Casey arrives home from work on Friday to find a picnic basket waiting by the door and Luke emerging from the kitchen, carrying a small cooler with his saxophone case slung over his shoulder.
His face lights up at the sight of her. “Good! You’re here. Change clothes so we can get this show on the road.”
“I can see we’re having a picnic, but where are we going?” she asks, walking backward down the hall toward the master bedroom.
“You’ll have to wait and see. Now hurry!” He flaps his hand as he shoos her on. “I’ll put this stuff in the truck and wait for you outside.”
Five minutes later, wearing faded jeans and a pink T-shirt, Casey climbs into the passenger seat of his pickup truck and they head off down his curving driveway.
“Give me a hint where we’re going,” she says, stuffing her feet into hiking boots.
Luke shakes his head. “No way. It’s a surprise.”
“Have I ever been there before?” she asks, tying her shoelaces.
“I don’t think so. At least not with me. Now stop asking so many questions,” he says and turns up the volume on his country music station.
Luke turns left, away from town, and drives five miles to the overlook.
“Some surprise,” Casey says with an eye roll. “I’ve been here with you dozens of times.”
“We’re not picnicking at the overlook, Casey. Come on.”
They get out of the truck and unload their gear from the back. Fifty feet away from the parking area, he ducks into a wooded path, and they walk a quarter mile down the trail until the trees clear and a rocky stream comes into view. Beside the stream, a table is set with a white linen cloth and candles and a small bouquet of wildflowers.
This is it, Casey thinks. He’s finally going to officially propose.
She drops the picnic basket beside the table. “Wow! I’m impressed, Luke. You really outdid yourself.”
He grins. “I had a lot of help from Mother Nature.”
Casey picks up the vase of flowers and holds them to her nose, inhaling the sweet scent of honeysuckle.
“Those are courtesy of Laney’s Bouquet.”
“I figured. Hazel and Laney do such a nice job.” Casey returns the vase to the table. "Speaking of Hazel, I assume you heard about Charles.”
“Duh. The news is all over town. In this day and age, who waits until they’re thirty-eight years old to come out of the closet?”
“Someone who wishes they were straight.”
“I didn’t think about that. I guess we should hand it to him for trying.” Luke removes a bottle of expensive Champagne and two glasses from the cooler.
“You bought the good stuff. What’re we celebrating?”
“Us.” He pops the cork and fills two glasses, handing one to her.
Clinking her glass to his, she says, “To us.”
Luke sets his glass on the table and removes his saxophone from its case. “I wrote a new song for you.” He brings the mouthpiece to his lips and beautiful music fills the forest around them.
Luke has written plenty of songs for her. But this one is slow and smooth, more soulful than the others. By the time the song ends, her eyes are brimming with tears.
“That was lovely,” she says, dragging her fingers under her eyes. “What’s it called?”
“Marry me, Casey,” he says, returning the saxophone to its case.
She laughs. “Is that the name of the song or a question?”
“Both.” He removes a ring box from his pocket. “I’m legitimately proposing this time.” He opens the ring box to reveal a stunning diamond encased in a halo of smaller diamonds.
Casey’s pale olive eyes widen as she presses her hand to her mouth. “It’s gorgeous, Luke.”
“The diamond belonged to my mother. I had it reset for you.” He places the ring box on the table. “Before I ask you to marry me, I need to tell you something about that big news I mentioned this morning.”
Casey furrows her brow. “Are you imposing conditions on your proposal?”
“Something like that. Let’s sit down,” he says, pulling a chair out for her. Once she’s seated, he removes a bag of celery sticks and a container of hummus from the picnic basket before taking the chair opposite her.
She picks up the black velvet box and examines the ring. “Can I try it on?”
“Not yet!” He snatches the box from her and snaps it shut. “I don’t want to see it on your finger unless you’re planning to keep it.”
Her neck hairs stand to attention. “You’re scaring me, Luke. What’s going on?”
“I’ve been offered a job on the legal staff at the EPA.”
Casey shakes her head, unsure she heard him correctly. “You mean the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC?”
Luke’s demeanor changes, and his body goes rigid. “What do you think? I’m an environmental attorney. This is my dream job, Casey. I can’t turn it down.”
Her stomach sours, and she slides her Champagne glass away. “Why would you look for a job in DC without talking to me first?”
