10. Brodie

brODIE

B rodie got into his 918 Porsche Cayman after a productive meeting at San Ysidro Ranch. Their restaurant, the Stone House, was recently named the most romantic in Santa Barbara, and Butler Ranch bottles were heavy on their Wine Spectator award-winning list.

The weather was warmer, so before getting on the highway, Brodie put the top down. He couldn't wait to see Peyton's face when he drove up in his lava-orange "baby." Her beamer was fun to drive, no question, but he wondered how she'd like this one.

He found the playlist he'd made two nights ago, and the music they'd listened to on their See Canyon drive began to play. After checking his phone one last time and not finding any messages from her, he put the car in gear. It was a few minutes after noon, which would put him at Stave by two-thirty or three.

At three on the dot, Brodie pulled up in front of the wine bar and tasting room. There were several people sitting on the patio, and when he looked inside, he saw the tables were full too.

He went in and perused the wine racks, recognizing every label. They were made by people he knew from school, celebrated the crush with, and with whom he shared life's most important events. Butler Ranch wines sat next to the ones made by the Avila family at their Los Caballeros winery, and to those made by Wolf Family Vintners.

It was hard to believe he and Peyton hadn't met until this week, since they were so close in age. He knew she'd gone to Mission Classical Academy, not to the high school he and Alex had graduated from, although then, the Butlers weren't on speaking terms with the Avilas.

Right out of high school, Brodie had left for UC Davis, and once he graduated, he went to work in Napa. He remembered Kade asking him if he knew her. He told him he'd heard of the winery but didn't know the family. However, now he knew that if he'd seen her first, she wouldn't have been available when she met Kade.

Alex approached and nudged him. "Hey, booty-man."

"Give me a break, Alex." Brodie looked in Peyton's direction to see if she was paying attention.

"She's heard it before, Brode."

He led Alex out to the patio. "How's she doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Alex. You know what I mean."

"Did you roll your eyes at me? That's hysterical. Peyton made me promise to stop doing it when she talks about you."

"She talks about me?"

"Brodie, Brodie, Brodie. Yes, she's been talking about you." Alex's demeanor went from playful to serious. "Don't play with her, though, dude. That bastard Lang Becker did a number on her, then Kade goes and gets himself killed. She's closed up pretty tight, but she likes you, and if you're not into her as much as I'm afraid she's into you, you'll devastate her."

Brodie surveyed the patio. "I can't stay away, Alex."

"This isn't some f'd up thing with your brother, is it?"

"She's all I think about. I don't have a choice about this. I'm obsessed."

"That doesn't reassure me."

"All right, how about this? You've got it turned around—I'm more into her than she is into me."

When Alex left, Brodie looked up and saw Peyton studying him. He smiled and waved. She did the same. He was about to join her when his cell phone vibrated with a call from Maddox.

"Where are you?" his brother asked.

"Stave. Why?"

"Is Alex there?"

"Yep, she's here."

"Is it busy?"

"Fairly. Are you heading this way?"

"Maybe later. Thanks, Brode."

He rubbed his neck, wondering what the hell Maddox was up to when the call abruptly ended. After the bizarre conversation he'd had with Naughton the other night, he hoped their older brother didn't intend to stick his nose into his budding relationship with Peyton.

Peyton was wide-eyed when he approached. "Hi."

"Hey." Without thinking, he leaned in to kiss her, and she took a step back.

"God. I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's okay."

"It isn't, or you wouldn't have reacted the way you did."

Her gaze swept the tasting room. "Do you mind if we leave?"

"Not at all. Alex is okay with it?"

"Yeah, today's my day off." Peyton glanced at her watch. "Help should be here any minute." The rear door opened, and two women came in. "Here they are now. Do you know Addy and Sam?"

"Abbey?"

"No, Addy, with a ‘d.'"

"I don't think so. Who are they?"

"They work here, but they don't come from wine families. Addy's mom owns the Olallieberry Diner, and Sam lives in the apartment complex. Sorry, that probably sounded bad."

"Not at all." Brodie led her over to his Porsche. "Where should we go?"

"Is this yours?" She gasped.

"Yes, ma'am." He tossed her the key fob. "Wanna drive?"

"I'm so embarrassed."

"Why?" He chuckled. "I wanted to drive your car as much as I'm guessing you want to drive mine."

"Who does the truck belong to? I know it isn't Kade's."

"No, it's mine too."

The wineries in the Paso Robles region were successful and growing all the time, especially the ones where the land had belonged to the family for many years. Brodie and his brothers all owned more than one car, motorcycles too. He wondered if Kade had told her about the helicopter or if he ever brought her to the ranch to see the horse stables.

