An Exceptional Twist (38 page)

Glancing toward the living room, Caleb
caught Abby’s eye, which made her shyly smile. With desire in his
eyes, he continued, “I can’t wait for her to start showing more.
The beautiful curves of a pregnant woman’s body are
mesmerizing.”

“I still don’t get it. But more power to
you, brother.” Stefen patted Caleb’s shoulder, “Now stop devouring
her in front of me. You’re making me uncomfortable.” Stefen locked
eyes with Leah momentarily, and he muttered, “Extremely
uncomfortable.”

Pulling into the lush Tuscan-style vineyard,
Leah was keyed up about today. She’d met the bride-to-be a few
weeks back, when her florist cancelled last minute without any
explanation. Leah didn’t understand how people could run a business
like that—not having any consideration at all for their
customers.

Thankful that this bride not only had
exquisite taste, but also an open budget, Leah was able to get
everything she’d wanted in the short amount of time she had to work
with. She was confident this would be another happy client. Leah
was really hoping to drum up more business from this event.

It was an exceedingly hot, dry August day,
and she was glad the wedding was taking place right before sunset.
Worried that the flowers might die from the heat, Leah used the
extra money the bride offered to rent a refrigerated van. Her
assistant followed in her car, and Stefen sat right beside her.

She was surprised when he offered to come,
but loved that he wanted to help her. The idea of his company
certainly didn’t hurt. She hoped he wasn’t doing it because he felt
guilty about everything she’d done for him. They’d become very
close, and she didn’t want him feeling indebted to her.

She shot him a glance, taking in his dark
slacks and light cotton button-down shirt.

Damn, he knows how to dress.

“Are you sure you’re up for this? We’ll only
stay until the reception starts. I like to make sure everything is
still perfect right before everyone enters.” She wouldn’t mind
hitting the tasting room for a small glass of Sangria afterward,
but she’d leave that up to Stefen and how he was feeling.

He placed his hand on her arm. “Yes, I
already told you. I can’t lift too much, but I'm happy to help you
out for a change.” His smile and sparkling eyes still melted her
heart.

Leah was parking when her cell phone rang.
Ben’s name flash on her screen. Getting out of the van, she moved
to the side. It was still awkward talking to him, and she didn’t
need Stefen hearing their conversation. “Hey, you. I was starting
to think you forgot about me.”

“That’s never happened. I’ve been thinking
about you non-stop, and I want to see you soon.” He sounded
desperate. “I know it sucks, but,” he sighed, “this is all I have
to offer right now.”

Ooookay.
Why did he keep reminding her?

She still wasn’t feeling all the fluttery
butterflies in her belly when she spoke with him, but she was
hoping that would come in time, so she encouraged him, “It will
happen soon enough. You’ll probably get sick of me,” she joked.

“I doubt that.” He chuckled.

She looked on as Stefen opened the back of
the van, her assistant encouraging him to carry one of the
arrangements.

Placing her hand on the mouthpiece, she
yelled out, “Melissa, he’ll mess up his shoulder if he does
that.”

They both looked as though they’d gotten
busted.

“Where are you?” Ben’s aggravated tone
brought her back.

“I’m about to set up a wedding in Santa
Ynez.” She put a nervous hand on her forehead.

She worried as she
continued to watch them.
Stefen’s going to
hurt himself. Maybe he shouldn’t help.

“Is Stefen with you?”

Why would he care?

Suddenly, she felt in the wrong, but why?
“Yeah, he offered to help Melissa and me today.”

“But he can’t carry anything. What’s he
there to do, cheer you on?” he said sarcastically.

She couldn’t believe how fast the mood
changed. Leaning back against the driver’s door, she asked, “Why
are you acting like that? He’s my friend. I haven’t hidden
anything.”

“That’s what you say, but I have a feeling
there’s something more to that story, maybe even a little history
with you two. Call it guy’s intuition, if you want.”

Scrunching up her forehead, she shook her
head and kicked at the tire. “The past doesn’t matter, Ben. I
haven’t asked about yours. Stefen is my friend. My very good
friend. But still, just a friend. Besides, you and I are just
hanging out, right?” It was a bitchy thing to say, but he needed to
hear how ridiculous he was acting.

“Whatever, Leah. I gotta go. I’ll talk to
you later.”

The line went dead, leaving her to stare
blankly at the screen.

What just happened?
And
what the hell is his
problem?

Stefen approached her cautiously.
“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just drama I don’t need today. Let’s
get to work.” She pushed herself off of the van, shoving her phone
into her back pocket.

Zachary came up to them,
grinning ear to ear. “I’m so glad to see you guys here,
together
. How are ya
feeling, buddy?” He stopped just before clapping Stefen shoulder.
“Oh damn, sorry. Almost gotcha.”

