled on a blade of grass. “I think maybe lamb ragout. People usually get a kick out of that, and everyone likes it.” His voice was slow and sleepy. They lay in comfortable silence for a few minutes, drinking in the sunshine like warm honey, letting the dragonflies buzz over their inert figures.

Then Maddy spoke. “I think I’d like to learn to cook sometime.” The words seemed to bubble out of her of their own accord. For a moment, she felt surprised. You would? “Yeah, I would,” she said aloud. 148

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David removed the blade of grass from his mouth and turned his head toward her. Maddy turned hers too, and they looked at each other from only a few inches away. Maddy realized for the first time how close they were lying. She could almost feel his breath on her cheek. “Maybe . . . you could give me some lessons.”

“Yeah . . . sure.” For a moment, they just stared at each other, both smiling. “What, um, do you want to learn to make?”

Maddy considered this. “I don’t know—a soufflé?”

“Do you like soufflé?”

“I don’t know.” She laughed. “I’ve never eaten one. You just always hear about people trying to cook soufflés and messing them up.”

He laughed too. “We should do something easy, so it’ll actually be edible at the end. Okay, how about this—

what are your favorite flavors? Like, mine are lime, mango, anything roasted, and anything battered and fried.”

“Hmm.” Maddy pondered. “I like that question. Maybe . . . chocolate, raspberry, coffee, and—this might sound kind of weird—but I really love smelly cheese. Like the kind with mold that’s supposed to be there?”

“Yeah, blue cheese. I love that too. It’s really strong, though.”

“I know. Ever since I was little, I’ve always liked strong, salty things—even sardines!”

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“Wow,” David said approvingly. “My grandma likes sardines.”

Maddy sighed. “That’s good. I thought I was the only person in the world, but I’m glad there’s an old lady out there who likes them too.”

“Um-hm.”

She glanced over at David. He was lying with his hands crossed on his chest, and his eyes were closed. As she watched, he took a long, slow breath and then another. “Are you falling asleep?” she asked, propping herself up on one elbow.

“Huh-mm.”

Maddy curled up and tucked her hands under her cheek. The grass was soft and the breeze felt lovely on her face. She closed her eyes too and, listening to David’s regular breathing beside her, fell asleep. 150

Chapter Seventeen

!

Mads,” Maddy’s father said, coming into the kitchen the next morning while Maddy was sitting half awake over her bagel and cream cheese.

“What?” She didn’t care how long she’d been in Napa—she still didn’t like 7 a.m. Her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail and she was wearing a dance the night away prom 2008 T-shirt and a pair of boxers with teddy bears on them.

Her dad poured himself a cup of coffee and, leaning an elbow on the counter, downed half of it in two gulps.

“Mom and I want you to have a break on your birthday—and David, too. So take Saturday off, okay?

No working—don’t even try to sneak in a little painting. And tell David the same goes for him.”

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“Aw, thanks, Daddy.” Maddy rose from the table and gave him a hug. He squeezed her back and then headed for the porch. At the door, he turned.

“Oh, and we’re going to have a birthday dinner, here at the vineyard, for everyone.”

“That’ll be great. Brian will love it.”

“Well, I hope you love it. It’s not his birthday.”

Maddy rolled her eyes. “I know, Dad.” He waved and Maddy heard him clattering down the porch steps. Maddy stuffed the rest of the bagel into her mouth and, after a quick glance around, took a swig of orange juice straight from the carton. Saturday would be great, she decided as she climbed the stairs for her shower. A whole day with Brian. The idea sounded good, but she didn’t feel that thrill of excitement in the pit of her stomach when she thought about it. She just felt sort of . . . eh. Napa had really taken over her brain, she mused, staring idly into the bathroom mirror. She was getting an excellent tan, though.

! ! !

“Guess what?” Maddy said to David a couple hours later. All around them, crystal sparkled on glass shelves of Standish & Sons—the biggest glassware dealer in wine country—dramatically displayed against dark blue walls. David hadn’t even moaned about shopping when Maddy 152

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told him they needed to go pick out wineglasses for the tasting room.

“What?” He poured a little Perrier into a wineglass they were testing. A dozen different glasses were spread out on the sleek black table in front of them, all shapes, heights, and sizes. “Look, this is what you’re supposed to do with wine,” he said. He stuck his nose into the glass as far as it would go and inhaled deeply. “Ah, what a bouquet,” he murmured in a fake French accent.

“Mmm, le scent du Perrier,” Maddy teased. She poured some water into another glass and held it up. “This one is so sparkly.” She admired the sparks of blue, orange, and purple shooting from the crystal as she twisted it in a beam of sunlight. “I like the shape of these big ones. What do you think?”

