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“What are you going to do?” I ask as if it’s no big deal.
Lisa picks the remote back up, and I nod, ready to get lost in the film. Although I felt a little readier to get swept away before Enzo’s call. Now I wonder how Kate and Luc made out after they fell in love. Did they stay together or did the realities of their actual lives interfere?
Reminding myself the answer is neither, that it’s just a movie—one filmed years and years ago—I sit back to watch.
Last weekend my life felt like a movie too. Too bad we couldn’t have stayed in Switzerland, because real-life long-distance dating totally sucks.
25
Enzo
“You look like shit.”
I shovel a bite of lasagna in my mouth, ignoring Hayden’s comment. It’s only now that we’re here at Faustini’s that I realize I completely forgot to eat all day.
“Hey, those are the Angel guys.”
I try to pretend I didn’t hear that either. This is the first time I’ve been away from the lab, or my office, since Saturday. The last thing I want to do is talk about the business. Or answer for the millionth time, “How do you feel about having so many enemies, from brewers to wine makers and powerful liquor companies? All coming at you 24/7?”
Hayden and I knew we were going to piss off a lot of people. As we’ve said in interviews, while we’re making our own beer, and wine, and spirits, partnerships with existing alcohol companies could be in our future.
But that’s not how it played out.
“You look like you’re ready to kill someone.” Hayden leans back, giving me a glimpse of the cocky rich boy I met. He’s different now, mostly, but every once in a while an expression or tone reminds me of the old Hayden.
“I’m just tired.”
Hayden’s brows rise.
“I was thinking about yesterday’s call with the Brewers Association.” But I still don’t feel like talking about work, and one of the rules of our Faustini’s dinners is to keep it off the table. So I add, “But that’s water under the bridge. Talk to me about something else.”
“How about Cornell winning another game? I think they could actually win the Ivy League.”
“They won?” I ask.
His eyes go all bug-eyed. “Seriously? You missed the big game?”
Hayden shakes his head a little as he takes a bite of his linguine. Honestly, he needs to learn to order something else. Every Wednesday, aglio e olio. Like clockwork.
“I was in the lab,” I say, although he probably figures as much. I sent him an updated timeline for the vodka just this morning.
“Yeah, but seriously. You’re really burning the candle at both ends.”
“As if I have another choice.”
Hayden uses the napkin on his lap to wipe the oil from his chin.
“You do, and you know it.”
Here we go. “No work talk.”
“This isn’t work. It’s me trying to make sure I still have a business partner in five years. If you keel over dead, then what?”
“First of all, I don’t think people keel over at thirty-one because they work too hard. Second of all, if Ididkeel over, you’d be just fine.”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“Yes,” I argue, “you would.”
