Something in the Wine

by Jae

  “I’m sorry, darling,” her mother said, “but would you mind meeting us an hour later? Your father got called in to conduct a matinee because his colleague called in sick. We already called the restaurant and changed the reservation.”

  Annie unlocked her car, slid into the driver’s seat, and closed her eyes. Great. And I ran out on my friends without even trying the cake. She tried not to let her disappointment show. “Sure, Mom. No problem.”

  “Great. I knew you’d understand.”

  Yeah. Annie the Understanding. That’s me. When her mother ended the call, she sat for a minute, staring at the bushes in front of Sarah’s house, then gave herself a mental kick and started the car.

  * * *

  “Oh, great,” Drew said with a glance at her phone’s caller ID. “Jake.” Was he calling to tell her again to stay away from his sister? She picked up the phone and steeled herself. “Hi, Jake.”

  “I need a birthday present,” Jake said. A radio played in the background and a car’s engine hummed, indicating that he was on the road.

  Drew looked at her phone, frowning, then shook her head and moved the phone back to her ear. “I’m doing wonderfully. Thank you so much for asking, dear friend. And by the way, need I remind you again that talking on the phone without hands-free equipment while you’re driving is illegal in the great state of California?” Knowing Jake, he wasn’t using hands-free equipment.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jake said. “No time for pleasantries or long lectures. It’s really urgent.”

  “So which of your many girlfriends are you trying to impress?” Drew asked.

  “Huh? Why would you think this is about a girlfriend?”

  Drew rolled her eyes. “It’s not because I’m a mind reader. Usually when you call to ask for something, it’s about a woman.”

  “But this time, it’s not.” He paused and then laughed. “Yeah, well, I suppose it is.”

  Drew reached for the calendar she kept next to the phone to see if any of their common acquaintances’ birthday was coming up. Nothing. “Want to clue me in? Whose birthday is it?”

  “Annie’s.”

  “Oh.” Drew clicked on a pen to write it down in the calendar. “When is it?”

  “Today.”

  The pen dropped on top of the calendar. His sister’s birthday is today, and he’s only starting to search for a present now? She shook her head. Maybe being an only child wasn’t so bad after all. She picked up the pen and circled today’s date, October 26, in the calendar. “So why aren’t you out shopping for a present? Why are you calling me?”

  Loud honking made Drew flinch away from the phone. “You’re blocking the road, idiot!” Jake shouted. “There are people here who want to get somewhere before sunset!” Then he lowered his voice and grumbled, “Damn tractor.”

  Drew rubbed her ear. “Jesus, Jake, can you give me a warning next time before you start shouting in my ear?”

  “Sorry,” Jake said. “About Annie’s present ... I thought I could give her a good bottle of wine or maybe one of the wine gift sets you sometimes put together for your customers.”

  “Hmm.” Drew scratched her head. “I’m not sure if a bottle of wine is the best present for Annie right now.”

  For a moment, only drum beats from Jake’s car radio filtered through the line. “Why not?”

  “Well, after the wine tasting last weekend ...” The memory of a buzzed Annie put a smile on Drew’s face.

  “You didn’t get her drunk, did you? Drew, I’m warning you. If you—”

  “Chill out, and give the big-brother act a rest. I never have to ply women with wine. You know that. They all come into my arms quite willingly.” She paused to give Jake’s imagination ample time to picture Annie in her arms.

  Jake barked out a laugh that didn’t sound totally convincing. “Not Annie.”

  “If you are so convinced about that, why are you getting so defensive?”

  “I’m not—”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Drew grinned. It seemed he was beginning to have some doubts. “So, back to the topic at hand. Do you really think wine is a great idea for your sister’s birthday?”

  “You’re a vintner. What’s wrong with wine as a present?”

  “Nothing—if you’re giving it to a colleague or an acquaintance you barely know. But for your sister ... isn’t it a little impersonal?”

  The tick-tick-tick of Jake’s turn signal echoed through the line. “Impersonal? I don’t think so. Annie likes wine.”

