"Like I should be working."
He shook his head. "That's going to be the hardest part for you, isn't it?"
"No kidding."
"I can understand it. But it's like Delaney said—until she figures out what it's going to take to produce the labels, there's nothing else for you to do. If they're going to need adjusting, she'll let you know on Monday."
"I know. But, Reaves, why wait until Monday? Surely she could figure that out now and let me know this afternoon. I could work on it later, and tomorrow."
He held her gaze and waited.
"Okay," she said with a sigh. "I know I've got the first infusion tomorrow, and then I have to see how I feel. I'm sure I'll be fine, though."
"You already know my opinion about that word." He shook his head. "Let's get through this first infusion and see what it means. A couple of days isn't going to hurt anything as far as the designs go."
"Okay. I know you're right. I just feel so guilty sitting around like this. Everyone's taking care of me and…"
"And we're all glad that we finally can. Remember?"
"Yeah. I guess so. I don't mean to be ungrateful."
He reached out his hand and she took it, loving the way he squeezed it and brushed his thumb over her knuckles.
"It's all going to be all right."
She worried at her bottom lip before asking, "Is it, though, Reaves? I don't mean me. I'm not talking about that. I mean your dad, and the business. He has so much on his plate with this whole distributor deal. I know you're helping him as much as you can, but… it's a lot."
He met her gaze and held it, looking decidedly uncomfortable.
"What?" she asked. "What is it? Tell me, Reaves."
"You're right. He does have a lot on his plate." He looked back over his shoulder. "And I finally have to admit that it's not just a lot—it's too much. He needs help. He needsmyhelp."
She frowned, remembering what Delaney had said to him before she left yesterday. "Have you decided something? Is that what Delaney meant when she asked if you meant what you'd said?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I would have told you before I told her, but she went right to the heart of it. This deal with Sterling Hartman isn't just riding on the branding." He nodded when he noticed the change in her. "I'm not just saying that to take the pressure off you and make you feel better, Alara. It's true. Think about it. For a distributor to take on the House of St. James, they need to know that they can rely on it—on us. The best branding in the world won't help if we can't produce the wines and meet the schedules." He glanced back at the house. "Dad does his best. But he can't do it all by himself anymore."
She felt bad for him when he frowned and added, "He shouldn't have had to do it by himself all this time anyway. I'm stepping up, like I should have done a long time ago."
"What about your flying, Reaves? That's what you love to do. I know you love your dad, but…"
"Ollie and I have talked about that." He ran his hand over his face. "Shit. I don't want you to feel as though I've talked to everyone else about this before I talked to you."
She gave his hand a squeeze. "I don't. And besides, why shouldn't you? Ollie's your best friend. Delaney's here to help turn things around. You need to be talking to them. Me… I'm just…"
He scooted closer to her on the sofa and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Don't you dare say you'rejustanything. Because you're not."
She leaned into his side. She couldn't help it—he was such a warm, reassuring presence. It hit her then that maybe thatrooted in stillnessline she'd come up with had originally been inspired by him. He was the steadiest guy she'd ever known.
When he leaned in to press a kiss to her lips, she closed her eyes, wanting to savor the moment, before sadly leaning back again. "We probably shouldn't do this out here, should we?"
He chuckled. "It was only a little kiss. And I don't think anyone around here would be disappointed if they caught us."
She smiled. "I didn't mean catching us. I meant…"
He waited, not letting her off the hook this time. "What did you mean? Why shouldn't we?"
After a few moments, she shrugged. "I guess there's no reason at all, is there?"
