The pit sunk even deeper and sat there, prepared to camp out for the long haul. So he was one of those kinds of guys? Not that it should be any surprise, looking the way he did. But to hear it aloud...
“And then there’s Antonio, Neo for short. Oh, you can call me Min by the way. Everyone does.”
I snapped back to the present. “And I go by Rae. Although I don’t know how to fly a speeder?”
“A speeder?”
“Ahh, so not a Star Wars girl? It’s a popular name for some.”
“Ahh, gotcha. That’s something you have in common with Marco.”
Min opened the door to the barn. Stunning, like a Tuscan villa with a farmhouse vibe.
“Wow. It’s beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Min said. “Let me show you around.”
As she did, I thought about those special powers I didn’t have. But like I said to Min, this Rae was just an ordinary woman making mistake after mistake in her life trying to get something right.
That something was going to be Sunset Vineyards.
NINE
marco
“You’ve gotta be fucking kiddingme.”
“Is that her?” Neo asked.
“No,” I said to my brother as the person we were just talking about walked into the tasting room. “Min just happens to be taking another smoking hot brunette on an apparent tour of the estate. Odd coincidence being that she had a meeting with Miss Watson an hour ago.”
I could count on one hand the number of times Neo and I met for lunch in the tasting room. But we had some things to discuss, and I was starving. Though not necessarily for the hoagie in front of me. At least, not anymore.
“Are those Tony’s subs?” Min asked walking up to us, knowing full well they were.
The baggy tee from this morning was gone, replaced with a sundress. Buttons along the front from neckline to hem had me imagining opening each and every one and then slipping the dress off her shoulders. Unless, of course, she preferred me to tear it off in one fell swoop. I could do that too.
“Please tell me you got an extra meatball parm?” she asked, coming closer as Rae followed.
“Now why would we do that?”
Min breathed in and then promptly opened the brown bag Tony’s subs had come in since we were kids. “You’re the absolute best,” she said to Neo. I didn’t correct her and neither did my brother.
“I know you didn’t eat lunch yet,” she said to Rae. “Want to share the best meatball hoagie anywhere on the lake?” Before her beautiful companion could answer, Min did it for her. “You did agree that I could introduce you to Kitchi Falls, and it starts here,” she gestured to the hoagies scattered along the bar. Neo sat on the inside, and me on the outside. So of course, Min joined my brother leaving Rae standing almost right on top of me.
When our eyes locked, I patted the stool next to me. “I promise not to bite.”
Unless you want me to.
“I don’t want to intrude—”
“Nonsense,” Min said. “Marco, can you grab us some drinks? What do you like? Oh my god, you haven’t met yet.” In typically Min fashion, she was operating at full speed. “Neo, this is Rae. Rae, meet Antonio, but everyone calls him Neo. And you met Marco already.”
We exchanged an uneasy glance as Neo said hello.
“We have water, soda, or wine. Unfortunately,” I said to Rae who made her way onto the stool. “I don’t have any beer in here. I know how much you like it.”
“Marco, behave please.”