Bluestone & Vine Page 19

  “Who doesn’t?” Sawyer said. “So, you’re saying you got this crazy idea from a song? Because that’s even more insane.”

  “It’s not insane. It got me thinking, if the folks around here thought they’d gotten their wish and Pippa and I were together, they’d move on to some other mission in life.”

  Sawyer frowned, pushed his plate back and folded his arms on the table. “Please tell me that Pippa actually knows about this.”

  Surprised, Seth said, “Of course she does. What, you think I’d lead her on?”

  “I honestly don’t know what to think. Why not just let people want what they want and you stick to your principles,” Sawyer said. “Such as they are.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Just that if you’re so dead set on beginning something with the first woman I’ve ever known to turn you completely on your head—and your ass, if you want my opinion—then this screwball idea seems to be playing with fire. Like, of the inferno variety.” He made an explosion motion with his hands.

  Seth picked up a French fry and popped it into his mouth, grinning as he chewed and swallowed, then said, “Yes, well, see, that’s the other part of this plan.”

  Sawyer closed his eyes, only it wasn’t in food rapture this time. “I’m afraid to ask.”

  “What? Who got your butt out of that very tricky sling that time in Jakarta? And who, might I ask, thought up that very incredible tactical retrieval in Mumbai? Both successful, need I remind you, given we’re sitting here talking about them. I’m a great planner.” He grinned and bit into another fry. “Everyone says so.”

  “Yes, well, despite the fact that your mood seems to have made a remarkable recovery, for which we’re all thankful, I’m afraid even your admittedly brilliant military strategizing can’t conquer the Blue Hollow Falls gossip grapevine. So why bother?”

  “Do you want to hear my plan or not?”

  Sawyer waved his own fry. “Go on. Let’s hear it.”

  “It was something Mabry said, actually, that made me finally realize I might be trying to fight this thing a little too hard.”

  Sawyer put his fry down. “Wait. So you’re saying that I—the man who has also saved your bacon on more occasions than need mentioning here—have a heartfelt conversation with you, urging you to follow your heart, and that doesn’t get to you. But a man old enough to be your grandfather says, ‘go get her’ and that is what makes you rethink things?”

  “First off, Mabry Jenkins was married to the love of his life for more years than we’ve been alive, so I think he’s got you beat there, and secondly, who better to listen to than my elders?”

  Sawyer lowered his fry, then popped it into his mouth. “Okay. Point taken.” Sawyer folded his arms. “So, are you saying this was Mabry’s idea? This big plan of yours?”

  “No,” Seth admitted. “But after talking about his wife, he said something about how, back in his day, if a man met the right woman, he didn’t whine about the obstacles, he just went after her and let the rest sort itself out.”

  Sawyer lifted his hands, then let them fall in his lap. “Pretty sure that’s exactly what I told you.”

  Seth grinned. “I guess it was something about his delivery. Anyway, I ran into Pippa in the parking lot that same day, and Mabry had already gotten me to thinking and then there she is, and we hadn’t spoken in a while and . . .” He shook his head. “I think part of this is how fast it’s all come at me. How real can that be, right? And she’s connected to Moira and her life is half a world away, and let’s remember that, oh, she happens to be this rock star of the folk music world, which is easy to forget here when she’s just being Pippa MacMillan, but we all know that’s going to be a thing.”

  Sawyer shook his head, as if trying to keep up with him. “It’s scaring me that I followed all that, but okay, so, what did Mabry say about that?”

  “It wasn’t about our situation specifically, it was just something he said about how you can’t gauge how real something might or might not be based on time alone. Sometimes you just know.” Seth looked at Sawyer. “He made a comment about how he knew his wife was the one for him the first time he made her laugh. And I had all these instantaneous flashbacks to every single moment Pippa smiled, or I made her laugh, or her reaction to something else that I recalled. I didn’t even know there were that many, or that I’d obviously internalized every last one of them. Mabry saying that, it was like . . .”

  “A punch right to the gut?” Sawyer said.

