Leaning Into Series: The Complete Box Set

by Hayes, Lane

  “Like a chef?” he asked facetiously.

  “Yes. That’s a concern.” I tilted my chin and gave him a thorough once-over. “Your runaway chef really screwed you over, didn’t he?”

  “Yeah, and I’m in sink or swim mode now. I need to go to LA tomorrow, but let me buy you dinner. Are you free next Saturday?”

  “I don’t think—”

  “Geordie! Thank you for the lovely evening. It’s been a delight!” An older woman with snow-white hair and bright red lips set her hand on my wrist and beamed at me. “We’re just about to head home unless you have another song for us.”

  “I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed yourselves, Darlene.” I returned her smile with an even brighter one and nodded to her husband, who was engaged in conversation a few feet away. “You’ve caught me mid-contemplation. I can’t decide what my final number should be. Do you have a request?”

  “Anything, Geordie, dear. I’ll tell Howard not to pull the car around just yet.” She patted my hand and turned to Levi. “He’s wonderful. Have you heard our Geordie sing?”

  “Yes. He’s a legend,” Levi agreed politely.

  “He is indeed. Napa’s very own!”

  I held my grin until Darlene moved on; then I tipped back the last of my Pinot and handed the empty wineglass to Levi. “I must go. We can talk later.”

  “Break a leg.”

  “Thanks.” I started to move toward the piano when he called my name. “What is it?”

  “Happy Days Are Here Again.” He chuckled at my blank stare and waited for a boisterous guest to pass before closing the distance. “Barbra’s first song. I looked it up and…it fits.”

  My smile was automatic and so wide, it hurt my cheeks. I had a soft spot for clever people, musicals, and of course, Barbra. I slipped his half-full glass from his fingers and swirled the contents lazily. The briefest brush of his skin sent shivers up my spine. I didn’t think I’d had too much wine, but something was making me feel dizzy.

  “You Googled Barbra?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I did.”

  We shared a look I wanted to classify as “friendly,” but it wasn’t. It was flirty and sweet and laced with a mutual awareness that should have freaked me out. No one had looked at me like that in a while, and I liked it. A lot. I pushed his glass into his hand without taking a drink and stepped backward.

  “Then Barbra it is.”

  I winked then pivoted on my heels with my arms spread wide and belted out the first few lines of Levi’s requested song. The pianist stopped in the middle of whatever he was playing and quickly adjusted to accompany my snappier version of the classic. I rested my hand on the shiny black baby grand and sang in a loud, clear voice then signaled for everyone to join in. I snapped my fingers as I scanned the crowded room of cheery-looking faces. Out of habit, my gaze drifted to the corner of the bar near the picture window where Mike would stand watching me with an adoring smile on nights like this. He wasn’t there but I didn’t panic, and I didn’t falter. I glanced the other way and paused when I spotted Levi.

  And I couldn’t look away.

  After a few more requests, I called Wes to join me to thank our guests for making the evening a success. A boisterous sing-along followed by a pleasant speech and parting toast provided a fitting end to the night. Wes and I had these events down to a science. We played to each other’s strengths. He was the name and face behind Conrad Winery, and I was the spirit. And I took my forty-nine percent ownership very seriously. Wes ran and operated our multi-million-dollar enterprise, but I made an effort to pull my weight. I was responsible for the tasting room and all events hosted on the winery property. Over the last decade or so, I’d become pretty damn good at it—if I did say so myself.

  I placed a pile of discarded plates on one of the buffet tables and barked a series of orders to my staff. The faster we tidied up, the sooner we could all go home. I glanced at my watch before surveying the damage. It was almost midnight. There were a few stragglers waiting for a cab near the entrance. Their inebriated laughter boomed in the otherwise quiet space. If it was a balmy night, I would have found a way to coerce them outside, but the temperature had dropped to arctic levels. I didn’t want to go outside either.

  “Danny, get your hands off Ryan’s ass and get to work. You too, Wes. It’s been a long day and I want my bed,” I groused.

  “I don’t have my hands on Ryan’s ass,” Wes retorted like a true smartass. He squeezed Nick’s butt and winked at me.

