Page 111 of Gone With the Wine

“I mean, it doesn’t matter to us. It’s done. It was a long time ago.”

“Hmmm.” My chest is spinning with emotion and thoughts are jumbled inside my head. I don’t know what to think right now, but I do know I’m worked up. I need to figure things out.

When we arrive at the road to Caparelli, he looks over at me. “Come to my place?”

I gaze at him, emotions still churning inside me. Sex is a great distraction, but…maybe I’m getting too close to Jansen. Clearly, he sees me as a fuck buddy and nothing more. Which is what we both want! I press my lips together and shake my head. “Not tonight.”

The air in the truck turns thick.

“Okay.” He pulls in at Caparelli and stops.

I jump out. “Good night. Thanks for taking me to the dinner.”

I turn and march toward Caparelli, knots coiled in my belly, my chin trembling.

Chapter23

Jansen

I’m in the lab with Bianca and Antonio, trying to focus on malolactic conversion. I’ve been feeling unsettled since the night of the harvest dinner. There’s a stiffness between Bianca and me, and I hate it. I miss her. We haven’t had time to talk since then, when she got upset at her uncle. And basically brushed me off. I’m worried he said something that hurt her. If he hurt her, I’ll shove his teeth so far down his throat he’ll be smiling with his ass.

“What’s so funny?” Bianca frowns at me.

“Uh…nothing.”Focus, man.

She’s still acting weird. Distant. I don’t like it.

I start when my phone chimes with a call. I check the call display. It’s the vet clinic. What’s up with that? Frowning, I answer. Are they checking up on Moose after his little snip snip?

“Hi, Jansen. It’s Ana. We just got a call from someone about their lost dog.”

My heart drops to my feet like a stone. “Oh.”

“I didn’t give them your number,” she says. “But they gave me theirs. Can you call them and set up a time for them to see, uh, Moose? They said they can come to you.”

No. No, I can’t. “Sure,” I manage to say. “What’s the number?”

She gives me a name and number. I grab a pen and paper on the counter and scribble it down. “Okay, thanks.”

“Who was that?” Bianca asks.

I tell her.

She turns wide eyes on me. “Oh no.” She pauses. “I mean…” She closes her eyes and her mouth compresses. “Oh no.”

“I’m sure they’re excited to have found him.” I swallow, my throat feeling thick and rough. My numb fingers tap in the digits on my phone. I speak to the guy named Chris and we arrange for him and his wife to come pick up Moose tomorrow afternoon.

Bianca watches me with a notch between her eyebrows, sucking on her bottom lip. She looks so sad.

I’m already stressed, and now this happens. I try to keep my emotions under control. “They saw the notice at the pet store in Napa. They’ve been looking for him for weeks.” I ignore the iron bands tightening around my chest.

“Oh my God. Oh, Jansen.”

“It’s fine.” I shrug. Her sympathy rankles me. “We always knew this would happen.”

She gives me a bewildered look. “They’re coming to get him?”

I nod again.

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