This was weird. Surreal. “Yeah.”
“Is it a date?”
She should have anticipated this feeling, the messy swell inside her. “Yeah.”
“Okay.”
She didn’t know what to say there. “Don’t guilt me for this.”
He swore. “No. Jesus. I promise that’s not what I’m doing. I’m being awkward about it, I get that, but…have a good time. For real.”
“What are you up to?”
“I’m at work.” He paused. “I’m off in a couple of days. Can I come and visit?”
“Sure. My calendar is wide open.” Except for tonight, but they both already knew that. “Let me know when you’re coming down, and I’ll find something fun for us to do.”
After they ended the call, he texted her once more.
Brent: I bet you look gorgeous. Send me a picture if you want.
She finished putting on her makeup, then straightened her t-shirt over her boobs and snapped a quick shot.
Jess: Just jeans and a t-shirt. Tacos aren’t fancy.
Brent: I was right. You are gorgeous.
She sent him back a tongue-sticking-out emoji. Then she turned off her phone.
Evan arrived a few minutes later, dressed casually just like her. He gave her a long, appreciative up-and-down look before pulling her into his arms and kissing her hello.
“I like the look of you in a t-shirt and jeans,” she said after he let her up for air.
“Yeah?”
She smoothed her hand over the front of his shirt. His heart thumped against her fingers, and a lovely warmth spread through her body. “Yes.”
He took a deep breath. “Good. Noted.”
She grabbed a cardigan in case it got colder as the day slid into night, then Evan escorted her to his car.
On the drive, they talked business.
“I’m enjoying the distance from some of my clients, I gotta admit,” she said. “I used to get sucked in to a lot of in-person meetings which chew up the day. Now I can hop on a video call or just talk on the phone. And if I do a video call, I only need to get dressed from the waist up.”
Evan chuckled. “PJs on the bottom?”
“PJs, yoga pants, little comfy shorts.”
His eyebrow curved high on his face. “Oh?”
She giggled. “Do you ever work from home?”
“Sure. In the hours from five to seven, when nobody’s at the winery yet.”
She groaned. “You’re a morning person.”
“I’m a twenty-four-seven, whatever work demands of me person.”