  Seth just nodded.

  Sawyer grinned then. “I might know something about that.” He leaned back in his chair. “It’s true, sometimes you just know. Though Mabry’s a better man, or a more courageous one anyway, for just going after her right from the start. I did exactly what you’re doing. Fought it tooth and nail, using logic as my defense, when nothing about attraction is logical. But it’s what we do to keep from getting our hearts stomped on and handed back to us in a basket.” He rested his forearms on the table again. “The thing is, it’s always going to be a risk, no matter who it is. Obstacles or not. You don’t take that risk, then you never reap the far, far, greater reward. And if Pippa isn’t worth that risk, then who is?”

  Seth nodded in agreement. “That’s where my head has been these past few days as well. Seeing Pippa in the parking lot right after talking to Mabry was like a one-two punch. Then I heard that song, and it got me to thinking.”

  “Wait.” Sawyer pushed his plate aside. “I’m confused. So you’re saying you do want to pursue things with her after all? But you’re going to do that by having a pretend relationship? What am I missing here?”

  “Okay, I’ll start from the beginning.”

  Sawyer sighed, but waved another fry. “Have at it.”

  “We agreed—Pippa and I both did—early on, that it was a bad idea to start something. I knew—I think we both knew—that living under the same roof was going to prove a very bad plan if we hoped to keep our hands to ourselves. So, I leased Noah’s cabin. Then Mabry had his accident and we spent a very intense day dealing with that. And after it was over ... things might have happened.”

  Sawyer’s eyebrows climbed halfway up his forehead. To his credit, this was not paired with any kind of knowing grin. More ... concern, which Seth appreciated.

  “Nothing like that,” Seth quickly added. “But we did give in, momentarily, to things. I’m not a kiss-and-tell guy, so—”

  “And I’m not asking for details. I get the gist. A line was crossed.”

  Seth nodded. “And I think it’s safe to say we both then realized that my plan, about the cabin, was absolutely the right idea, because . . .” He shook his head, blew out a long breath.

  Sawyer did smile then. “I’d launch into the you’re-an-idiot speech again, but since it looks like you finally got that memo . . .” He made a sweeping gesture with his hand. “Proceed.”

  Seth smiled at that. “So we’re living apart, but she continued coming to the vineyard, seeing Dex, helping Bailey and Jake. She gave me plenty of space, but otherwise didn’t seem all that bothered by our being, you know, in the same vicinity.”

  “Unlike yourself,” Sawyer said, then raised his hand. “Just a guess.”

  “Ha. Yes, I was having a harder time with that than I thought she was. So I put increasingly bigger distances between us, but that wasn’t working out too well either. Then we had a pretty big moment by Big Stone Creek, which I can’t explain, but the end result was that I found out she was just as affected, which was why she wasn’t staying away. But she promised she would, and I stood there like an idiot and let her walk away. Then I blew any chance of pulling my head out of my ass when she overheard my conversation with you in your office that day and boom, it should have been over. Only it wasn’t. Because now I knew we both thought there was something, a big something. And then I talked to Mabry, and he said what he said, followed by me walking outside, straight into Pippa. We dance around each other, reaffirm the decisi
on to steer clear, but agree we should at least be able to talk, and she drives off and I’m left standing there asking myself what in the hell is wrong with me? I get in the truck, and I hear the song.” Seth leaned back in his chair. “My point being, at every turn, rather than consider giving it a chance, I’ve just driven my decision to not have this relationship into the ground, then smacked it a few more times with a pile driver, for emphasis.”

  Sawyer didn’t say anything and Seth knew he was processing, so he sat back and waited. “So, what you’re saying is that you can’t tell Pippa you’ve changed your mind and flip-flop on her, because she’ll feel she can’t trust you to know what you want, and she’ll be worried that you could flip right back the other way again.”

  “Bingo,” Seth said, tapping the table with the flat of his palm for emphasis. “Hence the plan.”

  Sawyer rubbed a hand over his face. “Which is, exactly?”

