“That’s why I’m leading with actions so I can show you, beautiful.”
I smiled and blew him a kiss. “You are a dream, Dre.”
I’d put him at a loss for words. We ate and continued to take in our surroundings, and by the time we were done, we were both two glasses of chardonnay in and feeling light on our feet. I was ready to explore the vineyard.
“I wanna get lost in the vineyard with you.”
“Then we’ll do just that.” Dre pulled two crisp hundred-dollar bills and a fifty from his wallet clip. He didn’t even wait for the server to bring the check. He simply put the money on the table, and we got up.
“First, let me run to the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time. We’ve got all day.”
I walked down a slim hallway toward the sign that saidladies.Just as I entered the stall in the empty bathroom, my phone vibrated inside my casual clutch.
“Hey, boo. What’s up?” I answered. It was my older sister, Lena.
“Hey, baby girl. Nothin’ much. I just hadn’t heard your voice this week and wanted to check in on you.”
“Look at you, missing the best little sister ever.” I chuckled. “I’m actually on a date right now.”
I was kind of looking for her to tell me it was all too good to be true so I could flee, but I knew once I shared details, she would cuss me out for even having the thought.
“A date, huh? With who? Is he good to you, and does he have his own means of living and transportation?” she quizzed.
“Lena, yes to all of the above. A part of me wants to embrace this man fully, but the guarded part of me is holding back just a little.”
“Listen, Lyra. I’ve never heard you even talk about being on a date other than with those white tricks you’ve fooled with in the past. Breathe and relax. Trust your gut. If your gut is telling you otherwise, then you know what to do.”
“My gut has butterflies currently.” I giggled.
“Well, well, well… you have your answer. Call me later. Love you. Bye, sis.”
“Love you, too.”
I quickly finished in the bathroom and headed back to Dre.
He led the way into the vineyard, and we started walking through each row. Everything was so lush and beautiful.
“Let’s try more wine now,” I suggested.
We walked back toward the guest station at the beginning of the vineyard. I stood in la-la land, daydreaming as Dre walked up and ordered.
“Just a few minutes, and we’ll have our flight of the different wines.” He spoke as I stood off to the side.
I loved the fact that it wasn’t super crowded, which meant more privacy for us. Dre walked toward me with an old-fashioned picnic basket.
“Come on. Follow me. The hostess told me a great spot we could go to,” he instructed. He had the basket in one hand and held my hand with the other.
I felt likeAlice in Wonderlandat this point. I didn’t have questions about shit. My goal was to trust my gut and enjoy being in the present with him.
We finally reached a small open area that had a view of the whole island within the vineyard. He set the basket down and opened it, pulling out a blanket. He lay out, and I sat down, removing my shoes. Dre pulled out the flight of wines, whichwere in these cute mini bottles, so guests didn’t have to worry about wasting their wine out of two glasses. Then he finally sat down beside me.
“This view is crazy. I don’t wanna leave.”
“Now, who said we were about to leave? Let’s enjoy this and worry about the other shit later, aight?”
“Okay. Let’s get to trying some of these wines then.”
