by: Maryna Doughty
Chapter 1
Adeline noticed him at the San Jose airport. The man was standing in line, waiting to go through security. His brown hair was slicked back with silver streaks near his sideburns, probably in his early fifties and rich, just like Adeline liked. He held a briefcase and handed his boarding pass to the agent seated at the wooden podium. The agent was older, heavier, with her hair pulled back in a tight bun.
"Off to San Diego?" The agent gave a flirtatious smile and handed him his boarding pass.
The man gave a curt nod. "Yep."
"Sure is beautiful down there," the agent said in a dreamy voice.
When the man opened his wallet to put his I.D. back, Adeline noticed his wedding ring.
Not a problem. She wasn’t afraid of competition.
The man untied his brown dress shoes. "It is, but I won't be staying in San Diego."
Adeline took note of this.
"No?" The agent said, surprised.
He shook his head. "A small town just north of San Diego. Temecula."
"Ohhh," the woman cooed. "Wine country." She pointed her pen at him. "You enjoy yourself down there." She winked.
Adeline wanted to roll her eyes at this older woman's attempt at flirting, but she refrained. If anything, Adeline should be thanking this woman for gleaning this important information for her.
After going through security, Adeline grabbed a coffee and positioned herself in a seat near the married man from security. He was reading a sports magazine.
"You a big football fan?" Adeline said from the row in front of him a few seats over. Personally, she hated football—the loud crowd, obnoxious men screaming while drinking and eating greasy food. Adeline much preferred quiet places like cafés and bookstores.
The man glanced at Adeline, then back at his magazine, then did a double-take. Adeline prided herself on these kinds of looks older men gave her. She was in her early thirties, worked hard for her slim figure, and dressed like she had somewhere important to be—a red fitted dress with black pointy heels. Most women her age had children and wore yoga pants or some comfortable outfit when they traveled. But not Adeline. She was intentional when she traveled. For moments like this.
"Yeah, I used to play in college," the man said, grinning.
"College?" Adeline choked on the word. She took a sip of her coffee to clear her throat, but the hot liquid only burned her blood more. College football reminded her of Parker, her stupid ex-boyfriend. That idiot dumped her outside the football stadium right before the homecoming game her senior year.
Adeline gritted her teeth and plastered a fake smile on her face. "I love college football. Do you still watch?"
The married man closed his magazine and nodded. "Every Saturday."
Adeline composed herself and settled into her role. She needed more intel on this rich married man. She glanced at the boarding screen behind him that read DEPARTING TO: SAN DIEGO. "Did you play in San Diego?"
The man laughed. "I wish. I actually played for a small college in the middle of nowhere."
Adeline played along and chuckled. "So what brought you to the Bay Area?"
The man puffed up his chest. "Work"
Adeline raised her eyebrows. "And what do you do?"
"I work in tech. A small startup for medical devices. What about you?"
Adeline couldn't tell him that she'd just lost her job because she'd had an affair with her manager, also a married man whose wife found out about them and forced him to fire Adeline. Or that she was traveling to San Diego because she had nothing better to do. No, no, no. She needed to look polished. And definitely not desperate, or like she needed the money this married man surely could offer her. "I work in sales," she lied.
The man nodded, looking impressed. "What kind?"
Adeline glanced around for an idea. Medical sales? No, that'd rat her out if she slipped or said the wrong thing. That was too in his industry. She glanced at the seats they sat in. Furniture? No, not fancy enough. She glanced at his magazine. "Publishing."
The man sat back, tilting his head up. "Interesting. I like you already. I'm a big fan of reading."
Her chest filled with confidence as warmth settled in her cheeks. "Me too."
"Why are you heading to San Diego?" he said, leaning forward.
Was he trying to get closer to her? If so, Adeline was all for it. She leaned toward him as well. "A wedding. What about you?"
The man sighed. "Checking on some property. Where's the wedding?"
She remembered what he had told the agent at security, that he was going to Temecula, wine country. "A winery."
"Really?" He perked up. "Which one?"
She hadn't thought through her lie completely. She needed to buy some time. She chuckled. "I have a terrible memory. I'll have to check the wedding invitation. Where's your property?"
He smiled. "A winery."
Was he flirting with her? Adeline sat taller. She playfully shrugged her eyebrows. "Maybe it's the same one."
