A Vine Mess (Love on the Vine #4)

Prologue Liam

FOUR YEARS BEFORE THE TRIP

The people of this town really had to stop giving me dirty looks when I walked down the street.

I wasn’t some big scary dude like the residents of Apple Blossom Bay tried to pretend. I was simply…reclusive. I kept my head down, lived on the fringes of town, and was content to spend the bulk of my time alone amid the rows of vines at Chateau Delatou where I worked.

But they judged me anyway. Because of my size—six-four and broad shouldered. Because of the tattoos taking up real estate on my arms. Because of my lumberjack beard and the flannels I frequently wore that really drove the whole image home.

I couldn’t control the way I looked. I kept the beard both because I hated shaving and because I looked about ten years younger than my actual age of thirty without it. My hair was perpetually in need of a cut, and I kept it out of my face with ball caps. Flannels were a good way to ward off the chill of the cooler Michigan months—though, at the moment, it was mid-July so I only had on a black cotton tee—as were the faded jeans and scuffed Wolverine work boots I favored. All of it was designed for practicality. I was an efficient man, and the last thing I needed was the chaos of trying to pick out what to wear in the morning or how to style my hair.

All that to say…I supposed I could see where the townspeople were coming from. But I wasn’t a bad guy. I just enjoyed my solitude.

I came into town on very rare occasions, and today was one of my boss’s birthdays, which warranted a trip to the flower shop. I’d been living in Apple Blossom Bay for over a year now and working for the Delatou family at their winery for nearly as long, but I’d never set foot in the place.

Upon pushing open the door, I was greeted with high, sweet notes of numerous florals, and I resisted the urge to sneeze. I scrunched my nose and rubbed at it with the back of my hand as I moved further onto the showroom floor, eyes scanning for the perfect gift for Lena.

The tinkling of the door bell alerted a worker to my arrival, because a moment later, a young woman appeared from the back.

Time slowed to a crawl as she breezed toward me, and I was struck speechless, my mouth gaping.

Without a doubt, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Long, dark hair piled atop her head in a messy bun, little pink tendrils falling free and framing her face. She wore a little slip of a sundress in a pale yellow, decorated with vibrantly colored flowers that offset her olive skin beautifully. The dainty straps were tied into bows over her delicate shoulders, and tattoos randomly dotted her arms.

Instantly, I was intrigued. By the sudden rush of desire I experienced. By her soft, welcoming presence, startlingly gorgeous face, and the random assortment of ink decorating her skin. By the way everything around me seemed to click into place.

I hadn’t wanted anyone that way in a long ass time.

“Hi,” she said brightly. “What can I help you with?”

“Hi,” I responded gruffly, then cleared my throat and tried again. “Hello. I’m hoping you could help me pick out a birthday gift for my boss.”

The woman’s brow raised toward her hairline. “Do you always buy flowers for your boss?”

“What?” I asked, instantly picking up on her meaning. “No. It’s not like that. She’s a happily married woman and about twice my age. I just…she and her husband have done a lot for me, and I wanted to thank her by getting her favorite flowers.”

Her brow drooped and her face slackened, mouth popping open slightly. “You’re Liam.”

“I…yes?” It came out as more of a question. Despite the fact that it was a small town, as previously mentioned, I didn’t get out much, and I’d definitely remember if I’d laid eyes on her before.

“You know…it’s my mom’s birthday today too. And Lena ”—she emphasized the name with a knowing look, and I realized with a jolt that I was looking at one of my bosses’ daughters—“loves peonies.”

With a wink, the woman weaved through the display tables until she stood behind the counter, where the thirty-foot wall was lined with coolers holding various buckets of blooms. She approached one and slid the door open, reaching in and emerging with three separate flowers. One pink, one white, one purple. Then she turned to me again.

“These three would look great in a bouquet with some greenery. I can put them in one of the milk can vases,” she said, gesturing to the row of tins modeled to look like old school milk cans.

