future. All helpful exercises for her staff. By midevening, when Becca leaned back in her leather executive chair and slipped out of her three-inch Manolos, the shoes she’d been wearing for fourteen hours now, she nearly cried with relief. She loved mingling with guests and assisting her staff. Both were huge parts of her job, but at the end of a day that had required her to be so explicitly on, she was depleted of every ounce of energy. She missed her dog. She wondered what Joey was up to and longed for any means to decompress.
She typed as much to Joey moments later and was intrigued by the text she received back.
Listen to me carefully. Grab your dog and find your way to the closest vineyard. Relaxation awaits.
Text messages didn’t get more tempting, and Becca’s lips curled into a smile. With her last ounce of energy, she forced herself out of the chair, checked in with her front desk supervisor to be sure there were no emergencies to mitigate, and said good night to Carla, who she scolded and instructed to get out of there. They’d both put in a long day after weeks of grueling preparation. They’d need the downtime to make it through the rest of the week. Their department supervisors would handle it from here.
After a bath of dog kisses, and a healthy wrestling session, which she of course lost, Becca and Sky pulled up in front of the Big House and looked up at the warm glow of light inside. The house was more than cozy, it was welcoming. The kind of place that made you want to hug yourself.
Skywalker bounded up the stairs, bellowed four times, and Joey opened the door for him automatically. She wore leggings and a blue funnel neck sweatshirt that screamed cuddly. “Hi, guys,” she said, hand on her hip.
“Hi, you,” Becca said, in what sounded like her tired, scratchy voice. Too much talking, apparently.
Joey stole a quick kiss and opened the door for Becca to enter. “Did you at least get to have a glass of wine at the reception?”
“I did not. Wasn’t sure it was the best look, but I did sip some of the hot cider.”
“Then you deserve a libation,” Joey said and presented Becca with an already poured glass. “I know you like our current vintage, but this is a reserve from four years ago that I guarantee will knock your socks off. My father didn’t mess around that year, and it shows. I have a handful of cases left that I ration out only to very special visitors.”
Becca took a sip, let the flavors settle, and took a second. Wow. The wine was smooth and deeply satisfying. “Oh, I really like that.” She stared at the glass and took a third sip. It warmed her up from the cold nicely, as did the fire she saw in the beautiful fireplace across the room. Sky had already curled up on the couch closest to the fire. The image could have been a painting. Becca felt her body slowly releasing tension just being here. Joey wasn’t kidding about the relaxation.
“What about a nice soak?” Joey said and took Becca’s hand.
“What do you mean? Are we going swimming?” she asked, as they climbed the stairs.
“Wait for it.”
Becca did and it was worth the crazy day she’d had. An oversized claw-foot tub, nearly three quarters full with hot water running, welcomed them. The whole room smelled wonderfully of lavender, probably from the expanse of bubbles basking along the surface of the water.
“For you,” Joey said. “Decompress.”
“You ran me a bath?”
Joey looked at her proudly. “Mm-hmm. Interested?”
She could have kissed Joey. In fact, she did. “You are the best…person,” she said, realizing that she was short a noun. Joey wasn’t officially her girlfriend, though the way they’d been carrying on, it would be strange of either one of them to date someone else, but now the lack of definition was all she could think about. Joey dating someone else. She didn’t like the concept at all. She opened her mouth to tell her so, but the sight of Joey pulling her shirt over her head stopped Becca short.
She blinked and readjusted. Seeing the look on her face, Joey paused midbutton on her jeans. “I thought you might want company, but if not, I can—”
“Oh, I definitely want company,” Becca said in wonder as Joey stepped out of her jeans and then began to unfasten her bra. Becca bit the inside