David glanced over at the huge balloon glass. “I could take a bath in that one. How about this?” He held up a smaller, more slender version.

“Okay,” Maddy said doubtfully. “A little boring. How about something more edgy? Anyway, don’t you want to know what I was going to say?”

“Yeah, what?” He set the glass down and turned to her.

“Well, my dad told me to tell you that we get my birthday off on Saturday.” Maddy grinned, anticipating his reaction.

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day!” He gave her a little hug, which left her breathless.

“I’m actually really excited.”

Maddy grinned, her fingertips tingling a little. “Me too. We’re such nerds—all worked up about one day with no work.”

“I know.”

They kept grinning at each other. Maddy had to force herself not to hug him again.

“Oh, and I almost forgot,” she went on once she had regained control of her hands, “there’s going to be a birthday dinner, too.”

“Cool! Who’s cooking?” David took a sip of Perrier out of a champagne flute that had somehow wound up on their table.

Maddy set aside eight glasses she didn’t like and lined up four possibilities in front of them. “I don’t know—

probably my mom. I think it’ll be just us and your dad and my parents and—” She shut her mouth abruptly. For some reason, she didn’t feel like mentioning that Brian would be there also. She held up her favorite wineglass instead. “Okay, what do you think of this one? It’s gorgeous, perfectly proportioned, and not horribly expensive.”

David nodded. “Good. Let’s do it. Hey, I could give your mom some suggestions for your birthday dinner. I have this amazing torte recipe we could do with fresh raspberries. And I know the best place to set up the out154

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door table, too.” He led the way to the counter at the front, chattering about plans, while a wave of guilt swept over Maddy.

Back in the truck, she made her decision. It was wrong not to mention that Brian was coming to visit, though wrong to David or Brian, she didn’t know. David clicked on the radio and made a face as country music blared from the speakers. “Wow, my dad must have been driving last,” he shouted over the twanging guitars. Keeping one eye on the road, he punched in an oldies station. “I think this is the best we’re going to get out here,” he said, tapping in time to “Respect.”

Maddy suddenly reached over and clicked Aretha off in the middle of “find out what it means to me. ” David glanced over.

“What, you don’t like Aretha?”

“No, I love Aretha. Um, hey!” She tapped her cheek as if something had just occurred to her. “I totally forgot to tell you—Brian’s coming for a visit . . . on Saturday.”

She faltered a little at the end and watched his face nervously. For an infinitesimal moment, his hands tightened on the steering wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white. Then he relaxed them with what seemed like a conscious effort. “Oh, yeah?” he said.

“Yeah.”

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pressing against the windshield, bulging into the back of the cab. They both stared straight ahead for a few miles. This is stupid, Maddy thought. She spoke aloud. “So, won’t it be exciting when they deliver the furniture?”

David stared straight ahead as he drove. “Yeah.” His voice sounded hollow. More silence. Maddy was starting to feel a little pissed. He’d known all along that she had a boyfriend. They’d definitely had a great time working and hanging out together, but she needed to focus on Brian for a while now. It had been so long since they’d seen each other, and judging from their last phone call, they were in desperate need of quality time. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that David was a little jealous. Well, she thought, he’s just going to have to deal with it.

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Chapter Eighteen

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From her perch on the old wooden porch swing on Saturday afternoon, Maddy could hear the purr of Brian’s XTerra long before she actually saw it. She felt her pulse increase immediately but forced herself to sit still, gently pushing the swing back and forth with one bare toe. The sun was ferociously hot, but Maddy had found that if she didn’t move too much and stayed in the shade, she could manage not to sweat through a new shirt every half hour she spent outside. The vineyard was very quiet, but she could hear all the sounds around her distinctly: Brian’s motor, the squee-squee of the swing chains, and the faint ocean-wave rustle of the wind in the tops of the trees.

The yellow SUV swung into view, Fall Out Boy 157

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blasting on the stereo. Through the windshield, Maddy could see Brian’s tousled dark head and familiar Oakleys. He pulled up next to the Sinclaires’ red pickup and killed the motor. Her first instinct was to leap up and call to him, but something kept her sitting quietly, hidden in the shadowy corner of the porch. For a long moment, he just sat in the driver’s seat, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, not moving. Then, just when Maddy was wondering why he wasn’t getting out of the car, his door swung open. She could see that he was wearing his favorite crisp white cotton button-down, artfully opened to reveal a Calvin Klein tank undershirt. His jeans were dark-washed and perfectly frayed. He stood by the car door, bouncing his keys in his hand. He looked like he was listening to the quiet also. She silenced the porch swing and sat still. Brian did a double take as he took in Bob’s falling-apart truck. Maddy bit back a smile. The truck was a little startling; its bumper looked like it might come off at any moment. He stared at the house for a long moment, his face incredulous. Then he crunched toward the porch.

