Page 43 of Necessary Roughness

“There’s enough of them around here too. Damn. I went to Chateau Ste. Michelle for some dinner one of my former teammates held, several months before I got hurt. They are nice people, but they don’t play when you talk about wine.”

“What happened?”

“I’m not an expert, so I rely on those that are.” He took a sip of ice water. “I asked them for a case of red and a case of white to take home. The woman I was talking with looked like I’d suggested cutting down the grapevines outside the front entrance.”

“Did they let you buy some wine?”

“Of course. After she quit teasing me about Two Buck Chuck.”

“She did not.”

“Yes, she did,” he said. “She asked me which wines I’d enjoyed drinking previously and what I was planning on doing with it—was I serving it right away, was I putting it in the cellar to age, that kind of thing.”

“What did you end up with?”

“You’ll have to check it out when we get back home,” he said. “Hell if I know.”

She knew he wasn’t telling her the truth because he didn’t want her to think he was a pompous ass. Mostly, they were talking again, and she was relieved. The server returned to their table to open the bottle of wine Tanner had ordered.

“Let me know what you think of this,” the server urged as he presented Tanner with the cork. He poured an inch or so into Tanner’s wineglass.

Tanner took a sip, swirled the wine on his tongue, and swallowed. “It’s very good.”

“Would you like me to pour?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

After pouring their glasses of wine, leaving the bottle, and telling them dinner would be served shortly, the server hurried away.

“This is not the stuff I get on the sale table at the grocery store,” Jordan said.

“There’s a box of wine in my refrigerator, you know.”

“There is not,” she said.

“Bet me,” he said.

***

JORDAN WAS GLOWING with happiness tonight. The soft lighting emphasized her sparkling eyes, and he couldn’t stop staring. After some awkward moments when they first got to the restaurant, she teased him as she always did. The conversation was as lively as if they’d been sitting on his couch at home. Sunset was stealing over the sky outside the window next to their table. The breeze was picking up too. He’d agonized over whether he should ask for an indoor table tonight. He was glad he’d made the right decision.

He was hungry, but he was having a tough time paying attention to his food. He watched her in fascination.

“Did you decide you’re not hungry?” she said.

“It’s good. I—I was enjoying the conversation.”

“I’ll bet you say that to all the women.”

Words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them. “No,” he said. “I don’t.”

She ducked her head. He could see a blush moving slowly over her cheekbones. Maybe they should get their half-eaten entrées boxed up and they could leave.

“I don’t know what to say,” she murmured.

They were both quiet for a minute or two. He reached across the table to take her hand.

“Would you like some dessert?”

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