Risking the Vine (Romancing the Vine Book 1) (2 page)

He’d had this conversation with his grandmother at least three times in as many days. Nona thought the only decent wine in the world came from her home region of Italy and no amount of arguing or tastings of Oregon or California wines could convince her otherwise.

Nona’s superior and slightly argumentative attitude about the best regions for vineyards played a distant second fiddle given his current location. Which was on the narrow lane leading to Team Vino. One little run-in with the nurses’ union a few weeks ago resulted in his banishment to this place until he could learn to play nice with others.

After a few minutes of conversation, he told his Nona
te voglio bene
, he loved her,
and hung up. He tossed the phone to the passenger seat, and paid attention to the road.

He hadn’t been on the job for four months, barely a honeymoon period by most business standards. As Chief Operating Officer, he was responsible for cutting costs. His knuckles went white on the steering wheel.

In hindsight, suggesting a highly unpopular cost saving measure for nursing staff overtime wasn’t the best idea right before contract talks. Unnecessary, since the medical center was making money. His boss had insisted, despite Luke’s efforts to persuade him otherwise. Saving money was always good, but not at the expense of alienating their skilled workers. The nurses threatened to retaliate with a sick-out protest, risking the health of their patients. He and Brian Evert, his boss, had exchanged some pretty harsh words and he’d been sent away to learn how to be a team player.

Luke ground his teeth together. Pain shot through his jaw. How Brian had managed to avoid the same punishment was beyond him.

He cranked the wheel to ease into a slot in the gravel parking area in front of the house. At least he’d enjoyed the scenery on his way down from Medford. And the quiet. Until he called his Nona, he’d left the phone off, determined not to bring work with him.

Due to his crazy schedule since moving to south-central Oregon, he hadn’t even had time to unpack his household goods. With the exception of his clothes, bathroom items, and some kitchen utensils, everything remained in boxes. He couldn’t decide if that was due to overwork, or fear of having to seek a new job and deal with another move.

Yeah, his situation was dire. He had to succeed with the first huge contract challenge he’d walked into, or face being let go. And yet they’d sent him away for a week on this frivolous errand. The idea of it churned like acid in his gut.

After pulling his bags from the trunk, he walked to the office to check in. Although here under duress, at least he’d make the most of it. As he stepped into the foyer, the delicious aroma of beef stew and freshly baked bread enveloped him. His stomach rumbled.

The woman at the desk tried, and failed, to hold back her grin. “You must be Luca. Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes.”

He attempted to smother the growling noise in his gut with his hand. “Please call me Luke. Only my Nona calls me Luca. And how did you know? Do you interpret bodily gurgles?”

The cute blond laughed. “God, wouldn’t that be a talent to have? Actually, it was process of elimination. You’re the last participant to arrive, so it’s a safe assumption. I’m Jules Capelli, your hostess and team coach.”

Luke extended his hand. Her grip was strong and professional. He liked that. “Nice to meet you. As you can tell, I’m starving.”

“Let’s get you settled.”

Jules made quick work of checking him in and escorting him to his room. After providing him with directions to the dining room, she left him alone. Luke dropped his suitcase on the stand and stared at it, lost in thought. God, he hoped this wasn’t a complete waste of time. There were more valuable uses of his energy than playing in the country. He reached for his neck and rubbed the small tight spot, sending jagged pulses of pain up his scalp.

Blowing out a disgusted breath, he began to unpack, hanging his clothes in the antique wardrobe, stowing his shoes under the bed the way Nona had taught him. He carried his shaving kit to the bathroom and tossed it onto the vanity. A quick splash of water to his face later, he felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. At least he’d get to spend a few days outside and away from an increasingly difficult work environment.

After working from sunup to well past sundown for the past six months, he deserved a little down time. This he rationalized as he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. And who knew? Maybe this would be a grand adventure and he’d learn something new.

Chapter 2

Two hours, sixteen emails, and five phone calls later, Jac had accomplished her task. The client had threatened to take their multimillion-dollar account elsewhere because of Deidre’s flip response to a very real privacy issue. It had taken a conference call with the client and Ted Fleury, MedServices’ president, to resolve everything. The call had ended with the client’s demand to never have to deal with Deidre again. The solution suited Jacqui just fine.

