So Good: A Ribbon Ridge Novel (Love on the Vine Book 1) by Darcy Burke

She hugged each of them and started for the dining room but turned back. “Wait, I bet Emma would like a cookie.” She grabbed a box of some sort of baby biscuits from the pantry and left.
    Luke wiped his hand over his brow. “Whew, dodged that bullet.”
    Jamie started filling the dishwasher, and Cam went to rinse dishes.
    “I knew you weren’t just being nice,” Jamie said, laughing.
    “Hey, whatever it takes to end the inquisition.” Luke sent their little brother an arch look. “Unless you’d like me to call her back so she can ask you more questions about why Madison isn’t here.”
    Jamie shuddered. “No, thanks. We’ve got a low-key thing going. I realized as soon as I brought her to brunch here last month that it was a dumb move. Mom hasn’t stopped asking about her since.”
    Cam handed him a bowl for the dishwasher. “Madison didn’t dump you after that, huh?”
    “Nah, she actually thought it was cute. She felt flattered that Mom was so interested in her.”
    Cam wasn’t surprised. Their mother could be intense, but she was also fun, and she had no trouble chatting people up. She had a great knack for finding a common topic and making people feel engaged and included. He’d employed some of her techniques in sales situations, and they’d worked well for him.
    Jamie pronounced the dishwasher full, so Cam dropped a soap packet into it and programmed it to run later. “You know,” Jamie said, “you’re both using the winery as an excuse to live a monk-like existence. Cam, I get why you’re doing it. I mean, it’s been eight freaking years, but whatever. But Luke, from what I can tell, your breakup with Paige wasn’t tough. Or is there something you’re not telling us?”
    Luke and Paige had been together for about three and a half years—most of them in California. They’d tried a long-distance relationship when he’d moved back here two years ago, but it had barely lasted a year. Luke didn’t disclose much, so they all assumed the long-distance thing just hadn’t worked out. Cam also assumed things hadn’t been that serious since she hadn’t moved with him. She worked for a winery. It wasn’t as if there weren’t any winery jobs around Ribbon Ridge.
    Luke shook his head. “Don’t do Mom’s dirty work for her.”
    Jamie laughed. “Not guilty. Just trying to figure you guys out.”
    “Why, so you can write a dissertation on romantic relationships?” Cam asked. He was only half kidding. Jamie had told them just yesterday that he was considering pursuing a PhD.  
    “Ha. Very funny.” Jamie leaned back against the counter and folded his arms. “I’m all about the money, man. No psychology or human development for me.” Yes, he was a numbers guy through and through. In fact, he was probably the least likely of them to succeed in a romantic relationship given his overly analytical mind. He wasn’t so great at demonstrating emotion.
    “I’m thinking it’s ironic that you’re the one in a relationship,” Cam said.
    Luke grabbed a beer from the fridge and nodded. “Good call.” He held up the bottle. “Anyone else?”
    “Hit me.” Cam held out his hand, and Jamie did the same.
    “Let’s not get all crazy and call my thing with Madison a relationship,” Jamie said. “We hook up once or twice a week maybe. It’s extremely casual.”
    Luke pulled the bottle opener from a drawer and popped his top, then handed it off to Jamie. “Is it exclusive?”
    Jamie opened his bottle and rolled his eyes, grinning as he gave the opener to Cam. “Yes. I’m not Cam.”
    Cam was used to their teasing, but of late it had grown stale. Why did he care? They weren’t wrong. He didn’t do exclusivity. Not since She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.
    “True. My bad.” Luke lifted his bottle. “To doing whatever the hell we damn well please.”
    Jamie stepped forward and tapped his bottle to Luke’s. “Indeed.”
    Cam did the same but felt a strange knot in his gut. He’d spent eight