Risking the Vine (Romancing the Vine Book 1) by Gemma Brocato Read Free Book Online

hardwood chilled her toes as she marched to the bathroom. A fast shower would ease the last of the ache in her head and, hopefully, wash away any remaining doubts about her future.
    Twenty minutes later, she walked into the dining room. BIG and FIG waved to her from the end of the table, where they sat with the lady lawyers. Luke was on the opposite end, facing the door. His head was down as he read something on his phone. He glanced up as she crossed the space between them. A broad smile lit his face as she approached. He stood when she stopped next to him.
    Jac laid her hand on the back of a chair. “May I join you?”
    “You don’t need to ask.” His fingers brushed hers as he pulled the chair out.
    “I’ll grab a plate and be right back.”
    His gaze seared into her like a brand as she moved away to the sideboard. Not that she minded. It was nice to have his attention. As she filled her plate with eggs and bacon, her stomach rebelled a little. Stupid nerves . She should focus on Luke’s continued scrutiny and not the looming uncertainty of her professional future.
    She added a cup of coffee to her load, balancing everything as she made the return trip to Luke’s side. Concentrating on setting down her food, she avoided his eyes as she took her seat.
    “What’s going on?” he asked. “You look like you got some bad news.”
    She glanced up sharply. Damn! So much for thinking she’d hidden the emotions boiling under the surface. “It’s nothing.”
    “It’s not nothing, Jac. I can see you are upset about something.” He covered her hand where it rested on the table.
    The warmth from his palm helped ease the seething mass of emotions fighting for her attention. She blinked against the sting his gesture had freed, sucking in a deep breath. “I just found out I didn’t get the promotion I thought I was getting.” She didn’t feel any better uttering the words aloud.
    His hand tightened on her fingers as he dipped his head toward her. “I’m sorry.”
    Jac shrugged.
    “What are you going to do now?” Luke’s solid, comforting voice teased away a bit of her tension.
    She jerked a shoulder. “Don’t know. Maybe I’ll find some land, go into debt, and start raising free-range chickens.”
    Luke threw his head back and laughed. “That a girl. When one dream cracks, make scrambled eggs.”
    A smirk formed on her lips. She shook her head, prodding her eggs with a fork. “There’s a novel take on lemons and lemonade.”
    “This is team building. We’re supposed to look at things differently. I’m just getting in the spirit.” Luke rolled up his shirtsleeves, exposing the smattering of dark hair on his forearms. The casual look, paired with jeans that hugged his thighs, was drop dead sexy.
    Jac’s breath caught in her lungs. She needed to stop mentally undressing him and thinking about the body under his clothes. Giving herself an inner scolding, she focused on making acceptable conversation. “How’s this for different . . . I’m making a fur coat out of a hair shirt.” Oh Lord, talk about a way to make a guy uncomfortable. Even the mere mention of a hair shirt was bound to turn him off. What was she thinking? Or, rather, why was she letting her ovaries do the thinking?
    He winced, shifting his shoulders. “Good one. How about adding ham and cheese on ‘sour’ dough bread.”
    “Now we’re stretching it a bit.” Jac felt lighter at the moment than she had since the phone jolted her awake this morning. “Seriously, though, I can’t keep working for MedServices. This is the second time my boss has promoted a less qualified family member over me. I know they’ll expect me to train this woman, just like last time. I’m already rewriting my résumé in my mind.” It was a crying shame her heart wasn’t in it. She enjoyed her job and most of her co-workers.
    “That’s the problem with working for a family owned business. They’ll take you for granted every time. It isn’t any better