  “If you insist. What kind should I put in the gift set? Red? White?”

  Jake turned down the volume on his car radio. “Um. White?” It sounded like a question, not an answer. “Ah, you pick whatever you think is best.”

  “Okay.” She would put together a nice gift basket with two of her best bottles of Cabernet, a few snacks, a bubble bath, and other things that would help Annie relax after a long day at work. “When do you need it?”

  A car honked in front of the house. At the same time, Drew heard the sound through the phone. “Right now,” Jake said. “I just pulled in your driveway.”

  Drew tapped the phone against her forehead. “You’re something else, my friend. One of these days, you’ll pay the price for doing important things at the last minute.”

  “Hey, it’s not my fault. My parents were supposed to remind me to buy a birthday present, but they forgot.”

  Drew sighed. Annie’s parents were just as bad as Jake. Poor Annie. Then and there, Drew decided that she would get Annie something nice for her birthday. Something Annie would like, not just the next best thing that was convenient to get. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

  * * *

  After one last glance to make sure the flowers still looked good, Drew rang Annie’s doorbell and looked at her watch.

  Already half past five.

  Driving to San Luis Obispo to get Annie’s birthday present had taken up more time than she had expected. By now, Annie was probably out, celebrating her birthday.

  To Drew’s surprise, the door opened immediately.

  Annie stood in front of her, dressed in a burgundy blouse and elegant pants that emphasized her long legs.

  Drew had to swallow before she could speak. “Uh, hello, Annie. Happy birthday.” She held out the bouquet of apricot-colored roses.

  “Oh. Thank you.” Annie took the flowers and stared at Drew as if she didn’t know what to do with her or the flowers. “How do you know it’s my birthday today?”

  “Uh.” Drew didn’t want to lie to her, but she also didn’t want to tell her about Jake’s last-minute birthday present. “Jake mentioned it when I last talked to him.”

  At the mention of Jake, a shadow flickered across Annie’s face, but she said nothing. For a few seconds, they stood facing each other in the doorway, then Annie said, “I have to leave in half an hour, but would you like to come in for a minute?”

  “If I’m not disturbing you and your guests.”

  “No. I’m alone, so come on in.”

  Alone? Drew followed Annie into the house. Wasn’t Jake here to give Annie the wine? And where were her parents and friends? Would Annie meet them for dinner?

  “Please have a seat while I find a vase for these,” Annie said, indicating the roses.

  When Drew stepped into the living room, the cat was sitting on the coffee table, inspecting the gift basket with the Cabernet, which Annie or Jake had placed there. “You better get down before Annie catches you,” Drew said and set him on the floor.

  “Did you say something?” Annie called from the kitchen.

  “Uh, no, just talking to Amadeus.” She scratched him behind one ear and whispered, “I’ve got your back, buddy.” She took a seat on the couch and allowed Amadeus to sniff her pant legs that probably smelled like dog. While she waited, she looked around the living room. A pile of paperback novels rested on top of neatly folded wrapping paper. A card stuck out from the book on top.

  “Can I get you something to dri
nk while I’m in the kitchen?” Annie called.

  “Just water. Thanks.”

  After a minute, Annie entered the living room, carrying a glass of water and the bouquet, which she had placed in a glass pitcher. “The only vase I owned fell victim to Amadeus.” She shook her head at the cat. “What did I tell you about jumping on the coffee table, hmm?”

  The cat strode away with an expression of total innocence on his striped face.

  Drew bit her lip to keep from laughing.

  Annie put the gift basket on the floor to make room on the table for the improvised vase and Drew’s glass of water. “Jake dropped this off a few minutes ago.” She sounded casual, but the downward tilt of her lips gave away her hurt feelings.

  Dropped it off? What was so important that he couldn’t stay to celebrate her birthday with his only sister? But Drew didn’t want to ask and hurt Annie even more.

  After positioning the flowers the way she wanted them, Annie sat in an easy chair on the other side of the table, pulled one of the bottles from the basket, and read the label. “Ah. It’s one of yours. That’s how he knew my fondness for Cabernet.”

