by Kate Kisset
“I’m sure we’ll see more of each other. My family is always at the games, and you certainly have an ‘in’ for a source, if you need one.” He gave her a cute little wink.
Michael Santino rarely did anything that could be described as cute, but the way he looked at that moment while sweetly appraising her, was… so endearing that she stepped closer without thinking. He didn’t move away. Instead he caressed her arm. Was this her moment? After their not-real date and several of his undefined kisses, she wanted answers. One way or another, she’d eventually find out whether Michael was attracted to her or not. Why wait another minute?
Michael gave her a quizzical look.
Danica’s head spun with a mixture of nerves and bravado as she decided to snatch this last-ditch opportunity. The only chance she’d ever have to do something crazy and blame it on a head injury, so she took it.
She reached up, clasped Michael’s cheeks with both of her hands and kissed him.
Chapter Three
Why did she kiss Michael? Had she lost her ever lovin’ mind? What the hell had she been thinking, to risk her job, never mind her dignity, over a kiss? For two of the four years she worked on her journalism degree at Sonoma State, she’d interned at the Napa Sun newspaper. Mostly writing articles about composting, crop production, elementary school candy drives, and any other stories the regular staff didn’t want to cover. The year after she graduated, they still wouldn’t hire her full time, so she worked part time, practically for free, writing for their internet site while working full time bartending.
Finally, Mr. Harvey gave her an Entertainment and Features reporter position, and soon after, promoted her to Features Editor. And she risked it all for a kiss?
She knew the second her mouth connected with his lifeless lips she’d made a mistake, and now she would have to face him today. Everyone in the house was going to the Santinos’ Fourth of July picnic.
“Are you really going to wear that tiara to the picnic?” Juliet waggled her brows at Lulu in the guest bathroom. The three women could barely turn around in the cramped quarters. Sarah had already left.
Lulu adjusted the red, white, and blue rhinestone clusters of grapes dangling from her crown. “Are you going to help me with this, or what? Please, I don’t want it to come off again.”
“Don’t you think it might get a little uncomfortable?” Lulu had been wearing the glittery headpiece since Danica helped her put it on at seven that morning for the Sonoma parade, where she reigned as Grand Marshal.
“Just because the parade is over, doesn’t mean I’m not still Grand Marshal. That counts for something in Napa, too. Besides, I promised Leo I’d wear it all day.”
She’d been dating Michael’s great-uncle since November, and so far they seemed to be a match made in seventy- or eighty-year-old heaven.
Lulu grabbed a chunk of stiff grey hair on the back of her head. “I just teased it again with Aqua Net Super Hold, for extra gripping power.”
Danica grabbed a few bobby pins off the counter and held them between her teeth. One by one, she plucked them from her mouth and used them to re-secure Lulu’s crown to her head. Dread washed over her. It was so obvious to her now that she misread Michael. Again. Just like their not-real-only-friend-date at the game, all of Michael’s “My Little Miss Sunshine” sweet nothings in his office were exactly that, nothings. That was just his way of being flirty and friendly. She would absolutely move on, but she’d have to face him at the party. She blushed just thinking about it. Would he avoid her? She couldn’t get a read on him. Never could.
With Lulu’s blinged-out tiara locked in place, the women piled into Danica’s old BMW. Lulu rode shotgun, holding the blueberry pie she made from scratch the night before, and they cruised over the hill from Sonoma to Napa.
Twenty-five minutes later, Danica maneuvered down the Santinos’ stately, olive tree-lined driveway, and scanned the area for a place to park. A parking attendant directed her to a small field adjacent to the estate’s entrance.
She considered telling the others about the desperate, head injury-induced move she made on Michael’s mouth, but didn’t. Her palms were already so sweaty they were slipping off the steering wheel while she guided the car into an empty slot. She didn’t need Lulu or Juliet making her more nervous than she was already.
Danica put the car in park and gulped a deep breath. The last time they were all here together, they’d celebrated a Santino Estate Cabernet release. Lulu danced all evening with Leo, and Sarah and Jamie spent their first night together.
