He relaxed a little when she stuck her tongue out at him."You let me ramble on about it not being a Ford or a Chevy.I felt pretty foolish when I found out that it's a damn Rolls-Royce."
He shrugged guiltily."I knew it'd give me away if I said that."
She blew out a sigh."Yeah, it would.But that's all behind us now, right?Can we leave it there?"
"Gladly," he said.
Grady gave them a wave as they made their way outside and called, "See you guys on Saturday?"
"You will," Ollie called back.
He walked her to her truck and pressed a quick kiss to her lips."Do you remember where we're going?"
"I think so, yeah.I think I know the way there from here."
"Okay, well, how about you pull out and I'll follow?Call me if you're not sure, and—"
She made a face."If I'm not sure, I'll pull over and you can go on by, okay?"
He was about to ask why, but then it hit him.Her truck didn't have a hands-free system.
"Okay," he said, wondering when her birthday was and if he might get away with buying her a vehicle when it came around.
He stayed behind her on the way out of town.She seemed to know exactly where she was going.And when she pulled up at the front gate, he hit the remote on his visor and they swung open ahead of her.
She seemed to look back over her shoulder at him, but maybe he was just imagining it.
There was something about watching her old truck head up the long driveway toward the house.It should maybe look out of place, but it didn't.He smiled when the thought hit him that the estate sometimes felt too polished.Too perfect.But Callie's truck added character to the scene.
He sucked in a deep breath, wondering if her presence might do the same in his life.
She followed the driveway around the back of the house and parked next to the low stone wall.By the time he got out, she was already standing next to the back of her truck, looking a little uncomfortable, if not outright nervous.The evening light was golden on the stone walls, and the vineyards stretched out behind them, quiet and still.
"Hey."He went straight to her and curled his arms around her waist, pressing a kiss to her lips."Are you okay?"
"I am."She looked around."You were right, you know.I did start muttering to myself."
She chuckled when his eyes widened."Not about poor little rich boys — just about how beautiful this place is."She rolled her lips together before she continued."I told you when we were here that I liked this place better than anywhere else I've seen in Napa."She smiled."I'm glad now that I didn't know it was your place at the time.You wouldn't have believed me then, would you?"
He shook his head slowly."I would have wanted to, but..."He met her gaze."I'm going to say it, Callie, no matter how it sounds.It's not always easy being me."
He waited, expecting her to laugh, but she held his gaze and said, "Go on."
"You see, people think they know who I am because I'm my father's son, but they don't know the first thing about me.Well, if they know anything, they know that I'm loaded.So, they either see me as an easy ticket, or they want to impress me.Don't ask me why — I have no idea.So, I'm never really sure when I meet people if they like me.But more than that, if they even seeme.Who I am, you know?"
She nodded slowly.
"So, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'm kind of glad that you didn't know this was my place when you said how much you liked it."He reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear."I'm even more glad that you still like it now you know that."
She smiled."I feel like I should apologize.I made such a big deal out of it.And maybe I never needed to.I guess I have my issues, too."
He shrugged, not wanting to agree with her, and she laughed, seeming to know what he was thinking.
She turned around in a circle — the same way she'd done when they walked the vines with the dogs — taking it all in before saying, "It really is beautiful, Ollie."
"Thanks.I love the place.Even if I sometimes struggle with everything that it means."
She met his gaze."Have you talked to your dad yet?"