“Great,” I croaked, swallowing hard. I suddenly had no idea what to do with myself. This woman—whose name I had yet to learn—was my bosses’ daughter, which meant I needed to stay as far away as possible lest I wanted to lose my job…or worse. Still, I couldn’t ignore the way my skin prickled in her presence, like she was meant to be in my life. But maybe that’s all I was experiencing. The knowledge that she was going to be in my life because I was employed by her family and nothing more.

So why was that thought so goddamn depressing?

Admittedly, I’d been floating through life for a while. Basically since I’d left Portland, my previous job, and my ill-fated relationship in favor of a new life away from the pressure, drama, and expectations of people who had known me forever.

And then this woman appeared like a goddamn magical garden fairy and turned my entire world upside down in a flash. For a moment there, I’d been…almost excited. Excited for the future, for exploring this impossible, inexplicable, and immediate connection I felt for her. But it was all doused by the realization that her parents were my bosses, and her father would murder me if I broke his cardinal rule.

I liked my head attached to my body. And breathing. Definitely enjoyed breathing.

The woman canted her head to the side, studying me, before giving me a little nod and going about building the arrangement for her mom. I watched as she worked, rapt by the way her long, delicate fingers maneuvered the scissors to snip the stems just right, how they patiently stuck them in the vase until they were arranged to her satisfaction.

We didn’t speak as she worked. In fact, I stood there like a statue with my clammy hands shoved deep in my pockets, shoulders bunched up around my ears like I’d suddenly forgotten how to speak to people and didn’t know what to do with my body.

But this woman…she wasn’t just anyone. Inherently, I knew that. And while I wanted to make a good impression, my awkwardness told me I was failing miserably.

Maybe I really did need to get out of my house more.

“I don’t believe I got your name,” I blurted as she began sifting large, deep green leaves in between the peony blooms.

“Oh!” she said with a little giggle before she turned to face me. “Ella. The second youngest Delatou, at your service.”

She let go of the flowers long enough to extend a hand, and I captured it with my own. A jolt shot up my arm, and I once again experienced that same sense of time crawling, warping around us until it was only me and her. Everything narrowed to that single point of contact.

“Pleasure to meet you, Ella. I’m Liam Danvers.”

“Mom and Dad’s vintner,” she said with a nod. “I know.”

Time sped again, and with it, some of my old charm seemed to return.

“So you’ve heard about me.”

Ella only lifted a shoulder. “Some.”

“All good things, I hope. ”

Ella grinned, showing off a straight, bright smile that punched me in the gut. “My parents have done nothing but sing your praises. From what I hear, you’re damn good at your job, an impressive feat for someone so young.”

“I’m thirty,” I grumbled. “That’s hardly young.”

“Still awfully young to be head vintner at a winery as old as my family’s.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong there.

I’d always felt a kinship with nature. After shunning the expectations my father had placed on me to study business and join him at the family company, I’d gone to college for bio-agricultural engineering. Creating a top notch product was important to me, and I knew that started with providing the best growing environment for the grapes. I worked tirelessly year round—yes, even in the winter when several feet of snow blanketed the vineyards—to ensure Chateau Delatou maintained its liquid excellence. And I’d cut my teeth in the Willamette Valley near Portland, where I’d accepted a job fresh out of college and worked my way up the ladder.

In comparison, Chateau Delatou was actually relatively small, but only on the surface. We distributed across the country as well as the world, and business was booming. It was exactly where I wanted—and needed —to be at this stage of my life.

Had I considered moving onto something else now that I’d secured a position at the top of my field? Of course I had. But I wouldn’t do that. Not now—maybe not ever.

Both because I loved my job, loved Leon and Lena for taking a chance on a kid who’d never headed his own operation before, and because I’d made a home and a family within the winery and Apple Blossom Bay—despite all their misconceptions of me.

And now? Even if I’d had to content myself with being on the fringes of her life, I wouldn’t leave.

As long as Ella Delatou remained, so would I.

Biding my time until it’d be safe to make my move.

I only had to hope she’d be ready for me when the time came.