Romancing the Wine: A Boxed Set of 9 Newest Novellas from Award-Winning Authors

by Jan Moran

  It didn’t work.

  “You mean Aiden Black? You should go for it, Court, he’s a catch,” Cathlynn Merriweather added.

  “She already went for it,” Cyn replied before Courtney could even utter an objection. “First on the porch, then she didn’t come home last night.”

  “Shut. Up,” Courtney commanded, but all eyes were on her, expectant and greedy.

  “You know Maddie lost the big V to him right?” Cat laughed.

  That was more information than Courtney ever needed.

  “Ohmigod, I can’t believe you just outed me like that,” Maddie cried, hitting Cat’s shoulder.

  “Outed you?” Cat laughed. “You’re an open book.”

  “It was a lifetime ago,” Maddie said, focusing on Courtney. “It’s a small town, you know, and, well, he was the hottest guy in school.”

  “No, that would be Matt,” Clarissa Dean cut in.

  “Well, that’s only because he looks like me,” Maddie added about her twin brother.

  Courtney’s head began to spin. She had no idea what she was doing with Aiden, she certainly didn’t want it to be public knowledge. And she most definitely didn’t want to know about other women he’d been with, even if it was a lifetime ago like Maddie said.

  “Can we talk about something else, like maybe when each of you are going to adopt a dog. We have too many at the rescue again.”

  Poor Humphrey was spending the night at Clarissa’s clinic after being neutered. It was a safe place for him, but Courtney missed the little guy.

  “Nice try, but we want to hear about your new job and what’s going on with Hottie McBossman,” Clarissa said.

  “Nothing is going on and the job stinks.” It didn’t stink, but it wasn’t what she’d been looking for. She still had hope that Aiden would see her skills and put her in charge of marketing, but it was going to take time. She hadn’t even been there a week.

  “Nothing? Come on, spill it. You don’t spend the night with a guy like Aiden and nothing happens,” Cyn said.

  “What do you mean, a guy like Aiden?” Cyn was newer in town than Courtney, so she didn’t have any long forgotten stories about losing her virginity or whatever else to tell.

  “Everyone at the hospital talks about him. Like Cat said, he’s a catch. Hot, owns that beautiful winery, has been working search and rescue out west. A bunch of nurses want to get lost in the woods just so he can rescue them.”

  Aiden was a catch, Courtney couldn’t argue against that. Broad shoulders and strong arms that had held her all night long. The type of muscular body a man gets from hard work, not going to the gym. The way he takes charge of everything. His smile.

  Most of all, the way he looked at her. Things were happening way too fast, but when Aiden looked at her, everything else fell away.

  “I know that look,” Cat said. “I miss seeing that look in the mirror.”

  “What look is that?” Courtney asked.

  “The look of love. I want to be in love,” Cat sighed.

  “I’m not in love,” Courtney corrected. She hadn’t known Aiden long enough to make that leap, but remembering the way he looked at her, whether across the dining table or when they’d made love, her belly went all a flutter.

  “Right,” everyone said, as if they were all singing karaoke together.

  “Last night was fun,” great, amazing, incredible, “but he’s my boss and that’s just a recipe for disaster.”

  “Well, don’t look now, but here comes your boss,” Cyn said.

  Courtney went against every ounce of good judgment and turned to find Aiden moving through the crowd, determination furrowing his brow. She’d seen him pound more than one beer, not to mention the shots. Rule number one was to avoid drunk men and it was a rule she’d never broken. With Aiden, though, she’d already broken the don’t sleep with your boss rule. How long before she fell into the drunken trap?

  Instead of waiting for him to arrive at the table and give her rabid friends a show they were panting for, Courtney got up and met him in the crowd. “I was coming over to rescue you,” he said, his hands cupping her face.

  As he moved in, Courtney stepped out of his hold. “Rescue me from what?”

  “I’m not sure, but that’s what I do, rescue pretty damsels in distress.” His words slurred enough to attest to the drinking he’d done.