The breeze floating in the window proved too much for her. A quick glance at the clock on the bedside table showed she had only a half hour until dinner. Just enough time for a brisk walk to the hill she spied out the window. She unzipped her suitcase, feeling lighter and happier than she had since . . . well, since her last vacation four years ago.

Rummaging through the case, she snagged a pair of jeans and a lightweight yellow cardigan. She’d thrown it in at the last minute because she loved the way it complemented her russet-colored hair and brown eyes. It was her favorite sweater.

After shoving her phone in the back pocket of her jeans, she plucked the key from the bedside table. In her hand it felt weighty and solid, a testament to the way things used to be built. Five seconds later, she locked the door with a satisfying twist and strode toward the stairs, all but skipping down each one. The front door remained open, and her step was eager as she crossed the large hall. The view beyond the entry was inviting. God, she loved being in this kind of rustic setting.

Just as she crossed the threshold, her phone rang.
No
! She wasn’t in the mood to speak to anyone else from the office today. Curling her hand into a fist, she fought the urge to answer. A second ring sounded.
Let it go to voicemail
. She kept walking across the porch, intent on ignoring it. She groaned as it rang a third time and she lost the skirmish.

She pulled the phone from her pocket. Consulting the display, she was delighted to see it wasn’t the office.

“Hey, Bella,” she answered on the fourth ring.

“Screening your calls much lately?” Bella Robins demanded with the appropriate mixture of snark, chagrin, and playfulness in her voice. “I’m driving home from work and wanted to check in to make sure you got there okay.”

“I arrived about two hours ago and have been on the phone with my office ever since. I was afraid it was another co-worker with more shit storms for me to solve long-distance. I just got outside. God, it’s gorgeous here.”

“Seriously, you need to set a different ringtone for my calls.”

Jac wandered along the flower-lined walk leading toward the vines. “You’re right. Just can’t decide what I need to pick.”

Bella’s throaty laugh came across the line. “Something by Maroon 5, please.”

“Hmmm. I’ll think about it.” Jac laughed with her friend. “How was your day?”

“Just another day in paradise. Same shenanigans as yesterday, just a different set of leprechauns to deal with.” Bella took her Irish heritage seriously. “The nurses’ union is up in arms again about one of the new interns. We’ve dealt with the union rep and their grievance all day.”

“That sucks. You’d think the neophytes would recognize the nurses know more than they do at this stage of the game.”

“Some people never learn.”

“Speaking of nurses and their grievances, you’ll never guess who my teammate is,” Jac said. “Luca Rossi.”

She had to pull the phone away from her ear as Bella screeched. “You lucky dog! Luscious Luke is your partner? I’d heard he was heading to a team building camp. It’s karma. An entire week with him to yourself.”

“Hold your horses, Bella. Based on what you’ve told me about the guy, I’m not sure we’re as meant to be as you think,” Jac protested. Bella had alluded to the fact that in addition to being swoon-worthy, the man was pigheaded, unwilling to listen to anyone else’s opinion, and stubborn in general. All good reasons he’d been banished to team building camp. None of it boded well for any team with him on it.

“Once you get past his attitude and focus on his Roman god looks, you’ll change your tune. Luke is every woman’s type. All dark wavy hair, and those piercing hazel eyes. He looks great in a suit. But ooh-la-la, he wore shorts at the company picnic and he has beautiful legs. You’ve met him, you know how gorgeous he is.”

Bella paused. “Besides, he really is a nice guy. He was dropped into the deep end when he got here. Things aren’t shaping up so great for labor relations at St. Simeon.”

Jac sighed low enough that Bella couldn’t hear her. She turned the corner at the end of the drive onto a little track leading down a hill. The breeze flirted with the ends of her hair and kissed her face with the type of heat you could only feel in late September.

Bella continued, “Anyway, back to Luscious Luke. Remember the guy from ‘Under The Tuscan Sun?’ The love interest? Doesn’t Luke remind you of him? Marcello!” Bella’s voice rose giddily, just as Diane Lane’s had in the movie upon spying the man on the balcony.

