Page 10 of Taurus

Chapter four

Parker

Itfeelslikethe first day of school.

I was so nervous I could barely sleep last night. At least that’s what I tell myself. The nerves about meeting the staff are keeping me from sleeping, rather than the man who took my virginity and broke my heart sleeping just below me. Yep, that’s it. Just the nerves.

My inner dialogue is even scoffing at me right now.

I stare at myself in the mirror and do all the typical things humans do when they see their reflection. I pick out every “insecurity” I think I have and stress over them incessantly for at least five minutes then I pull my hair into a high ponytail. I try, mostly in vain, to tame my bangs into submission, then I stuff my cell phone into the back pocket of my blue jeans and head outside to meet everyone in the winery tasting room. That’s where they have their morning meetings, apparently.

Austin is waiting for me on the front steps of the porch when I open the door and when he looks over his shoulder at me, I have to remind myself to breathe. He’s wearing dark-washed blue jeans and a black tee that sports the Pesca Vineyard logo, and of course, that goddamned hat is backward on his head.

He looks like he’s trimmed his beard a bit this morning, and it makes me want to run my fingers through it.

“Cutting it close, huh, Park?” he says as he pushes to his feet.

And just like that, I’m reminded of that shitty attitude he has sometimes.

“I’m right on time, thank you.” I hold up my wrist to show him my smartwatch, tapping it so the time shows up on the screen.

“On time is already late.” He checks his cell phone then locks the screen. “All right, everyone is up at the bar waiting for us.”

“Wait,” I reach for his hand when he tries to walk away. “What am I even doing today?” I hate being confused, and I really hate not knowing exactly what my day is going to look like. I’m not exactly a go with the flow kind of gal.

“I figured you’d just observe all aspects of the daily tasks today. You know, get a feel for everything. You’re the big woman on campus now, boss.” He smirks.

“Don’t be condescending. It’s not attractive.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He jogs over to the driver’s side of a white golf cart parked just by the stairs. “Hop on. I’ll give you a lift.”

“Shouldn’t the big woman on campus be the one driving? You know, fuck the patriarchy and all,” I ask, even as I slide into the seat next to him.

“Nah, this is my favorite toy. I’m never letting you drive it. You forget, I’ve seen you crash more than one moving piece of machinery.”

I grip the little bar in front of me when he takes off up the long, gravel drive toward the big, wooden cabin-like building.

“To be fair, one of them was a go-cart and it didn’t have brakes! Which we didn’t even know until it was too late, and I barely tapped a tree.”

The other was my old VW Beetle that I loved more than anything. Grandad bought it for me and fixed it up. I totaled it in a thunderstorm I shouldn’t have been driving in, with Austin in the passenger seat. We had sex for the first time that night. I think we both realized we were lucky to walk away without a scratch and didn’t want to wait a single second longer.

“Regardless, my vehicle experiences with you mean that I’m in the driver’s seat. For my own anxiety,” he laughs.

“You’re dramatic. I’m an excellent driver now,” I tell him, but it's an absolute lie. I hate driving and I’m not the best at it.

“I don’t buy it for a second.”

“Good thing I don’t need you to buy anything then, huh?” I mindlessly check my phone while he speeds up the hill, leaving a dust cloud behind us.

When we roll to a stop just beside the large, farmhouse doors of the tasting room, the nerves that were only a slight bubble earlier, are now a full-on, roaring boil.

“Take a breath, Park. It’s going to be fine.”

“What?” I clear my throat, playing it as cool as I can. “I’m fine. I’m breathing.”

“Do we need to go over the fact that I still know you pretty well? I especially know how to read your resting face.”

“What is my resting face telling you now?”

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