Read Online Tangled Vines by Melissa Collins - Free Book Online Page B

for the worse. Being thrown into a partnership with a woman I couldn’t stand, at a place that belonged to the man I’d spent my life not knowing, but hating all the same, seemed like the perfect hell.
    But now, with pieces of my past laid out before me, and the possibilities of a budding relationship with Elle on the horizon, I realize it was all the perfect opportunity.
    Mom and I spend the next hour or so talking about nothing and everything. After she makes plans to go out with a friend, I call Peter to check in. He lets me know that everything is fine and that Elle just showed up. Apparently, when both of us didn’t show up this morning, it caused quite a bit of gossip.
    Well, they’re all going to be in for an even bigger shock when they see me pick Elle up for our date later.

    “Oh, my goodness!” Rosie exclaims, clamping a hand over her mouth. “You look like one of those GQ models, Owen.” Standing in front of me, she runs her hands over the sleeve of my leather jacket. “One of those bad-boy GQ models,” she adds dreamily.
    “Thanks, Rosie.” Tipping my head at the door, I ask, “Elle in?”
    “Of course. Go ahead.” Rosie smiles and I have to think she’s more than okay with our date. Not that we need her approval, but I’ve seen the relationship between her and Elle.
    “Hey,” I announce as I walk in the room. With a pen sticking out of her messy bun, Elle is scouring through papers, a frantic energy filling the room. “What’s wrong?”
    “Oh, nothing, it’s nothing.” Her attempt at deflection pisses me off something awful. Standing in front of her desk, I lean forward and place my palms on the cool, dark wood.
    “Cut the ‘it’s nothing’ shit, Elle. Something is clearly wrong and this is my company, too. So tell me what the problem is so we can both fix it.” My voice is calm and controlled, demanding but not mean.
    She flops back in her seat. When she looks up at me, her eyes lazily rove over my body. Now, that’s the reaction I was going for – eyes wide, mouth open, rendered speechless. When she regains her sense of composure, she swallows hard, allowing herself one last lust-filled glance.
    Whatever she’s been working on is clearly exhausting her. It’s clear as day in her warm brown eyes. “I lined up another investor. They want to meet with me, I mean us, tomorrow.”
    “That’s good, though. Right?” Pulling the chair up, I sit back, trying to figure out why this would be such a bad thing.
    “They want plans for the venue that I just don’t have. Numbers and figures I didn’t even think of. They want a blueprint – not a finalized one, but one that would give them enough of an idea of the vision. Staffing, food costs, things like that; things I hadn’t thought of.” Her words come out in a rush, but the disappointment in her own lacking forethought is there nonetheless.
    “It’ll be okay, Elle. You put this together on your own, and from what I can tell, it was your first solo project. You’re allowed to make mistakes.” My words do nothing to make her relax.
    “No. I’m not. Mistakes are for the weak. I need to make this project work, not just for Vincent but for myself, for the future of this vineyard. I can’t tell you how important this is to me.”
    “Can you try? I’m going to help you one way or the other, but I’d like to know why this is so important.” Reaching across the desk, I pull her hand into mine. Our eyes meet and she nods, letting some of the weight lift from her shoulders.
    “It could take all night,” she adds, sarcasm hanging on her words.
    “I’d love to spend all night with you, but let me make one call first,” I add with a wink. Making her laugh and smile helps to lighten the mood. Because it feels like whatever she has to tell me is going to be anything but light.
     

 

    “My dad beat my mom, a lot.” Those words used to be so difficult to say, but they aren’t anymore. They’re the truth, after all. With years