“Don’t forget your jackets, girls. It’s going to be chilly at the river later.” Lulu re-secured the plastic wrap around her pie, and the three women got out of the car.
Trudging up the oyster shell path from the parking lot to the walkway, Juliet eyed the enormous river rock estate. “I don’t think I’d ever get used to this.”
“It’s not the size of the house that matters.” Lulu straightened her tiara. “It’s what happens inside the walls that counts.”
Crisp red, white, and blue bunting festooned the front of the mansion, and petite American flags adorned lavender pots on every step up to the entrance. The enormous carved front doors were open. Danica led the group into the cool, tiled foyer. A rush of goosebumps swarmed across her bare arms while their heels echoed in the vast hall as they followed the party sounds to the patio outside.
“Danica, honey!” Maddie Santino, Michael’s mother, rushed over for a hug. “You okay?” she murmured into her hair, smelling like vanilla and tomatoes. Maddie stepped back and brushed Danica’s hair off her face. She pursed her lips, scrutinizing her forehead. “Michael, honey,” she called out. “Michael, come see.”
Danica momentarily stopped breathing. Only to regain it when, thankfully, it was Michael Santino senior within earshot a few feet away. A little shorter than his sons, and still handsome, with his full head of salt-and-pepper hair, he swiveled his head around, and approached the group. “You’re all here! I’m so happy you made it to celebrate with us.” He hugged everyone, saving his biggest squeeze for Lulu.
“Look, hon.” Maddie turned her focus back to Danica, and pointed at her forehead. “No bruising.”
Michael senior came in close to examine the nonexistent injury under her hairline. He squinted and moved a strand of hair off her face. “Nothing. What a relief.”
“Really, I’m fine.” Embarrassed, Danica fiddled with a strand of her hair. “It hit me in the back of the head, and I’m totally okay.”
Maddie scrunched her eyes and felt Danica’s skull, apparently searching for lumps, before stepping back. These people are all hands. Michael probably gets his flirty personality from them.
“Well, you look gorgeous.” Maddie turned to the other women. “All of you, just stunning.”
Michael senior reached for Lulu’s head. “I love your hat, Lulu.”
Lulu stepped back and stoically handed him her pie. “It’s technically a crown.”
“This looks delicious. Thank you so much for bringing it.” He headed off to a buffet table nearby, calling over his shoulder, “Have fun!”
Danica marveled at her surroundings while guitars strummed in the distance. As usual, the Santinos had gone all out. Well-dressed partygoers mingled around the white canopied wine and food tents dotting the property. Her mouth watered when the aromas of barbeque and sugary sweets drifted in the breeze.
Gargantuan fluffy white and blue pillows were scattered on enormous red blankets on several lawn areas. Although the property could host a thousand guests, somehow the gathering felt intimate and charming.
“Make yourselves at home. I think you know the place by now.” Maddie gestured to the buffet table. Michael senior rearranged pots of red geraniums and platters, making room for Lulu’s pie. “There’s plenty of food, so you won’t be hungry. The band is getting warmed up in the back field, and you’ll have no problem finding drinks.”
Lulu tappe
d her bra area with a freckled hand and raised her eyebrows, while her tiara twinkled in the light. “We’re all set.”
Danica glanced at Lulu’s shirt, still not understanding why she carried a flask, or how someone so petite could manage to fit it into her bra. They were in wine country after all, and it was highly unlikely they’d run out of alcohol. She turned with an extra-big smile for Maddie who’d helped her pre-party jitters disappear. “Thank you so much for inviting us.”
Maddie’s face lit up. “Well, it wouldn’t be a party without all of you here. Now, don’t forget about the fireworks tonight.” She excused herself and dashed off to welcome other new arrivals.
Danica spied Jamie and Sarah at the far end of the patio and threw her hand up with an exaggerated wave.
“I’m ready to mingle.” Lulu adjusted her bejeweled headpiece. “Wait till Leo gets a load of this! Who’s with me?”
Juliet looped her arm around Lulu’s. “You coming, Danica?”