  Seth leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Pippa made the comment that the townsfolk didn’t seem to be moving on to another subject; they still want to see us together, and they make that pretty clear at every opportunity, even if they’re kind about it. Pippa said she was getting used to it. The truth is, I think she’s kind of charmed by it.”

  “Because you think she’s not so averse to the idea after all.” Sawyer made it a statement.

  “I know she’s not,” Seth said, then leaned back in his chair. “She said she was sorry it was bugging me so much. I countered with the idea that maybe we just give them ‘something to talk about.’” He laughed then. “She thought I meant one of us should be seen around town with someone else.” Seth specifically didn’t mention the singing, nor would he, even to Sawyer. That was Pippa’s news to share. “Then she wondered if I was trying to tell her I was interested in someone else. Her reaction to that was interesting.”

  “Well, that’s good then, right?”

  Seth nodded. “I told her I meant we should just let the locals think we’re a thing. Then they can move on and focus on the next big to-do.”

  Sawyer laughed as the light finally dawned for him. “And you think that if you pretend to be together, you could just innocently-not-so-innocently let things progress naturally from pretend to real, like it was just this great plan backfiring on both of you?”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  Sawyer rolled his eyes. “I say that like a guy who thinks that sometimes the hard part of being a brilliant strategist is that you tend to overthink things way too much.”

  Seth smiled. “I thought this was kind of brilliant, too.”

  “I think it’s an utterly insane way of approaching a fairly straightforward concept. There’s this wild new thing the young kids are doing called dating. You should try it. Take her out to dinner. In fact, bring her here for dinner. Do a little dancing. Take a nice long drive. Hell, walk the vines together holding hands.”

  Seth grinned. “You missed your calling. You should be running a dating service.” He was not remotely put off by Sawyer’s reaction. In fact, he’d expected it. This was how Sawyer had reacted to every one of his successful plans to get their missions accomplished and their butts safely back to base camp. To Seth’s way of thinking, this reaction meant he was on the right track. He popped another two fries in his mouth, then pointed a third at Sawyer. “Sunny is a very lucky woman.”

  “She is,” Sawyer agreed, grinning despite his clear irritation with his best friend.

  Seth was okay with that. “The thing is, if I ask her out, try to go the normal route, there’s all this pressure and worry. Like, should-we-shouldn’t-we, what if he changes his mind again, what should I think about this, how should I react about that. All of the crap that dates are so fraught with when you’re trying to get to know someone, trying to find out if this is the one you’re meant to be with.”

  Realization began to dawn. “Ah. But if you’re just pretend dating, for the sake of getting the locals off your back, then there’s nothing to worry about, because it’s not real. So you can just be yourselves.”

  “Exactly,” Seth said. “We let our guards down, just act naturally. Actually, even planning how we’re going to put on this little song and dance is a thing that will probably draw us closer together. We’ll have some laughs, and in the meantime . . .” He lifted a shoulder. “Things will sort of figure themselves out. We’ll either go from pretending to real, or we’ll figure out we were right to nip it in the bud. But at least we’ll know.”

  “You’ll know,” Sawyer countered.

  “We’ll both know,” Seth said. “If she decides to still keep her distance, I’ll respect that. I have no choice but to respect that, but at least we’ll have tried. I’ve given up pretending if I ignore it, it will go away.”

  Sawyer must have seen something in Seth’s expression, because he leaned forward immediately. That had been his skill as a commanding officer. No one could read a situation, or a person, better than Sawyer. “But you don’t think she will back off, do you? Because, perhaps, this little charade has already begun? And maybe it won’t be a charade for long?”

  “Last night I went up to the cabin to get Bailey. They were having movie night. Pippa and I sat outside and talked while Bailey was inside cleaning up. And yes, I told her my idea.”

  “How’d she take it?”

  “We were dancing at the time,” he said, by way of explanation.

  Sawyer lifted his brows again. “Okay.”

