"Maybe not for anything romantic," I said as we started back up the path toward the house. "But she's alone out here, and he works such long hours I'm starting to doubt he has a home to go to."
Nate considered that for a moment. "You're right."
"I always am," I said, raising myself up on my tiptoes. "That's something you've still to learn about me."
Nate laughed. When we reached the kitchen, I let go of his hand and shooed him away.
"Go make yourself useful somewhere else. I have dinner to prepare."
Nate raised his hands in mock surrender and left me to it.
As I chopped onions and carrots, I felt a sense of peace washing over me. I put the brisket in the pot along with some vegetables, a generous pour of a nice red wine, and a carton of beef stock. Then I turned my attention to making a dessert. I considered several options before deciding on a lemon mousse that would provide a lighter finish after the heaviness of the main course.
When it was almost six o'clock, I hurried upstairs to change into my red floral dress. I was going to have to buy more clothes soon, so hopefully the first supper club would be a success.
I met Eileen in the hallway as she emerged from her bedroom. She wore her usual jeans, but her top was a more feminine style than I'd seen her in. It seemed Nate had told her we had a guest coming for dinner.
Ramon arrived promptly at six with the bottle of the reserve cabernet he'd promised. It complemented the beef perfectly, but Ramon looked doubtful as he sipped the wine.
"Another six months in the barrel and it would have been perfect," he grumbled.
"It's perfect now," Eileen said. He didn't argue.
After dinner, Ramon and Eileen took their wine to the porch. Through the window, I could see them settled in the Adirondack chairs, Eileen with her feet tucked under her, Ramon leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He looked as if he was imparting his wisdom on her.
I started stacking plates. Nate came and stood beside me at the counter, and for a while we worked quietly together, clearing the table, putting things away, moving around each other as if we'd choreographed every step.
"I've been thinking about my father," Nate said out of the blue.
"What about him?"
"I'm going to go to see him. Not yet. Around Christmas, maybe."
"That's a good idea. Would you want me to go with you?"
He was quiet for a moment. "Yes," he said. "I think I would."
I slipped my hand into his. He closed his fingers around mine, and we stood there until Ramon's voice drifted in from the porch, saying something about hens that made Eileen laugh out loud. Nate's grip on my hand tightened, and I laid my head on his shoulder. We stayed like that for a moment, and then we went out to join them.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nate
The trail narrowed as it climbed through the tree line, and the sounds of the vineyard fell away behind us. Juliet marched a few paces ahead, picking her way over the exposed roots, her breath making small clouds in the cool air. The path was soft underfoot after last night's rain.
She stopped at the top of a short rise and turned to look back down the trail. I came up beside her. From here, you could just make out the terracotta roof of the villa through the trees, whose leaves were slowly turning red and golden brown. The valley stretched out beyond it, the vines, now stripped bare, running along it in long, neat rows.
"I love it up here," she said.
I looked at her, rather than the view. She had color in her cheeks from the climb, and there was a leaf caught in her hair. She turned and caught me looking and raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
I reached out and plucked the leaf from her hair. Juliet went still. I allowed my hand to drop to the side of her neck and felt her pulse quicken beneath my fingertips.
"Nate," she said softly.
Backing her up against the nearest tree, I kissed her. My tongue stroked hers, and she made the small, desperate sound I'd come to recognize as wanting more.
