Corporate A$$

“Thank you. And you are?” I cocked my head as he took a seat at the table.

  “Linden Fields. I’m the actual owner of this bar and the farm up the road.”

  “How do you know my father?”

  “He came in here a couple of years ago, had a glass of wine, and offered me a business deal. He wanted us to produce wine for his company. Even purchased the land to grow another vineyard. Had me draw up some plans and said he needed to get the funds together to start building. He called me and said that he ran into a financial issue and that he’d be in touch as soon as he got it straightened out.”

  “How long ago was this?”

  “Let’s see. He purchased the land two years ago and the last I spoke with him was, probably, less than a year ago. I had no idea he passed away.”

  “Can we see your farm?” I asked. “Oh, I’m sorry. This is Nathan Carter.”

  The man looked at him oddly for a moment as Nathan extended his hand.

  “Son of Thomas and Annie Carter?”

  “You knew my parents?”

  “Why, I’ll be damned.” He shook his hand. “The last time I saw you was when you were three years old.”

  “How did you know my parents?”

  “Your mother and I were best friends. We grew up together.”

  “My mother grew up in Maine?”

  “Yes. You didn’t know that?”

  “No. I didn’t.”

  “She loved it here.”

  “Why did she leave?”

  “Because your daddy came in and swept her off her feet.” Linden smiled.

  “But my father grew up in Los Angeles.”

  “I know. He was here with his family on vacation when they met. It was love at first sight. How can you not know any of this?”

  “Because my father never spoke about my mother. He wouldn’t. And every time I would ask a question about her, he told me that it didn’t matter because she was gone.”

  My heart broke when I heard him say that because I could hear the sadness in his voice.

  “Do you know where the land is that Mr. Winslow purchased from my father?”

  “I do. It’s right next to my farm and vineyard.” He smiled. “If you’re finished, I’ll take you there, and don’t worry about paying. It’s on the house.”

  “Thank you, but I insist,” Nathan spoke as he pulled out his wallet.

  “No. Put your wallet away, son. It’s on me.”

  Chapter 39

  Nathan

  Fiona and I climbed into the car and drove up the road to the see the land that my father sold to her father.

  “I can’t believe any of this,” Fiona spoke.

  “Me either.”

  “Are you okay?” she asked as she reached over and swept the back of her hand across my cheek.

  “I’m fine,” I replied in a serious tone.

  Was I okay? I wasn’t sure. Getting out of the car, we stood in front of the land that once belonged to my father.

  “Twenty acres of pure beauty.” Linden smiled.

  “Why did my father buy this land in the first place?” I asked.

  He turned to me and smiled. “It was an anniversary present for your mother. He knew how much she missed it here. Your father bought it because he was going to build a second home for them. He purchased it a year before she died, and by the time they had the house plans all drawn up, it was too late.”

  “Why did he hold on to it for so long?” I asked.

  “Because it was the only piece of her he had left besides you.”

  Fiona took hold of my hand and held it.

  “Why don’t the two of you come on over to my house? I’ll show you the vineyard and our winemaking equipment. You two are also staying for dinner. My wife Nancy would love to see you again, Nathan. Like I said, the last time we saw you was at your mother’s funeral. By the way, how do you two know each other? You married? Dating?”

  “No. We’re not married or dating. I’m her business partner. I own part of Winslow Wines.”

  “I’ll be damned. What a small world this is. Well, come on over and take a look at the vineyards.”

  ****

  Fiona

  A part of me broke when I heard Nathan say that we weren’t dating. I guess I was only sex to him and nothing else.

  “So my father was going to build his own vineyard? I don’t understand how you can grow wine grapes here in Maine with the winters you have.”

  “We can because of that.” He pointed to one of the largest greenhouses I had ever seen.

  After he showed us around the vineyard, we went up to his house where we met his wife, Nancy, and the four of us had a great home-cooked meal.

  “Here’s the plans your father and I drew up for the vineyard,” Linden spoke as he laid the paper across the table.

  “How did my father and Fiona’s father meet?” Nathan asked.

  “When her father came into the bar that day and we got to talking, he asked if there was any way to expand the vineyard. I knew that your father was still holding on to the land, so I called him and explained everything. The two of them flew out here together and made a deal. Your father was hesitant at first about selling, but after having a long talk with him, he agreed that there was no use holding on to it anymore.”

  “Do you know how much my father purchased the land for?” I asked.

  “I think he purchased it for a million,” Linden replied.

  “Why would he keep this such a secret?” I asked Nathan.

  “I have no clue.”

  “I do, I think,” Linden spoke. “Your father wanted to brand this wine under a new company. From what he told me, the wine he already produced and sold was a higher end wine. He wanted to produce a cheaper wine.”

  “But why?” I asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Would you still be interested in what my father proposed to you?” I asked.

  “I’d be willing to take another look.” He smiled.

  “Great. May I have your phone number?” I pulled out my phone as he rattled off his number. Pulling a piece of paper and pen from my purse, I wrote down my number and handed it to him. “Nathan and I will discuss everything and we’ll get back with you.”

