Free Risking the Vine (Romancing the Vine Book 1) by Gemma Brocato Page B

plates with the cookies, while Luke helped himself to a turkey sandwich. He carried Jac’s plate so she could grab soft drinks for them.
    She followed him to a long table with benches on either side. Luke deposited her plate across from his.
    As they settled on the benches, Belinda and Sally came over. “Mind if we join you?”
    Jac nodded, though she’d have enjoyed continuing getting to know Luke better. “Sure. How did you do with this morning’s project?”
    “We finished, but it’s crap.” Belinda laughed as she climbed over the bench to sit.
    “No it isn’t,” Sally disagreed. “It turned out okay.”
    Belinda narrowed her eyes, sending the younger woman a quelling stare. “It sucks and you know it. In our defense, we’re lawyers, not artists.”
    Color pinked Sally’s ears. “But—”
    “No buts about it. We aren’t creative people,” Belinda demurred in disgust.
    She eyed Luke. “We checked out your picture after we finished cleaning up. It was really good. I wonder if Jules would sell it to me, too? It would make a great companion piece for the other one I bought.”
    “Jacqui really made it come to life. I never even considered using the paint, but she had a vision.” Luke patted Jac’s hand where it rested on the table.
    Sally raised her brows. “Are you an artist?” she asked Jac.
    “Not even close. I’m in account services with a medical records and billing company.” Jac laughed, the sound tinged with an unfamiliar darkness. Hoping to take the focus off herself, she changed the topic. “What kind of law do you practice?”
    Belinda straightened and set down her fork. “Employment law. We deal mainly with discrimination and harassment lawsuits. We’re based in New York.”
    Luke shot Jac a fast look before leaning forward. “You’re talking about cases where qualified people are passed over for a position and someone less qualified being promoted?”
    “Exactly.” Sally beamed at Luke.
    Please don’t go there. Please don’t . Jac sent the mental command with a squint she hoped Luke would catch. She was having a good time and didn’t want to spoil it with thoughts about the office and the situation she found herself in.
    Apparently, Luke received the message. “Sounds like interesting work. Were you involved in the case against the Knicks in New York?”
    Belinda nodded. “Our firm was. We sat at the defendant’s table in the courtroom.”
    “Ouch! That had to suck for them. What was the final judgment? Something near five million?”
    “Six. And in my opinion, it wasn’t enough.” Belinda’s tone bordered on giddy. It was obvious she would have worked for the plaintive.
    Jac paid attention to her meal, rather than the conversation. As some point, the toe of her sneaker connected to the tip of Luke’s. Her gaze flew to his eyes, which held a promising gleam. Neither bothered to shift their feet.
    Conversation flowed and she uttered an occasional response, just to make it seem she was attentive. But her thoughts wandered to Luke’s mouth, and his broad chest, and the way his fingers flexed as he peeled and sectioned his orange. The sweet citrus tang filled the air, making her mouth water. He offered half of the fruit to her, which she readily accepted. The taste of sunshine burst on her tongue.
    A couple of the other teams stopped by their table to compliment them on the art they’d created. Their praise was lavish, causing pride to swell in her chest. Several of the other teams disappeared into the barn to finish their projects before the next event began.
    “I need to check in with my office before the afternoon exercise,” Luke said after their lunch companions left the table. “What are you going to do?”
    “Well, I won’t be calling Ted.” She’d deliberately left her phone on the desk in her room so she couldn’t be reached. She didn’t want to talk to him until she’d formed some kind of plan. “I think I’ll take a walk through the