Wanted A Real Family(56)

She’d turned into his arms, ready for his kiss, when his cell phone beeped.

“I’ll let it go to voice mail,” he muttered.

She’d come along knowing this was a business trip for him. “Didn’t you say you were expecting calls from other vintners who would be here?”

“Do you always have to be so practical?”

“As a mom, I have to be practical.”

Bestowing a quick kiss on her lips anyway, he shook his head and took his phone from his belt. When he glanced at the number, he frowned.

“Do you need privacy?” she asked.

“It’s my editor,” he said in a low voice. “Rather, he was my editor a long time ago.”

Jase answered the call with, “Hi, Matt. It’s been a long time.”

After a few moments, Jase glanced at Sara. “So you heard about the article.”

Uneasy, Sara suspected what was coming next. If Jase’s editor knew Jase was writing again, photographing again—some of his photos of the food collection for the summer lunch program had been in the paper and online—he might want him to write something in particular, something that could take Jase across the world.

Fidgety now, she crossed to the desk on the pretense of examining the room-service menu. Paging through it, she was far enough away from Jase that she didn’t hear most of the conversation.

She’d gone through the service directory, the restaurant menu, the concierge services and all the other amenities that were available by the time Jase ended the call.

“Important?” she asked lightly.

He looked serious when he responded, “Possibly.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I have to think about it. In September, Matt wants me to fly to Africa with a group of doctors who are setting up a clinic.”

“Is the area dangerous?”

“Any area there is dangerous. On a scale of one to ten, this is about a five. There’s a need for the doctors and a need for the word to get out about the conditions there. I’d be an asset since I can document the trip in photos and by blogging.”

“Like what you did before.”

“Yes. But the time frame would be limited. I’d only be there about a week until they got the clinic set up. He also has another junket planned for November. But that story is in Alabama. It’s about kids again, conditions in the schools...and literacy in general. Both are great opportunities to help.”

“You could do a lot of good,” she agreed, though she didn’t want to. If Jase took up his former life, where would that leave her and Amy?

“It’s a lot to think about,” he said, watching her.

“Yes, it is. Could Ethan spare you for that long?”

“I’m not sure. Liam and Tony might be able to take over for a week or so.”

The romantic mood had definitely been broken. All of her doubts about seriously getting involved with Jase had resurfaced. Now he would be preoccupied with a decision he had to make. “How soon do you have to let him know?”

“By July fifteenth.”

She was under no illusions that Jase would turn down these assignments. Photojournalism and good causes were in his blood. Her throat felt tight and tears weren’t far away. She swallowed, took a deep breath and said, “I’d better unpack or my dress for dinner will need more than a little steaming.” She’d brought along the dress she’d worn for the soiree, as well as a plain black one that could suit any occasion. Though fashion was the last thing she wanted to think about right now.

“After you unpack, do you want to come with me to the wine expo for a while?”

That was the reason Jase was here. And she’d come along to be with him. Time sampling wine could give them breathing room for the decisions they both had to make.

* * *

Jase knew so many people at the expo, from the sommeliers to the representatives from the vineyards and the cellars. There was a thread of restrained tension between her and Jase, and Sara knew that had come from his phone conversation. She didn’t know how he really felt about her and how she fit into his future. If she fit into his future. And he didn’t know how she felt about him...how she’d fallen for him in a huge way. Was he really thinking about going back to a life of travel, writing and photography? Would he actually leave the vineyard behind?

Each time he glanced at her, she knew the questions were in her eyes. She knew he could read the anxiety on her face. She knew he was already making up his mind. She’d come to realize Jase was a decisive person and decisions wouldn’t wait.

As they stood at a high table sampling a Chardonnay Jase had chosen and snacking on an assortment of cheeses and crackers, a gray-haired man stopped and shook Jase’s hand.