Now what?
I thought there were no available cottages?
A few seconds later:
Wouldn’t have pegged you for someone who punctuates texts.
He was seriously maddening.
You are too.
I began to walk toward the estate, already knowing I’d prefer to stay in a cottage on-site than a stuffy apartment above a general store in the middle of town.
Another text comes through:
You know what else we have in common?
I could only imagine.
What?
After several moments, there was still no answer. Ugh. Since I was already halfway there, I went ahead and texted Owen Smith, or the number of whoever was renting the apartment out, apologizing for canceling at the last minute. I really hoped I wasn’t making a huge mistake.
By the time I finished and looked up, Cosimo was standing in the courtyard between the Barn and the Cellar. With two glasses of red wine in his hands. I could have sworn I’d never met anyone more confusing than him in my life.
“Meritage.” He handed me a glass. I instinctively went to take a sip when he stopped me. “Smell first.”
I already knew what I’d smell. It was the same wine I’d told Perry earlier today was my new favorite. Usually a white wine drinker, this one just did it for me. I took in the scent, to remind myself.
“Blackberry. Cola,” I said.
“What else? Take a few extra seconds to let the alcohol volatize.”
I swirled it around and tried again. Ahh, I’d missed it before. “Mint and...”
“White pepper,” he chimed in, helping me out.
“Yeah, I can smell it now.”
He took another sip. “This time, just enjoy.”
I did, following him as we walked, for the second time that day, through the estate. This time, toward the cottages. “I like this one, even though I’m not usually a red wine drinker.”
“Everyone is a red wine drinker. It’s like reading. If you don’t enjoy it, you just haven’t found the right book. Or in this case, wine.”
“This one is a mix, right?”
“Blend, yes.”
“I have questions. A lot of them actually,” I admitted.
“Such as?”
Such as? He was so damn serious all the time. “Why are we drinking wine right now?”
“It’s what we do here, especially on Wednesday nights.”
“Family night. Neo told me.”