Page 33 of Corkscrew You
I’m a grown-ass man and I can do what I want, but I set down the beer and pick up the glass of milk. And, yes, I do dunk the cookies in it. My token rebellion is to skip brushing my teeth. Sue me, Tooth Fairy.
Now, I’d like to be able to say that as soon as my head hits the pillow, I sleep like the dead. But this is me we’re talking about. I lie here in the dark and let the what-ifs peck away at my brain until my own exhaustion calls time and forces the blackness to overtake me.
ChapterThirteen
SHELBY
OK, so unlike the last time I almost kissed him which would definitely have been a mistake,thistime felt like it would have been a lotlessof a mistake. But I don’t know why.
I still have Chiara’s ‘rebound guy’ warning in my head, and the small technical issue of him being my boss hasn’t got any smaller. So, what’s different? Maybe it was because he apologized. It takes courage to admit you’ve been wrong. And he also admitted his reasons for being cranky were stupid, which is cute. Frustrating that I don’t know what those reasons are, but I get the feeling that with time, he’d tell me.
I like that. I like that he thinks it’s important to be honest. Honest people are dependable. And it occurs to me now that some important people in my life have fallen short in the dependability stakes. Dad, for one.
I loved my dad so much.So,so much. One of the reasons I stayed with the winery was that I just had to be near him. Soak up his optimistic energy like I was a plant and it was sunlight. When he wasn’t around, I felt … less alive. I guess that’s why I crashed so hard when he died.
But the truth is – and I can hardly bring myself to eventhinkthis – he let me down. He promised that the winery would pass to me, but he never did anything about it. He put both Mom and me in aterribleposition, one that could have broken our relationship. I have to be grateful that Mom believes clarity equals kindness, and so I was never in any doubt about how she felt or what she planned to do. But, and again this is hard to admit, she chose her own well-being over mine, and my siblings let her. Between them, they made it so I had tofightfor a chance to keep ownership of Flora Valley Wines.
This is unfair, I know it is. It was never that simple. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that Mom and my brothers and sister love me dearly, and never want to see me suffer. But deep down inside me, there’s a little seam of hurt that not one of them stood by my side after Dad died. I had to fight all on my own.
I’m no psychologist, but I can see why I might be attracted to Nathan Durant. He’s honest and hard-working like my dad totally was. But I truly believe that Nate will do everything he can to save Flora Valley Wines. So, he’s also a guy I can depend on.
And he’shot, oh, my Lord. He issmoking.Which is not the sole basis for a relationship but sure does add to it. The spot on my cheek where he kissed me is still tingling, and I swear his scent has lingered. It can’t be the cats and dogs because they smell like cats and dogs, not like a hot sexy man.
The smallest dog is snoring with a cute whiffling noise, and I’d better sleep, too. No good decisions have ever been made at two in the morning. And tomorrow, I want to be bright and sharp for my first proper day as a member of the Flora Valley Wines Management Team of Two.
* * *
I hear Nate’s pickup pull in as I’m putting the coffee pot on the stove. I text himJava in five,and test the waters with,Kitchen or office?
I’m surprised and secretly thrilled that he texts back immediately withKitchen.No emoji or little xxes but this is Nate. He probably texts in full sentences with correct punctuation.
And here he is, looking fresher – and hotter – than he did yesterday. He’s in a preppy blue polo shirt that makes his eyes look like the water inBlue Lagoon. And then I stop staring at him because I notice what he’s holding.
“Is that a pie box?”
‘It is,” he says.
“With actual pie in it?”
“No, I’m giving you an empty container because I’m nasty and maladjusted.”
I ignore the sarcasm because – pie!
He hands it over, and I have to check. Key Lime, with whipped cream up the wazoo. Iris, you are a goddess.
“Did you forget last time I asked?” I ask.
“Uh, no.” He tugs on his earlobe. “But that piece had an – accident.”
I put the pie in the fridge. “I’ll save it for this afternoon.”
“Your willpower is impressive,” he remarks.
“Soimpressive that I might even consider sharing it with you,” I say, and IswearI see a flash of colour highlight his (also impressive) cheekbones.
The coffee pot starts to bubble. I pour us a mug each, and when he’s holding his, I clink mine against it.
“Here’s to Flora Valley Wines and all who sail in her,” I say.
