Vineyard Dreams (Beyond The Red Carpet #4)

Chapter 12

12

A warm touch on her arm brought Elle back to the present. Harper’s fingers, hesitant at first, settled gently against her skin. The contact sent a pleasant through her.

“Hey...” Harper’s voice was gentle, laced with concern. “It’s okay,” she murmured.

Elle lifted her gaze, searching Harper’s warm brown eyes. She saw a flicker of the same desire in Harper’s eyes, and the realization sent a thrill through her, but it was quickly followed by a wave of panic.

This was unexpected, unplanned, and utterly intoxicating.

Elle took a shaky breath. The memory of Harper’s hands on her waist, the heat that pulsed through the thin fabric of her shirt, threatened to undo her.

How had this happened?

One minute they were talking and the next she was leaning in, her lips pressing against Harper’s. Elle swallowed the lump in her throat. It was hard to enjoy the way she’d just felt when she knew that she shouldn’t have acted so impulsively. She barely knew Harper, and more importantly, they were going to be entering into a business arrangement any day now.

This was crazy, reckless, and so unlike her.

“I should go,” Elle said, her voice barely a whisper. She pushed herself away from the couch, a nervous energy coursing through her veins. Before Harper could respond, Elle was already on her feet.

Harper reacted swiftly. Her hand shot out as she stood up, grasping Elle’s wrist before she was out of reach. The touch, light yet firm, sent a pulse of electricity up her arm. Elle exhaled, a slow, unsteady release of breath, and turned to face Harper.

“Elle,” Harper said. “Wait.” The intensity in Harper’s eyes held her captive, making it impossible to look away.

“This…” Elle started, then hesitated. “This complicates things.” The words hung in the air between them.

“Does it?” Harper asked, tilting her head slightly. A strand of dark hair fell across her cheek, and Elle resisted the urge to reach out and tuck it behind her ear. The close proximity, the electricity that crackled between them, made it hard to think clearly.

Elle pulled her hand away gently, stepping back. “We’re about to sign an agreement.”

“I know,” Harper said as she held Elle’s gaze. “But I felt something tonight, Elle. Something… real.”

Elle’s heart pounded in her chest. It had been so long since she’d felt this way, since she’d allowed herself to be vulnerable with someone.

A knot formed in her stomach, a sudden, sharp pang of guilt twisting inside her. It wasn’t rational. She knew that, but it didn’t make that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach go away.

Stephanie would have wanted her to be happy, to find love again. But the thought of moving on, of sharing that intimacy with someone else, felt like a betrayal, even though she wanted it more than she cared to admit.

“I…” Elle hesitated, unsure of what to say. She wanted to believe Harper, wanted to embrace the possibility of something new.

“Don’t say anything,” Harper said softly, reaching out and taking Elle’s hand in hers. “Just… think about it.”

Elle nodded slowly, her gaze locked on Harper’s. She brought her hand to Harper’s cheek, the soft skin warm beneath her fingertips. “I’m going to go.” She wanted to explain, to tell Harper that she might just be too broken, that she might have spent too many years alone for this to ever have a chance. But the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she let her hand fall away, the warmth of Harper’s skin lingering on her fingertips, and turned to leave.

“Are you driving?” Harper asked as she followed her to the door.

“No,” Elle said. “I’ll walk.” She needed time to process, to untangle the mess of feelings that were threatening to overwhelm her. As she reached the door, she pulled out her phone, the bright beam of the flashlight cutting through the darkness as she pulled the door open.

“Goodnight, Harper,” she said as she stepped outside, throwing one last look over her shoulder before she started down the driveway.

Each step away from Harper’s house felt heavier than the last. It was impossible not to replay the kiss in her mind. She could still feel the sensation of Harper’s lips pressed against hers. It had been so long since she’d experienced that kind of intimacy, that electric connection with another person.

Why had she pulled away?

The beam of her flashlight bounced along the dark road. It would have been so easy to give in, to let herself get swept away by the moment, but it was hard to shake away that guilty feeling.

And then there was the vineyard.

Mixing business with pleasure was never a good idea, especially when so much was at stake. If she wanted to make this venture work, she needed to keep things professional, although Elle had no idea how she would forget about that kiss.

If Elle brought Harper the paperwork in the next few days, how could Elle sit down on the couch beside her again and pretend that that kiss hadn’t happened?

The worst thing was, Elle had started this. She’d had a feeling that Harper was attracted to her. There’d been something in her eyes when Elle had invited her over for dinner. It wasn’t obvious, but Elle hadn’t missed the way Harper’s eyes had lingered on her.

Elle’s steps slowed as the thought of their age difference crept into her mind. She knew Harper was younger, but by how much? She’d avoided thinking about it earlier, but now, walking alone in the dark with the memory of their kiss still fresh in her mind, she needed to know.

She unlocked her phone, hesitating for a moment before typing Harper’s name into the search bar. Her heart beat faster as she scanned over the words.

Harper had turned thirty-eight at the start of the year.

Elle stopped walking. Sixteen years. She stared at the number on the screen, her earlier warmth from their kiss fading. How had she let herself get carried away like this?

She was fifty-four. She was too old for a complicated situation like this. The business arrangement, their age gap, her grief - everything pointed to why that kiss had been a mistake.

Did Harper even know how old she was? Elle thought she looked good for her age, that she could easily pass for her late forties. She kept herself fit from the physical demands of running the vineyard, her body strong and toned from countless hours pruning vines and hauling equipment.

But looking younger didn’t change the reality of those sixteen years between them. Harper was in her prime, a successful actress with her whole life ahead of her. Elle had already lived through so much - marriage, loss, rebuilding her life. They were at completely different stages.

A wave of exhaustion washed over her. She was being ridiculous. This was Harper Reeves, for God’s sake. An Oscar-winning actress, a glamorous Hollywood star. What could she possibly see in someone like her? A middle-aged vineyard owner, still grieving the loss of her wife after all these years.

Elle started walking again, her pace quicker now. She needed to put this behind her, to focus on what was important. The vineyard. That was what mattered, not some fleeting infatuation with a woman she barely knew.

She needed to forget about Harper, to compartmentalize that kiss and move on. They would go ahead with the plan for Elle to rent the vineyard. It was a good business decision, a way to honor Harper’s father’s legacy and expand her own operation. But that was it. Nothing more.

She wouldn’t let herself get caught up in some fantasy, some impossible dream of a relationship with a woman who was clearly out of her league.