  “We better get going, Fiona. It’s getting late. Thank you, Linden, for everything,” Nathan spoke as he held out his hand.

  “It was good to see you, Nathan, and it was a pleasure to meet you, Fiona.”

  “Same here.” I smiled. “Thank you for dinner, Nancy.” I gave her a hug.

  “Any time. Don’t be strangers.”

  We climbed into the car and I looked at Nathan.

  “Now what? Where are we going?”

  “Find a hotel around here,” he spoke in a flat tone.

  “There’s a Hampton Inn about fourteen miles from here.”

  “Call and see if they have two rooms available.”

  “Okay,” I spoke with an attitude as I made the call. “They have two rooms available.”

  “What’s the address?” he asked.

  As I rattled it off, he punched it into the GPS and began driving. When we arrived, we checked in. His room was on the third floor and mine was on the second. I was pissed as hell that he wanted his own room and I couldn’t understand why. The elevator stopped on the second floor.

  “This is my floor. I guess I’ll see you in the morning,” I spoke with disappointment.

  “I’m having the plane come at ten a.m. So we’ll have to leave here by seven thirty. Make sure you’re ready.”

  The only thing I did was put my hand up and wave as I walked to my room. Upon opening the door, the smell of smoke and mildew smacked me in the face.

  Ugh. I hated staying here alone. Damn Nathan Carter. I wanted to be with him because I knew all that talk about his mother and father bothered him. But obviously, he didn’t want to be with me and it hurt. It hurt because I thought after what happened last night, things might have changed. He had shut me out and I didn’t appreciat
e it. The way he held me all night after we made love was special, and now, I was dealing with the aftermath of his destruction on my emotional state.

  After changing into my pajamas, I inspected the bed before I climbed into it. Grabbing my phone, I facetimed Lydia.

  “Hey, you. How’s Maine?”

  “Eventful and challenging. It turns out my dad bought some land here to build his own vineyard.”

  “Wow. That’s cool, right?”

  “He bought it from Nathan’s father.”

  “Say what?”

  “It’s a long story and I’ll tell you when I get back.”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “Hampton Inn.”

  “Ew, why?”

  “It was the closest hotel to the town we were in.”

  “Where’s Nathan? Isn’t he staying with you?”

  “We shared a room together last night at a different hotel and tonight he got us two rooms.”

  “Why?”

  “To be honest, I don’t really know. He’s had an attitude with me since we found out that my dad bought his dad’s land. How did things go with Will?”

  A huge grin crossed her face.

  “Wonderful. We went to dinner and to the movies and went to his place and had sex. I think I’m falling for him, Fiona.”

  “Slow down, Lydia. Don’t assume or rush into anything. This isn’t just about you anymore.”

  “I know, but we have a lot of fun together and so much in common. We’re hanging out again tomorrow. Oh, I got some more freelance work and I’m revamping my website.”

  “That’s great.” I smiled. “I’m so happy everything’s working out.”

  “Me too, but my insurance is still an issue. I’m covered for the next thirty days and after that in order to keep it, I’ll have to pay COBRA and it’s an arm and a leg. I was checking into private insurance and the coverage isn’t as good.”

  “Keep looking. I’m sure you’ll find something comparable. I’m going to go. I just wanted to check in. I love you.”

  “I love you too. Have a safe trip home.”

  After ending the call, I turned on the TV for a while. As I was watching Law and Order, the only thing that was on, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. Two big black spiders crawling down the wall, as if they were playing follow the leader.

  “Oh hell no!” I yelled as I jumped out of bed, grabbed my phone and my bag, ran out of the room, and up to Nathan’s.

  I pounded on the door until he opened it.

  “Fiona, what the hell are you doing?”

  “I need the keys to the rental car.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m sleeping in it tonight. I’d rather sleep in there than in this bug-infested hotel.”

  “What are you talking about? Get in here.” He took hold of my hand and pulled me inside.

  “There were not one, but two big black hairy spiders crawling down the wall across from my bed. Keys, please.” I held out my hand.

  “You are not sleeping in the car. We’ll switch rooms.”

  Asshole.

  He grabbed his bag and I handed him my room key.

  “I’ll see you in the morning,” he spoke as he walked out the door.

  I stood there in shock as the door shut. I wasn’t expecting that. I expected him to stay here with me, not go off and take my room. I was too mad to go to sleep. All I’d do was toss and turn all night, so I took my iPad from my bag, and before climbing into bed, I searched every inch of the room for spiders. I stayed up until two a.m. doing research and taking notes.

  Chapter 40

  Nathan

  I couldn’t share a room with Fiona because I needed to think. Hearing what Linden said about my parents brought back a lot of memories of my father. I wanted to be alone and I knew I probably hurt her, but I hoped she would understand. If I would have told her that I wanted to be alone, she would have flooded me with a million questions and I didn’t want to deal with that.

