Page 41 of Just for Tonight

“But not the tomatoes.”

He laughs. “No, I have a kind of allergy to them.”

“Imagine that.”

Our gazes meet again as the waitress comes for the salad plates. “You were explaining your plans for that new plot of land,” he says and I nod agreement.

“Yes, we’ll be planting Vidal vines there, so we can add ice wine to our offerings.”

“My dessert chef is fond of ice wine,” Jake lies so smoothly that even I believe him. “How long will it be before you have it available? I like to consolidate my purchases, so the more products you offer that we serve, the better for both of us.”

I talk about ice wine while the waitress brings out mains and Jake nods with interest.

When she leaves the table, Jake lifts his glass. “Let’s drink to our newfound and mutual understanding.” He’s not talking about wine for his fictional chain of boutique hotels and we both know it.

I raise my glass to his toast and take more than my usual sip, holding his gaze the whole time. I swear the restaurant is getting hotter by the minute.

I’m wearing more than a great dress and I can’t wait to see how Jake responds to the rest.

We don’t eat in silence, thank God. In fact, conversation flows easily. I think it’s because we cleared up details in advance. We both know what’s going to happen and we both want the same result. All good.

We talk about politics briefly, the weather and even the general state of the world. I think we’re going to avoid all personal topics, sticking to the plan of a casual fling with no ongoing connections, but Jake proves me wrong.

“Tell me about working in the family business,” he invites.

“Why?”

“Because I’m curious that you chose to do so.” He shakes his head. “Nothing could have induced me to stay on at my family firm.”

“But I thought you were going to work with Mike?” I think I’ve spilled the beans, revealing what Sylvia shared when I shouldn’t have done so, and wish I’d bitten my tongue.

Jake, though, isn’t troubled. “That’s a consulting deal. I’ll flit in and out, and help him to get things done. I’m not moving back here.”

“You don’t want to be trapped by the family firm and your obligations there.”

“Pretty much.” He considers me and sips his wine. “I was thinking we have some traits in common, so I’m intrigued that you made the opposite choice.”

“What do we have in common?”

“Neither of us is stupid.”

“Agreed.”

“We’re both ambitious and take pride in our work.”

“Yes.”

“We probably both work too much in pursuit of those ambitions.”

“And in the interest of doing anything right, if it’s going to be done at all.”

This time, he nods agreement. “When you’re ambitious and competent, a bigger field offers more opportunities.”

I nod, understanding his question. “But a smaller forum offers more opportunity to diversify and less need to prove yourself first.”

His gaze flicks. “Tell me.”

“We are a small to mid-sized vineyard, depending on who is setting the parameters. I am officially the viticulture manager, but I do a lot of other things besides manage the cultivation. I take point on many marketing initiatives, for example, and I really enjoy that. Not only that, but talking to people at tastings, for example, gives me some unofficial consumer research. I get a feel for what people are liking or how their tastes are changing, and that, I think, helps me to make better decisions for the firm.”