by Té Russ
"What is it Evie?" she asked, after she sat her drink back down.
Eva sat her glass down as well. "Oh, I don't know, I mean you invite me to lunch, which you sounded so excited about by the way," she said, sarcastically. "And I drove all the way up here from Sacramento and now you're just sitting here picking at your salad and you've barely said two words since we got here."
"I'm sorry," Maya said. "It's just that my lunch date cancelled on me and–"
"You had a date?" Eva asked.
"You sound so surprised." Maya stabbed at a piece of lettuce.
"I figured you would still be holding out hope for Xavier," she teased, drawing out the sound of his name in a childish tone.
Maya blushed at the mention of Xavier. "Actually...that's who the lunch date was with."
Eva dropped her fork on the table. "So he did break up with little miss perfect?"
Maya nodded, trying to hide her smile. "Six months ago."
"I told you," Eva said, pointing at Maya. "So what happened? Give me all the details. And don't leave a single thing out!"
Maya started at the beginning, from when he first arrived at the winery, to them sharing appetizers and wine in the cave before Xavier finally asked to spend lunch with her before he headed back to Sacramento.
When Maya was done, Eva was grinning from ear to ear. "That sounds like it was amazing. But what made him have to cancel?"
"Some truffle emergency at his café."
"Oh, that is nothing to mess with," Eva said, as she started eating again. "I read an article online recently that said they get up to over three grand. Three grand."
"Needless to say, his head chef is quite upset."
"So when are you going to see him again?"
"I don't know, but he made sure to let me know that he would make up for him having to miss our date today."
"Well, his café sounds amazing. I can't believe I've lived in Sacramento all this time and never been there. Maybe Roger and I can make a date night visit there," Eva said, wiggling her eyebrows.
Maya looked up and saw the mischievous look in her sister's eyes.
"Oh no," Maya said. "Don't even think about it?"
"Think about what?" Eva asked, pretending like she had no idea what Maya was talking about.
"Evie," Maya said, pointing a finger at her. "Don't you dare go to Xavier's café with that whole 'overprotective big sister' act."
"It's not an act if it's truth. As your older sister it is my duty to do reconnaissance on any man who feels like he is worthy of your time. I will do so in whatever manner as I see fit."
"Just don't do anything crazy," Maya said, before they finished up their lunch.
Chapter 4
Xavier shoved the double doors to his kitchen open to find Lena leaning on a butcher block with her head in her hands as Enrique stormed around shouting.
"How in the world am I supposed to create my black truffle risotto with no–"
Xavier dropped the bag of truffles down and kept walking.
"There's your truffles, Enrique."
Lena sat up and hurried to catch up with Xavier.
"Xay? What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Xavier!" She reached out and grabbed his arm.
They were in front of his office. He sighed and opened the door and went in. He sat down in his chair behind his desk and Lena did the same on the other side.
"I didn't plan on being back in Sacramento so early."
"Did you miss out on some wineries?"
He shook his head. "No not exactly."
"Then what's got you so wound up?"
He definitely wasn't in the mood for her meddling today.
"I was supposed to have lunch in Napa," was all he said.
Lena scrunched her eyebrows. "So you didn't have lunch in Napa...what's the big deal..."
Xavier looked up as he saw her eyes light up. He rolled his eyes.
Here we go...
"Did...you...meet someone in Napa?"
He rolled his chair around to avoid her gaze.
"You did!" Lena hopped up and came around to the other side of his desk and spun his chair back around.
"Who is she? Where'd you meet her?"
"Maya," he said, finally knowing she wouldn't relent.
"Maya," she said, looking up at the ceiling. "Why does that name sound familiar..."
Lena gasped when she figured it out. "Maya from Russell Oaks? That Maya?"
Xavier didn't respond with anything more than an eyebrow raise.
"Nice, big bro!" she said, nodding her head in approval.
"Well it would have been," Xavier said, quietly.
"So I take it the tour at Russell Oaks went well."
He nodded, thinking it had gone much better than he would have ever expected.
Lena smiled. "All I'm going to say is it's about time you got back out there. I was getting sick of you pining over that witch Darby."
"The two of you were practically joined at the hip when we were dating," Xavier said, looking at her.
"That was before you broke up with her and she tried to have the café taken from you."
The one thing Xavier knew to be true, Lena was loyal to him.
Knowing he didn't want to discuss Darby, Lena headed back to the door. "I'm going to go and check on Enrique."
Xavier nodded, but he barely heard anything she said. He was thinking of Maya and hoping that he would get to see her again soon.
"Delivery for Amaya Thorton."
Maya looked up when she heard her name.
"That's me," she said, coming from around the counter to meet the delivery guy, who was holding a large bouquet of flowers.
"Sign here," he requested, holding a clip board in one hand while balancing the vase in the other hand.
Maya quickly left her signature and took the flowers.
"If you give me a minute, I'll go and get some cash for a–"
"It's already been taken care of Miss Thorton," the delivery man informed her with a smile. He tipped his cap in her direction and said, "You have a good day."