  She wasn’t in distress, at least not until Aiden searched her out. “You’re not driving, right?”

  “Not a chance. You’re a designated driver, I thought you could bring me home.”

  “My car is full,” she said, getting dizzy watching him sway. “Aiden, come on, I think you need to sit down.”

  “What I need is you, Courtney. Jesus, I’m out of my mind, I need you so bad.”

  Out of his mind, definitely. Why did people drink until they couldn’t think straight? “You’re drunk. You just need to sleep it off.”

  “Come home with me. Or take me home. And stay.”

  “I don’t go home with drunk men,” she said.

  “Another one of your silly rules. Let’s break that one too.”

  She caught him as he stumbled. “I’m not going home with you. You should get back to your friends, have a Coke or two to sober up a little.”

  “You’re breaking my heart, you know that?”

  “I’m sure that’s true,” she said as she headed toward the table he’d been sitting at, Aiden’s arm around her shoulder and her arm around his waist.

  “You’re going to hold this against me, aren’t you? One more excuse to try and avoid what’s happening between us.”

  Aiden made it difficult to avoid whatever it was he thought was happening between them, but it was still too fast for her. She’d never gotten involved with someone so quickly and the fact he was her boss complicated the whole situation.

  When they arrived at the table, she found Amber, the human resources manager who had interviewed Courtney and called her back for the second interview. One of the guys she recognized from the winery but didn’t know his name. The other guys she’d never seen before.

  “He needs to go home. Do you guys have a designated driver?”

  “That would be me,” the guy she recognized said. “I’m Pete, by the way. I work at the winery too.”

  “Courtney,” she said, shaking his hand.

  “Clint,” the guy next to Amber said. The other guys who had been occupying the table earlier had disappeared. “Your guy’s been going head to head with me all night, but I think I finally bested him.”

  “That’s nice, but he’s not my guy.” She turned her attention back to Pete. “Please make sure he gets home safely.”

  She smiled at Amber and waved, walking away before she got sucked into the drama of a bunch of drunk people.

  Being one of the few sober people at a bar sometimes sucked, but it was better than the alternative. With two alcoholics for parents, and given her brother’s history with alcohol, Courtney wasn’t willing to risk it. She enjoyed a glass of wine with Aiden, but drinking for the sheer purpose of getting trashed was not her idea of a good time.

  Chapter 11

  Courtney had just settled in to bed when she heard the crunch of gravel beneath tires. Instinctively, she knew it was Aiden — because who else would it be — and hoped to hell he wasn’t driving.

  “Is someone here?” Cyn appeared in the upstairs hall at the same time as Courtney.

  “Yeah. I’ll handle it. Go back to bed.”

  “No way, sister,” Cyn said, holding up the aluminum bat she kept next to the bed. “I’ve got your back.”

  They made it downstairs before the pounding started on the door. Courtney hated drunk people, but hated obnoxious drunks even more.

  She wasn’t surprised when she found Aiden standing on the other side of the glass.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  His friend stood beside him, an apologetic lilt to his smile. “Sorry, he insisted we stop.”

  “Ha
ve you been drinking?” Courtney asked.

  The guy, Pete, she recalled, shook his head. “I don’t drink. Been sober two years, plan to stay that way.”

  Courtney nodded, but still wasn’t impressed with the situation. “Take him home,” she said through the glass.

  “Courtney, please, I just want to see you. I’m not that drunk, I swear.”

  “Come on, man, the lady said no,” Pete said, tugging on Aiden’s arm.

  “Are you going to stay with him?” she asked. Worse than taking care of a drunk was leaving one to fend for himself. Too many things could go wrong. Courtney worried if Aiden was left alone, he’d do something stupid like get in his boat or get on the motorcycle.

  “Wasn’t planning on it,” Pete shrugged.

  With a sigh, Courtney flipped the lock and slid the slider open. “You’re sleeping on the couch, alone,” she insisted.

  Aiden stepped in, his arms wrapping around Courtney in such an affectionate embrace it melted the angst that had been stewing since seeing him at the bar.