  Grabbing my bag, I went up to her room and knocked on the door. There was no answer, so I knocked again. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I sent her a text message.

  “I’m at your door. Why aren’t you answering?”

  “Because I’m waiting for you in the lobby.”

  Rolling my eyes, I put my phone back in my pocket and headed downstairs.

  “Why are you down here?”

  “Why not? You didn’t say where we’d meet,” she spoke as we headed to the rental car.

  “I just assumed you would have waited for me in your room.”

  “You know what they say about people who assume,” she spoke.

  I could already tell that this was going to be a long two-hour drive back to Bangor and an even longer flight home.

  As soon as we got in the car, Fiona put her earphones in and turned on her music. I kept glancing over at her, but she wouldn’t look at me. She was definitely pissed about last night. Reaching over, I pulled one of her earphones from her ear.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” She glared at me.

  “Are you just going to sit there and not speak to me the whole way home?”

  “I have nothing to say. If I did, I would talk.” She looked out the window.

  “You’re pissed at me for last night. Aren’t you?”

  “Please.” She put her hand up. “Why would I be pissed?”

  “Because I got us two rooms and then wouldn’t stay with you when you came up to my room because of the spiders in yours.”

  “The only reason we shared a room the other night was because it was the only room available. I didn’t expect us to share again.”

  “I don’t believe you. If you weren’t pissed, you would be talking. You always talk. You love to talk.”

  “So what are you saying? That I talk too much?”

  “No. I’m not saying that at all.” I reached over and pinched her cheek.

  “Do that again, Mr. Carter, and you won’t have a hand left.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at her. “Just admit you’re mad at me.”

  “Give me an explanation of your behavior last night and then I’ll let you know.” She arched her brow.

  “I just wanted to be alone. I had a lot of things to process about what Linden said about my parents and I knew if I told you that, you’d flood me with questions.”

  “I would not have.”

  “Yes, you would have. You’re a woman and women ask way too many questions.”

  “You’re sexist.”

  “I’m honest.” I smirked.

  “I will admit that I was a little upset, but what upsets me more is the fact that you thought I would ask too many questions.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Apology accepted. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some music to listen to.”

  “Don’t you want to talk?” I asked as she put her earphone back in her ear.

  “I’m afraid if we do, I’ll ask too many questions. So it’s probably best we don’t for a while.”

  I sighed as she turned her head and stared out the window. She was still mad.

  We arrived at the airport, turned in the rental car, and boarded the plane. The minute we took our seats, Fiona pulled out a few pieces of paper with writing all over them and her iPad. I leaned over to get a better look at what she had written and she slowly turned her head and glared at me.

  “Can I help you?”

  “What do you have there?” I asked.

  “Why?”

  “Because if it’s business related, I ought to know about it.” I raised my brow.

  “I was up all night doing research and I’m putting together a plan for our new wine line.”

  “New wine line?”

  “Yes. The one my father was going to do.”

  “Would you like to explain it to me?” I asked in irritation.

  “Not really.”

  “Damn it, Fiona!” I snapped. “Enough with your attitude! I al
ready apologized to you for last night. Now drop it and move on! This is the reason I don’t get involved in relationships!” I growled.

  “We aren’t in a relationship, Nathan. I’m your business partner. If you would like to dissolve that partnership, I’m willing to listen,” she spoke calmly.

  She really knew how to push my buttons.

  “I will explain my concept and plan when I’m finished. Until then, you’re just going to have to wait.”

  I clenched my fists as my breathing became rapid. Taking out my iPad, I turned it on and started playing a game to calm the fuck down. I was not going to let her get to me.

  ****

  Fiona

  I was over it and over him. Okay, maybe not totally over him, but I was sure as hell trying. Developing this new wine line was the most important thing right now and I couldn’t lose focus. He was straightforward with me about relationships and dating and I got the message loud and clear. This game was over.

  We had been up in the air for about two hours when I was ready to reveal my plan to him. He was sitting on the couch, playing on his iPad when I got up from my seat and walked over to him.

  “I’m ready.”

  “Okay,” he spoke while still looking at his iPad.

  “Women drink way more wine than men do. It’s become their social obligation to consume a glass or two every day or night while alone or with girlfriends. Women are far more stressed than men and, therefore, turn to the lovely beverage for relaxation.”

  That grabbed his attention.

  “And why are women more stressed than men?” he asked in a cocky way.

  “They worry more. The pressure to rise in the corporate world, family stress, kids running around all day screaming, friendship woes, self-esteem issues, husbands/boyfriends, and the day to day grind of trying to get everything done. Women worry more and focus too much on the stress. Men just use their flight or fight senses. Women are expected to hold down jobs, raise a family, cook, clean, do laundry, grocery shop, while men leave in the morning for the office, come home to a home-cooked meal, and then sit down with their feet up, ignoring what’s going on around them.”

  “Stop right there!” He pointed at me. “Men are equally stressed. They’re expected to bring home the money and provide the kind of lifestyle the woman wants so she can go spend all his hard earned money like it’s water.”