peace came over her. She accepted what she should have understood all along, that life was messy but so worth living. Hell, messy was even beautiful, wasn’t it? When you considered the alternative. Loretta was right. Her father was, too. She was wasting precious time. Keeping her feelings bottled up achieved exactly nothing. Self-preservation was a sham because she wasn’t in control of the universe anyway. Her thoughts sped out of control but all in one very defined direction: Becca.
“You think on that,” Loretta said, likely perplexed by the look on Joey’s joyful face. “I’m going next door to put on some hot cocoa. Helps me sleep. Join me if you want a cup.” Joey nodded again and watched as Loretta headed out. She turned back to Joey one last time. “You okay, sweet girl?”
“I feel more than okay.”
“Good. Come get that cocoa. There’s some of the homemade whipped cream left from earlier today when I sold a few cups. Cold tonight, isn’t it?” She rubbed her hands together.
Joey nodded. “Freezing, actually.”
Once alone, she stood there a moment and let her feelings settle and her thoughts slow down. Yet when they did, nothing had changed. She pulled her phone from her coat pocket and walked straight out of the cellar onto the property and kept walking until she stood still between two rows of vines beneath the stars and sky. It was the middle of the night, but Joey couldn’t seem to talk herself out of making the call. It was like Loretta said. Don’t waste a moment.
She put the phone to her ear and waited, and it wasn’t long before a sleepy voice on the other end of the line answered her. “Joey. Are you okay?”
She imagined Becca sitting up in bed, turning the lamp on, Skywalker probably stirring next to her in his dog bed. “I’m so sorry to wake you up. I’m okay.”
“Good. What’s going on?”
“Have you ever had this urge to do something right then, when it’s all consuming, and it’s like you can’t go another minute until you do the thing?”
“Yeah, I guess I have.”
“I love you so much.”
A pause. Becca didn’t say anything, and that was okay because Joey had more.
“I’m in love with you, and I need you to know it. I get that I’ve made things difficult and was harder on you than I ever should have been.” She took a deep breath. “But I just want to spend the rest of time making it up to you and be the kind of person who works through a problem, and maybe gets a little angry, but definitely doesn’t leave.” She exhaled. “I don’t want to leave you ever again, Becca.”
“Where are you right now?”
“I’m standing in the middle of the vineyard like a lunatic, but the thing is, I’ve never felt more sane.”
“I’m coming over.”
“What? You don’t have to do that. Now?”
“Is there a better time?”
Joey laughed and placed her palm on her forehead and turned around in disbelief. “No. This would be the best one for me. I happen to be very, very available at the moment.”
“Don’t go anywhere,” Becca said and clicked off the call.
Joey returned to the end of the row and stood in the open area between the grapes and the building, hands on her hips in amazement. What a night this had been. It was only a few moments before headlights appeared on top of the hill, and a few moments later, there was Becca. She wore jeans and a red winter jacket she must have tossed on. Her hair was glamorously tousled from the pillow, one of Joey’s favorite looks on her. When Becca spotted Joey, she ambled over with a grin on her face.
“Hi,” Joey said.
“Say it again.”
“Hi.”
Becca laughed and shook her head. “Not that.”
Joey stepped forward and grabbed Becca by the lapels of her coat. “I’m standing here in the middle of the night and I’m in love with you.”
Becca closed her eyes as if to let the words wash over her. When she opened them, their eyes met. “I love you, too.”
“I want us to be together, Becca. It feels like we’re destined. The minute you walked through those doors, I knew you were someone who was special. In the months that followed, I realized that you were meant to be special to me. We’re meant to be.”
“I know,” Becca said, the vibrant moonlight illuminating her eyes. “I was just waiting for you to catch up.”
“Kiss me in the freezing cold.”
Becca didn’t need