“She and Rodney are at historical houses across town that the city wants us to work on. We can go over there if you want. I swear I am not keeping you from meeting her.”
“I like that you knew what I was thinking. We don’t have to go over there. I know we have lunch next week, which should be soon enough. I was maybe a little worried. Maybe you were embarrassed of me.” He looked down at the ground, that cute awkwardness showing up.
I lifted his chin so he had to look me in the eye. “Rinalto River Barallo, I have never been prouder to have someone with me. You are an amazing person in every conceivable way.” His eyes were glassy, and he gave me a little kiss.
“Let’s go get our wine on.”
“Yes.” I opened the passenger side door and got him, and Charlie settled in.
We held hands while we drove forty minutes to the winery. “This little market has basics like milk and coffee.” I pointed to the farmland we passed, “And that is Macdonald's farm. He is old.” It felt so good bringing him out here where I felt most at peace. I had always wanted a partner who understood why I lived here. I knew he was going to love it just from knowing him.
We took the main road towards the winery, beyond that, my cabin. The grapevines, still heavy with fruit, were on either side. “We’re almost there?”
“Yes, we are.” I pulled to the side of the road and then faced him. “I never told you what winery we were going to, so if you will humor me, put this on.” There were half a dozen wineries around the city. It could be any of them. I pulled a silk scarf out of the glove box. His eyes got huge.
“Do you keep that in your truck all the time?” He managed a small laugh.
“No. I put it there this morning for this reason. May I put this over your eyes?”
“Okay. I would not do this for anyone, but I trust you.” I tied it so he couldn’t see, then claimed his mouth. Just being with him made me greedy for him. My hand slid up his thigh, cupping his bulge. He groaned into my mouth.
“I’ll be sure to take that scarf into the house later. I like what it does for you.” I grabbed his hand and put it against the front of my jeans. “Going to the wine tasting with a boner.” Then, he kissed the palm of my hand.
“At least I’m not alone.” I entwined our fingers and pulled back onto the road. I drove about two miles before I pulled up in front of the building. We were going into my office, where I had a seating area.
“Okay. We are here. Let me take that off you.” He opened his eyes and then looked at me.
“You got us a tasting at Sun Harvest. I heard they don’t even do public tastings. They are the most popular wine in this hemisphere. They only do business with high-end restaurants. Something about their production numbers.”
“The owner hasn’t invested the time needed to make it a more accessible brand, but he wants to. He thinks everyone should get to enjoy what he creates in his casks. You know about Sun Harvest?”
“My brother is a sommelier. He goes on and on about their wine. They make a beautiful red, and I see those dark grapes. Where do you think they get the grapes for the blush and white? I think they also make sparkling wine.” I don’t know why he assumed I knew everything about the brand.
“I heard the owner has vineyards all over the country and has the grapes shipped to this winery.” My being able to answer his questions didn’t seem to give away the surprise. The façade on the front of the building looked like storefronts on any main street in the USA.The massive structure in the back looked like a traditional red barn, complete with three silos, dormers, and stalls.
“It looks like they keep horses here. Is this really where they make the wine?”
I dodged his question by shrugging and then taking his hand. “Let’s go check it out.” We went in the side door, bypassing the front buildings. Jose smiled at me and gestured towards my office. I hoped River took that as someone directing us toward a tasting room, not my friend saying hello.
I walked into the office, and he stopped, whispering. “Oh. My. God. Aaron. We are in a private office.”
“It is,” I said. I didn’t give it much thought. There were two leather wingback chairs with a table at one end of the room. I sat in one.
“This place is so cozy. I could live in this office.” He looked around.
I loved this space. Like the building, I put so much time into the design. There was a huge desk made of dark wood, and behind it, built-in bookshelves with awards and framed articles. One framed picture of Daisy was on my desk, facing the comfortable leather office chair. At the back was a bar with crystal wine glasses. There was a wall of one-way mirrors, behind which there were hundreds of bottles of wine in a temperature-controlled environment. There was also a wine fridge for those that needed to be chilled.
I often came in here, closed the door, and relaxed. It was the exact environment that made me the most content. The fact that River said he liked it gave me butterflies. I was excited to take him home with me, but for the moment, I would play with him a little.
“I wonder whose office this is?” I asked River casually. “It has all the awards. Maybe it’s the owner?” I got up and walked towards the desk.
River whispered. “You can’t go snooping around his desk. I mean, I am curious, but it seems inappropriate.”
“Hey, they wouldn’t have let us sit in here if they cared.” I looked at the shelves behind my desk. I wonder if the owner's name is on any of these. I don’t know if I know his name. I started picking up frames and looking at trophies.”
He looked at me. “Stop touching things. Does it matter who he is? He never lets people come to a tasting, and we are here. We should be nice.” He waved his hands at me like he was trying to get me to come back to the chair.
I sat down in the office chair. “Hey, this is a nice chair. I should get a chair like this.”
