Page 41 of Wine & Dine

Her elbow slams on the table, and her fingers brush over her lips. “I sound pathetic, don’t I?”

“Actually, no.” I get it. Being too busy to commit, too busy to invest in more with someone else, someone better. I didn’t try after Kate. I played the field over and over and over again. My hand reaches for hers and brings it to my lips. “I’m sorry you fell into a rut.”

“I’m sorry she duped you.”

“I’m sorry you’re here with him,” Cain interjects beside us while he unscrews the cork from another bottle of the fall red.

“Oh, go away.” Dolores smirks, and we both look at her. Cain lets out a deep chuckle.

“I like her. She can stay.” He turns back to me. “You, I’m watching. We aren’t selling.” He leaves us alone, and Dolores has more questions. I can read it in her eyes.

“Just start talking, Tin Man,” she teases.

“Well, Dorothy…I’ve explained to you how I’m an investor, like Shark Tank. I buy and sell products I believe will make me a profit. It’s all about market demands and the economy. Items come and go. I want something stable.” I lower my voice and meet her eyes. “I want something for me. Long term.”

Her eyes widen, and she leans forward, crossing her arms on the table. “So you want this winery?”

“Not anymore.” I won’t add how the bad memories make this a place I’d rather burn than invest in. “But I did at one time. Now, I think I’d like to find an existing property or available land. I want to build something from the ground up.”

“Didn’t you already do that with Fox Investors?”

“I did. But it’s always been volatile. I want something permanent. For me.” I take a deep breath, offering her even more of myself. “It’s about my granddad. He worked at the mill near River City, making products to be bought and sold, but he didn’t reap any benefit from what he produced. He always wanted land. He wanted a place of his own to produce his own items to be bought and sold, like a farm. He gave up his dream for us. His daughter and her family. When he invested in me, I promised myself that one day, I’d give him what he wanted most.”

“A place of his own,” she says quietly. “I understand.” From what she told me of her grandmother, I believe she does.

“Will you move?” she questions, and this is the reason I brought her here. This is one of the questions I’ve been asking myself. I want her perspective. She’s going to ask me the right things and hopefully make suggestions, and thankfully, we spend the next hour and our entire meal discussing possibilities and plans.

“You’ll need something like this. A restaurant and maybe a resort. Make it an experience for people.”

She’s right. I don’t want mistreated wives and clandestine affairs, but people who want a getaway…maybe romance.

I’m definitely becoming a sap.

“Tomorrow, I booked us a private tour of the vineyard and the winery. I’d like you to join me. I want your ideas.”

“Mine?” she shrieks a little too loudly, drawing the attention of a few First Wives.

“Yes. You have a business mind, and I’d like your opinion.”

Dolores stares at me, her hand on her throat, and I’m distracted by the way her fingers stroke her neck. She wore the black dress I gave her for dancing. The color sets off the sapphire effect of her eyes and accentuates the silver-gray streaks in her hair. Bright red lipstick highlights her lips. She’s a bottle of wine herself, and I want a sip.

A chuckle from my left causes Dolores to release me from our locked eyes. We do this. Just look into each other’s eyes. Hers still look sad sometimes, and I want to dive in and pull her to the surface. Lately, they’ve become more playful, almost mischievous, and I like how she looks at me. She’s thinking. Decoding. I only hope she can’t decipher too much. She’ll notice that as much as I fight it, I’m falling for her. Falling hard.

“I think one of the First Wives is looking to be your first,” Dolores says, leaning in as if to conspire with me.

“I’m not really into sloppy seconds,” I whisper in return. Dolores sits back. Her hand stills at her throat.

“What am I?” Her voice is rough as her eyes blink.

“You’re definitely a first for me.”