“A lot better, thanks to this girl here.”
Stefen nodded toward Leah.

Suddenly, she felt all the attention fall on
her. That was a new thing for him. Old Stefen loved the spotlight.
It was really interesting seeing all the changes in him.

Zachary flashed a killer smile. “Leah, it’s
so good to see you again. I love when I know who’s working the
weddings here.” He glanced toward the back of the van where Melissa
stood, waiting for direction. He seemed happy to lend her a hand.
“Can I help you with anything?”

Leah watched as he
graciously rushed forward to help Melissa with a large arrangement,
and pondered an idea.
Single mom florist,
single man vineyard owner…

Zachary and Melissa seemed like a good team
as they carried a few of the centerpieces toward the reception
area.

Stepping up behind her, Stefen whispered
into her ear, “Don’t do it. Matchmaking hardly ever works out.”

The sensation of his breath on her neck
caused her to quiver. She snuck a look over her shoulder. “You
never know, Stefen,” her voice was breathless, “many other
unexpected things have happened before.”

“That was honestly the first time I’ve ever
seen a groom pass out drunk at his own wedding.” Leah blinked,
still unable to fathom what she’d witnessed.

Stefen was sitting with her at the bar in
the tasting room.

“I’d be livid if my husband drank the whole
day of our wedding, and then blacked out when we were giving our
vows.” Thoughtfully, she ran a delicate fingertip around the rim of
her wineglass filled with Sangria.

“Yeah, that was a pretty dumbass thing to
do.” Stefen sipped on his non-alcoholic glass of Sangria. Not
knowing when he would have to take medications next, he was being
extra careful. Plus, he wanted to be sober in case Leah needed him
to drive home. His eyesight had been getting consistently better,
and he felt more confident about driving now.

Leah leaned her forearms against the bar,
shaking her head. “I swear, people with more money than they know
what to do with think they can behave anyway they want, with no
regard for others. Doesn’t matter who they hurt with their
self-centeredness.” She rolled her eyes before it registered who
she was talking to. “I didn’t mean you.” Her hand automatically
landed on top of his, offering her apology.

Over the last few weeks, he’d noticed her
body involuntarily responding to him, as though it was aware of
something that neither of them were willing to explore...or
admit.

“That describes the viewpoint I’ve had most
of my life.” The corner of his mouth turned down. “So yeah,
innocently, you were talking about me.” He hoped he could change
enough someday.

Leah ran her fingers down his forearm.
“Stefen, that may have described you in the past, but not now.
You’ve changed. You’re the man I thought I saw one day, not so long
ago.” She smiled warmly at him. “You just like to put on a
front.”

She took another sip of her fruity wine. “As
you know, I can see through it since it doesn’t work on me
anymore.” She tilted her head, her hair falling to the side. “I’m
proud to say you’re one of my closest friends.” She patted the top
of his hand.

As much of a compliment as that was, Stefen
knew the title ‘friend’—no matter how endearing—would never be
enough for him.

He still didn’t understand his complicated
feelings. He wanted so much for her life and would love to give her
everything.

Will I ever have the balls to take that leap
of faith and face her possible rejection?

Fuck if I know.

At nine a.m. the following Friday, Leah’s
phone chimed with an incoming text. She was packing her bag for a
Labor Day weekend getaway.

Ben:
Video chat?

Apprehensive, she scanned her messy
bedroom, clothes thrown all over the place.

Leah:
Sure.  Give me a few min.

The living room was tidy and would give
a better impression, so she carried her laptop over to the coffee
table and powered it up.  Touching the top of her head, she
felt the crazy ponytail she was sporting, and ran off to the
bathroom to fix her hair. She also freshened up with a little
make-up and brushed her teeth.  

The she frowned at herself in the
mirror.

Why was she concerned about dental
hygiene for a video chat?  The shirt she wore was old and
faded, so she searched her closet and pulled out a more
vibrant-colored blouse.  Darting back into the living room,
she applied a dab of lip gloss from her purse, then zipped around
the room, creating a more charming scene around her.

The camera on her laptop was already on, so
she could tell exactly what would be shown when she chatted with
Ben.  After fluffing the pillows on her couch, she moved some
of her flower-filled vases to the windowsill and side table.
Sitting casually on her sofa, as though it was normal to catch her
looking this presentable and having an perfect setting surround
her, she clicked the chat icon.

Ben appeared on the screen, laying sideways
on his bed, his head propped in his hand.  A baby blue
sheet covered him from the waist down, but his
bare chest was exposed.  Two mismatched pillows sat behind his
head, against a white wall with what looked like a couple of
taped-up sports posters.