  “Yeah,” Drew said. “He insisted on giving you wine for your birthday, so I made sure it was one you liked. That’s when he mentioned that today is your birthday. I hope you don’t mind my coming over unannounced.”

  “No, that’s okay. And thanks again for the flowers.” Her words and tone were polite, but her stiff posture told Drew that Annie was uncomfortable with either the visit or getting flowers—or both.

  “I thought it couldn’t hurt for Jake to see me giving you roses,” Drew said, hoping her explanation would help put Annie more at ease. “Apricot-colored roses.”

  Annie tilted her head. “Does this color have a special meaning?”

  Drew grinned. “Passion.”

  “Oh.” Annie stared at the flowers as if they were an exotic animal about to attack.

  The expression on her face made Drew laugh. “Don’t worry. They don’t bite.” She winked at Annie. “And neither do I. We’re doing this to get back at Jake. Otherwise, my intentions are totally honorable. Scout’s honor.” She held up her first three fingers.

  Annie shook her head and lifted her own hand, the thumb holding down the little finger to show Drew the correct sign. “You never were a girl scout, were you?”

  “Oops.” Drew chuckled. “You caught me. Oh, I have something else for you.” She pulled an envelope from her pocket and handed it to Annie.

  “You didn’t have to get me anything. We barely know each other.”

  “I’m hoping to change that.” When Drew realized how that sounded, she added, “If we want to convince Jake that we’re a couple, don’t you think we should become more familiar with each other?”

  “Probably.” Annie used one of her long, elegant fingers to open the envelope. She read the card and looked at the gift certificate. “Wow. Thank you. I didn’t know there was a vegetarian restaurant in San Luis Obispo.”

  “It only opened a few months ago. I haven’t tried it out yet, but I checked with friends who live in SLO, and they say the food and the service are great.”

  Annie looked shell-shocked. “You called your friends and drove to SLO just to get a gift certificate for me?”

  “Sure.” Was that so extraordinary in Annie’s world? With a brother like Jake, it probably is. “I thought it would be nice for you to be able to choose from the whole menu for a change.”

  “I look forward to it,” Annie said. She trailed her finger over the gift certificate before she put it back in the envelope.

  Silence filled the room for a moment.

  “So, how old are you today?” Drew asked.

  Annie looked at her over the rim of her glasses. A tiny smile played around the edges of her mouth. “You have relationships with women, yet you never learned that you shouldn’t ask a lady for her age?”

  At the unexpected joke, Drew nearly inhaled a sip of water. She loved the rare moments when Annie teased her right back. “Sorry,” she said and smiled. “Must be why I’m still single.”

  Instead of looking insulted to be asked her age, Annie returned the smile. “I’m thirty.”

  The big three-oh and yet no one was here to celebrate with Annie? Or was Annie going out to meet her friends and family? “So if you don’t mind me asking, what are your plans for today?”

  “I’ll drive up to Fresno to celebrate with my parents,” Annie said as if it was the most natural thing in the world that she would go to her parents instead of the other way around. “We’ll have dinner in a French restaurant.”

  “You like the French cuisine?”

  Annie shrugged. “I prefer Italian or Chinese, but Chez Suzanne is my parents’ favorite restaurant.”

  Is she serious? Drew shook her head. My God, don’t her parents know anything about her, not even what kind of food she likes? Maybe it was no wonder that Jake refused to grow up and take life seriously. All the practical jokes were his way to get some attention because he surely wasn’t getting it from his parents either.

  “What?” Annie asked when Drew kept shaking her head.

  “If you would rather go to an Italian or Chinese restaurant, why don’t you tell your parents?”

  “It’s not that important.”

  “Why wouldn’t what you want be important?” Drew made eye contact until Annie looked away. It wasn’t just about the restaurant. She got the feeling that Annie’s family always ignored her needs—maybe because Annie rarely let them know what she wanted. Drew stopped herself from saying that. You’re here to wish her a happy birthday, not to hand out lectures.

