Brynna slowly shook her head. Even if things deteriorated with Leroy, she didn’t want to become a third wheel in Jan and Mike’s “road romance.” Not that she planned to admit her motives for this new resolution. “You’re both right. I do need to give it my best shot. Let it play out.”
“Good girl.” Jan slapped her on the back.
“Hello, campers,” Leroy called out as he approached with Babe by his side. “I brought you folks something.” He set down a portable firepit. “I know campers like a campfire, but we have to be extra careful around here.” He held up the screen top. “You have to really keep an eye on things when you use this.”
“Yes,” Brynna said, backing him up. “They’ve had trouble with wildfires.”
“Not usually this time of year.” Leroy bent over to rearrange the firewood and twist some newspaper. “But you can never be too careful.”
“We saw some of the blackened vineyards,” Mike said as he went to get another camp chair. “Too bad.”
Leroy pulled a lighter from his pocket and quickly got the fire going. “How’s that?”
“Perfect.” Jan pointed to the extra camp chair. “Have time to sit and enjoy it with us?”
“Thanks.” Leroy sat down next to Brynna. “I haven’t been around a campfire for some time.”
“I noticed a firepit out on your back deck.” Brynna didn’t want to admit she’d seen the fire going one evening when she’d been spying on one of the dinner parties.
“Yeah, but that runs on propane. You know, to be safe. This is different.” He pointed to the trailer and Mike’s tent. “It’s more like real camping.”
For the next hour or so, the four of them visited congenially.Brynna was impressed with how easily Leroy got along with Jan and Mike. She was equally impressed with how Jan and Mike so easily extracted more information about Leroy’s life and the vineyard’s history. For instance, she hadn’t known that Leroy’s mother was his father’s second wife or that his father had been old enough to be Leroy’s grandfather.
Finally, the campfire had burned down to embers and Brynna suspected it was pretty late. Despite how much she’d enjoyed spending time with Leroy this afternoon and evening, she was exhausted. She stood and stretched. “I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep right in this chair if I don’t call it a night,” she told them.
“Me too.” Leroy stood as well. “We’ll bid you good night.”
“Rest well,” Brynna told the campers. Then, as she walked away from their little campsite, she stumbled on something in the dark, and Leroy caught her.
“Careful there.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. “Babe and I will escort you back to the cottage.”
She wanted to protest that it wasn’t necessary but stopped herself. Why not enjoy this sweet moment of intimacy? As they walked through the darkness, he pointed out stars and constellations. “My dad taught those to me,” Leroy told her. “He said he’d wanted to be a sailor as a boy but never had any choice since he was expected to take over the vineyard.”
“I’d rather run a vineyard than be a sailor.”
“Yeah, me too.” Leroy sighed. “But Dad had planned to take my mother on some cruises after he retired ... course, he never got the chance.”
“I guess that’s a good reminder to all of us.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Oh, you know, don’t wait too long to pursue your dreams.” They were up to the cottage now. The remnants of dinner remained on the table. “Thanks for a lovely evening,” she told him.
“I’m the one who should thank you.” He gazed down at her for a long moment, and she wondered if he was about to kissher—but the sound of someone calling out “Dad” sliced through the moment.
“Sounds like Gina,” he said. “Better go before she calls out the cavalry.”
“She’s probably worried.” Grateful that the darkness concealed her disappointment, Brynna stepped away from him.
“Yeah, I’ve been pretty much AWOL all day. She’ll probably give me hecky pecky too.”
Brynna smiled at the old-fashioned terminology. “Good night, Leroy.”
“Good night.” He nodded to her, then gave Babe the command to go. They both jogged up the slope toward the house.
After he was gone, she went back into the cottage and leaned against the closed door to steady herself. She’d really hoped that he was going to kiss her. So wanted him to kiss her! Was he really about to? Or had she imagined it? She didn’t want to hold the interruption against Gina. She probably really was worried about her dad. But besides that, Brynna suspected Gina didn’t like her. Whether it was because of Judith or something else was a mystery, but Brynna got the distinct feeling that Gina would be happier if Brynna wasn’t around. Did she even know that Brynna had returned?
Brynna jumped at the sound of someone trying to open the door. Was Leroy back? She flung it open with a smile on her face, but instead of Leroy, it was a young woman with a suitcase.
