Love Is Thicker Than Water

Chapter 2-3

Ryan was dragging the next day when he forced himself out of bed for lunch. The best thing about working on his family’s vineyard was the free food at his constant disposal. He knew how to cook, but he much preferred to let his cousin, Zach, do the cooking while Ryan enjoyed the fruits of Zach’s labor.

He trudged to the inn and went through the front door. Andie, another cousin, was at the desk at the front, talking to guests who with suitcases next to them. She smiled at him and held up a finger, so he waited while she finished and opened the door for them to leave.

“Hey,” Andie said happily. She looked almost as tired as Ryan felt.

“Hey. You okay?”

Andie nodded. “Mia is kicking my butt. She hasn’t been sleeping well lately. I should have taken off a year like Cody wanted me to.”

Ryan chuckled. “Alyssa tried to warn you.”

Andie rolled her eyes. “One day I’ll learn to listen. I stopped you because there’s a woman here for lunch. She asked if you were around. I got the feeling she knows you, but I wasn’t sure how well. I told her you weren’t here when she got here and didn’t offer anything else. She still went for lunch.”

“What does she look like?” Ryan asked, wondering who would be there looking for him.

“She’s pretty. Shoulder length hair, a really pretty chestnut color. Blue eyes so light they look like ice. She’s about your age. I didn’t ask her name. She looks familiar, but I can’t figure out where I know her from.”

Ryan shrugged. The description wasn’t ringing a bell for him at all. “I’ll let you know when I see her. I don’t have any crazy ex’s hanging around lately, so I don’t know who this one is. If you hear me scream, call 9-1-1.”

Andie chuckled and rolled her eyes. Ryan winked at her and walked down the hall toward The Drunken Grape. Leo and Kristen were behind the counter in the tasting room and waved, but they were busy since it was a Saturday. Even in the winter, they got plenty of visitors on the weekends to make it worthwhile to have it staffed.

Ryan made his way into the dining room and looked around for the woman Andie mentioned. There was only one woman sitting by herself, but she had her back to Ryan. There was no guarantee she was the one looking for him, but it was possible.

He scanned the dining room once more and didn’t see anyone flagging him down, so he headed toward the woman by herself. If she didn’t look familiar, he would sit at the table just beyond her and she’d never know he was trying to figure out if they knew each other.

She looked up at him when he passed by. Those eyes. Damn. He would have remembered those eyes if he’d seen them before. Ice blue, just like Andie said. He scanned the rest of her face, trying to place her. She was familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Where did he see her before?

“Ryan?” she asked, her plump lips turning up on the edges. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Really?” he asked. “Well, thankfully you did.”

She smiled. “Do you want to join me? You don’t have to, but if you’re not meeting anyone, you can. It’s up to you.”

Ryan nodded and took the seat across from her. She was beautiful. Her eyes lit up when he sat down, and her smile hit him in the chest like a laser. He wanted to reach across the table and take her hand just so he could touch her, but there was only one problem.

He still had no clue who she was.