Page 11 of Midnight & Memories

A wry smile came over him. He adored this side of Poppy, and he hoped to see much more of it as the evening progressed.

“Honestly, I really didn’t learn much. I mean, I understand the terms. Everyone who’s read an article in The Wine Enthusiast would be familiar with those terms. But I’ve only used them to describe wines you’d find in any local supermarket or drugstore. Well, a supermarket or drugstore down South, that is. Here in the North, you only have package stores. I’ve gone to an occasional local winery. Still, I really don’t think I can call myself anything more than a novice.”

Her Southern drawl seemed to slip through as she mentioned the drugstore.

“Novice never crossed my mind, Poppy. What does your nose and mouth sense from the glass?”

Poppy raised the glass to her nose.

“I can sense notes of white peach, nectarines, and another citrus fruit. But honestly, that’s about it. I like the silky taste of it, and it makes it smooth going down. And I’m a definite fan of a dryer wine, which this one is to me.”

“See, Poppy? You know what you are talking about with wines. That’s spot on!”

“If you say so. Again—I’m not one to look much past the cheap sections of the wine aisles.”

“I did not know wines were sold in drugstores down South. That’s a little strange to me.”

“It’s a Southern thing, and I think Northerners are a little too uptight with their drinking habits.”

“I can relate. I think people wait too long to indulge here in the North. People seem more relaxed in the South.”

“Yeah, we definitely are. We work just as hard as everyone else but at a slower pace. It’s too hot to work fast. Anyway, getting back to the gala, I’ve secured some modern art pieces from Savanah Sully. Those should be good for the silent auction since she is a popular local artist. I’ve also emailed my friends Ciro DeLuca, Daryl Davis, Stephan Sanders, and Carl Conners. They are all CEOs of various businesses in the financial district, except for Ciro—he works on Wallstreet. They will hopefully get me concert, theatre, and sporting event tickets, at the very least. All of them were in college with me, so if they know what’s good for them—they will donate.” She said with a nod and a smile.

Ridge let out a chuckle.

“I have no doubt you will get them to donate. You are very persuasive.”

“Now, I’ve worked on the preliminaries for the website already, and here’s what we have so far,” Poppy said as she opened up her laptop. “This page will be for our high-end advertisers. This one is for the silent auction. Potential bidders will bid on their smartphones right from the site on the evening of the auction. We will also have a page dedicated to the Alzheimer’s Association with your bio and the companies you own as the About Page.”

“You’ve done all of this in just one day?” Ridge asked with a raised brow.

Her laptop pinged. A message from Daryl Davis read he’d be happy to donate tickets to a Keith Urban and Toby Keith concert. She smiled at the email.

“Yeah, but this really isn’t a lot of progress. What will take the most time is cataloging everything on the computer once we get the gifts. I’m glad Daryl is coming through because those tickets will be popular items. Tomorrow I’ll start looking at Disney. Sometimes they do park passes for organizations that are doing a benefit event. But I’m uncertain about their cutoff date for applying.”

“I must say, I’m impressed with what you have done so far. I knew I could count on you for this event. Now, enough about business. Let’s enjoy the meal. What looks good to you?”

Poppy glanced at the menu, and her eyes widened.

“I’ve never heard of half of what is on this menu before.”

“Well, given you are from the South, do you like steak?”

Poppy nodded.

“Why don’t we share the ribeye for two, then?”

“Sounds wonderful to me.”

“Excellent.”

Once the steak came, Ridge moved his chair closer to Poppy so they could share the meal and the wine. It wasn’t long before they had finished their main course.

“Would you like some dessert, Poppy?”

“Oh, no. I can’t eat another bite!”

“How about a nightcap instead? It’s still early, and I’d love to spend more time with you.”

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