A Good Day for Chardonnay (Sunshine Vicram #2) - Darynda Jones Page 0,150
Levi Ravinder.” She brushed them over his five-o’clock. “You can curse me and hate me and never talk to me again, but know this.” She slid her index finger down the bridge of his refined nose. “I will always do whatever it takes to keep you safe. And I will always love you.”
The images that had flashed in her mind two nights ago when she saw his scars made an impromptu appearance. Levi fighting Kubrick in the rain. Stumbling toward her. Carrying her to the truck. Forcing water into her burning mouth. Levi hurt. Covered in blood. Doubling over in pain.
Levi dying. Lying in his bed, literally bleeding to death. Because of her. Because he saved her.
And almost eight years later, he’d saved Auri as well.
“You’ve said that before,” he said, his tone ice cold. “Two hours later, you ran out on me.”
“Speaking of which …” She leaned back against the cage and crossed her arms over her chest. “I remembered.” She gestured to his abdomen. “I remembered. It all came back to me. Well, most of it.” Once again, emotion welled inside her and thickened her voice for a moment. “You saved me,” she said when she recovered. “You … you fought Kubrick. You were stabbed and still you fought.”
Realization dawned on his face and he bit down. “The scars.”
“Yes, the scars, Levi. Why would you keep that from me?”
He scoffed, and said through gritted teeth, “Wynn.” He said his uncle’s name as though he were already conjuring a plan to get back at him. She almost felt bad for the guy.
“Yes, Wynn. But why not you? Why keep this from me all these years?”
The look he gave her would’ve melted a lesser woman. Apparently, that included her. She melted on the spot at the turmoil in his expression.
“What was I supposed to say, Vicram? ‘Oh, hey, you were raped. Yeah, a Ravinder did it. Better luck next time.’ I didn’t want you to remember. To associate something that horrible with my family. With me.”
She let that sink in, then asked, “When did you figure out I wasn’t?”
“Wasn’t what?”
“Raped.”
A stillness settled over him, and she could tell his calmness reflected only what was on the surface. Underneath, his heart and mind were like thoroughbreds racing to an invisible finish line.
“I know that you know, Levi. You have to know.”
His dark irises glittered, wary and guarded. “Know what?”
Had it really come to this? Was she going to have to force him to acknowledge the truth? She took his gorgeous face into both of her hands, and said softly, “You know Auri is yours.”
Thank you, dear reader, for choosing to accompany me in the further adventures of Sunshine and Auri Vicram! These books have been an absolute joy to write—a dream come true, really—but I certainly didn’t do it alone. So many people helped with this book, and they all have my undying gratitude. The following is only a partial list.
First, I must thank my amazing editor, Alexandra Sehulster, who spent almost as much time editing this book as I did writing it. I handed her what we in the biz call a hot mess and she made it pretty. And sparkly. And, you know, readable. Thank you for the hours and hours you put into this project. I am beyond grateful.
Thank you to the most amazing agent on the planet, Alexandra Machinist, a star so bright, I am honored to be in her orbit.
And to Josie Freedman, my incredible film agent who I can’t wait to meet face-to-face. It will happen! I know it!
Thank you to Trayce Layne, my continuity editor, beta reader, research assistant, shoulder. … Here’s to all of the hats you wear so beautifully!
And to copyeditor Ed Chapman. Sunshine would not shine nearly as brightly without your expertise. (Someday, in the distant—very distant—future, I will learn the difference between rack and wrack.)
Thank you to Jeffe Kennedy for hanging with me all day, every day, until I wrote The End. (Metaphorically.) I love Zooming with you! (Non-metaphorically.)
Thanks to everyone at St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, ICM Partners, and Piatkus for everything you do. You’re the wizards behind the curtain who fill people’s lives with happiness.
And thank you to the insanely talented Lorelei King! Eeeep! I’m so thrilled you’re bringing Sunshine and the gang to life and I hope we get to work together for decades to come.
Thank you to my Netterly for being the Netterly Nette that you are. My Danerly for having that incredible Danerly brain of yours. And my Kinter Pot Pie for the blatant borrowing of your identity. It had to be done.
Thank you to my early readers, Jeffe, Dana, Wendy, Jessica, Yennifer, and Ursula, for your input and profound advice. I promise to stop using gorgeous so often, but for now, you are all gorgeous creatures and I’m so grateful for you.
Thank you to my family. You know who you are. There is no escape.
Thank you to my GRIMLETS!!! You are the best Grimlets a girl could ask for. Sometimes we writers get stuck on the simplest things. Thanks for unsticking me, especially the lovely Brianna Cowles who may recognize a line from the book, since she wrote it.
And thank you, again, dear readers! I hope you’re enjoying Sunshine as much as I’m enjoying writing her. Here’s to your health and happiness in the coming years!
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