“That was one of the first rugs I wove,” the woman said, watching Maddy. “No one is ever interested in it—
it’s quite unusual.”
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“Yeah,” Maddy said slowly. “It is. I like it, though.”
The woman nodded. “Good eye,” she said appreciatively. An idea was beginning to form in Maddy’s head. She pictured the rug flung over the scrubbed floorboards of the tasting room, patches of sunlight dancing over the weave. It was perfect for the space. “How much is it?”
She hardly dared to ask. The woman considered and Maddy held her breath.
“Five hundred,” the woman finally declared. Maddy exhaled. That was well within her decorating budget.
“I’ll take it,” she said. “Can you deliver?”
“My son delivers in his truck, but he won’t be back until next month.” They arranged the delivery date and payment and shook hands. Maddy walked back across the street, her heart still beating fast from the excitement of the purchase. Just wait until David sees it, she thought. She was so immersed in mentally arranging the tasting room that she walked right past the soap store without even realizing it.
As she was starting on the bike ride home, her phone rang in her pocket. Maddy managed to answer without falling over.
“So, guess where Taylor and Sunny are going for vacation this summer?” Morgan asked without preamble.
“Oh my God, don’t tell me—Baghdad.” Maddy grinned into her phone, trying to steer with one hand. 96
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“You’re hilarious. They’re going to Dubai,” Morgan replied.
“Dubai?” Maddy squealed.
“Supposedly, it’s amazing—better beaches than Maui.”
Maddy’s bike gave a big wobble and an approaching delivery van honked at her and swerved. “Hold on,” she told Morgan, and swung off onto the golden grass at the side of the road. Sticking the phone in her pocket momentarily, she hauled the bike over an irrigation ditch and propped it against a wooden fence post. She sank down onto the dry, fragrant grass and dug the phone out again. She could hear Morgan take a deep breath to go on with the details of Sunny and Taylor in Dubai, but suddenly, Maddy felt like she just had to say something.
“Hey,” she cut Morgan off. “Remember when you asked me if I’d met any hotties up here and I said no?”
Morgan screeched. Maddy held the phone slightly away from her ear. “There is a hot guy up there! I knew there had to be at least one in all of Napa Valley. Who is it?”
Maddy stared across the empty strip of asphalt before her. On the other side of the road was another wooden fence just like the one she was leaning against. “A guy from up here. His name’s David; he’s the son of my dad’s partner on the vineyard. We’ve been working together on this tasting room.”
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“Have you been a good girl so far? I wouldn’t be.”
“Do you ever think of anything else?” Maddy asked, rolling her eyes.
“What else is there?”
“Very funny. And the answer is yes, for your information. Of course I’ve been a good girl. But here’s the weird thing.” Maddy filled Morgan in on the details of the phone encounter. “So I freaked out for nothing and now Brian’s mad at me,” she finished. “This place is messing with my mind.”
“Well, it was annoying that he grabbed your phone like that,” Morgan comforted her. “Honestly, though? It sounds like he was flirting with you.”
“What?” Maddy squeaked. “You’re insane!” Her mind flitted back to David’s “spoiled suburban brat”
remark the night of the dinner party. She shook her head. “Mor, believe me, this guy has no desire to flirt with me.”
“If you say so,” Morgan replied. “But it sure sounds like flirting to me, and I should know.” She laughed. Maddy felt irritated. For practically the first time ever, her friend didn’t seem to get it.
“Look, he wasn’t, okay?” she said, more sharply than she intended.
“Okay, Mads, chill out,” Morgan said.
Maddy took a deep breath and changed the subject.
“Hey, guess what I found in town today?”
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“What?”
“The perfect rug for the tasting room!” Maddy said excitedly. She waited for Morgan’s reaction.
“Um, great,” Morgan said.
“Yeah, isn’t that cool?” Maddy prompted. “It’s pretty unusual. I haven’t actually seen one like it before and the woman selling them said it was one of the first she’d ever made.”
“Awesome,” Morgan replied. “I’ve never know you to get this worked up over a rug before, Mad. Are you turning into a little Martha Stewart?”
Maddy forced a laugh. “Of course not. It’s just that, well, it’s a really cool rug—and I’m kind of having fun thinking about fixing up this room. Listen, I’m getting all itchy sitting here in the grass. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay, bye, Martha.” Morgan chortled, and clicked off. Maddy stuck her phone back in her pocket violently and grabbed her bike. She rode off, pumping hard on the pedals, even though the road was flat.
! ! !
The rosy shadows of dusk were gathering among the grapevines when Maddy rode up the long gravel driveway. The ride home had taken longer than she expected. She was halfway to the house when she saw 99
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David’s gray pickup approaching. She stopped, still straddling the bike, and waved. As he pulled up next to her and leaned out of the open window, Morgan’s words flitted through her mind: “He was flirting with you.” Maddy looked at David carefully. He didn’t seem different, just cheerful and glad to see her.
“Hey, listen,” he said. “I’m glad I ran into you. I wanted to tell you again what an idiot I was to grab your phone like that. Can you just chalk it up to me being a boneheaded guy?”
Maddy smiled back at him, tossing back her windtousled hair. “You’re forgiven, bonehead,” she said. “By the way, you’re going to love me even more after what I did this afternoon.”
“What, ran off to the spa again?” he teased.
“No, jerk!” She playfully punched his elbow resting on the truck window. “I found the ultimate piece for the tasting room. It’s going to totally make the look.”
“No way,” he replied enthusiastically, getting out of the car. “I didn’t know you were shopping for us this afternoon.”
“Um . . . yeah, I was,” Maddy said. He didn’t have to know her real reason for going into town.
“So? What is it? I can’t stand the suspense.” He flicked a mosquito away from Maddy’s shoulder.
“It’s—” She stopped abruptly. “Actually, I think I’m 100
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not going to tell you. It’ll be a surprise when it’s delivered.”
“You’re heartless!” he said, clutching his chest. Maddy prepared to pedal off. “See you at the Robertsons’ tomorrow night,” she said. Everyone had been invited to a pre-harvest dinner party at the Robertsons’ vineyard down the road, celebrating the successful maturation of the grapes.
“I don’t think I’m going to go,” David told her. “I kind of feel like just crashing on the couch for a night.”
“Oh,” Maddy said, surprised by the disappointment that washed over her at his words. Why do you care, Maddy? the voice in her head asked. Well, I don’t, she told herself. He can do whatever he wants. “See you later, then,” she said, her voice purposefully airy.
“Do you want a ride back? The bugs are getting pretty nasty out here.” He didn’t wait for her response as he reached for her bike.
“Oh, sure. Thanks.” She watched his strong arms lift the bike onto the truck bed as she climbed into the passenger seat. The ride was short, and neither of them spoke much. But the quiet between them wasn’t awkward. In fact, as Maddy leaned against the worn seat, she realized she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this at ease.