“I didn’t go looking for it. A recruiter approached me. I thought you’d be excited about us starting a new life in DC as a young married couple. You’re a graphic designer. You can get a job anywhere.”
Casey lets out a grunt. “I’m not just a graphic designer, Luke. I’m part owner in Love-Struck Vineyards.”
“But I thought you wanted to get away from Daniel.”
“You’re the one who has a problem with Daniel. He and I may have had our differences in the past, but I’m not ready to give up on him yet. I grew up an only child of a single mother. Why would I leave my father and siblings when I just found them?”
Luke slumps as he deflates. “We can work this out, Casey. I’ll commute on the weekends if I have to.”
“Meanwhile, I’ll be living in your parents’ house alone, Monday through Friday. What happens when we have children?”
“I’ll be able to work remotely some,” Luke offers.
“What does some mean? A couple of days a month? Washington is nearly three hours away. That commute will get old fast.”
Luke looks away from her hostile glare. “It’s a career maker. After five years with the EPA, I can write my ticket anywhere.”
“Your ticket to another big city. I grew up in New York, Luke. One of the many things I’ve realized about myself since coming to Virginia is that I’m not a city girl.” Casey jumps to her feet, dumps her Champagne into the stream, and returns the vegetables and hummus to the cooler.
Luke scrambles out of his chair. “What’re you doing?”
“Packing up. I wanna go home. To my condo.”
He grabs her arm. “Come on, Casey. Don’t be like this. Let’s talk this through. I want you to be my wife. I asked you to marry me.”
“Correction. You told me the name of your song. You didn’t officially pop the question.”
“You’re being difficult, but whatever.” He drops to one knee. “Will you marry me, Casey?”
Casey stares down at him. She hears fear and uncertainty in his voice, but no sincerity. Anger and sorrow collide, and she is too emotionally wrecked to respond. Jerking her arm free, she gathers up the cooler and picnic basket and storms off down the wooded path to the truck.
Luke follows a few minutes later with the folded table and chairs, his saxophone dangling from one shoulder. She fights back tears. What has she done? What if she never again hears him play his lovely instrument?
He slides into the driver’s seat, and they head back toward town. “I’m sorry, Casey. I didn’t realize you’d be so upset. I thought you’d be happy for me.”
“Then I guess we don’t know each other as well as we thought, because I have no interest in living in a city filled with crime and corrupt politicians.”
“You’re being melodramatic. DC has much to offer.”
Casey tosses up her hands. “So now I’m being melodramatic. I’m not your puppet. I’m a real girl with genuine feelings.”
He tightens his grip on the steering wheel. “I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.”
When they reach his house, Casey gets out of the truck and marches over to her convertible. Luke catches up with her, preventing her from opening the driver’s door. “Come inside with me. We’ll drink some wine and have a civilized conversation.”
“I’m sorry, but I need to be alone right now.” Shoving him out of the way, she gets in her car and speeds off, fighting back tears during the short drive through town.
Casey hasn’t been to her condo in weeks, and the air inside smells musty. She’d been beyond excited when she purchased the third-floor unit last summer. But then she’d started dating Luke and spending all her time at his vineyard. As she wanders around the rooms, she feels like a guest visiting a stranger’s home. The refrigerator shelves are empty, and there’s no toothbrush in the holder in the bathroom. She bought the condo with high hopes of being a young professional woman living on her own. If Luke moves to Washington, that’s exactly what she’ll be. All alone and starting over.
She can’t be here right now. She leaves the condo and drives out to Love-Struck Vineyard. She passes through the stone columns and parks in front of the main building, which houses administrative offices on the second floor and their swanky new bistro on the first.
Casey skirts the new stone terrace with its clusters of fire pits and crosses the lawn into her father’s backyard. She pauses in the rose garden to inhale the sweet fragrance of the season’s new blooms before continuing on to the fly-fishing stream. A sense of calm settles over her as she leans against the railing of the old wooden footbridge.
She’s grown accustomed to living with Luke, taking leisurely strolls around his property in the evenings and hearing the birds sing in the morning. Having coffee on his patio in the morning and a glass of red wine before bedtime at night.