  “Ha. Ha. Let’s get to work, funny guy. I’m tired. I need sleep.”

  “Nah, what you really need is to get laid,” Nick said when Wes released him to pick up a napkin on the floor.

  Suddenly all eyes were on me, and that was a million times worse than fielding Nick’s statement. We all knew Nick had a faulty filter. He was a cyber genius with an off-the-chart IQ who owned a well-respected tech firm with his best friend from college. However, crazy smart people weren’t always the most tactful. At least Nick wasn’t. He had a talent for blurting out what everyone else was thinking. Also known as stating the obvious.

  “Nick.” Wes straightened and gave his boyfriend a sharp look then angled his head toward our guests loitering in the alcove leading to the entrance.

  Nick perched on a barstool and rolled his eyes at Wes. “They can’t hear me. They’re too tipsy to follow their own conversations. I doubt they’re eavesdropping on ours. And I’m not saying anything we don’t know.”

  “Oh? Which part? The Humphries and their friends are wasted, or Geordie needs dick?” I asked, batting my eyelashes.

  “The dick part,” he replied. He shrugged when Wes gave him another pointed look. “Hey, sex is an important part of life.”

  “Hmph.” Nick might have been correct, but I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to joke about my nonexistent sex life. I glanced at the debris of used wineglasses, plates, and half-empty bottles around the room and grimaced. “Just look at this mess.”

  Wes set his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s leave it tonight. It’s been a long day, and this is a job for the cleaning crew. We can straighten up in the morning before we open. What do you say?”

  “We still have guests, Wesley. I can’t go anywhere until they leave, but you and Nick should head home. I’ll get a ride with Danny and Ryan.”

  “No. We’ll wait,” Wes said, massaging Nick’s shoulders.

  Nick moaned. “Fine. If we’re all staying, let’s at least make it fun. Turn the music back on.”

  “Absolutely not. They’ll never leave,” I reminded him.

  “Okay. How about a game? Charades, Truth or Dare?” Nick suggested.

  “Or we could have a good, old-fashioned gossip session.” Lauren’s eyes lit up mischievously. “Has anyone else noticed how sexy our neighbor is? I’m suddenly very excited to have a new restaurant in town.”

  I let out a beleaguered sigh and tidied while my friends engaged in light banter about what kinds of food they hoped were on the menu. Truffle fries, sweet potato fries, brussel sprout chips, Levi…

  I reached for a handful of plates sitting on the piano bench just as the front door opened. And there he was.

  Or maybe he’d never left. Maybe he’d been standing at the door all this time and overheard the “Geordie needs dick” commentary. Maybe he knew my head automatically went back to our shoe-size conversation earlier that afternoon. Maybe he knew I’d spent the last two hours alternately thinking about font styles to show him then berating myself for daydreaming about him like an adolescent. God, I was an idiot.

  Yes, Levi was kind and sexy and thoughtful…but I wasn’t a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl with a sudden crush. I was a grown man in mourning. I should have been ashamed of myself for being so aware of him all evening. I knew where he was and whom he talked to. And yes, I also knew that sounded creepy as hell. I couldn’t explain it, so I hoped no one noticed the way my gaze drifted to him time and again, tracking him like a private detective trailing a dangerous suspect. I fe
lt compelled to know he was close by, but I didn’t want his attention. Other than our brief conversation at the party, we hadn’t talked much. Fine by me. I would have wanted to grill him about his Google session with Barbra, but my diva adoration was personal to me. And Levi wasn’t personal. He was business.

  When he’d walked out of the tasting room at ten forty-five p.m. with a gaggle of guests, I’d breathed a sigh of relief, taken a sip of wine, and counted down the minutes until we’d closed the door literally and figuratively on the evening. So what the hell was he doing back here, messing with my juju?

  Levi held the door open for the Humphries and gestured toward the parking lot meaningfully before striding through the grand foyer. He stopped under the stone archway to adjust the burden under his arm; then he strolled toward me with a cocky grin and just the right amount of swagger. I hoped Wes would intercept him, but I didn’t dare turn around to see if he was on his way over. My face felt flushed, and I wasn’t sure I could count on my olive skin to hide any excess pink on my cheeks from my friends. They knew me too well. Levi wouldn’t notice.

