Her breath caught.
Grayson seemed to realize what he’d said at the exact same moment she did, because his gaze locked on hers and held.
Her heart pounded so hard, it made her dizzy.
For one second, she thought he might touch her. And it shocked her just how much she wanted him to.
Instead, he cleared his throat, reaching for the book. “I’ll check it out.”
His gaze dropped briefly to her mouth. Then he frowned and took a step back. “Thanks for the recommendation.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, as they walked back to the circulation desk. She hastily checked the book out to him.
They shared another long look. Then he smiled faintly, tucked the book under his arm, and headed for the door.
Wren stood motionless behind the desk until he disappeared outside. Only then did she collapse into her chair and press both hands to her cheeks, which were on fire.
She’d known that festival was going to be a disaster, and she’d been right.
Because she was in so much trouble.
Chapter Ten
Grayson had rebuilt a ’69 Mustang engine with less frustration than he’d endured over the past seven days. Because at least the engine had made sense. He took it apart, figured out what was broken, and fixed it.
Lark McCoy, on the other hand, had kissed him in the hotel that night like her life depended on it. Then she’d pulled away without any explanation and spent the following week acting like he was some distant coworker whose name she sometimes struggled to remember.
It was making him insane.
“You gonna drink that glass of wine or kick its ass?” Jace asked.
Grayson glanced up and found his younger brother smirking at him. It wasn’t until Jace spoke that he realized he’d been scowling at his wine. Not that it was wine pissing him off. Just the woman who’d poured it.
He tried to soften his glare, but given Jace’s grin, he’d failed. So Grayson ignored him and took an aggressive and too-large bite of his grilled cheese.
His grumpy mood was his own fault. He never ate in the tasting room this often, but ever since returning from the wine festival, his ass had been sitting at this table, chowing down on Mila’s incredible cooking while pretending he wasn’t watching Lark work.
Of course, when Jace picked up his own sandwich, a BLT stacked with a heart attack’s worth of B, he realized he wasn’t the only one whose lunch plans had changed this week. It was even rarer for Jace to eat lunch in the winery. He usually opted to stay closer to his own office. Since he was the brewmaster for Rain or Shine Brewery, one of the other businesses on the family’s farm, it didn’t make sense that Jace kept showing up here.
Grayson wondered if his brother was trying to act as some sort of buffer between him and his best buddy’s ex-girlfriend. Then he dismissed the thought because, one, the idea of that made him angry, and two, that just wasn’t something Jace would do. His kid brother might be good friends with Tommy, but blood truly was thicker than water in their family, so he knew if it came to pistols at dawn, Jace would be his second and have his back.
Grayson glanced toward the nearby counter—again. Lark had her back turned as she restocked the wineglasses. Her blonde hair was twisted into a loose knot today, soft strands escaping around her face. She wore jeans tucked into knee-high boots and one of the winery’s fitted black T-shirts. She turned around, laughing at something Edith said. While the sound was easy, bright, and relaxed, he couldn’t help thinking there was something off about it.
Lark’s laugh at the festival was softer, almost reserved, which had made it endearing and adorable. This one was brasher and, of course, louder.
A week ago, she’d lain next to him in the dark hotel room, the two sharing family stories and then that lethal kiss.
Now?
Now, she smiled politely whenever she caught him looking her direction, but her eyes were decidedly colder, almost as if she was looking at a stranger or, at best, an acquaintance.
It was starting to feel like he’d dreamed the entire weekend. Except he hadn’t. Because he could still remember the minty, cool taste of her toothpaste when she kissed him back, and the soft touch of her hands resting lightly on his chest.
Hell.
He was literally living in Hell right now.
Jace glanced over his shoulder when he noticed where Grayson’s attention was focused.
