“The plan was five years, but after Steph died, no one wanted to hound Jack about it.”
For the first time, there was an awkward silence at the table.
“Who was Steph?” I asked.
“Jack’s wife.” Georgia’s voice was so hushed I could hear the tick of a clock on the wall behind me. “She died three years ago.”
My breath caught. “How?”
“She was hit by a car. Drunk driver.”
“Oh my God. That’s awful.” Some of my antipathy for him let up.
Brad cleared his throat. “We’ve been patient with him. And as you’ll see, he needs it. Don’t take it to heart if he’s short with you, or silent altogether at first. But Jack’s not dumb. He knows if he wants to keep his farm, he’s going to have to take some advice. He just doesn’t like it.”
I nodded, hoping I was up to this challenge, wanting to prove myself. “Well, I’m going to do my best. Let me ask you some questions and jot some things down.”
As I reached into my bag for my notebook, Georgia stood and began stacking plates. “I’ll get this stuff out of the way, and then I’ll join you.”
“Sounds good. Thank you so much for lunch. It was delicious, and I loved hearing about this place. I’m excited to get started.” I uncapped my pen. “Let’s talk about your brand.”
“What brand?” Pete blinked at me.
I smiled. “Exactly.”
Later, Georgia walked me out to my car. “Thanks for coming up here,” she said. “We really appreciate it.”
“My pleasure. You have a gorgeous setting, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of it. Learning more about it. Think I could maybe get a tour of the entire place?”
“Of course. Pete could show you around tomorrow.” She frowned. “Jack would be even better, but…” A sigh escaped her. “He can be so difficult.”
“That’s OK.” I didn’t want to stir up any more trouble where the middle Valentini brother was concerned. He wasn’t happy about my being here to begin with—he certainly wouldn’t want to take time out of his work day to show me around.
Georgia shook her head. “It’s not. I’m sorry he was rude today. He’s such a sweet guy underneath, but he hides it. The last few years have been so rough on him.”
Since it was just us women and I was curious, I decided to ask more about him. “I noticed he wore an Army shirt. Is he in the military?”
“He was,” she said, tucking her blond bob behind her ears. “He’s been out about six years. But he served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and when he got back, he—” She grappled for words. “Well, it was hard for him to adjust.”
“Hard how?”
“He had a lot of anxiety. My dad was in the Army too, served in Vietnam when he was really young. It affected him his whole life. Sometimes Jack reminds me of my dad.” Her voice was wistful. “Moody, sullen, defensive. It’s hard for them to connect with people. And they keep their feelings locked up inside. My dad had my mom, at least, but Jack has no one, and his brothers can be hard on him. They don’t understand. So I try really hard to be someone he can turn to.”
Something squeezed my heart. “How sad that he lost his wife.”
“Devastating. They were so in love. But anyway.” She waved a hand in the air. “That doesn’t give him the right to be mean to you.”
“No, but at least I can better understand where he’s coming from. Thanks for telling me. I’ll keep it confidential.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
We said goodbye, and I told her I’d be in touch tomorrow.
As I drove the short distance back to the cottage, I thought about what she’d said. They were so in love. What was that like? Tripp and I had been together for three years, but never once had I felt “so in love” with him, nor could I imagine him thinking that way about me. “So in love” sounded so passionate. And it must have been visible to other people. Maybe they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
For a moment, I let myself wonder what Jack was like in bed. Rough or sweet? Selfish or generous? Fast or slow? That hard, muscular body…what would it look like naked? What would it be like to feel his weight on me? Was he a good kisser? Did he use his hands? Did he have a big dick?
My stomach whooshed, and suddenly I realized I’d gone from imagining Jack with his wife to picturing him with me. What the hell was wrong with me? The man hadn’t even offered me a smile today! In fact, he’d been downright rude! Muscles were nice, but manners were better, and Jack’s were sorely lacking.