"I will," Maya said, turning to head to her office. As she walked down the hall, she looked at the bouquet that was filled with flowers from the area that were just beginning to bloom. She sat the vase down on her desk and took out the card with her name on it.
I enjoyed our time together this past weekend. Once again, I apologize that we didn't get to have that lunch date. Hopefully we can reschedule soon.
"Xavier..." she said, reading his signature out loud.
When she heard ringing, Maya sat the card down to grab her phone from out of her desk. As if she'd conjured him up, Xavier's name flashed across the screen.
She smiled as she answered the phone.
"Hello."
"Hi, Maya."
"Hey Xavier," she replied, feeling giddy at the sound of his voice.
"Did you get my flowers?"
"I did. In fact, they just got dropped off. They've very beautiful Xavier. Thank you for sending them."
"It's the least I can do after having to miss Sunday."
"You've told me how sorry you were over and over for that. There was nothing you can do. So no more apologizing."
"Okay, I'll stop apologizing."
"Good."
"Do you have plans this weekend?"
He wasn't wasting any time, Maya thought.
"No, I'm free this weekend."
"Well, I would like to return to Napa again this weekend, and take you out."
"That sounds good."
"How about we try for Sunday again?"
"What time should I be ready?" Maya asked, hoping she didn't sound too eager.
"Is five too early?"
"No, I'll be ready."
"Ok, see you Sunday."
Before they hung up, Xavier's last words on the phone were, "Nothing is going to keep me away this time."
"What about this dress?"
Maya was on a video call wit
h Eva, who was at home. Roger had recently returned from a business trip, so they'd decided to stay in. Maya, who was trying to figure out what to wear for her date with Xavier, had her tablet set up on her dresser so Eva could help her pick something out.
Eva scrunched her nose up and shook her head.
"Evie!" Maya said, stomping her foot in exasperation. "You've said no to every dress I've tried on. I have to meet Xavier in a few hours and I've still got to finish doing my hair and make up."
Eva rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault you dress like an old maid."
"I do not dress like an old maid."
"Do too..."
Maya shoved her fingertips into her hair and tugged a little. "Evie, I don't have time for this."
Eva sighed. "We should have gone shopping yesterday."
Maya smirked. "As if I would have been able to tear you away from Roger this weekend."
Maya loved the way her sister still blushed at the mention of Roger's name.
"Okay," Eva said, "There's got to be something in your closet. Go look in the back."
"The back?" Maya asked, confused.
Eva nodded. "Trust me. There's always that one dress, pushed way in the back that we buy, but never really have the guts to wear."
Maya shook her head and went back into her closet. She stood there staring at all of her clothes for a minutes, before grabbing the hangers, shoving everything toward the front and then gasped.
Sure enough, just as Eva predicted, there it was. Maya had forgotten all about it.
The white to navy blue ombre bandage dress swayed before Maya's eyes almost hypnotizing her. She'd seen it in a store in the mall one day and she couldn't resist. But then when she got home, she came to her senses and realized she would probably never wear a dress like that, no matter how great she looked in it. While she hadn't thought that she would ever be brave enough to actually wear the body hugging dress with off the shoulder neckline, she didn't have the heart to take it back to the store.
"Try it on," she heard Eva shout through the tablet.
Maya looked at the dress again; it still had the tags on it.
She looked at the clock. She didn't have much time left. She was meeting Xavier in town near the wine train. She figured they were going to one of the restaurants in the area.
Finally, she blew out a breath, stripped out of the dress that Eva had disapproved of, and slid into the bodycon dress.
"Maya?" Eva called out.
"I'm coming."
When she came into view of the camera, Eva's eyes lit up.
"That's the one! I told you so!"
Maya and Eva talked for a few more minutes, discussing which shoes to pair with the dress and other accessories, before they ended the video call.
An hour later, Maya was out the door and on her way to meet Xavier.
She found him waiting for her near the train station. When he saw her, he made his way over to her.
"Hi," she said, when he stopped in front of her. He looked good in his button down, collared shirt and slacks.
"Hey," he said, also taking his time to openly admire her in her dress. "You look amazing."
"Thank you."
"Are you ready?"
"Sure, lead the way."
She turned and he placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her to their destination.
"We're going to the wine train?" she asked as they headed in that direction.
"It's a moonlight train ride through Napa, have you ever been?" Xavier asked.
"I've ridden the train of course, but not at night. To be honest, I didn't even know it ran at night."
"They have evening dinners, but this particular one only runs once a month," he explained. "It's for couples only."
Maya nodded and smiled. "Sounds like it will be a lot of fun."
They made their way on the train and were escorted to a table. After everyone boarded, they were given a welcome glass of sparkling wine. As the whistle began to blow, the train slowly started moving and they settled in to enjoy their moonlit excursion.
The ambiance of the Napa wine train was much different at night compared to the regular day trips offered. The lights were dimmed to give off a romantic glow. Maya smiled as she looked out of the dome glass and watched the valleys of Napa, bathed in the light of the moon, whiz by them.
