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“You know the family motto,” I said.
“Work hard, play harder.”
“Exactly. We work sometimes seven days a week, even when we’re not ‘working.’ The itinerary itself will do its job. Yes, we’ll talk to owners and get ideas, but from this second until we pull back into the parking lot of the estate, you are not Thayle, employee of Grado Valley Vineyards.” I forged ahead. “You’re not even Min’s lifelong friend.”
“I’m not?”
Thayle’s grip on the wine stem undercut her neutral expression. One I now knew was an act. A good act, as good as my own, but an act, nonetheless. I could have kicked myself for having missed the signs for so long. She might not bat an eyelash at how little space remained between us, but her posture revealed what her expression did not.
How long had she felt this way? It was the question I wanted most to know, but one we weren’t ready for yet.
First, there was this small matter of a challenge Thayle had issued in the limo. She should have known better. I could be quite competitive.
“No,” I said, lowering my voice and looking for Brad. He was nowhere to be found.
I leaned forward. Then, doing something I’d dreamed of for so long, I tucked a lock of Thayle’s hair behind her ear. The silky strands tempted my fingers to remain. But not yet. Instead, I dropped my hand. Then, closing the remaining gap between us, I leaned in close to her. My mouth was no more than two inches from her ear.
“You are a woman who finds herself trapped on a week-long wine tour with a man who cannot wait to discover all that you’ve been hiding.”
Every fiber of my being screamed not to step away. My body was telling me to push even more of her hair back, to devour her neck, her lips. To show Thayle without question where we stood. Instead, knowing Brad would return any second, and because we were now engaged in a contest I intended to win, I did step away.
Reaching for my stool, I pulled it into me and sat. Then, I picked up my glass and lifted it to my lips, intending to take a sip. But first, just to clarify, I said to Thayle, “Your turn.”
Reveling in her expression, which was anything but impassive now, I smiled, sipped the wine, and pretended this little game didn’t affect me as much as it did her.
“Sorry about that,” Brad boomed, returning.
“No problem,” I said. “We were just enjoying”—I snuck a peek at Thayle as Brad made his way back around the bar—“the wine.”
When Thayle’s eyes narrowed looking at me as if to say,Okay, watch this, I didn’t know whether to laugh or be scared. Thinking about her with that banana, I landed on the latter. And hoped I wouldn’t have to wait long for her to retaliate.
SIXTEEN
thayle
“I lovethe idea of your culinary experience,” I said to the co-owner of Lucas Winery. “And tasting notes in your shipment.” I put my notebook back into my purse. We sat in her small but cute office. “That’s definitely something I’d love to incorporate. We have an on-site chef, but I think also partnering with a local restaurant could be beneficial too. I already have one in mind.”
“I’m so glad to hear it. Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention, we have special pricing with local lodging partners, but you don’t need that with your on-site cottages and all.”
“You’d be surprised how quickly they fill up,” I said. “So that could make sense for us.”
The owner stood, so I did the same.
“You’ll have to let me know if you incorporate the VIP tour,” I said.
“It won’t be on a boat, like yours, but I do think a very curated tour is something we’re overdue for. We’ve talked about it for ages, but with the time commitment...” She trailed off.
“I get it. Grado is lucky enough to have four owners, so they rotate. And the price is high too, but surprisingly, it’s always fully booked. It did just start this year, so we’ll have to see how next year goes. We have a new marketing director who’s brilliant, so I have no doubt it will continue to be a huge success. You should definitely look into doing something similar, even if on a smaller scale.”
As we walked into the tasting room, I scanned the room. No sign of Neo.
“He’s outside,” the husband and co-owner of Lucas Wineries said. “I hope you two had as productive a chat as I did with Neo?”
“Very productive,” she said. “But don’t let me hold you up from lunch. I heard you have sandwiches from Nicki’s Deli. That’s not to be missed.”
I didn’t disagree. Not only was I starving, but after making Neo sweat at the last winery, I was ready to make a move. Having taken such pleasure in watching him squirm, I decided to draw out my seduction. Plus, I had no idea how to possibly top the banana from this morning.
As I walked outside, the sun making it possible to eat outdoors despite a slight crisp to the November air, I mentally pinched myself. Was this really happening? After all these years, was I really openly flirting with the most gorgeous of all Grado brothers? The man who had taken me to the hospital when I fell down a flight of stairs and fractured my arm? (I hadn’t looked at my cell once while walking down stairs since.) The man who had surprised a room full of customers at the summer solstice party by singing to a few hundred people? Talk about swoonworthy.