“Hey!” Maddy finally stood up. Brian jumped.

“Whoa, hey! Hi, babe. You startled me.”

“Sorry.” She ran down the steps to hug him. Despite all the weirdness on the phone, she was ridiculously glad to see him. “I’m so happy you’re here!”

“Yeah, me too,” he said, enfolding her in his arms. 158

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Maddy wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head into his chest, waiting for that spark she always felt whenever he was around. But Brian was a little sweaty and sticky from being in the car. He slapped his neck. They both looked at his hand as he drew it away. Smashed in the palm was a monster mosquito in a splatter of blood. Not the most romantic beginning to a date, but it didn’t matter. Brian gave her another squeeze and then looked at her appraisingly. Something in his gaze made Maddy wonder if she should have blowdried her hair and put on something other than jeans and a white tank top. He dropped his arms. “Got anything cold to drink?” he asked. “It’s boiling out.”

“Oh, yeah! I’m sorry, let’s go around back. Then I can give you the tour.”

“Great.” He started following her, still staring at the house. “How do you all fit in this place?”

“Oh, it’s not bad! It’s actually bigger than it looks outside. I have my own room.” She realized how that sounded. “Not that I wouldn’t have my own room, I mean. I was just saying. . . .” She trailed off. She realized she didn’t have the slightest idea what she was saying. Brian was staring at her, his mouth slightly open.

“Anyway, the house is really cute inside,” she continued nervously, unable to stem the flow of words. “And I have a porch.” She pointed up to her balcony. “It’s really great,” she finished lamely. He was still staring. 159

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“Good to know,” he said finally. “Do you have an outhouse, too?”

“No, we actually have indoor plumbing, if you can believe that, and electricity, too. It’s a really high-tech place,” Maddy replied lightly.

“Wow. Now I am impressed.”

Maddy smiled at Brian and took his arm but she felt more uncomfortable than she was letting on. It wasn’t that he was teasing her about the vineyard—she had made fun of it plenty herself. It was something in the way he was acting. He seemed kind of ill at ease for some reason—not at all his usual imperturbable smooth self. The sight of the backyard restored her equilibrium a little. The porch, with its overgrown trellises on either end, ivy hanging off the roof, and comfy rattan furniture, looked so cool and inviting. The grapevines lined the yard on three sides, dropping little grape clusters over the lawn like gifts. She turned to Brian expectantly. He was digging his phone out of his pocket. “This is the back,” she declared.

He looked up. “Chad texted me. What did you say?”

Maddy struggled to control her annoyance. He’d only been here five minutes and he was already checking his messages? Plus, he wasn’t even paying attention to the place. “I said, this is the backyard. See? Those are the grapevines there.” She pointed.

“Oh, yeah. Cool,” Brian managed.

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Maddy gave up. “There’s some mint iced tea in the kitchen,” she said, opening the screen door. She sort of wished he would just stay on the porch, but he followed her in. He glanced around casually, taking in the simple kitchen with its bright yellow walls and wood floor, before leaning an elbow on the counter. Maddy bustled around getting out jelly glasses and the big frosty glass pitcher of tea. She loaded it all onto a tray and backed slowly out the screen door.

Brian flung himself onto one of the old rattan chairs and hooked a footstool over with a leg. Maddy handed him a glass and sat down on the top porch step, facing sideways, her back against the railing. Normally, she would have sat in his lap, but it was just too hot. Brian drained his tea glass in three swallows and set it down with a deep sigh. Maddy put hers down too. She was remembering the junior prom just a few months ago. When he had seen her, posed at the top of the swirling marble staircase in the foyer of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, clad in a shimmering red Versace gown, his mouth had dropped open. He couldn’t stop staring at her. They all drank smuggled-in vodka tonics and danced until Morgan twisted her ankle in the middle of the dance floor and they had to carry her into the limo. All night, Maddy had felt Brian’s gaze on her, and he constantly touched her hair or her neck. She’d felt like a princess. Now Maddy glanced at her boyfriend, who was 161

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fishing something out of his glass with his little finger. She didn’t know why the prom memory had sprung up. Maybe it was because she felt so different from that girl in the red gown. It was like Brian had been plucked from her old city life and plopped down here on the porch, in her new Napa life. He still looked the same, but, looking down at her rolled-up jeans and earth-stained bare feet, she realized that she didn’t.