  “So, I thought it went well,” was all Seth said, not commenting on the kiss. Then both his smile and all of his bravado dimmed. “Only I haven’t heard a word from her today. Maybe she assumes I’m taking the lead, since it was my idea.”

  “But you’re worried she’s having second thoughts.” Again, Sawyer didn’t make it a question.

  “Not worried so much as . . . well, okay, maybe worried sums it up. It’s possible I could have put the plan into motion in a less ... emphatic manner.”

  “Ah,” Sawyer said, his lips twitching. “Hard to be in a pretend relationship when only one of you is pretending.”

  “Yeah. I might not have thought that part all the way through.”

  Sawyer grinned widely then. “No pain, no gain.”

  “Kiss my—”

  “So, what did you think of the burgers, mates?”

  Seth and Sawyer looked up to find Hudson standing beside their table. He was as tall as Sawyer and as solidly built as Seth, with a flashy grin, a mop of wild curly hair on his head, and the kind of swagger one would expect from an Aussie with his extraordinary culinary skill set.

  “Which one was your favorite?”

  “Yes,” Seth said with a grin, handing his scorecard to Hudson, showing every box checked. “When is dessert day?”

  Hudson laughed. “I’m still working on it, mate. But you’re on the invite list, I promise.”

  “These were amazing, Hud,” Sawyer told him. “Let’s go with the top four vote-getters, and if it’s a ten-way tie, then chef’s choice.”

  “I knew I liked you,” Hudson said, then moved on to chat with the artists and crafters seated at each table.

  “Smart move, making the guild your lab rats,” Seth said, watching Hudson work the room as well. “They’ll be raving about this to everyone who stops by the mill for weeks.”

  Sawyer smiled. “That’s the idea. All for one—”

  “Burgers for all,” Seth finished, and they both chuckled.

  Drake and a few other crafters got up and went over to the stage. They’d stowed their instruments there earlier and Drake climbed up on stage and stepped behind the mike. “Okay if we play a little, work off those amazing burgers?” Drake called out to Sawyer.

  Sawyer waved his hand. “Please do.”

  Moments later the sound of a fiddle being tuned and riffs from an accordion punctuated the lively chatter populating the dining area, as did the laughter coming from whatever table Hudson was visiting.

  “You know, you’ve created
something really special here already,” Seth said, taking in the scene. “I can’t believe it’s all come together so quickly.”

  Sawyer smiled. “Tell me,” he said. “I feel like my head is spinning every day, trying to focus on the brewing, and get this up and going at the same time. Hudson has been a godsend in more than one way. He’s been interviewing sous-chefs and kitchen help. I’m going to have to hire a restaurant manager soon so I can focus on the brewery side of things.” He shook his head. “Not complaining, mind you. I’m so grateful this has blossomed like it has. Not just the brewery and pub, but the whole mill. Addie Pearl held a meeting last week with all of the crafters and artists in residence so far, and everyone’s saying the same thing. It’s been an overwhelming response since we opened our doors with that big holiday open house. In the dead of a pretty brutal winter, too. We’re all excited to see how things grow over this coming summer.”

  “You build it, they will come,” Seth said. “It’s got everything going for it, and this place, where folks can sit, chat, linger, and enjoy the whole mill vibe, it’s just the icing on the cake.”

  “Get that winery of yours going and we’ll be sending the crowds right up the hill to you. Maggie was by here yesterday to give us an update on Mabry and she said she and her husband have decided to move here for good. Apparently, her husband is thinking he might retire and work with Maggie and the boys to open a cidery to go along with Mabry’s apple orchards.”

  Seth’s eyebrows shot up. “Truly? That’s a fantastic idea.”

  Sawyer nodded. “Create something of a destination location, what with your farms being side by side. And you’ve got Ansted on the other side of the mountain with his pumpkin farm. I think you all could make the fall harvest months a huge event time. Then, when you get the event venue up and running, you’ll have wedding season to balance that.” He grinned, leaned back in his chair. “Hard to believe when we started working on this rundown place and your horrifically overgrown fields, that we’d get here just a few short years later.”