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down the narrow steps the guide was leading them down into the wine cellar where
thousands of bottles were racked and stocked from the floor to the ceiling.
Something was different about Chase today as he joked with his brothers and Mitch.
Like a tension in his shoulders that hadn t been there yesterday morning had set in. She
hoped it wasn t from sleeping on that terrible couch.
The air was several degrees cooler in the wine cellar, and she rubbed her arms,
chasing the chill away. Since wine storage wasn t of much interest to her, she roamed off,
following the maze of bottles.
Good Lord, if she were claustrophobic, being down here would be a problem with how
tight and narrow and tall the racks were.
Her flip-flops smacked on the cement floor as she tried to read the names on the
bottles. Most of them were unpronounceable to her and honestly, she d go to the grave
before she had another sip of that stuff.
The voices of the group faded off as her fingers trailed along the chilled bottles. She
wasn t a big drinker, obviously. Last night had been out of the norm.
Stopping at the edge of the rack, she glanced over her shoulder, suddenly realizing she
couldn t hear anyone anymore. Frowning, she backtracked to where she thought she d left
them, but no one was there.
Crap, she muttered, hurrying down an aisle.
This wasn t happening. They did not leave her. Tightening her grip on the water bottle,
she barrelled around the corner, smacked right off a hard chest, and almost landed on her
ass.
Chase snatched her arm before she ended up on her rear. Whoa. You okay?
Blinking, she nodded. I didn t know you were there. She took a step back, ignoring
the sudden increase in her heart rate. Her reaction was ridiculous. Why are you here?
He cocked his head to the side. The group is moving on to lunch.
Oh? Since she wasn t bouncing around in that horrible truck, her stomach perked up
happily.
A half grin appeared. It s a picnic, I hear, out in the actual vineyards.
That sounded incredibly tasty and romantic. Well, we better hurry, then.
Stepping aside, Chase let her walk by. He followed behind her silently, and she wished
he d say something. Anything. But then again, she had no idea what to say, either. The
awkwardness that had developed between them sucked. Proof positive why friends of any
sort should never cross that invisible line& At least not unless they planned on crossing
all the way.
When they reached the entrance, Chase swore under his breath. Where in the hell is
everyone?
A horrible sensation snaked its way through the pit of her stomach as she glanced up
and down the empty aisles. There was no sound other than Chase s soft breath and her
pounding heart.
They didn t& ? She trailed off, unable to accept what was happening.
No. He edged around her and pounded up the steps. Another loud curse and banging
caused her to wince.
Madison found him at the top of the stairs, his hands on his hips. Please don t say
what I think you re going to say.
We re locked in. Disbelief colored Chase s tone.
You have got to be kidding. She squeezed past him and tried the door, jiggling the
handle. Nothing. She wanted to smack her head off the door but figured since her
headache had finally eased, that was not a good idea. They left us.
Chase leaned against the cool cement blocks, closing his eyes. They have to realize
we re missing. They ll come back. Soon. It won t be that long.
Boy, she hoped so. She was already colder than a witch s tit, but as five minutes
passed and then ten, it wasn t looking like a rescue was going to happen anytime soon.
Madison dropped down on the step, chasing away the goose bumps on her bare legs
with her hands. You know, I m kind of offended that no one has even realized we re not
with them.
He chuckled and settled onto the step above her, leaning forward and crossing his
hands on his bent knees. His face was nearly eye-level with hers, so now she didn t have
to tilt her head to talk to him. Yeah, it does wonders for your self-esteem, doesn t it?
I bet they re enjoying their lunch, too. Eating finger sandwiches, drinking club soda,
and thinking, Hmm, the group seems different, but oh, never mind, we have pickled
eggs!
Chase s deep, husky laugh warmed her belly. This reminds me of something.
At first, she didn t know where he was going with that statement as she pulled the
sunglasses off her head and placed them next to her water on the top ledge. And then it
hit her.
Oh, for the love of all things holy in this world.
You were seven, he said, humor lacing his voice.
She lowered her head in shame. Chase had this wonderfully selective memory when it
came to remembering the most humiliating moments in her life.
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