Be Mine Forever (A St. Helena Vineyard Novel) by Marina Adair Page A

time was now, and Sara was ready—only not with him, because all she could think about was a sexy Italian with way too much swagger and experience.
    “Thanks for dropping this by,” Sara said abruptly.
    Roman just smiled warmly. The man was stable and thoughtful and loved her kid. That should count for something. Yet she just stood there, awkwardly grinning and having no idea what direction to go in.
    “No problem. Tell Cooper I’ll see him tomorrow.” He gave a small wave and walked backward down the porch steps, never taking his eyes off her. “And I’ll see you at class this week.”
    Sara felt herself blush as he winked while climbing into his minivan. After he pulled out of her driveway, she closed the door and turned around—to find Heather standing at the top of the stairs grinning.
    “So, are you going to see him again?” Heather asked, making her way down the stairs, and Sara had a bad feeling she’d just been set up.
    “My guess is Tuesday night. At Swinging Singles.”
    “Not Roman.” Sara followed Heather into the living room where Heather took a seat and waved her hand dismissively. “Trey.”
    “Oh,” Sara said and felt her face heat—but for a whole different reason this time. “I don’t know. I think it was just a one-day thing.”
    Although today was exactly what Sara had needed—her lips still tingled from that kiss—Trey was apparently some kind of smooth-talking panty whisperer. And even if Sara’s panties were whisper worthy, which they were not, she wasn’t sure if getting horizontal with a guy who had more nurses on call than the local ER was the kind of adventure she was looking for.
    “That. Right there,” Heather waved her palm to encompass Sara’s entire being, “is terrifying proof that you have been sniffing the Play-Doh too long. I mean, have you not seen his ass? It’s incredible. A solid ten on the squeeze-scale. And don’t even get me started on those eyes. He could wink and my clothes would melt off.”
    Trey was a ten bazillion on the squeeze-scale. He scored even higher on the best-first-kiss-ever scale. And she hadn’t stepped back.
    Instead, she’d dug her nails into his hair and pressed her body against his.
    Heather crossed her arms in challenge. “We made a deal that if I started following my dream of dancing on Broadway again, you’d start dating.”
    “We were drunk, and I said I’d be more open to dating, which I have been.” Sara sighed. “It’s just hard.”
    “I know it’s hard,” Heather said softly. “And I know my brother broke your heart when he reenlisted, and then shattered it when he never came home, but it’s been two years. Two years of spending your Saturday nights watching Cooper snore. You moved to St. Helena to start a new life. When are you going to start living it?”
    She wanted to argue that she was. Nine months ago, she’d taken the first huge step toward living. She packed up eight years of memories and her five-year-old, and moved her family to St. Helena for a fresh start. Admitting that Garrett was really gone had been difficult. Agreeing to get back out there in the dating pool was terrifying. Taking off her wedding ring had nearly killed her. But she’d done it. For Cooper and for herself.
    And she was ready—she just wasn’t sure if she was ready to take on a guy like Trey. “I’m taking things slow, to make sure that I’m ready.”
    “That lie stopped working when you kissed Sexy Italian Guy.”
    “Who said I kissed Trey?” Her cheeks went even hotter.
    “You have lipstick smeared all over your face.”
    Sara touched her lips, feeling her face burn up, as she realized that was what Roman must have been staring at.
    “And I know it wasn’t Roman since I was standing right here. My money is on the panty whisperer.”

CHAPTER 4
    E xhausted and covered in pink and red glitter, Sara sat down and dropped her head on the bistro’s table. It was only ten forty-five on Tuesday and already she needed a