  Pete chuckled and Cyn mumbled something about Aiden being whipped before they both retreated.

  “I could hold you all night,” he murmured in her hair.

  “Not going to happen when you’re drunk,” she said, hoping he heard the warning in her voice. If this was a regular thing for him, it wouldn’t ever happen again. Courtney had walked away from taking care of two drunks, she wasn’t about to slide back into that lifestyle, no matter what kind of feelings were stirring in her chest.

  “I’m sorry. I just, I lost my mind a little bit today.”

  “Let’s get you settled on the couch. We can talk tomorrow.”

  Aiden didn’t argue. After she brought him to the living room, she hit the kitchen for a Coke and two Excedrin, but by the time she made it back to the living room, Aiden was snoring.

  She chuckled, because despite the infuriating situation, he even snored sexy.

  She set the can and two pills on the table in front of the couch and covered him with the afghan draped over the back. She wanted to kiss his cheek, but thought better of it and went upstairs.

  Hours later, after a night of restless sleep, Courtney checked on Aiden, who was sleeping like a baby. A little bitter that he’d gotten a good night’s sleep and she hadn’t, she set the coffee to brew and hit the shower. When she emerged, she stomped and banged around the house. When Cyn joined her for breakfast, they cranked up the news and talked with their crowded bar voices.

  Aiden didn’t even stir.

  It was only after the phone rang that he showed signs of waking up. Cyn was long gone to work and Courtney was enthralled in schoolwork, specifically, developing the marketing plan for her project and the winery.

  “Good morning,” Aiden mumbled, scrubbing a hand over his face. Courtney glanced up and swallowed a groan. Even disheveled, Aiden’s sex appeal radiated.

  “I can bring you home so you can get ready for work,” she said.

  “So you are mad at me?”

  “Disappointed is a better word,” she admitted, slapping her laptop closed. “I’m not a drunken booty call and I prefer not to be the caretaker either. My parents were alcoholics, my whole life. I served my time in that pool and I’m not willing to drown there again.”

  “Courtney, I, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

  Courtney held up her hand. “It’s not something I’m proud of, so I don’t share it.”

  “If I’d know, I wouldn’t…” his words tapered off as he scrubbed his hand across his face again. “I don’t normally drink like that. I’m not sure why I lost control the way I did.”

  “When was the last time you drank like that?” she asked.

  Aiden contemplated that so long she didn’t think he’d say. “A few years ago, after I caught my girlfriend screwing my roommate. Before that, I’m not sure. I’ve never been a big drinker. I enjoy wine because that’s how I was raised and I like having a couple beers when I’m out with my buddies, but the bender thing is rare for me.”

  “Drinking is a deal breaker for me, Aiden.” She held up her hand when he tried to speak. “Don’t make fun of my rules, either. I may have broken the boss rule, but I won’t break the drunk rule, not for anyone.”

  “I’m not a drunk, I promise. It was just, I wanted to see you and you blew me off and I’m not used to that and I didn’t know how to handle it.”

  “I didn’t blow you off,” she huffed. “I already had plans.”

  “Which you didn’t communicate to me. You just said you were busy and the next thing I know, you’re singing karaoke at the pub.”

  Courtney shouldn’t feel guilty, but it weighed on her chest nonetheless. She hadn’t communicated very well because she was freaked out by everything that was happening, not to mention she couldn’t stop thinking about Aiden, her boss, and now, her lover. “I’m sorry. I’ll do better at that.”

  “And I won’t go on any more benders, I promise.” They weren’t just words, Courtney could see the truth in his eyes.

  “Deal,” she said. “Now let’s get you home so you can get to work. You have a winery to run.”

  He chuckled and came around the kitchen bar. Courtney met him halfway, easily going into his arms and absorbing all the affection in his embrace.

  “Will you have dinner with me tonight?” he asked.

  Courtney wanted to say no, and needed to. She had schoolwork that needed to get done because for the next two days, her off time was dedicated to the rescue and catching up on the work she’d let slip through the cracks since she’d started at the winery.

