“Thanks.” I half turn around to grab the lotion from him, but he’s already leaning back in the lounge chair and the bottle is resting on my chair. He gives me a casual smile before I turn and lay back down.
It’s a struggle to get back into my book while Luke is this close, but I eventually do. Aaron and Ryan stay in the water the entire time and I read several chapters before Luke speaks up again.
“Jessica?”
“Yes?” I give him a sideways glance, but don’t move.
“I know you said you don’t want to discuss anything this weekend, but there is something we should talk about.”
I’m about to tell him I don’t think that’s a good idea, when Ryan walks up.
He looks at Luke and freezes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You didn’t.” I smile widely at him, no sense for everyone to feel awkward. “I was about to tell Luke it’s time for me to head up to get ready. I’ll see you all in a little while.” I stand and begin tossing my things in my bag.
I glance at Luke before I walk away. He nods, showing no sign of being upset I blew him off.
I take my time getting ready. Between another long shower and taking time to curl my hair, I make it down to the lobby with no time to spare. Luke and Aaron appear to be the only other ones on time.
Luke sees me first. He continues to stare until I’m closer and Aaron hears my approach.
“Hey, Jessica.” Aaron looks up from the message he was typing.
“Hi, Aaron. Luke.” I smile at each of them. Luke and I gaze at each other for a lingering moment.
“You look amazing,” Luke says.
I feel the warmth race through me and my brain suddenly can’t think of an appropriate response. Thankfully, I don’t have to.
“Hello. Where is everyone else?” Mrs. Bianchi approaches with Mr. Bianchi in tow.
“I’m sure they’ll be here shortly,” I answer as she gives me a hug first, followed by Mr. Bianchi.
“Too bad our plans for this morning fell through, but it was nice to have some downtime. Did you all have a nice day?” Mrs. Bianchi addresses all of us. It dawns on me that Mr. Bianchi has been more quiet than normal on this trip.
“We did,” Luke says as Mrs. Bianchi hugs him. I’m not sure if Mr. De Luca has had an influence on her or if she’s behaving more casually because we’re away from the winery.
“Wonderful. Were you able to get ahold of Mr. De Luca and work out his contract concerns?” Mrs. Bianchi asks Aaron when she gets to him.
“Yes. After Mr. Bianchi and I sat down this morning and reviewed the material I sent it over to Mr. De Luca. He called me right before I came down here to say he accepts the revised terms. He’ll be sending over the signed contract this evening.”
“Fantastic.” Mrs. Bianchi gives Aaron his hug. “Well, we have something to celebrate tonight then, don’t we?”
“Nice work, Aaron. Thanks for making that happen.” Mr. Bianchi adds.
“Not a problem,” Aaron says as Monica, Chad and Ryan arrive.
“Mr. Bianchi and I feel very lucky to be working with both of you.” Mrs. Bianchi nods her head toward Aaron and then Luke, before grabbing Mr. Bianchi’s hand. I love how he lets Mrs. Bianchi run the show but supports her at every step. It’s not completely unusual for him to take a backseat to her when dealing with the winery, but there’s never any question they are a team.
During the ride to Wilkens Winery, Aaron makes the announcement that the De Luca deal is in the final stages of being executed. When he’s done, Mrs. Bianchi stands and thanks everyone individually for their hard work. She makes it a point to even thank Chad, who she says serves as a great support to Monica. She mentions that the support that happens behind the scenes is as important as the visual work that everyone sees. I catch the look of adoration she flashes at Mr. Bianchi as she sits back down next to him.
We arrive at our destination right on time and the different vibe the place carries is immediately evident. Besides the building being made of wood, it simply has a more casual feel to it than De Luca did. There’s an attractive woman with long dark hair in a logo polo shirt and white capri pants waiting for us. She smiles, revealing perfect, abnormally white teeth.