This was why Bella was Jac’s best friend. Comic relief. Jac stifled a chuckle and replied, “As delightful as spending time with him sounds, I’m here to focus on the exercise. Once I’m done, a certain promotion is mine.”

The breath Bella blew out was audible. “You need to stop speeding after that bunny, Jac. You know Ted Fleury’s reputation. He could easily pass you over in favor of Deidre. Just like he did to promote his dorky daughter, Janis.”

And didn’t that slight continue to stick in Jac’s craw? Ted had done it before, but had assured her the next management job was hers. Plus, he had given her a tidy little raise to ease the sting of promoting his less competent daughter ahead of her
and
making Jac train the woman, too. She squeezed rising irritation back into the genie’s lamp.

She couldn’t let office politics ruin her good mood over landing here in a little slice of heaven. “I know. I’m telling you, I feel certain this time it won’t happen. He won’t do that to me again.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Jac replied weakly. She forced confidence into her voice. “Yes. This time for sure.”

She neared the end of the path, where it crested a small hill. Pausing at the top, she caught her breath in delighted surprise. Golden light from the waning sun illuminated the rolling field of vines. The yellowing leaves had faded in anticipation of the harvest. The stunning view resonated deep within her. It felt like home. “Oh, Bella. You should see this place. I could move here in a heartbeat.”

“Don’t you dare! I can’t be your friend anymore if you move that far away.”

“Seriously? Don’t be silly, Bella.”

“Okay, not seriously. Take a picture and send it to me. I wanna see.”

After hanging up, Jac activated the camera on her phone. This was a view suitable for printing and framing. She had the perfect spot in her dining area for it. Somewhere she’d see it every day. Pure magic.

After wandering through the field for ten additional minutes and snapping more pictures, she headed toward the mansion. The prospect of spending time on this farm caused giddiness to fizz through her like sparkling wine. She was going to enjoy this adventure.

Life was going well, her future was bright, and at the moment she couldn’t think of another place she’d want to be.

Jac introduced herself to her fellow team builders. There were four boisterous insurance guys on an executive retreat, two women from a big name law firm, and six mid-level, middle-aged managers from a telecommunications company. Together with her and Luke Rossi, they would make seven two-person teams. Her partner was still absent, but it didn’t worry her. If she had to, she could tag along with one of the other teams. However, not those two lady lawyers. Since walking into the room five minutes ago, they’d barely stopped bickering long enough to introduce themselves.

One of the insurance guys approached her with a glass of dark red wine. She suppressed a shudder when the man, old enough to be her dad, swept his fingers across the back of her hand as she accepted the offered glass. “Thanks,” she murmured. As she sipped, the wine’s rich currant flavor exploded on her tongue, followed closely by the spicy sting of pepper.

“Good, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Very good,” she replied. She downed a bit more.

His cohorts crowded around him. “I’m Jeff, this is Jeremy, Jake, and Steve.” He pointed to each as he named them.

“Jacqui,” she shared.

Steve grunted. “Another ‘J’ name. Might have to change my name to Josh, or Jerald.”

“Where are you from?” one of them asked.

She didn’t have a prayer at keeping them straight. Except for maybe Steve, just based on his unique name. “Medford, Oregon.”

“Small town in the southwest corner, right? Pretty country. I bet you love it there.”

Hoping to deflect attention from her, she gestured out the window toward the rolling vineyard. “Doesn’t hold a candle to this area. The scenery is gorgeous here.”

“Did you come with a partner?” The original creeper tucked his thumb into his waistband. His stomach lapped over the top of his belt.

“No. My company sent only me. I understand there’s another singleton I’ll be teamed up with. I don’t know if he’s arrived yet.”

“Well, if he doesn’t make it, you can join us. The more the merrier, right?” This came from the tallest guy in the bunch.

Jules joined them. “He’s here. He just checked in a little bit ago. I’m sure he’ll be down soon. We’ll wait a few minutes for him to join us, then we’ll eat. I hope your rooms are all okay.”

