Read Online Nowhere but Here by Renee Carlino - Free Book Online Page B

and said something like, ‘While the cat’s away, huh?’ He blurted out that the two of you had broken up.”
    “What a fucker!”
    There were several seconds of silence, which was rare for a phone conversation with Jerry. I wondered if he was rubbing his chin and staring at the ceiling. Then I could hear a smile in his voice.
    “Yeah, you could say that again.”
    “Jerry!”
    “No, I am really sorry, Kate. I just never really liked the guy.”
    Jerry wasn’t alone in his feelings. Rose hadn’t liked Stephen, and Beth couldn’t stand him, though of course Beth couldn’t stand most men. Still, even the superintendent of our building loathed him and would instantly scowl whenever Stephen would simply approach him.
    “I’ll call you later, Jer.”
    “’Kay. Don’t think too much about Stephen. You deserve better. Focus on your job and get out there and knock ’em dead, kid.”
    “Yeah, because I’m so good at that,” I said sarcastically.
    “You stop it right now. I don’t want to hear that kind of talk.” His tone went serious and then turned right back around. “Oh, and don’t fuck the genius.”
    “Bye, Jerry.”
    I had fifteen minutes before I needed to be in the lobby, so I plugged in my laptop and fiddled around for at least ten minutes, trying to log in to the Wi-Fi with no luck. They left me a code on the desk but it wasn’t working, so I opened a Word document instead and began jotting down some notes.
    R.J.: asshole, no sign of genius, brags about his money, has girlish hands.
    How I was going to get an article out of that little bit of information baffled me. Then I wrote:
    Winery: sustainable, beautiful grounds, rustic, old world charm, great wine.
    And then, finally:
    Jamie: vast knowledge and pride in the winery, diabetic, sweet, genuine, gorgeous, charming, warm hands, strong hands, likes me . . .
    And then I had to go.

Page 6
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    On Three
    Rushing from my room, I slammed the door and turned toward the stairway, running smack into Jamie’s hard chest. I looked up. He was grinning, and then in the softest voice he said, “Hello, angel. You’re gonna have to ditch those shoes. You know that, don’t you? Did you bring anything else?” I took a step back and scanned him from head to toe. He was wearing grungy jeans, work boots, and a plain white T-shirt beneath a long-sleeved flannel shirt, unbuttoned. I looked down at my shoes.
    “Okay. Give me one second.” I turned and ran back to my room. Other than heels and flats, I only had a pair of gray and black old-school checkerboard Vans. They were my flying shoes because I could slip them on and off easily. Normally I wouldn’t have been embarrassed to wear them, but when I looked in the mirror I noticed I was very mismatched. Shedding the blazer in a huff, I pulled on my dorky, heather-gray University of Illinois hoodie.
    When I met Jamie again in the hallway, he looked down at my feet, smirked, and said, “Perfect. You’re cute.” And then he looked up and said, “Go Chiefs.”
    “Actually, it’s Chief Illiniwek, and people have a huge problem with that. Did you go to college?”
    “You’re not convinced enough to say, ‘Where did you go to college?’ ”
    I laughed nervously. Way to insult him . He jogged down the staircase, motioning with his arm. “Come on, we have to meet Guillermo.”
    I followed him through the great room and out to the front of the building.
    “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that. Where did you go to college?”
    He threw his arms out to his sides and gestured around us. “Everywhere. All over. Anywhere I could.”
    “So you didn’t have a formal college education, per se?” I smiled kindly, trying to figure out what he was implying.
    “I had that, too.” One side of his mouth turned up. “But I’ve learned a lot more from the people in my life.” He gestured toward a man walking in our direction and raised his voice. “Like Guillermo, for example. This guy has grown up on the