Page 27 of Love Beyond the Illusion
“Well, she wasn’t too fond of the live plants in the concept art.”
My jaw flexes in response as I walk up to the front door. “Alright, does she want them swapped out for fake ones?”
“She said she wants to scrap the idea of the greenery altogether and go with something sleeker and monochrome.”
“But it’s a vegan restaurant,” I quip. “Natural tones, plants, different types of foliage. It will help orchestrate the guest experience.”
Jacob lets out an audible sigh, hearing that she’s giving him as hard of a time as she gave me. Thank god that account is all his now. “Yeah, I know, Jack, but you know what it’s like to work with her.”
I glance around the room briefly before responding. This place is beautiful. It looks so different from when we had our after-prom party here in my junior year of high school. They’ve definitely updated it since then.
“That’s fine. Touch base with the designers about her new ideas and make sure she knows that larger changes may accrue additional costs.”
“Okay, thanks. I appreciate it.”
“Also, make sure to send her the itemized list of each element she currently has in her contract with the newly proposed ones as well. Then, she can get a side-by-side comparison. Call me if you need my assistance once you’ve acquired the updated contract.”
“Good call. Thanks, man,” he says, “Oh, and how was Vegas?”
Piper’s lips and beautiful long hair flash in my mind before I have a chance to speak. “It was, uh, interesting,” I stammer.
“It always is out there, isn’t it?” He chuckles.
“You have no idea.”
“A few years ago, I was dating this chick—super hot with great legs. We joined a group of my friends out there for a birthday weekend. Well, she and I got super wasted the second night we were there, and she tried to convince me that we should get married. I was like, what the fuck? Whoactuallydoes that?” he states with a confident inflection.
I’m sure many people have drunken almost-married-in-Vegas stories, but I would bet Piper and I are one of the few who were dumb enough to go through with it. Annoyed by my actions, I ignore the sweat pooling under my arms and quickly get off the phone. “I’d love to hear more about your Vegas weekends, but I’ve got to let you go, Jacob.”
“Of course. Thanks. I’ll be in touch.”
As soon as I hang up with Jacob, I stroll around the villa, checking out where I’ll be staying for the next few weeks. The owner, Faye Hopper, and her husband have been close friends with my family for many years. They ered me a heavily discounted rate for one of the two villas on the property that are typically reserved for when their family comes into town. I’m grateful, considering it’s harvest season, one of Dupara’s busiest times of the year for tourists.
Walking into the living space, my heart sinks. Piper and I will be staying here together. The villas are smaller than I remember. They’re nice and nothing to complain about, but for two people who barely know each other, things will get tight real fast. Fuck. I wish Faye’s two-bedroom villa hadn’t already been booked.
Hell, we didn’t even share a cab on the way to the airport. I offered, but she turned me down. Maybe embarrassed about what happened the night before? Maybe she wants to make sure we keep everything professional. That makes sense. I did hire her to do a job—a strange one, but still ajob.
I head into the bedroom to start unpacking my things into the closet and dresser. Should I leave room for her? I hang my clothes on the left, keeping one entire side empty. This whole situation feels so odd. It reminds me of being in college again. Moving into the cramped dorm rooms with someone I didn’t know.
I wonder if she thinks we’ll have different hotel rooms? Nothing will be available during this time of the year with such short notice—unless she’s willing to stay in a questionable motel downtown. And if that were the case, I wouldn’t let her do that even if she wanted to. It’s not safe.
Okay, no more thinking about Piper, back to unpacking. I’ve been so wrapped up in her that I completely forgot I had some of my stuff delivered to my mother’s house.
I could have stayed with her on the property, but that’s going to be a hard fucking no. Not with the memories of my dad and absolutely no privacy. And with Piper coming to stay, that would be worse because then we’d have to pretend around the clock. I can’t do that to her. At least here in the villa, we only have to fake in public. Then, we can come back here and be ourselves.
I sit in this quiet room, contemplating how my life will change when I take over the winery. I wipe my hands along the tops of my legs. A nauseous feeling hits me in the gut as a reminder that my life in Phoenix will be gone. The independence I’ve protected so furiously since I was eighteen will be gone.
How am I even supposed to meet women out here? I’ve only dated a few women in Phoenix, but none I could see myself marrying. My love life as an adult has been similar to how it was back in college. I dated, slept around, and partied—like most people do at that age. I’ve always been shy, which often comes across as cold or arrogant. Surprisingly, girls were drawn to that. I rarely had to work for attention.
Many of my friends are married now. Marriage hasn’t even been a priority to me. I haven’t even considered dating anyone seriously because I’ve been having fun dating whomever I want while maintaining my freedom. But now that’s all been ripped away. I realize I might have wasted time because now my options will be nonexistent.
I swipe my phone off the dresser and call my mother.
She answers on the first ring. “Hi, Jack, are you back?”
“Hey, yes, I just got to The Vintage Inn.”
“That’s great. I’m so happy that Faye was able to help you out.”