After a rocky start, Casey’s relationship with Luke has been nothing short of bliss. They hardly ever argue, and the sexual chemistry between them is spectacular. And they agree on all the important issues most couples argue about. At least until now. Luke gave no indication he was unhappy with his job. Why would he consider such a drastic move when everything was going so well?
Casey’s chest tightens, and she finds it difficult to breathe. How will she survive without Luke in her life?
She hears rustling in the woods and Daniel appears with his fly-fishing rod. “Casey, what a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know you were here.”
Her emotions reach the surface, and she bursts into tears. “Luke asked me to marry him,” she sobs.
Daniel drops his fishing gear and takes her in his arms. “I take it these aren’t tears of joy. What happened? I thought you wanted him to propose.”
She buries her face in his chest. “He was offered a job in DC. Sounds like he’s going to accept it. He wants me to go with him.”
Daniel strokes her hair until her crying fit subsides. He removes a linen handkerchief from his pocket and hands it to her. “There now. That’s better. Let’s go up to the house and have some of Marabella’s herbal tea.”
Casey mops up her tears and blows her nose. “Since when do you drink herbal tea?”
“Since my stroke. Her tea is good for whatever ails you.”
“Even broken hearts?” Casey asks, helping him gather his fishing gear.
“Don’t give up on Luke just yet.” Daniel takes hold of her hand as they walk. “He invited me to lunch last week. He asked for your hand in marriage, but he didn’t mention a move to DC.”
Casey smiles to herself. At least Luke did one thing right by asking her father for her hand. Especially when he dislikes him so. “He didn’t get confirmation about the job until today. I told him I don’t want to leave Lovely, and I certainly don’t want to live in Washington. But he didn’t offer to turn down the job. He expects me to choose him over my career, yet he won’t do the same for me.”
Daniel squeezes her hand. “Give him some time, sweetheart. Your response probably took him by surprise. He’ll come around.”
“I’m not so sure about that, Dad.”
Daniel gives her a quizzical look.
“What are you looking at? Do I have nose boogers?” she asks, wiping her nose again with his handkerchief.
“You just called me Dad.”
She smiles. “I didn’t realize it. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind? I’m overjoyed.” Dropping her hand, Daniel places an arm around her waist, pulling her close.
Casey takes in the scenery as they continue up the hill to the house. She notices construction on the bungalow next door is nearing completion. Daniel was originally building the house for Casey, but when she moved to her condo in town, he talked of letting Bruce, his new winemaker, move in.
“Have you decided who will live in the new house?” she asks.
“That’s one thing I want to talk to you all about on Sunday night.”
They continue on to Daniel’s sprawling stone mansion, known as The Nest for generations of Loves before them. Casey had lived there for several months when she first came to town. While she appreciated the luxury resort setting, her father’s overbearing presence soon made her feel trapped.
They climb two sets of stone stairs, past the pool to the second-level terrace. Daniel motions her to a grouping of lounge chairs. “Wait here while I put away my gear.”
Casey settles in to watch the sun set over the mountains. Daniel returns with two cups of steaming tea. He turns the gas fire pit on to warm them against the evening chill and sits down in the chair next to her.
Casey stares into the flames as she sips the tea. “Am I wrong to be upset with Luke?”
“You can’t help how you feel, sweetheart. Luke threw you a curveball. Perhaps you’ll see things differently in the morning.”
She shakes her head. “I doubt I will. I’m happy here. I don’t want to leave.”
“Then you’re going to have to stand your ground. I’m proud of you for choosing what’s best for you.”
Father and daughter sit in silence while they drink their tea. “This stuff really works.” Casey rests her against the back of the chair. “Not only do I feel calmer, I can hardly hold my eyes open. I’m not sure it’s safe for me to drive back to town.”
“Why don’t you sleep here? You can have your old room.”
“I might just do that. I’d feel better knowing you are close by.” Slowly rising from her chair, she kisses the tips of her fingers and touches them to his cheek. “I’m glad I ran into you. Thanks for talking me off the ledge. I’ll see you in the morning.”
On her way through the kitchen, she puts her cup in the dishwasher before ascending the back staircase to her corner room on the second floor.
When she moved out, she’d left some clothes here for occasions like these. Changing into her pajamas, she stands at the window, looking up at the starry sky. Even though she didn’t grow up here, this vineyard has come to mean a lot to her, and she’s not sure she can give it up. Not even for Luke.