He glanced back as if to say,Of course it is. I knew that. I’m sexy as hell and know everything there is to know about wine. Including how the finish is supposed to be. In your mouth.When Cosimo returned, I was surprised to realize I’d thought about his mouth the entire time he was gone.
He poured me a glass, his eyes never leaving mine. Not one word since he came back. And then he sat. “I love the idea.”
It was as if I’d won the lottery. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” he said. “It’s a good compromise and very ‘on brand,’ as Jena would say.”
“I’m sorry about her,” I said. “I finally met her Thursday. She seemed really sweet. And savvy. Sucks to lose her.”
“It does,” he admitted. “Especially with Min leaving this week.”
“I heard you hired another tasting room associate, though. That’s good.”
Cosimo didn’t answer. He seemed deep in thought. Until he wasn’t and his entire attention shifted to me. The guy was scary intense.
“I was wrong about you, Brooke,” he said, shocking me to my core.
“How so?” I managed, trying to keep it light.
“I thought you were drunk as a skunk last weekend when you fell. Which, no judgment, I’ve been there. But then you were on your phone the entire time—”
“Answering my ex, who texted me for the first time since we broke up.”
His jaw clenched. “When did you break up?”
“A month ago.” I took a deep breath and dove into it. “When I first started working at Avec Coeur, he wasn’t my boss. We started dating, and like two months later, he was promoted. It’s a huge company, and since one hand doesn’t talk to the other, his boss didn’t realize our relationship could be an issue.”
“That’s awkward.”
“Tell me about it. I didn’t report directly to him or anything but . . .” I shrugged, trying to keep it casual. “When the company consolidated, lists were submitted. Decisions were made. And . . .” I lifted my glass. “Here I am.”
Cosimo leaned forward. “Are you telling me your ex was responsible for you being laid off?”
“He didn’t try to prevent it, let’s put it that way.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
I couldn’t lie. I loved the fact that Cosimo had defended me. “I wish I was. The real kick in the pants, though, was that Evan couldn’t see why I broke up with him.”
“Idiot,” he mumbled. “Did he feel threatened by you?”
I smiled. “My friends all think so, but they are totally biased.”
Something was going on in that pretty little head of his, but I couldn’t tell what, exactly. I just knew that something had shifted between us.
“I’m sorry, Brooke.”
“For what?”
“Misjudging you. Being a total dick to you.”
“Water under the bridge, Cosimo.”
“Cos,” he said. And then, “What days do you work this week?”
“Thursday through Sunday. I have tomorrow and Wednesday off.”
“Pencil me in for Tuesday afternoon.”