“Welcome to Wilkens Winery.” Her voice is laced with forced enthusiasm and the simple handshake she offers feels more formal compared to the hugs and kisses offered by Mr. De Luca yesterday. I notice when she shakes Luke’s hand, she takes extra time, allowing for the opportunity to completely take him in. “My name is Nicolette. I’m the general manager of the winery and I’ll be your host today. As I mentioned to Mrs. Bianchi during our phone call, Mr. Wilkens is presently out of the country. He’s asked me to show you around today and I’m confident I can answer any questions that may arise.”
Nicolette leads us through the large barn style door and I take note of how the feel of the inside matches the outside. There is no one to greet us as we enter, and the furnishings are simpler. Everything is made of wood and while it creates a certain level of coziness, it doesn’t feel as special as what we saw yesterday. I really hope Mrs. Bianchi and Monica are taking notes and are planning to incorporate some of the mood created at De Luca winery into our space.
We continue through the tasting room as Nicolette points out key components. “When Mr. Wilkens first opened this place, twenty years ago, he only had the one tasting counter. We added the second one you see here and an additional members-only tasting room toward the back of the property five years ago.”
She continues to lead us around the property, through the barrel room, the bottling room and finally the storage room. She is knowledgeable and confident. Her command of the room is impressive. I admire her ability to present herself in such a polished manner, I don’t do that nearly as well as she does.
The final room she takes us to is lined with shelves of wine. There are four tables set up with beakers of wine, test tubes and various other scientific looking equipment.
“We thought you might enjoy a little competitive activity as part of your experience here today,” Nicolette says once we have all entered the room. “Today you’re going to be mixing the five single varietals that we grow on the property. The team that creates the perfect blend will be named the winner.”
I glance between Luke, Aaron and Ryan and see their eyes light up.
Nicolette notices it, too, and laughs. “I see we have some competitors among us. I can’t tell if this was a very good idea or a very bad one.”
“Oh, it was a good one.” Ryan smirks.
“This one thinks he’s got this in the bag, Luke,” Aaron says, nodding his head in Ryan’s direction.
“Your cockiness is no match for my experience.” Ryan directs his comment at both of them.
“Don’t be so sure Ryan. You understand the science, but don’t underestimate my ability to be creative.” Luke winks at him.
Nicolette giggles and clears her throat. “I’m going to let the ladies be team leaders and pick their partners.”
It surprises no one when Mrs. Bianchi grabs Mr. Bianchi’s hand and Monica loops her arm through Chad’s.
Luke and Aaron immediately start huddling and strategizing.
“Excuse me. I haven’t chosen yet,” I speak up, and all three men look surprised. Ryan would be the obvious choice, but I have a different plan. “I pick Luke.”
No one looks more surprised by my choice than Luke does. He quickly replaces his look of shock with a cocky grin. “She’s playing to win today, boys.”
“Seriously, Jessica? You do realize this is what I do, right? I’m a wine-make-er.” Ryan complains.
“Sorry, Ryan. Luke always figures out a way to win.”
Each duo selects a table. When I take my place next to Luke, I see he’s still wearing his grin.
“Stop smiling,” I say, turning m
y head so he can’t see the edges of my mouth are threatening to curl up.
“I don’t think I can,” Luke says, rummaging through the supplies on the table.
“Stop it, Luke. Get your head in the game.” I playfully chastise.
“You’ll only have twenty minutes to create your special blend. I suggest you use your time wisely.” Nicolette raises her volume and when I look up, she is looking directly at Luke and me. She’s trying to hide it, but I can tell she’s frustrated we’re not paying more attention to her instructions.
“I hope you’re happy, I think we’re in trouble now,” I whisper.
Luke glances up at Nicolette and gives her a wide smile. She returns it with one that contains a hint of flirtiness. “We’re not in trouble. You’re unusually competitive today…I like it.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever. Stop distracting me.”
Luke picks up the beaker labeled Cabernet. “I like to distract you.”
I feel his eyes on me, but instead of looking at him, I grab the sheet of paper from the table and begin reading the descriptions of the wines. “I picked you to win, not so we could exchange witty banter.”
