The Other Boy

“Hi,” she said to the little woman sitting in the stall. The woman’s hair hung in a long gray braid over one shoulder, and her face was as wrinkled as a raisin. But her eyes were shiny black and sparkled with mischief. She smiled at Maddy and nodded.

“I weave all of these myself,” she said in a gravelly voice, gesturing to the huge pieces of fabric hanging around her like a Bedouin tent.

“They’re beautiful,” Maddy said automatically, fingering one. Then she looked more closely. They really were beautiful: thick and heavy, with rich colors that glowed like jewels. They were unusual, too. Some were woven flat and neatly bound, but others were fantasy creations with metallic fabrics and odd shapes. Maddy bent to examine one huge rustic concoction of cream and brown wool. Strips of fabric hung off it at various points, accentuating its rough, uneven border.

“That was one of the first rugs I wove,” the woman said, watching Maddy. “No one is ever interested in it—

it’s quite unusual.”

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“Yeah,” Maddy said slowly. “It is. I like it, though.”

The woman nodded. “Good eye,” she said appreciatively. An idea was begi

She hardly dared to ask. The woman considered and Maddy held her breath.

“Five hundred,” the woman finally declared. Maddy exhaled. That was well within her decorating budget.

“I’ll take it,” she said. “Can you deliver?”

“My son delivers in his truck, but he won’t be back until next month.” They arranged the delivery date and payment and shook hands. Maddy walked back across the street, her heart still beating fast from the excitement of the purchase. Just wait until David sees it, she thought. She was so immersed in mentally arranging the tasting room that she walked right past the soap store without even realizing it.

As she was starting on the bike ride home, her phone rang in her pocket. Maddy managed to answer without falling over.

“So, guess where Taylor and Su

“Oh my God, don’t tell me—Baghdad.” Maddy gri

The Other Boy

“You’re hilarious. They’re going to Dubai,” Morgan replied.

“Dubai?” Maddy squealed.

“Supposedly, it’s amazing—better beaches than Maui.”

Maddy’s bike gave a big wobble and an approaching delivery van honked at her and swerved. “Hold on,” she told Morgan, and swung off onto the golden grass at the side of the road. Sticking the phone in her pocket momentarily, she hauled the bike over an irrigation ditch and propped it against a wooden fence post. She sank down onto the dry, fragrant grass and dug the phone out again. She could hear Morgan take a deep breath to go on with the details of Su

“Hey,” she cut Morgan off. “Remember when you asked me if I’d met any hotties up here and I said no?”

Morgan screeched. Maddy held the phone slightly away from her ear. “There is a hot guy up there! I knew there had to be at least one in all of Napa Valley. Who is it?”

Maddy stared across the empty strip of asphalt before her. On the other side of the road was another wooden fence just like the one she was leaning against. “A guy from up here. His name’s David; he’s the son of my dad’s partner on the vineyard. We’ve been working together on this tasting room.”

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“Have you been a good girl so far? I wouldn’t be.”

“Do you ever think of anything else?” Maddy asked, rolling her eyes.

“What else is there?”

“Very fu

“Well, it was a

“What?” Maddy squeaked. “You’re insane!” Her mind flitted back to David’s “spoiled suburban brat”

remark the night of the di

“If you say so,” Morgan replied. “But it sure sounds like flirting to me, and I should know.” She laughed. Maddy felt irritated. For practically the first time ever, her friend didn’t seem to get it.

“Look, he wasn’t, okay?” she said, more sharply than she intended.

“Okay, Mads, chill out,” Morgan said.

Maddy took a deep breath and changed the subject.

“Hey, guess what I found in town today?”

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“What?”

“The perfect rug for the tasting room!” Maddy said excitedly. She waited for Morgan’s reaction.

“Um, great,” Morgan said.

“Yeah, isn’t that cool?” Maddy prompted. “It’s pretty unusual. I haven’t actually seen one like it before and the woman selling them said it was one of the first she’d ever made.”

“Awesome,” Morgan replied. “I’ve never know you to get this worked up over a rug before, Mad. Are you turning into a little Martha Stewart?”

Maddy forced a laugh. “Of course not. It’s just that, well, it’s a really cool rug—and I’m kind of having fun thinking about fixing up this room. Listen, I’m getting all itchy sitting here in the grass. I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Okay, bye, Martha.” Morgan chortled, and clicked off. Maddy stuck her phone back in her pocket violently and grabbed her bike. She rode off, pumping hard on the pedals, even though the road was flat.

! ! !

The rosy shadows of dusk were gathering among the grapevines when Maddy rode up the long gravel driveway. The ride home had taken longer than she expected. She was halfway to the house when she saw 99

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David’s gray pickup approaching. She stopped, still straddling the bike, and waved. As he pulled up next to her and leaned out of the open window, Morgan’s words flitted through her mind: “He was flirting with you.” Maddy looked at David carefully. He didn’t seem different, just cheerful and glad to see her.

“Hey, listen,” he said. “I’m glad I ran into you. I wanted to tell you again what an idiot I was to grab your phone like that. Can you just chalk it up to me being a boneheaded guy?”

Maddy smiled back at him, tossing back her windtousled hair. “You’re forgiven, bonehead,” she said. “By the way, you’re going to love me even more after what I did this afternoon.”

“What, ran off to the spa again?” he teased.

“No, jerk!” She playfully punched his elbow resting on the truck window. “I found the ultimate piece for the tasting room. It’s going to totally make the look.”

“No way,” he replied enthusiastically, getting out of the car. “I didn’t know you were shopping for us this afternoon.”

“Um . . . yeah, I was,” Maddy said. He didn’t have to know her real reason for going into town.

“So? What is it? I can’t stand the suspense.” He flicked a mosquito away from Maddy’s shoulder.

“It’s—” She stopped abruptly. “Actually, I think I’m 100

The Other Boy

not going to tell you. It’ll be a surprise when it’s delivered.”

“You’re heartless!” he said, clutching his chest. Maddy prepared to pedal off. “See you at the Robertsons’ tomorrow night,” she said. Everyone had been invited to a pre-harvest di

“I don’t think I’m going to go,” David told her. “I kind of feel like just crashing on the couch for a night.”