Page 108 of Gone With the Wine

“What?”

“An orange wine.”

He grins. “I need to taste this magical orange wine.”

“I have some. We can try it later.”

Also not very boss/employee talk, if anyone’s listening to us. Oh well.

I drink more wine.

“Did you say orange wine?” Zoe asks, leaning forward.

“I did.”

I’m happy to talk about that, sharing my new knowledge.

“Is it a secret?” Jansen leans in to ask quietly.

“Mmm. Not exactly. I just don’t want to tell the whole world about it and then it turns out to taste like Alka seltzer.”

He chokes on a laugh. “Fair. But I don’t think that’ll happen.”

“Did I hear that you used to play hockey?” the man across the table from us asks Jansen. Tucker Diaz.

“That’s right.”

“I know another guy who was a professional player. Lewis York.”

Jansen nods.

“I think he played in the AHL,” Tucker says. “Anyway, he runs a youth hockey organization in Kirkmont, about forty minutes from here. They have a bunch of teams for girls and boys. One of the boys who played here when he was younger just got drafted into the NHL.”

“No way.” Jansen’s interest is piqued.

“Truth. He’s a pretty talented kid.”

“That’s awesome.”

“I don’t know if you’re into coaching but Lewis is always looking for help. He’s about your age, has a couple of kids that play now.”

Jansen cocks his head and nods slowly.

“It’s called Bobcats hockey,” Tucker continues. “You can find it online. Next time I see Lewis I’ll tell him we have a pro hockey player living here now. He’ll be thrilled, and I know he’d love to hear from you.”

“Yeah. That would be great. Thanks.”

Is he thinking of doing that? I know he misses hockey. Maybe this would be a good thing for him, to find a way to bring the sport he loves back into his life.

Dessert arrives, strawberry shortcake accompanied by a sparkling chenin blanc. I smile with delight when I taste the wine. “Nice. A little acidic bite cuts through the cream, and the peach and citrus complement the strawberries.”

“It’s fantastic,” Jansen agrees. “Now I want to make sparkling wines.”

I smile. “We can talk about that for the future.”

After dinner, guests start mingling again. Vitto and Leo join us.

“So, Jansen,” Vitto says. “What are your intentions toward Bianca?”

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