It wasn’t a position she liked, coming between these two men creatively. And while they tried to harken back to their high school days of group projects and collaborative efforts, sometimes things didn’t go so well. Not everyone was a team player.
“I just don’t think it will pair well with the Chablis, that’s all I’m saying.” Josh shrugged at Cal dismissively, thumb rubbing over the divot in the middle his chin. “It’s not personal.”
“It is absolutely personal when I’m the one who painted it.”
It had been Josh’s idea to pair each piece of artwork with its own varietal of wine, an idea that Edie thought was a stroke of genius. Gala attendees would be given a complimentary wineglass etched with the event’s name and would peruse the venue, sipping on different blends that coincided with the works of art currently in view. It made the whole thing an immersive experience, one Edie knew everyone would enjoy and be talking about for days. Exactly their goal.
“I think we should go for something a little more fruit forward for your piece. That’s all I’m suggesting,” Josh said again.
“The painting was literally inspired by a photograph from the French vineyard I visited while in Chablis. I’m not understanding how the wine wouldn’t pair perfectly with it.”
“I’m not understanding how this is a vineyard,” Josh deadpanned.
“Maybe it’s time for a break,” Edie butt in the moment she glimpsed Cal’s right eye twitch. “We’ve been at this all morning, and I don’t know about you, but I could use a bite to eat.”
“I could eat,” Cal quickly agreed. His answer was for Edie, but his focus remained narrowed on Josh.
“I’m supposed to head to the bakery to try a new dish Morgan’s working on for the gala,” Josh said. He broke away from Cal’s intense stare down. “But I’ll take a raincheck.”
Edie breathed a sigh of relief as she retrieved her windbreaker from the hook near the door and shouldered into it. She found she quite enjoyed each man’s company but was quickly learning she preferred them one-on-one as opposed to both at the same time. Honestly, their competitive spirits almost felt juvenile or even animalistic, like two stags fighting over a doe. Cal and Josh seemed to hook antlers at every turn.
“Thank you for that,” Cal uttered near her ear once Josh was out of range and out the door, heading to his own vehicle parked in the gallery’s lot. “I needed a break from that guy.”
“My invitation to lunch was for both of you.”
“Sure, but you knew he had to go to the bakery, right?”
Had she known that? Maybe at one time, but all of the bickering and arguing had pushed that thought to the back of her brain. The men very nearly made her crazy.
And she knew a large part of that had to do with her confusing feelings for them both.
She’d been involved with Cal romantically before, and spending all of this time with him recently only resurfaced the feelings she’d thought were long gone. He was charming. Charismatic. And hands-down the best encourager of her creative work. Twelve years her junior, he had a zeal for life that Edie felt like she’d bypassed when she was his age, a single mother too busy caring for her young daughter to trouble herself with having any fun of her own.
And boy was Cal fun.
But Josh had come into her life in the most unexpected way: as the first guest of the neighboring Getaway House. And when the truth came to light about his ties to Camille and Tabitha and his relation as their half-brother was revealed, Edie felt that bond immediately. There was a familiarity with Josh that she couldn’t explain, like her heart recognized him before her head did. They’d both lost the love of their lives, and somehow, thattragedy also created a bittersweet kinship, this camaraderie of heartbreak.
She liked Josh.
She also liked Cal.
But she didn’t like this triangle she found herself in, the one where each man vied for her affection while growing more and more at odds with one another.
“This is just a working lunch, Cal,” she stated when he led her gently by the elbow to his car, opening the passenger side door for her in the most chivalrous way.
“I actually heard the opposite. That you needed a break from work and suggested lunch as that break.”
“Fine. Whatever.” She waited until he had skirted the car and climbed into the driver’s side. “But it’s not a date. Just so we’re clear.”
He clicked his seatbelt into place. “We’re clear.” He caught her eye across the cab. “You’re not dating right now.”
Cal repeated the line, almost rehearsed.
She’s said it to him on more than one occasion lately.Anduttered those same words to Josh.
She wasn’t dating. Wasn’t going to date. Had no plans to date.
No, Edie’s focus was on this gala, and she was determined to zero all of her energy into getting it right.