  A small line appeared on Annie’s forehead. She leaned back against the couch. “It’s just not worth the fuss. If I want Italian food, I go by myself. I don’t rely on others to get what I want.”

  “That’s just it. You should be able to rely on your family.” Drew trailed both hands through her hair and forced herself to calm down. She reminded herself that not everyone was blessed with the type of family she’d had. “Okay. Let’s make a deal. If you get a craving for Italian food, you call me and we’ll have dinner together.”

  Annie stared at her, then interrupted their eye contact by glancing at the envelope.

  “We could talk about our plan to trick Jake over dinner,” Drew added after a few seconds of silence.

  Annie looked up from the envelope with the gift certificate. “If you don’t mind eating vegetarian food, we could try out the vegetarian restaurant together.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” Drew said, enchanted by the cautious but hopeful expression in Annie’s eyes. “Just give me a call when you want to go. If there’s nothing urgent going on in the winery, I’m the master of my own schedule and can go with you even at short notice.” She emptied her water glass and stood. “Okay, I should go now and let you get ready for your drive to Fresno. Have a wonderful birthday—and order the most expensive thing on the menu since your parents are paying.”

  Annie’s laughter followed her to the door and all the way home.

  Chapter 7

  Drew had just wrapped up two bottles of Merlot for the last customer, put the glasses into the dishwasher, and was about to close up the tasting room for the day, when the door opened again.

  Seems carving the Halloween decorations will have to wait. She put on a friendly smile and turned around.

  The large frame of her friend Becky filled the doorway.

  Drew’s smile grew. She willingly let herself be engulfed in a bear hug that lifted her off her feet. She gave Becky a gentle slap on the shoulder. “Have you finally given up that awful brew and decided to try my wine?”

  “Oh, no.” Becky lifted her broad hands. “Keep your wine. I’ll keep drinking beer, thank you very much.”

  Grinning about their old joke, Drew went to get the beer that she kept in the fridge just for Becky. She turned the sign on the door to display “closed” from the outside, got herself a glass of Merl
ot, and took a seat next to Becky at the bar. “Where’s Sam?”

  The mere mention of her wife’s name put a smile on Becky’s face.

  Seeing her friends so happy warmed Drew’s heart, but at the same time, it made her long for the same kind of happiness.

  “Still at work,” Becky said. “She’s got a PTA meeting. I’m picking her up in half an hour. Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I’d look in on you and see how you’re doing.”

  Drew had heard that excuse often in the last year. “My vineyard is outside of town, surrounded just by other vineyards, so how come you and Sam and Lynn are in the neighborhood so often?”

  “Maybe we like the fresh air out here,” Becky said.

  “Fresh air. Sure. That’s why you’re sitting in a tasting room when you don’t even like wine.” Drew shook her head.

  “Well, maybe it’s not just the fresh air.” Becky made eye contact and held it. “We worry about you.”

  Drew touched Becky’s shoulder. “I’m fine,” she said. Then, when she realized how much she sounded like Annie, she added, “Really. You don’t have to worry about me, okay? I’m keeping busy with work.”

  Becky leaned down to be at eye level with Drew. “Work’s not everything. You need to get out more. What happened with that blonde you met for dinner? You seemed pretty excited that she agreed to go out with you. So how did it go? Will you see her again?”

  Only then did Drew realize she hadn’t talked to any of her friends since that first dinner with Annie. She had spent more time with Annie than with her other friends recently. “I’ve seen her several times already.”

  “Really?” Becky beamed at her. “That’s great. It’s high time that you started dating again.”

  Drew waved her aside. “It’s not like that.”

  “So she’s not your type after all?” Becky asked.

  No, that wasn’t it. Annie was more reserved than the women Drew had dated in the past, but that made her only more special to Drew. “I’m not hers,” Drew said. “She’s straight.”

  Becky groaned. “Oh, man. That college buddy set you up with a straight woman?”

  “Worse. She’s his sister.”