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Marco, all smiles and charm, escorted Sarah and her team out of the building. But given the Mirabeau couple’s comments, it was no wonder that the moment the door closed behind them, everyone turned to stare at Thayle and me.
“So.” I reached for Thayle’s hand. “I guess I should explain.”
TWENTY-EIGHT
thayle
My eyes flewto Neo’s parents. They were a handsome couple—his father, with salt-and-pepper hair and a chiseled jaw that made him every bit as attractive as his sons, and his mother, a carbon copy of her daughter, though older of course. And they were both looking at Neo and me.
Yet neither seemed surprised. Or devastated. Or unhappy about what Neo was telling them. Instead, Arlene gave me a knowing smile as Min had done, surprisingly pleased.
“We found more on the post-harvest tour than a few ideas for Grado,” Neo said. He never let go of my hand.
Min interrupted him. “Cos, open all three of those.”
Her intention was clear. In just a few minutes, everyone had a filled glass of some of the best wine on the estate. Nothing like drinking a few hundred dollars’ worth of wine on a Monday afternoon with the entire family. Welcome to Grado Valley Vineyards.
“Okay,” Min said as we all gathered around the counter, Neo’s parents, Brooke, Min, and Marco sitting on stools, with Cos, Neo and I behind the bar. “Go ahead.”
“As I was saying,” Neo continued, “it turns out Cos and Brooke not being able to go on the tour was a really, really good thing.”
“Am I missing something?” Marco seemed to be the most surprised.
“As usual,” Min quipped. “Yes.”
“Let me take a stab at it,” Brooke jumped in. “As the outsider—”
“You’re not an outsider, babe.”
“Thanks, Cos, but I was. And can tell you,” Brooke said, shifting her attention to Neo and me, “that the chemistry between the two of you has been off the charts since I came this summer. I couldn’t believe it when Cos said there was nothing going on.”
What a conversation to have in front of his parents. They were pretty cool, but still.
“All of us have seen hints of it,” Arlene agreed, smiling kindly at me. “But other times, it really did seem as if you were just good friends.”
“Wait a minute.” Marco looked really confused. “You’re telling me,” he said to Neo, “the two of you are together? Liketogethertogether?”
“When you say all of us,” Cosimo Sr. said dryly, “you mean all of us except Marco and me.”
“Because you’re men.” Min raised her glass as if to toast.
“And what am I?” Cos asked.
“Brooke’s fiancé. I have it on good authority you were clueless too until Brooke laid it out for you.”
Cos didn’t argue the point.
“Bottom line is,” Neo cut in, “on the tour we had some time to talk.”
Marco burst out laughing then. “‘Talk.’ Okay. If that’s what the kids are calling it these days.”
I was going to die of mortification. Even Neo grinned at me as if we had a private joke between us. Which, of course, we did. But not one I’d wish to explore in front of his parents.
“I guess we’ll just have to share her,” Neo said to Min.
“That’ll work out well,” Cos quipped. “The two of you always shared so nicely.”
“Speaking of sharing. Do you remember the time I brought that girl home?” Marco’s words were drowned out by laughter and groans.