“I think I’ll hang back and catch up with you later.” I need to get something over with.
Juliet winked and strolled off with Lulu in Sarah and Jamie’s direction.
“Okay, now.” Danica blew out sigh and sauntered in the opposite direction in search of Michael. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she had to face him and somehow make it clear that she not only understood that they were just friends, she also was fine with it. Biodynamic winery story or not, with Sarah dating Jamie, and Lulu locked at the hip with Uncle Leo, flirty Michael Santino was part of her life. She didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable around her.
Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him in shorts and a T-shirt, manning the barbeque. He had his back to her, and she froze. She had to get over her embarrassment about kissing him. Although Michael hadn’t pulled away, he hadn’t kissed her back, not the way he had on New Year’s Eve.
The thought of chickening out crossed her mind, but she ran her fingers through her hair, gathered her wits, and walked around the barbeque to face him.
His chocolate brown eyes connected with hers, and her heart somersaulted. Damn it. Michael put the spatula down and rushed to her. “So happy you’ve come.” She held her breath, taking in his spicy, earthy-cabernet smell and offered her cheek. His smooth, warm cheek rubbed against hers for a peck, and he ran a hand up and down her arm for a caress that seemed to last an hour. “Did you bring the whole crew?”
“We’re all here.” She pointed to Lulu’s head throwing off a rainbow of sparkles in the sun.
“Uncle Leo can’t stop talking about his girlfriend, the Grand Marshal of Sonoma’s parade.”
“Michael San-tin-o. There you are!” Danica’s recognized the blonde anchor from Channel 7 news approaching. Her white shorts set off her long, tanned legs “Are we ever going to finish our interview?” the newscaster purred.
Hmm. Another interview?
Michael’s gaze moved to the blonde. He instantly threw his head back and laughed. The woman giggled and poked him on the arm.
Suddenly feeling like an intruder, she took a step back.
“Danica, this is Germaine Panteen.” Michael scooted closer to Germaine without giving Danica another glance. “Germaine, Danica Vargas.”
Danica extended her hand, and the newscaster grasped it warmly but didn’t look away from Michael.
“It’s lovely to meet you.” Germaine let go of her hand. “You don’t mind if I steal him away from you for a bit, do you?”
Before Danica had a chance to respond, Michael took his apron off faster than she thought was humanly possible. Holding his hands up in a standard what’s-a-boy-to-do gesture, he strolled off with Germaine.
Her heart sank a little over being ditched, but she also felt relieved to see Michael operating unreservedly, in full flirtation mode, around her. And his hug and warm greeting were enough to reassure her there wouldn’t be any awkwardness between them. Left in front of the barbeque pit, without a craving for ribs, or meat, Danica combed the crowd for someone, anyone, she knew. She strode toward the buffet table about twenty feet away, and forced a smile, hoping someone would indulge in a little chitchat. Everyone she passed seemed to be engaged in very deep, and seemingly private, conversations.
A ping-pong ball came out of the blue and bounced off her thigh, knocking her out of her doldrums. It rolled away from her, and she scrambled for it.
“Oh, sorry, Danica,” Gianni Santino, Michael’s younger brother, called out while loping toward her. She snatched the ball. “At least this one didn’t hit you on the head.” Gianni leveled a killer smile.
“It was his ball that hit you, not mine,” Nick slowed to a stop next to his identical twin. “Sorry, Danica.” He raised his eyebrows. “Want me to check for injuries?”
“N-no w-worries.” If being in the proximity of Michael wasn’t enough to make her breathless, these two dark-haired devils in shorts could knock the wind out of her. They were shorter than Michael, with a somewhat slighter build, but were supremely gorgeous in their own way, like supermodel bookends.
Nick scanned her with a flirty glint in his eyes. “Would you like us to send more flowers?”
Gianni winked. “It’s not a problem.”