Brodie was listening to Peyton comment on things she liked about his car, but wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying. Instead, he watched the way her eyes danced when she smiled and how she talked faster than she had yesterday, as though she was nervous. He understood. He was nervous too. If she weren't as chatty as she was, he might embarrass himself again, like he did when he'd leaned forward to kiss her. He hadn't been thinking. It just felt natural to want to kiss her hello.

"Where to?" she asked once she was settled behind the wheel.

"Piedras Blancas?"

"You have a thing for lighthouses."

"I'm fascinated by them." As fascinated as he was with her, although he wouldn't tell her that now.

"Why?"

He thought about the reason they held such allure while she drove along the Cabrillo Highway, through the town of San Simeon, and past the entrance to Hearst Castle, where his grandparents had met.

Peyton slowed the car as they approached Arroyo del Corral, the secluded cove where the elephant seals made their home. A few yards beyond it was the entrance to the lighthouse station, where there were several buildings. One housed a gift shop, and another was a replica of the station's original water tower.

"Did you know you can stay here?" he asked.

"I didn't. Have you ever?"

"I haven't, but I'd like to." With you , he wanted to add.

"You haven't told me why you have a thing for lighthouses."

"I thought about it, and I don't really know. It started when we'd go to Avila Beach with my dad. And maybe it's that simple, that when I see them, it reminds me of a happy time."

They browsed the gift shop, and Peyton picked up a lodging brochure. A tour had left several minutes ago, but the girl behind the cash register told them they were welcome to try to catch up with it.

"I'd rather walk around on our own. Is that okay with you?" Brodie asked.

"Yes, definitely." Peyton thanked her, and they went outside.

"Piedras Blancas was added to the California Coastal National Monument this year," Brodie began.

"Most of the Cambria shoreline was, too," Peyton added.

"That's right. I remember reading about it."

"I'm a walking, talking Central Coast guidebook." She laughed. "A lot of tourists come into Stave, and most of them are looking for ideas of other things they can do while they're in town."

"The tasting room is certainly a boon to the Westside Collaborative. It's a good thing you've got going there."

"I usually give the credit to Alex?—"

"I know you do."

Peyton laughed again. "I'm proud of it. When I took over, we sold a few cases a month of my dad's wines, but it never generated a profit. Now, it does, and at the same time, it helps spread the word about wineries that aren't on the beaten path, Butler Ranch included."

"It's been a good thing for us, Peyton, and not only here on the Central Coast. Down south, Paso Robles is as well-known as Napa Valley and Sonoma. We may not have the same prestige worldwide, at least not yet, but with every sales trip I go on, more and more customers I call on know about our wines before I get there. Not exclusively ours either. Like you said, many of the region's wineries are growing in acclaim."

"Is that where you were, on a sales trip? Wait. Sorry. None of my business."

Brodie laughed. "You don't have to apologize."

"I was being nosy."

He reached over and rubbed her shoulder. "That's where I was, and I like that you want to know, Peyton. Believe me, I'm not going to hesitate asking you about the last two days. I want to know everything you did while I was gone."

"It isn't that interesting. I ran errands, made dinner for the boys and me, did some laundry. Fascinating stuff. Of course, I was exhausted yesterday after being up so late the night before. I wondered if you had the luxury of sleeping in."

Brodie leaned in and whispered, "Were you imagining me in bed, Peyton?"

She laughed and pushed him away, but she didn't freak out. A good sign.

"I was envious, especially when I had to pry my eyes open at seven to get the boys ready for school."

"Nope, no sleeping in for me either. I left early yesterday, before dawn, and timed it so I hit LA after the morning traffic. I spent yesterday afternoon and evening there, and then this morning, I had a meeting in Santa Barbara."

"Nice car to be in for that much driving." She smiled.

"Yours is pretty nice too, Peyton."

"I like it, and so do the boys…"

Brodie studied her face. There were lines on her forehead and near her eyes that he'd noticed appeared when she talked about Kade. He wondered if his brother had anything to do with her buying her BMW.

"Speaking of the boys, do they have basketball practice again today?" He pulled out his phone to check the time, and she peeked over at it.

"They do. We better get on the road."

"Would you like to drive?"

"No, I had my fun. I kind of like being a passenger."

The lines on her face were gone. In their place were happier ones.

"I like seeing you smile." He reached over and touched her face. "I like seeing you happy. You're beautiful, Peyton."

"Thanks." She looked away from him, but her smile remained.

"And I hate seeing you sad," he added.

"It can't always be avoided. It's there sometimes, as much as I don't want it to be, things remind me…"

"Like the car?"

"Kade talked me into it. I was looking at the X5, a far more practical vehicle, but he convinced me I didn't need a ‘mom-car' anymore. The boys aren't that old, but he was right. It isn't like I'm lugging strollers and diaper bags around."

There were so many things he could ask, like how Kade had been with her boys or if they ever talked about having kids of their own, but he didn't. He didn't want to know, and he didn't want to picture Peyton with his brother.