It all made for a very intimate scene.
"Are you enjoying the ride?"
Maya turned to find Xavier watching her.
"It's amazing," she said, as a waiter appeared with their second course and it's complementing wine.
They ate in silence for awhile, before Xavier looked up at Maya and said, "I'm sorry, but I just have to know."
"Know what?" Maya asked, confused.
"Why hasn't some man come along and made you his?"
Maya blushed as she reached for her wine.
"Of course, I mean that in the best way possible. You are a beautiful, intelligent and downright sexy woman Amaya. I just find it hard to believe you're not with someone."
Maya glanced out the window, thinking of a way to answer his question.
"You're a handsome, successful and downright gorgeous man. Yet, you're single as well. Why aren't you with Darby anymore?"
"Ouch," Xavier chuckled. "Didn't expect you to throw the question back at me like that."
Maya's eyes grew wide and she tried to apologize immediately. "I didn't mean any disrespect either," she said. "And why your relationship ended is none of my business. I only said it to point out that while we both have what seems to be appealing attributes, neither one of us is in a serious relationship at the moment. I don't think there's any real answer. It kind of just is what it is."
Xavier nodded. "I get what you're saying."
Maya shrugged. "I guess the right one just hasn't come along yet," she said, looking down at her plate.
"Darby cheated."
Maya's head shot up. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Yep. Guess she wasn't so perfect after all."
But you are, Maya wanted to say.
"How could she cheat on you?" She inwardly cringed as she thought, I can't believe I just asked that out loud.
This time Xavier shrugged. "Everything between us seemed perfect on paper. But I guess it's like you said, there's no real answer. I was there for her, attentive, loving. I gave her my all and it still wasn't enough."
He paused for a moment, taking a large sip of his wine. "It's like you said though, it is what it is. It hurt like hell at first. But now I'm ready to move on and find someone who is genuinely going to be there for me."
Heat bloomed in her chest, and her cheeks darkened even more.
"Did you two save room for dessert?"
They both looked at the waiter, then back to each other. Xavier raised an eyebrow up in question. Maya nodded and they looked over the dessert tray and picked one to share.
As they dug into the sweet confection, Xavier looked at Maya and said, "This is by far the best second date I've ever been on."
Maya's hand froze, the spoon hovering close to her mouth.
"Second date?" she said. "How can this be a second date when we've never gone on a first?"
"Oh but we did."
Maya thought for a minute, then laughed saying, "I know you're not counting your wine tour as a first date!"
"Why not?" he asked, smiling.
"Because you were there for a tour."
"Yes, but look at how the tour ended," he said, pointing his spoon in her direction. "We ended up sitting in a romantic setting, enjoying food and wine. Just like we are doing now. So, I'd say that makes it a first date."
She wanted to remind him that the food was meant for him...and Darby, but she didn't want to bring that woman up anymore. Especially after Xavier's revelation of her infidelity.
Maya cracked a small smile as she dug into the dessert. "I see this is something we are just going to have to agree to disagree on."
They spent the rest of the eveni
ng enjoying each other's company, laughing and talking, while the train continued to whisk them away.
Chapter 5
Several hours later, the train finally returned to it's station.
Xavier escorted Maya to her car to make sure she arrived safely. When they got to her car, she reached into her purse and pulled out her car keys.
She unlocked her car, opened the door then turned to face Xavier.
"I really enjoyed myself tonight," Maya said, looking up at him.
"So did I," Xavier said, taking a step closer to her. "I enjoyed myself so much in fact, I can't wait to ask you on a third date."
"Second," she corrected, with a grin on her face. She took a step closer to him as well. "And I'm ready when you are."
"Next week?"
"You're getting a lot of mileage, making all of these weekend trips to Napa," she teased.
"It's definitely worth it," he replied.
"How about I do the traveling next weekend?" Maya suggested.
Xavier smiled and closed the distance between them. "You mean you come to Sacramento?"
"Sure, I go there all of the time. My sister lives there."
He thought about it for a moment then, nodded. "Next weekend at Wined & Dined?"
"Sounds perfect."
They stood there for a few minutes in silence. The crisp night air, along with Xavier's heated stare, caused Maya to tremble.
"Are you cold?" Xavier asked, reaching out to gently rub her arms.
"Just had a little chill."
"Well, you should get in your car and warm up."
Maya nodded, but neither of them made a move. She continued to stand there and he continued slowly running his hands up and down her bare arms. Then she found his hands moving up from her arms to cup the back of her head. She tilted her face up and their lips touched in a sweet kiss that ended much too soon for either of their liking.
"Shoot me a text when you make it home?" It wasn't a command, just a gentle urging.
"Okay, and you do the same."
"You got it."
He released her and took a step back so she could get in the car. He held on to the car door, looking down at her for another moment. He ran his thumb over his bottom lip, gave her a sexy grin as he shook his head as if in amazement, then stood.