  “Hey, your face is red. You okay?” he asked with a lopsided grin.

  I narrowed my gaze and nodded. “I’m fine. What are you doing here? The party is over, darling.”

  “Right.” He pulled four cooking trays from under his arm then held them out like a gift with a sheepish look that was all kinds of endearing. “These accidentally got loaded into my truck earlier. I didn’t realize I’d driven away with them until I got home.”

  “Well, thank you. You didn’t have to bring them back tonight, though. We have other cookie sheets,” I said with a half laugh.

  “I’m leaving for LA in the morning, and I didn’t want to take what wasn’t mine. Where do you want these?” he asked, tucking the trays under his arm again.

  “Um. Wes can take them to the house,” I replied distractedly, waving my hand toward the activity behind me. “Just set them on one of the high tables. Have a nice trip to La La Land. Goodnight, Levi.”

  My graceful exit backfired when I ran into Wes. I stumbled backward a step or two and might have fallen on my ass if Levi hadn’t grabbed my elbow and pulled me to his side with his free hand.

  “Hey, Wes. I’m just dropping these off.” Levi pushed the trays into Wes’s arms. “Great party, by the way. Thanks for the invite.”

  “You’re welcome, but the party was all Geordie. He’s a master entertainer,” Wes gushed.

  “I bet. But I wouldn’t have known if it was up to him.” Levi let out a put-upon sigh that contrasted with the devilish twinkle in his eyes. “Geordie wouldn’t have invited me.”

  “Of course, he would have,” Wes insisted.

  “Nope. He thinks I’m a hopeless case. I cry when I chop onions, and I can’t handle spicy food,” Levi singsonged.

  “All true,” I agreed with a half chuckle. I had no idea where he was going with this, but I figured I’d play along. “I’m happy you attended, though. It would have been awkward if you hadn’t after I made your appetizer.”

  “Except it wasn’t really my appetizer,” he said, raising his brow. “Let me clarify. It wasn’t my recipe.”

  I snickered at his comical expression. He looked like Inspector Clouseau. “Oh? Whose was it?”

  Levi furrowed his brow. “Yours.”

  “Really?” I examined the clear coat of nail polish on my left hand then set both hands on my hips and flashed a reluctant grin. “How could you tell?”

  “I watched you this afternoon. You never once looked at that recipe,” he commented, folding his arms over his chest. “You passed your pickled peppers off as mine and avoided me all night until every last one was gone.”

  I pursed my lips to keep from laughing outright. “They were not pickled peppers, but…say it again.”

  Levi smirked. “Say what again?”

  “The part about the peppers.”

  “You passed your pickled peppers…how is that funny?” he asked when I burst into laughter. He repeated the silly phrase three more times and grinned like a fool when I snorted merrily.

  Wes shook his head and stepped away. “Uh. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I’m going home. Ready Geordie?”

  “You go on. I’ll have Ryan and Danny drop me off,” I said.

  “They just left and—”

  “I’ll take you home,” Levi intercepted, stuffing his hands into his suit coat pockets.

  His self-deprecating humor and boyish charm made it difficult to refuse his offer. Besides, it was a two-minute drive. Perfectly harmless.

  I held his gaze for a moment then nodded. “All right. Thank you.”

  Ten minutes later, I followed Levi to a black Tahoe in the deserted parking lot. I hugged my arms across my chest and shivered in my wool coat. It was freezing outside and only marginally warmer in the truck. Levi blasted the heat the second he turned on the engine.

  “Where do you live, Geord?”

  “Take a right at that cypress tr-tree,” I instructed. Fuck, it was so cold I could see my breath.

  “There’s no road. Do you live in a tree house?” he joked as he lowered the volume of the classic rock ballad on the radio.

  “You’re hysterical, but I’m in danger of turning into a popsicle. Let’s go, Mr. Yeager.”

  “Mr. Yeager,” he repeated with a laugh. “That reminds me of my teaching days. Or my dad.”

  “I thought you coached. Don’t sports people keep it casual? Nicknames, fist bumps, and slaps on the rear? I’m all for that booty smack, but you can have the rest,” I said, melting into the leather interior with a sigh when the seat heater permeated through my clothing.

