Saving Grapes - Madeline Kirby Page 0,13
his hands with the dishtowel. “Yes!!” he whooped, jumping down the last three steps and running to meet Thom. “I knew they would!”
They crashed into each other, throwing their arms around each other and jumping up and down in circles, laughing and shouting, and before he let himself think about it, before he could stop himself, Thom leaned in and kissed Ben. Ben smelled of sunshine and fresh grass, green leaves and dish soap and all the earthy scents of home. It was like kissing a dream, and in barely more than a second Ben was kissing him back. Thom crashed back to reality when he felt Ben’s tongue tickling his upper lip, and jerked away.
“Oh, God, I…” Thom started.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t…” said Ben.
“I shouldn’t have…”
Ben took a deep breath. “Yes, you should.”
“No. No, I’m your boss. Your uncle is my friend. It doesn’t feel right.”
“It felt pretty damn right to me. I’ve wanted to kiss you for weeks.”
Thom shook his head, stepping back, putting distance between them. Ben stepped forward, reaching for Thom’s hand. “Don’t push me away,” he whispered.
“I have to,” Thom said.
“Why? I like you, Thom. I think you must like me, too, or you wouldn’t have kissed me. I’ve seen you look at me sometimes, and I’ve wondered if maybe the attraction was mutual.”
“It is,” Thom admitted, “but it’s… complicated.”
“Is there someone else?” Of course there wasn’t. When would there be time?
“No.” Thom shook his head.
“Then how complicated can it be?” Thom tried to pull his hand away, but Ben tightened his hold. “No, Thom. Talk to me.”
“Like I said, I’m your boss. Your uncle would freak. And with this new project starting, I’ll be so busy. We’ll both be busy. The timing is bad, and then there’s the age difference. I’m just… overwhelmed.”
“I think Uncle Chuck would actually be okay with it. And you don’t have to feel overwhelmed – I’m here to help as much as I can. The difference in our ages isn’t as big as you’re making out. Unless you’re just using that as an excuse?”
“You should be out having fun. You deserve someone your own age. Someone with less responsibility and baggage.”
“First of all, I figure I’m the one who gets to decide what I deserve. And you think I don’t have baggage? Do you remember why I’m here? If my mother hasn’t completely written me off and disowned me, then right now she’s probably back home trying to pray me straight. Whichever it is, I know I can’t go home again. So don’t play the baggage card with me, Thom Caldwell, because… because… well, just don’t!” Ben threw the dishtowel he was still holding in Thom’s direction, whirled around and stormed down the nearest row, leaving Thom standing alone in the yard, clutching the damp towel.
Thom sighed and turned towards the house. That had not gone well. He genuinely liked Ben, and that was part of the problem. If they got involved, everything would get complicated when things inevitably ran their course. Thom wanted a relationship, a partner who would be interested in building a life together. It didn’t have to be someone who would work the vineyard and winery with him, although that would be nice. If it was someone steady, who had his own career but understood and encouraged Thom’s goals, then that would be enough. Ben was so young, just getting started. When he was that age, Thom hadn’t been ready for that kind of commitment. No, he had done the right thing.
Ben stormed down the row without looking back, needing to put some distance between them and calm down Damn Thom Caldwell, anyway. After days of freezing him out, Thom had acted on impulse and kissed him. And then, yep, pushed him away again. This wasn’t just a crush, or a physical attraction. He wanted to get past that barrier Thom had put up – the mental block that had Thom relegating Ben to employee, colleague, friend, whatever. The way Ben figured, they were two grown men who liked each other. The rest was irrelevant. He would quit and find a job in town, or on one of the other vineyards or farms in the area, if he thought it would make a difference. But he didn’t think it would. Besides, he liked it here, and he was excited about the coming changes and looking forward to being a part of building something new and ambitious.
No, he was staying, that was it. Maybe