The man laughed. "I doubt it. If there were a wedding on my property, I'd know about it."
MY property. Adeline loved the sound of that. How much was this man worth? She stuck her hand out to him. "My name's Adeline, by the way."
He grabbed her hand. A strong grasp, not a limp handshake. This man was a leader. "Joey," he said. "But Joseph if we're being professional."
Adeline would let him think he was in control. "ARE we being professional?" she gave a seductive smile.
Joey took his hand back and wiggled his wedding finger. "I'm married." He gave a playful smile. "So, yes."
For now, Adeline thought.
The two sat at separate ends of the airplane. Unfortunately, Adeline got stuck at the back of the plane, sitting in the middle seat between an old man and a woman with a crying baby. Adeline’s nostrils flared as she stared straight ahead, trying to ignore the nuisance beside her. Her breathing quickened, and the vein in her forehead began to pulse. Adeline needed a distraction.
She hopped on the Wi-Fi and researched “wineries in Temecula.” Dozens of locations popped up. She checked the “About” page on a few different websites. “Contact Us.” “FAQs.” Nothing hinted at who the owner was. Darn. Before she knew it, the fifty-minute flight from San Jose to San Diego was over.
When she got off the airplane, Adeline was desperate to connect with Joey one more time. But she didn’t spot him. She scrambled to baggage claim, almost breaking one of her heels on the escalator. Luckily, he was just getting off his cell phone and picking up his bag from the conveyer belt. Adeline tried not to run over to him like some desperate puppy dog. But she needed to grab him before he went off.
She chucked one of her earbuds at his head and threw her purse on the ground. Joey turned around. Adeline feigned frustration, bending down to gather the components of her purse that had spewed across the floor.
Joey rushed over. “Here, let me help you.” He bent down to help pick up the loose items.
“Oh my gosh, I’m such a klutz,” Adeline gathered her lipstick, wallet, loose coins.
Joey handed her her sunglasses and cell phone.
The screen lit up, revealing Adeline’s online search for “wineries in Temecula.” Heat rose to her face. Good thing she hadn’t typed in Joey’s name yet.
“If you want a good winery, come by mine.” He reached for his pocket, pulling out a business card. “Whenever you and your friends aren’t busy with the wedding stuff.”
Adeline glanced at it. It had a Temecula address on it. She placed it in her purse along with her sunglasses and cell phone. “That sounds great.”
He nodded and waved. “Enjoy your stay.”
Indeed she would.
Adeline ditched her original plans of staying in a hotel on Mission Bay and booked a cab to Temecula, which was over an hour north of San Diego. She’d find some cheap hotel later. But for now, she needed to go to Joey’s winery.
After two hours—darn rush hour traffic—her driver followed a single road through wine country. Hills of grapes stretched across both sides of the road. Row after row of grapes grew along perfectly spaced posts, their vines and branches connecting like arms draped across shoulders. The cab driver turned off onto a dirt road that curved up a hill.
Adeline paid the man, got out, and ventured into the vineyard. Standing in the dirt between two rows, she spread her arms so her hands touched both rows of grapes, gently feeling the leaves on her fingers. The rows stretched all the way up to a building where a sign read: Joseph’s Vineyard.
Adeline smiled. Maybe this wasn’t a temporary vacation.
Maybe she’d stay.
She thought of what she told Joey, that she was here for a wedding. Darn right. She’d make sure there was a wedding. HER wedding.
To Joseph.
She looked around at the beautiful vineyards. Reaching for a bunch of grapes, she rolled a grape between her fingers. It felt good. And it would feel even better when it was all hers.
She plucked it off the vine. Placing it on her tongue, she rolled it around in her mouth. Mmm. Firm but delicate.
Then picturing Joseph’s wife, Adeline bit down, squeezing the life out of that grape.
Want to keep reading? Should I write chapter 2?
Yes
No
Copyright © 2024 by Maryna Doughty.
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
About the author: Maryna is a wife, mom, and former 4th/5th grade teacher. She is the author of The Love Between Us (women's fiction) and several children's books including: Sincerely, Diary (for ages 8-12), Confessions of a Stepsister (for ages 10-13), and The Detective Dottz Mysteries: Holiday Collection (for ages 7-11). She currently lives in Temecula, CA, with her husband and three children.
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