“Is too an animal. Not arealanimal, but you didn’t specify.”
“Are you one of those people who actually reads all the fine print before clicking the agree button?” Her voice was playful.
“Of course!” Sully said. “What companies try to get away with is insane.”
She snickered. “Why dragons?”
“I readThe Hobbitas a kid way too many times.”
“Nerd.”
“Guilty.”
She laughed. Sully decided a life committed to making Alanna Sandoval laugh would be a worthy endeavor. He slowed for a red light and glanced at her in the passenger seat. “I used to dream of going on adventures,” he admitted. “Fighting trolls. Meeting elves and wizards. Saving the world… and then I became an engineer and Marine reservist.”
The light turned green, and Sully hit the gas.
“There are different ways to save the world,” Alanna said thoughtfully. “Even small actions add up.”
Like saving an abandoned cat,he thought. Could rescuing Sheba be his way of adding a little good to the world? He liked that idea. Flicking on his blinker, he slowed, then turned onto a small, winding road.
Alanna laughed as she recognized their destination. “I thought you couldn’t top Valentina’s,” she said as they passed the first sign pointing up the hill toward The Rose and Thorn Winery.
“This is where I saw you for the first time,” he told her as his headlights cut through the growing twilight. Probably best not to mention how his heart had skipped a beat and a choir of angels sang in his soul. Instead, he added, “I could tell you liked the wine here.”
“Even though I tossed a glass of it on your shirt?”
Sully smirked. “I keep forgetting to send you my dry-cleaning bill.”
“Shit, I didn’t even think of that.” She frowned. “Let me pay for the shirt. Really.”
Sully shook his head. Why was she so caught up with paying for everything? Maybe it had to do with her challenging childhood. “I actually put a mixture of laundry detergent and hydrogen peroxide on it,” he assured her. “Worked like a charm.”
“Really?” She seemed suspicious.
“Scout’s honor.” He held up a hand from the steering wheel.
Alanna seemed appeased and sat back in her seat. The car climbed a rutted gravel road surrounded by shadowed vineyards.
Alanna stared out the window. “I used to spend summers picking grapes in these vineyards,” she said thoughtfully. “Sometimes I still dream I’m in these fields.”
Sully tried to lighten the mood. He wanted to see her smile again. Hell, he might already be rocking a full-blown addiction to Alanna Sandoval smiles. “I’m adding grape picker to your list of talents. How are your juggling skills?”
She gave him a sassy smirk. “Give me eight bowling pins and I’ll show you.”
“Sword swallowing?”
“Watch out, I might think you’re implying something.”
Sully’s pants suddenly felt tighter. “Here we are,” he announced, his voice notably strained as he pulled into the parking lot.
The Rose and Thorn Winery couldn’t have been more different than the Desert Bloom. The vibe of the place on a Friday night was casual and friendly. A few patrons, mostly middle-aged and dressed in jeans and t-shirts, lounged at the tables or stood in small clusters at the tasting bar. Family photos and old pieces of wine-making equipment hung haphazardly on the walls. Clearly, no consultant of any kind had ever stepped foot in the place.
Sully liked it that way. To him, The Rose and Thorn, with its scuffed tables, squeaky wood floors, and spider webs in the tall eaves, felt authentic.
No bubbly hostess greeted them at the door. Instead, Jax, with her nose ring and crooked ponytail, waved them over to the bar.
“Is it okay if we eat here?” Sully asked her, holding up the plastic bag.