Her gaze moved from one brother to the other. Were they for real? She briefly attempted to determine which twin was hotter, but gave up, deciding they were equally drop-dead handsome. She didn’t have the bandwidth to nitpick over degrees of gorgeousness. “No, thank you, but the bouquet from your family was really pretty, by the way. Thank you.” She lobbed the ball to Nick, and sashayed off to the food area.
A small crowd clustered around the long white-cloth-covered buffet table. Not seeing a line, she moved to the back. While waiting for the throng to thin, she scanned the group of mostly unfamiliar faces for Juliet, Lulu, or Sarah, and spotted Danny Deep at the head of the table. He looked different without his scruffy baseball uniform.
His khaki shorts and navy blue T-shirt fit him to perfection. Her eyes traveled up over his broad shoulders to his clean-shaven jaw and smooth olive complexion. His black hair, her favorite color, looked shiny and thick. He plopped a heaping spoonful of potato salad on his plate. And—oh my—his arms... He suddenly looked up and caught her staring. Danica quickly pretended she’d been staring up at the sky.
“Hey!” She heard him call out but wasn’t sure he was addressing her. She glanced over and found him staring. “You made it.” He held his paper plate in one hand and waved with the other. “Come.” He waved again. “Come over to my side of the table.” He acted like he’d been waiting for her.
She turned away, buying a few seconds to decide what to do. After taking another glance around the perimeter, and not seeing any of her roommates, Danica grabbed a paper plate, sucked her stomach in, and wedged past a few partygoers to sidle up next Danny.
He bent close to her ear. “You look so pretty today.” His deep voice rattled through her.
“Thanks.”
Grinning, he leaned back making a big show of checking out her outfit. “Did you wear those shorts for me? Love ‘em.”
She prayed she wasn’t beet red. “Um, don’t know what to say here…thanks again?” He smiled, brushing his hip against hers, nudging her to move down the table to the next dish.
“Wait. Don’t move without any potato salad.” Danny grabbed a serving spoon. “Come on, hold your plate up. You’ll love it.”
“Okay, sure.” Lifting her plate, Danica nonchalantly let her gaze roam to his eyes, just to make sure they were the intense blue she remembered from the hospital. He dipped a serving spoon into the salad and delicately placed a mound onto her plate.
Devastatingly blue.
His arm grazed hers, and a tingle coursed through her. Who is this guy? She couldn’t find the courage to look up again at his magazine-cover face, and instead made a big deal of studying the bread basket.
Constantly aware of his body, and trying to convince herself she wasn’t, Da
nica stayed by his side, maneuvering around the table until her plate was filled.
They stepped away from the buffet at the same time. Danica gathered enough nerve to speak. “Are we still on for the interview Tuesday?” She’d called him from the office after the staff meeting, and hoped he hadn’t forgotten.
“I’ll have time after practice. You find my gift?” He bit into a cookie.
She pursed her lips. “You mean the scuffed-up baseball, the one that conked me in the head?”
Staring at her mouth, he licked his lips. “So you found it?”
“I did.” She glanced down at her plate, cursing herself for being so attracted to him, but decided there wasn’t any choice in the matter. Any healthy, heterosexual woman with operational hormones would feel the same say. “It looked a little out of place with all the flowers.” Danica speared a broccoli floret on her plate. She felt him staring but kept her eyes on her fork.
“But, did you read what I wrote on it?”
This guy wasn’t letting up. “Uh-huh, yep. Your first home run. Very touching.” She took a bite of broccoli.
He cocked his head and waited a beat. “You don’t sound very happy with my present. I thought you’d like it.”
“I just thought it was a little strange, that’s all.”
Shrugging, he let out a long sigh and put his plate down. “Danica, I think we need to talk.” He motioned for her to get rid of her plate. “Please.”
Surprised by his sudden seriousness, she did a double take, and reluctantly dropped her plate off on the table. Ushering her by her elbow, Danny brought her to a shady corner next to the house. He planted his feet directly in front of her, she assumed to purposely block her from seeing anything except the penetrating stare on his incredibly handsome face.
She gulped a quick breath and tried not to squirm. “Well?”
His eyes glistened like jewels under thick black lashes. “We know each other.”