  “Hmm. So you’re saying you like getting smacked on the ass?”

  “After a certain age, don’t we all?” I countered.

  “Not my kink.”

  “You’re missing out. By the way, it’s okay to drive faster. You won’t get a ticket for going over ten miles per hour.”

  “I was hoping to soak in as much of your sunny personality as possible before I head to LA,” Levi retorted with a laugh. “I’ve reached the tree. Now what?”

  “Turn right. Then make your first left after Wes and Nick’s house. Mine is just over the next hill.”

  “Got it.”

  The lower timbre of Levi’s voice sounded sexier than it should have. I stole a sideways glance, noting his strong jaw, straight nose, and casual grip on the steering wheel. He exuded a masculine, confident air I found incredibly appealing. I frowned as I shifted in my seat to stare out the window. The vineyards were cloaked in shadow. It looked spooky and desolate in a wintry way. For a moment, I was pathetically glad not to be alone. We were on a tiny ribbon of road in the middle of nowhere with no streetlamps or moonlight to brighten the sky. Most days I loved the solitude, but sometimes it was lonely as fuck.

  “So…are you doing anything fun in the City of Angels?” I asked conversationally.

  “Nope. I’m moving some things into storage, and I have meetings with a few potential chef candidates.”

  “Ah. That’s a step in the right direction. But how will you know who to choose? You’re a sports…person,” I said, tapping the window to indicate that he should turn. I waved to indicate the terminology was unimportant before continuing. “I’m sure you’re a very smart man, but you don’t have any experience running a professional kitchen. Are you confident this person has the requirements you need?”

  Levi huffed. “I think what you’re really saying is, ‘Dude, I’ve got a bad feeling you’ll hire a novice fry cook whose only previous experience was working the graveyard shift at McDonald’s.’ Am I right?”

  “Close enough,” I admitted, inclining my head.

  “Hmph. My…friend’s sister is a chef at a fancy LA bistro. Originally, she was my ace in the hole. Erin was going to relocate here and take over the kitchen with Kev. She has clout, experience, a ton of energy, and best of all, she’s bilingual. But when Kevin pulled out, she did
too.”

  “Who’s Kevin, and why did he abandon you?”

  “He’s my ex.”

  “Oh.”

  Levi cast an amused sideways glance my way before turning into my drive, but he didn’t speak again until my house came into view.

  “Wow. Your house looks like a something out of a fairy tale.”

  “Thank you.” I glanced at the quaint, ivy-covered stone cottage at the end of the circular driveway and nodded. “I love it.”

  He turned onto the gravel drive and then stopped near the neatly trimmed hedge leading to the front door. He put the SUV in park then swiveled sideways in his seat. “I like the lantern over the door. Nice touch.”

  I pulled my manbag onto my knee and dug around for my keys. Then I looked over at him, intending to thank him for the ride and the compliment. Instead I opened my big mouth and said, “So you’re gay?”

  I noted the spark of humor in his eyes as he nodded in acquiescence.

  “Yeah. I kind of thought you knew I was flirting with you.” Levi chuckled at my incredulous expression. “I’m obviously out of practice.”

  “Well…don’t.”

  “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t flirt with me. Not if you mean it anyway,” I amended in a flustered tone. “Flirting for fun is fabulous but…not for real.”

  Levi cocked his head curiously. “You like tongue twisters.”

  I paused with my hand on the door and furrowed my brow. “Excuse me?”

  “No. There’s another term for it. Alliteration.” He snapped his fingers and grinned like a fool. “You like sentences packed with words that start with the same letter. Not always but often enough. I bet you like poetry. Were you an English major?”

  “You’re flirting again, aren’t you?”

  “Maybe. Are you a literature buff?” he prodded.

  I fumbled absently with my keys and nodded. “Yes. I never went to college, but I love to read. Especially classics and—”

  “There’s a psychology behind alliterations,” he said earnestly just as I was about to open the door. “Speech patterns capture attention and set moods. Hs and Es are soothing, but I’m not sure about Fs. Too many in a row seem harsh.”