She tried to shove past him, but he was faster than her. He got in between her and the door and caught her in a bear hug. “Not like that,” he whispered. “Hang on.”
She burst into tears.
He picked her up and carried her to the couch. “Shhh. It’s okay. I’m sorry. I’m going to crawl back to you, okay? To both of you. We’ll sort it out.”
After she dried her tears, he had the world’s fastest shower in the bathroom attached to his office, then he let her take him out for breakfast. She picked Essex, not Wardham, which meant they had more time to talk in the car, and more privacy at the diner while they ate.
When they got back to the winery, he promised her he would call Brent that day. She was more fragile than either of them understood.
She gave her one last nervous look, he gave her a quick kiss in reply, and then she left and he went back upstairs to his office—where he found his brother sitting in his chair.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for your diary.” Ty frowned. “You look cleaner than in recent days.”
“I had a shower this morning.”
“That’s progress.”
“Shut up. You’ve been stressed about the fire, too.”
“Sure, but I’ve gotten over it, because the first boxes of the skinny dipping wine have shipped.”
Evan did a double-take. “They have?”
“Yeah, man. Life goes on. Production lines at full tilt. Come on, catch up.”
“Well, that’s great.” He should do something for the staff. “Is it inappropriate for me to wear a bikini to work to celebrate?”
“More inappropriate if you take it off and dive into the lake in front of everyone in your birthday suit.”
“I’ll think of something better than either of those options.”
“You do that.”
“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”
Ty made a face. “No.”
“Then out with it.”
“What’s going on with you and Jess Doran?”
“We’re—” Evan stopped himself short of lying. This was his brother, and Jess didn’t deserve a lie, even if she wasn’t around to hear it. “It’s private.”
“She’s married.”
“It’s complicated.”
“How so?”
They could go around and around here. “It’s private.”
“It’s not like you to get mixed up in a mess.”
It wasn’t messy, though. He had a plan. “We’re close friends. I’m friends with her husband, too. They’re working their stuff out, and I’m not stepping on any toes. You don’t need to worry about that.”
Ty didn’t move.
