and squatted down, picked up one semi-intact daisy and brought it to her nose. “Pretty. Thank you.”
“I tried. Next time I’ll make sure any flowers I bring to you aren’t left at dog level.”
She stood. “Oh, there’ll be a next time?”
“Hell yes there will be. A woman like you deserves flowers every day.” He took one of the flowers he’d managed to salvage and tucked it behind her ear, enjoying the slight flush to her cheeks.
“I don’t know what to make of you, Jason. I’m used to you teasing me. You’ve done that our entire lives. But this is a new side to you.”
“Oh, you mean you don’t know everything about me after all?” He went into the kitchen to get the wine, opened a bottle and poured two glasses.
“I guess not.”
“That’s good.” He handed her a glass, then took the snacks he’d made out of the refrigerator and laid those out on the island, too. “I’d hate to think I was boring and predictable.”
She took a sip of the wine, then picked up a mushroom and bacon bite and popped it into her mouth.
“You are anything but predictable, Jason. Did you make these?”
“Yeah.” He took a bite as well.
“And these, too?” She tasted the apple-gouda pigs in a blanket, then smiled. “They’re amazing.”
He shrugged. “Just some easy-to-make appetizers. Not exactly rocket science.”
“But you baked things. Tasty things. I’m impressed.”
“I like to make interesting things. You can cook, too, if I remember right.”
“Yes, I can. And I’m stealing both of these recipes for my next party.”
He arched a brow. “You’re having a party?”
“Yes. As soon as I find a place to live.”
“What about the condo you and Owen got together?”
“I talked to the leasing manager the other day, told her the story about Owen dumping me at the altar. She was horrified and immediately let me out of the lease.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. She just went through a not-so-fun divorce, so I think I hit her emotional buttons. We won’t get our deposit back, but at this point I’m happy to get out from under a long-term lease on a condo, or having to argue it out with Owen over which one of us has to live there. It was a place we chose together, and I don’t want any part of it.”
“I understand. You need a fresh start. Now you can take your time looking for your own place. Or just stay at the house for a while until you get your bearings.”
She shrugged. “Maybe. I had planned to be out of there, to be living an independent life. A married life.”
“I know.” He wasn’t sure how in depth she wanted to talk about Owen, so, again, he was going to let her take the lead on this. He was open to letting her vent about it. No matter how he felt about her, she was first and foremost his friend, and she’d been hurt. It was going to take her a while to get over it.
But instead she dove into the snacks and drank two glasses of wine and told him all about the day’s wedding, which sounded like it went well.
They had moved over to the sofa to drink their wine. The dogs were playing together on Puddy’s blanket on the floor.
“I’m glad you had a good day,” he said.
“I did, actually. Seeing two people who obviously really care for each other made me realize that’s what I deserve. I want someone who loves me unconditionally, who’s going to be there for me no matter what.”
“You do deserve that.”
“But I’m not looking for that right now.”
“What are you looking for right now?”
She laid her head against his shoulder and looked up at him. “Honestly? Just some breathing room, some space to gather my bearings and get back to normal life again. I don’t want people tiptoeing around me thinking I’m going to burst into tears at any moment. I’m made of stronger stuff, you know?”
“Yeah, I do know that.”
“I’m hurt, for sure. And I’ll probably be hurt for a long time. Maybe forever. But I don’t spend every waking moment thinking about Owen. He doesn’t occupy space in my head or in my heart. What he did to me was devastating. I had a few days where I cried hard about it, and now I’ve moved past it. I go to work every day, and we have weddings at the vineyard every weekend, and when I see a bride I don’t fall apart envisioning the wedding I didn’t get to