Relief swept through her as Jules mentioned Luke had arrived. No offense to the insurance guys, but she was worn out with what little interaction she’d had with them. Jac paid scant attention to the conversation flowing around her as she sipped her wine. Nerves chased through her stomach at the idea of working for a week with Bella’s ideal of male perfection.

Footsteps echoed near the doorway to the dining area only an instant before the owner of them walked through.

She’d been instantly smitten with the man when Bella had introduced her to him last month. The attraction blossomed to life again. Luca Rossi was panty-dropping, ovary-exploding handsome. Bella’s nickname for him was well deserved.
Luscious Luke, indeed.
His short, dark brown hair curled and waved as if it had a mind of its own. Bright, inquisitive eyes didn’t seem to miss anything as he glanced around the room. His gaze slid past her, lighted on Jules, who remained standing next to her, then returned to Jac’s face.

A slow, sexy grin tugged the corners of his mouth. A faint shadow of stubble emphasized more than hid his square jaw. It was a strong face . . . perfect in the way it was put together.

Conversation around her faded into the background. Jac forgot to breathe for a second. A wave of dizziness swept over her. And, no, a lack of oxygen wasn’t the cause. Uh-uh, it had to be due to being this close to a living, breathing Roman god. Or because he continued to stare at her. He lifted a brow over gorgeous hazel-blue eyes and his smile broadened, allowing even white teeth to peek between full lips.

“Ah, there you are. Come in, Luke. We were about to sit down for dinner.” Jules beckoned him to her side.

“I hope I haven’t made you wait. I’m sure you are all as hungry as I am.” His smooth baritone voice slid over Jac like musical honey. Luke sauntered toward them, his tanned hand rubbing small circles over his lean abs.

He wore a button-down white shirt and blue jeans. Bare feet, shod in leather flip-flops completed his ensemble. Jac’s stomach did a slow roll as he approached. Giving herself a mental shake, she broke eye contact with him and studied the empty glass in her hand. When had she drained the wine? She could only recall taking two or three sips.

She glanced around the room. The man had attracted the attention of the two quarreling lawyers. They finally stopped their debate and stared at Luke’s butt as he crossed toward Jules and Jac. The first thought through her mind was
hands off, ladies. This one is mine
. Heat flooded into her face an instant later.

Jules made introductions. “And this is your partner for the next few days, Jacqui Bishop.”

“I know you,” Luke said. He extended his hand. “You’re Bella’s friend.”

Sensation, as intoxicating as wine, formed between their palms and meandered up her arm. Jac’s heart sped up, a steady tattoo against her breastbone. “Uh-huh. It’s nice to see a familiar face. I’m looking forward to working with you on the challenges.” Her voice held a breathless quality she couldn’t remember ever hearing before.

Luke tightened his grip on her hand for a fraction of a second before releasing it. The feeling was much more welcome than when Flirty Insurance Guy touched her. Luke greeted the others standing in the small group.

After introductions were completed, and Jac had regained her equilibrium, Jules gestured to the long refectory table, inviting everyone to take a seat. Jac made her way to the far end of the table. As she started to pull out a chair, Luke moved next to her and did the honors.

“I hope you don’t mind if I sit next to you. I figured we should get better acquainted if we’re going to be teammates.”

Oh, heck no
! She wouldn’t mind sitting next to him at all. “A sound idea.”

She sat and Luke scooted her chair closer to the table before claiming the seat next to her. Giving Jac a wink, Flirty Insurance Guy dropped into the seat directly across from her, with Belinda, one of the lawyers, taking the position to his right. Jules anchored one end, with Marcus opposite her.

As the wait staff placed baskets of bread on the table, Luke asked, “So we met at a hospital happy hour, but you aren’t an employee. Where do you work?”

“MedServices. We’re a medical records management firm,” she replied.

“Hate to say it, I think we use your competition.”

“I know. Bella’s told me on numerous occasions.”

His eyes darkened. “Bella’s okay. We’ve worked together to settle a couple of issues with the nurses’ union. She strikes me as one of the sane ones in the HR department.”