  She stepped out of his arms and looked into his pleading eyes. “I have schoolwork to do.”

  “You do schoolwork, I’ll cook. You take a break to eat and I’ll clean up and leave. I promise.”

  She loved spending time with Aiden and needed to eat. Getting a break from cooking would be nice, too.

  She nodded and his face lit up with the same excitement stirring in her chest. Courtney just hoped she could focus on schoolwork while he was tooling around in her kitchen.

  ~~~

  Aiden loved the routine he and Courtney had fallen into over the past two weeks. Most nights, he went to her place after work and made dinner while she did schoolwork. On the nights when she had to put in time at the shelter, he brought take-out not just for her, but Jill and all the volunteers. He’d even started thinking about adopting one of the dogs, but he had yet to find one he liked enough to adopt.

  He’d given her the space she needed, too, slowing things down to a respectable crawl. Each night, their good night make-out sessions had gotten longer and hotter, leaving Aiden restless and wanting more. He’d wait until she was ready, though, because he didn’t want to send her running again.

  Plus, with the harvest upon them, Aiden had to focus on what needed to get done in the vineyard. Even with Pete’s friends volunteering to help, it was going to be a few long days of plucking grapes.

  After several snafus, the restaurant was ready to re-open. Everyone was trained and the grand re-opening, a great idea, thanks to Courtney, was scheduled for Friday evening. Doing that at the same time as the harvest meant he’d be burning the candle at both ends for a few days, but the restaurant had been shut down for too long.

  As he made his way past the reception desk, Aiden was disappointed to find Courtney wasn’t there. He’d grown to rely on her a little too much, but she was the one person he could count on to get things done right and in a timely manner. He should give her a raise, but the winery wasn’t making money yet. Aiden was living off his savings, which thank goodness he had the fortitude to accumulate over the years. His grandfather had taught him that no matter what, always put ten percent into savings. Since Aiden had never been much of a spender and liked a good bargain, he’d been able to save a lot more than ten percent. That planning was saving his ass now, but he hoped to start collecting a paycheck soon.

  Beyond the reception desk, he found a man he recognized o
nly because he’d seen him in the tabloids over the years. Austin Hale had skipped town around the same time Aiden had. The one thing they had in common was the volatile relationships with their fathers, which Aiden had heard was the driving force in Austin’s hasty departure from Lilac Ridge.

  “Austin, hey man, great to see you,” Aiden said as the man, dressed in what looked like tailored slacks and a nicely woven button up shirt, stood from the bench.

  “Good to see you, too. Been a long time.”

  “What can I do for you?” Aiden asked. He had a lot of work to do and though it was good to see Austin, he didn’t have time to catch up.

  “I have an appointment with you to discuss carrying your wines at the resort.”

  “There must be some mix up, I didn’t schedule anything.” As much as he wanted this meeting, Aiden had put it on the back burner so he could deal with the restaurant re-opening and the harvest.

  “I don’t know, man. My assistant, Sadie, handles my calendar. I told Courtney to give her a call and set something up.”

  Courtney. Aiden had told her he’d handle it, but like everything else, she took the initiative to get it done. It didn’t annoy him as much as it had when she first started working, but he still needed to remind her that his calendar wasn’t her responsibility, neither was product placement.

  “Can you talk and walk? We had a leaking barrel earlier and I need to check the others to make sure there aren’t any issues.”

  “Hell, yeah. I’ve always wanted to see how you run things around here. I tried to get your old man to give me a tour and talk about a business relationship, but he said he’d be dead and buried before his wines were in the hands of a Hale.”

  “Sounds like Dad. I don’t know why he had an ax to grind with your father, but the first thing he did when my grandfather died was dissolve that relationship.”

  “My father’s a prick, so I’m sure there were countless reasons.”

  They made their way to the cellar where the wine was produced and stored. He gave Austin the nickel tour, checking the wooden barrels for leaks before giving the man his full attention. “I had dinner at the Hale not too long ago and noticed there were no Black Vines wines on your menu.”