Brian shifted a little in his chair. “So,” he said. Maddy looked up eagerly at the sound of his voice. “As I was driving around looking for this place, totally lost, hoping I wouldn’t run into the Toothless Hillbilly and do-do dee-do-dee-do-dee”—he mimicked the banjo tune from Deliverance—“I swear I drove past this store with the sign ‘Live Bait and Video Rental.’ Is that some kind of joke up here or something?”

“No, it’s for real,” Maddy explained. “Isn’t that hilarious?”

“Yeah, I was cracking up.”

Maddy gave a little laugh but it sounded forced, even to her own ears.

Brian leaned back in his chair and cracked his knuckles. “Where are your parents?” He grinned devilishly. She grinned back. “They’re out. They had to go to town to get some parts for the tractor. Fred’s repairing some staking down in the right field, and David is . . . 162

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actually, I don’t know what he’s doing.”

A zing of tension floated through the air. Brian sat up in his chair slightly. “Oh, yeah, David. I forgot about that guy.” His voice was casual. “Where’s he from?

Here?”

“Um, yeah. Well, for part of the year. The rest of the time he goes to Westside Public. I think he lives with his aunt and uncle in the city during the school year.” Maddy focused on gathering their glasses on the tray. Her heart was beating fast, but she didn’t know why. Nothing about David was a secret—he was just David. Brian was the important guy in her life, and he was right here in front of her. She took heart at this thought and looked up at her boyfriend with a genuine smile.

“Oh, yeah, Westside?” Brain snorted. “What’s his dad do? Is he a garbage man or something?”

“No!” The vehemence of the word surprised them both. Maddy lowered her voice with an effort. “He’s my dad’s business partner, remember? Why are you being like this?”

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I forgot about that. Look, come here, okay? I’ve been missing you.”

She took a deep breath. “Whatever, forget it. Let’s just enjoy the day, okay?”

He gave her a sexy smile. “Definitely.” He held out his hand in truce. When she took it, he reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her down on top of him. 163

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She shrieked playfully and wiggled around so that she was facing him. His sharp blue eyes sparkled at her from his sunburned face.

“I missed you too,” she said.

“Mmm.” He massaged the backs of her thighs through her jeans and then slid his hands up until they were just below her butt. She closed her eyes. Their lips met, and then his tongue slid into her mouth. She drew back. She usually thought the tongue maneuver was pretty hot, but today, she just didn’t feel like it. Maddy awkwardly disentangled herself and struggled up from his lap. What was the matter with her? Here was Brian, at the vineyard. They were going to make out a little—

what was wrong with that? She didn’t know, and that bothered her. Slightly breathless, she got to her feet and smoothed back her hair with both hands. Brian looked disappointed. “Come back here,” he said, motioning to his lap.

“Don’t you want a tour? I can show you the room I’ve been working on. It’s in an old barn.” Brian sighed and got up.

Maddy slipped on her Havaianas and led him to the path through the vines that started at the bottom of the lawn. She glanced over at Brian. His face was patchy and flushed from their brief make-out session and he looked pretty annoyed. She turned away. Whatever. She just wasn’t in the mood right now. “We can take this down to 164

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the bottom of the vineyard, where there’s an awesome stream. And then we can finish with the tasting room.”

She felt a little twinge of excitement. It was sort of amazing that she actually lived here.

“Hunh,” Brian grunted behind her.

Still air, thick with the smell of mulch and soil and leaves, closed around them as they brushed between the rows of trellises. Maddy made herself be quiet as they walked single file down the path. She wanted to see if Brian would say anything. A few moments passed. He was silent behind her. She turned around. He was gazing at his cell phone. “Are you checking your messages again?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah, sorry,” he said, not looking up. “It’s Chad—

everyone’s going to Tangerine tonight. I forgot to tell him I was coming up here. He wanted to know if I wanted to come over to his place first.” He typed something rapidly on the keypad without breaking stride. Maddy felt herself getting angry. He could at least pre- tend to be interested, she thought. He’s driven all the way up here. She continued stewing as they wandered down the path but then exhaled audibly and tried to talk herself back into a better frame of mind. You thought the vineyard was pretty boring too when you first came up here, she reminded herself. Brian just hasn’t seen the cool parts yet. When he gets more used to the place, he’ll see what you see. At the end of the field, the vines stopped and the 165

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path widened. The meadow, the stream, and the shed were spread out before them like objects in a painting.

“Isn’t this gorgeous?” Maddy said hopefully.

“Yeah. So, what’s up with tonight?” Brian asked. She struggled to keep the wounded expression from her face as she answered. “It’s just going to be a dinner here with my parents and David and Fred. Mom said it’s a surprise. I think she’s cooking something, or maybe Dad is. They’ve been whispering about it the last couple of days. I told her the only thing I absolutely had to have was something with chocolate and raspberries.”

“Why’s Crunchy coming?”