prompting. She caught Joey’s mouth with hers, and she sank into the most wonderful, memorable, heartfelt kiss of her life. The warmth of Becca’s mouth and the proximity of her body heated Joey nicely.
“God, I’ve missed this,” Becca said against her mouth before diving in for more.
“What is going on out here?” Joey heard Loretta say. She turned and saw her moving toward them with a thermos of hot chocolate and some stacked cups.
“Hey, Loretta,” Becca said. “I just popped in.”
Loretta grinned and handed her a cup. “Yeah, you did.” She began to divvy up the cocoa. “You two are out here causing a scandal beneath the heavens.” She grinned. “The best kind, too.”
That’s when the moon seemed to get extra bright. Too bright. Joey turned and squinted at the flashlight shining in her eyes. She held up a hand. “Madison?”
“How did you beat me here?” Madison asked and let the beam brush the ground.
“What are you talking about?”
“Time to pick.”
Another voice called out, “Oh, Joey’s already here. Were they just kissing? I think they were just kissing. Hi, Becca!”
Joey craned her neck to see Gabriella just a few yards behind Madison and Uncle Bobby behind Gabriella. Becca waved. Over her right shoulder, more headlights appeared, as two cars—no, three—approached. Make that four. “Is this what I think this is?” Joey asked, her delight bubbling over because what were the odds?
“It’s ice wine time!” Madison called out on a euphoric high. She held up her special thermometer. “Just over sixteen degrees. Let’s do this.”
“What is happening?” Becca asked. “These people are all showing up to pick grapes? Right now?” She checked her phone. “It’s three twenty-six a.m. Did you know about this? Is this why you were awake?”
“I had no idea. The only thing keeping me awake was you.” Joey laughed. “I’m just as surprised. When Madison makes the decision, it’s a go—a text blast goes out to all those signed up to help pick. It’s an event. We’ll make gallons of cocoa and open sparkling wine for mimosas, and we stay up all night picking the grapes, and Madison and her crew will take it from there. It has to be close to seventeen degrees.”
“And that’s tonight?” Becca asked, incredulous and excited. The crowd was growing.
“Yes,” Joey said in amazement. “Can you believe it?”
Becca laughed. “I can, actually. It’s perfect.”
The voices around them grew louder as the number of people rose. Madison organized the grape pickers and offered some brief instruction, but Joey kept her eyes on Becca and her hand firmly in hers. There weren’t a million grapes to pick because the batch of ice wine would be limited, but it was still important.
“You sure you want to help?” Joey asked when Madison concluded her speech and the pickers headed out with extra energy bouncing between them. Nearby, Bobby popped a bottle of sparkling wine and let it overflow while Loretta laughed and dodged the spray. There must have been thirty volunteers there and more still arriving. She forgot how much she loved this time of year.
Becca’s eyes sparkled in the moonlight. “Nothing could keep me away.” Joey went warm in the freezing temperatures and leaned in for a kiss.
“They’re in love again,” Gabriella said in adoration.
Madison looked up from her clipboard and took a moment to grin. “I saw the kissing and was trying to be breezy, but inside there are cartwheels in progress, and the fact that it happened on ice wine night practically means it’s ordained.”
“Maddie’s cartwheels always remain in her head,” Gabriella told Becca.
“Fewer injuries that way,” Becca said with a nod of approval.
“Ready to pick some grapes?” Joey asked, unable to erase the grin. She had a feeling it was now a fixture.
“I’ll follow you.” The way Becca said the words made it clear that she didn’t just mean in the picking of grapes. The sentiment comforted Joey like the most snuggly of blankets. Becca was hers and she was Becca’s, and there was nothing that she’d let undo that.
They picked and laughed at how ridiculously cold it was and stole glances at each other under the big dark sky, enjoying the renewed feeling of being with each other again. When they glimpsed the sun, the job was done, and with her hand in Becca’s she led them up to her bedroom, where they promptly wrapped themselves around each other and fell asleep as the sunlight further illuminated Joey’s bedroom.
When Joey opened her eyes a few hours later, she saw Becca gazing at