“Thank you.” He pours the burgundy liquid into one of the test tubes.
“Are you thanking me for picking you or do you think I called you witty?”
“Both.”
“You’re impossible,” I say, pouring the merlot into a small cup to taste.
He takes the cup from my hand after I’ve tasted it and brings it to his lips. “I can definitely taste the cherries in this one. I think it might blend well with the Cab Franc.”
I realize I’m staring at his mouth and divert my eyes back down to the table. Luke pours some of the Cab Franc in a small cup and hands it to me.
“I can’t taste the violets.” I point to the sheet where the wines undertones have been listed for us. “I still think it would work well with the merlot and cabernet, though.”
Luke and I proceed to mix and taste our wines for the next fifteen minutes. We wind up laughing more together than we have in a very long time.
“I think it’s pretty good,” I say after tasting the final product.
“Hey, you should go over and say hi to Ryan,” Luke whispers, before trying the wine himself.
“Why?” I want to make sure his comment isn’t stemming for any unresolved jealously. Luke wears a mischievous grin after swallowing the wine.
“Just to be friendly.” Luke leans in so his mouth is close to my ear, close enough for me to feel his breath on my neck and I shiver. “If you happen to catch a glance at the percentage of each wine they mixed even better.”
I roll my eyes and push him away from me. “Lucas Taylor, we are not going to cheat.”
“Finding out what the competition is up to isn’t cheating. Stealing their product would be cheating.” Luke takes a mouthful of the remaining syrah on the table.
“Time’s up,” Nicolette announces as she walks around the tables. “I’m going to take your labeled finished product. Our winemaker, Antonio, and I will be the judges.”
“This should be interesting.” Mrs. Bianchi laughs when she sees the looks flying between the men.
“My money’s on Ryan,” Mr. Bianchi speaks up.
“Thank you, Mr. Bianchi, always the voice of reason.” Ryan nods is his direction.
“I’m going to have to go with Luke. Sorry, Ryan, I think Luke wants it more than you do,” Chad chimes in.
“I’ll remember that, Chad.” Ryan frowns.
“Nope. Ryan’s got this one,” Monica disagrees.
“You’ve always been my favorite, Monica.” Ryan picks up a glass of wine and drains the remaining contents.
“You know I did help, too.” Aaron complains.
“We all know who the brains of that operation is.” Luke points to Ryan.
“Traitor.” Aaron shakes his head. “Jessica is clearly the brains of your group, so does that make you the beauty?”
“Nope, she’s that, too. I’m merely lucky she picked me.” Luke winks at me and I feel the warmth spread across my cheeks.
We continue to debate what we think the outcome will be. After several minutes, Nicolette clinks a glass with her pen to get our attention.
“So, we have a split decision. To break the tie, we’re going to ask Mr. and Mrs. Bianchi to come up here and do a blind taste to determine our winner.”
“You’re putting me in a bad situation, Nicolette,” Mrs. Bianchi jokingly groans as she follows Mr. Bianchi up to the table where Nicolette and Antonio are. Nicolette pours samples from the two remaining blends. They taste each one and huddle together to exchange notes.
“No question, the first one is the winner,” Mr. Bianchi says as Mrs. Bianchi nods in agreement.
“That blend belongs to…” Antonio looks down at his paper. “Ryan and Aaron.”
“Yes!” Ryan pumps his fist in the air as Aaron grasps his shoulder and gives him a congratulatory shake.
Luke hangs in head in pretend shame as he walks over to Ryan. When he gets to him, he stands up tall and smiles. “Congratulations, man,” he says as he slaps Ryan on the back.
“And me,” Aaron reminds him with a smug grin on his face.
“I refuse to believe you had anything to do with this win.” Luke shakes his head.
“You may be right, but I’m still sharing in the victory.” Aaron throws his arm around Ryan.
“Thank you, Nicolette and Antonio. This has been a lovely afternoon,” Monica says. When I look at the time, I realize she’s trying to get us out of here in an attempt to arrive at our dinner reservation on time.
