she left her room and went out to the vineyard, her blood pressure instantly dropping as she strolled the walkway among the grapes.
Being in the vineyard always calmed her. She knew herself here. This was where she grew up, where she belonged. She felt a part of this land where tiny vines grew into ripe, beautiful grapes that they turned into delicious wine.
Dad was talking to Ricardo, one of the men who worked in the vineyard, so she waited until they finished their conversation. When Ricardo walked away, she approached, reaching up to study one of the cabernet vines.
“They look so good, Dad.”
He looked up at her and grinned. “Si. This is an excellent crop. The yield this year will be bellissima.”
“Yes, it will. Anyway, there’s something I need to tell you.”
He continued to walk along the grapes. “Go ahead.”
“I’m in the wedding this weekend for my friend Esther, and Allison is in the wedding, too, which means Mitchell will be here.”
He frowned. “Mitchell your ex?”
“Si.”
He straightened and looked at her. “How do we feel about this?”
“Not great. Especially about Allison. We have a bad history.”
“Would you like me to talk to him?”
“To Mitchell? No. But I have a plan to deal with Allison. She’s smug about marrying Mitchell and I know she’ll throw it in my face and give me a hard time about being single.”
He made a pfft sound. “Who cares? You’re perfect, and much better without that bastardo.”
Her dad was right about that. “Anyway, Finn is going to pretend to be my fiancé for four days.”
“Okay. What?” His frown furrowed the lines on his forehead. “What?”
“I know it sounds crazy, but it’s just for four days so I don’t have to deal with Allison.”
“And Finn agreed to this.”
“Si.”
“You’re not really engaged to Finn.”
“No.”
“This is just . . . what’s the word . . . playacting?”
“Si.”
Dad rolled his eyes and wandered off, muttering in Italian.
That went well. She didn’t think Mom would be so easy.
She explained the situation to her mother while sitting in her office. Her mother stared at her for a full minute before replying.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“No. It’s a well-thought-out plan.”
“Brenna. It’s ridiculous. First, you and Finn aren’t even dating.”
“He did ask me out.”
That caused her mother’s brows to lift. “He did? And what did you say?”
“I said yes. We haven’t actually gone out on a date yet, but we will. Eventually.”
Mom shook her head. “Well, I like that idea. Your other idea is stupid. You’ve lost your mind. Who the hell cares what Allison thinks? Or what Mitchell thinks. You should tell them both to go to hell.”
“Mom. Remember, this is Esther’s wedding. Allison has stepped in as last-minute matron of honor and Esther is already stressed. We don’t need any ruffled feathers, so I won’t be telling anyone to go to hell.”
Much as that would make her happy.
Her mother blew out a breath. “You’re right, of course. Keeping the bride happy is paramount. But doing it at the expense of your comfort doesn’t please me at all.”
She loved that her mother thought of her first, even over the family business. “I appreciate that. But it’s only four days, and having Finn by my side to run interference with Allison will alleviate any stress I might have. Then it’ll be over and everything can go back to normal.”
“If you say so. But I wonder if you aren’t complicating things.”
Brenna cocked her head to the side. “In what way?”
“Between you and Finn?”
“Finn and I are just friends.”
“Who are going on a date.”
She waved her hand back and forth. “That’s nothing.” At her mother’s look, she said, “Really, it’s nothing. Just a friendly date.”
“Uh-huh. You know I think of Finn as my family, Brenna. Like a son. But the way he’s always looked at you . . .”
She let the sentence trail off.
“What? How does he look at me?”
“Just take the blinders off, Brenna. That’s all I’m asking. And don’t play games with Finn.”
“It’s not a game. He’s helping me out. For just four days, Mom. Nothing more than that.”
“Okay. I just don’t want to see either of you get hurt.”
“I promise. No one is going to get hurt. Which is why I’m doing this in the first place. To protect myself from Allison constantly haranguing me. I’ll get through being in this wedding, and after, everything will go back to normal.”
“If you say so.” Her mom let out a slight sigh. Brenna knew very well what that sigh meant. Her mother was concerned.
She’d