“Thank you. It was so nice to meet all of you,” Nicolette says before shaking hands with Mrs. Bianchi first.
We all say our goodbyes to our hosts and start to make our way back to the van. I walk with Ryan while he recounts how he decided how much of each wine to blend to achieve his victory. His explanations can be long winded, but certainly educational.
We’re about to climb on the bus when Monica looks around. “Where’s Luke?”
“Nicolette grabbed him as we were headed out. Wanted to talk to him for a minute.” Aaron says absent mindedly while typing out a text.
We all board the vehicle and wait for Luke. I remind myself that Nicolette could have wanted to talk to Luke about any number of things. No matter what rationalization I come up with, I don’t like it. I don’t like how she was looking at him or that she wanted to talk to him alone.
A few long minutes later, I see Luke running across the parking lot. He’s out of breath when he takes his seat next to Aaron. He doesn’t look back at me and I try not to let my imagination veer off too wildly.
We arrive on time for dinner at Zuzu, a Spanish tapas restaurant, and are promptly led back to our table. We aren’t in a private room this time and the buzz of the restaurant adds to the excitement of our group. We talk and laugh loudly while waiters pour glasses of wine ordered by Mr. Bianchi. Tonight, Luke is sitting at the other end of the table and I realize I’m disappointed I won’t have the opportunity to talk to him throughout dinner.
Our salads are being placed in front of us when Mrs. Bianchi starts a conversation with Luke and Aaron. I strain to hear over the clatter of the busy restaurant.
“What do you think our chances are of putting together a good deal with Wilkens?”
“Nicolette said they’re definitely interested in doing business with us,” Luke says.
“I’m worried their pricing may come in a little high for us,” Aaron adds.
“They may, but it would be nice to have some options.” Mrs. Bianchi sets down her fork and picks up her wine glass. Mrs. Bianchi stands and the table quiets down quickly.
“I’d like to say a few words. I’d like to toast all of you. You’ve all gone over and beyond what we expe
cted from each one of you. I truly enjoy working with each of you and consider you family.” Mrs. Bianchi chokes on her words and reaches up to wipe a tear away. Mr. Bianchi grabs her free hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. I’m not sure if the alcohol is causing her to be overly emotional, or if it’s merely seeing her vision for growing the winery nearly complete. Either way, seeing Mrs. Bianchi be so sentimental makes me tear up. I catch sight of Monica as I’m dabbing the corners of my eyes and hers look glossy as well.
“I want to say thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us and the winery.” With that, Mrs. Bianchi moves her glass toward Aaron’s. We all quickly grab our glasses and join in, clinking them together.
I notice several times throughout the evening that Luke and Mr. Bianchi are talking more than usual. I can’t make out what they are saying, but it appears to be semi-serious based on their body language and facial expressions.
If someone asked me, I wouldn’t be able to tell them why, but something about it gives me an uneasy feeling.
Chapter 10
On the ride back to the hotel, Aaron tells us the story of the first time he took Andi camping. In-between bouts of laughter, he describes the scene of her unpacking her bag inside their tent. He barely gets out the word “hairdryer” while trying to catch his breath as we pull up the circular driveway of the hotel.
Once we’re all off the bus, Mrs. Bianchi wraps one arm around Mr. Bianchi’s waist. “We’re headed up for the evening. Our meeting tomorrow isn’t until after lunch, so enjoy the rest of your evening and tomorrow morning.”
“Good night.” Our voices mingle in the crisp night air.
Chad claps his hands together. “It’s early and I could really go for a drink other than wine. First round’s on me.”
We walk as a group into the lobby bar and quickly snag an area in the corner. Chad asks what everyone would like and goes to order our drinks from the bartender.
I take one of the big comfy chairs closest to me, while Monica reserves the loveseat for her and Chad. Ryan sits next to me, leaving Luke and Aaron to sit across from us. We argue about which winery had better wine, but all agree that we preferred the overall ambiance of De Luca.
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