“We’re ready,” Amy said. “What’ve you got for us?”
“This”—I showed them the bottle—“is our newest blend.”
“Brooke told us all about it. I can’t believe you named a wine after her.” Leeta was the first to take a sip.
“She’ll be a Grado soon,” I said. “Every Grado woman has their own wine. Brooke can tell you more about the cellar, and its origins, but see what you think about her wine.”
Murmurs of “it’s really good” and “yum” pleased me. When I first pitched the blend idea to Neo, he’d been too shocked by my proclamation of “I’m going to ask Brooke to marry me” to say much about the pairing. But now he loved the idea of Brooke Blend being sold in the Barn as a part of the Grado Women collection. Like the other wines in the collection, Brooke would choose a charity for a portion of the proceeds, not yet decided.
“I’m glad you like it. There’s a bottle in each of these bags.” I pulled a gift bag out from behind the counter. “Along with some other Grado Valley Vineyards goodies.”
“I do love swag,” Debby said, “and those tees are really cute. Thank you, Cosimo.”
A chorus of thank-yous was only a small part of my reward. Brooke sidled up to me as the women began to gather their things. “Thank you,” she said. I assumed she was talking about the bags.
“You’re welcome. I’ll have them brought down to the cottage.”
“For the bags too, but also for giving up your place for my friends to stay. And for the wine. And for making me the happiest woman in the world.”
I leaned down to whisper to her. “You can thank me later. Any chance you can sneak away from your friends for a quick walk in the vineyards?”
Her eyes gave me the answer I’d hoped for. “A literal walk in the vineyards or...?”
“Or what?” I teased. It had been slow going to actually get Brooke to talk dirty to me. She was a wildcat in bed, but when it came to actually saying the words, she clammed up every time. I really shouldn’t have teased her about it.
“You know what,” she whispered back.
“I don’t,” I said. “You may have to spell it out for me.”
“Not nice.” She swatted my arm. “We’ll see,” she teased back but then ruined it with a wink before turning back to her friends. “What do you think about heading outside with some of this wine? I’ve got the rest of the day off.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Leeta reached out as I handed her two bottles of wine.
“Start with these,” I said. “I’ll bring out some more, and snacks, in a bit.”
“Thanks.” She and the others waved and began to walk away.
I caught Brooke’s hand before she could follow the others. “Not so fast, Robin Hood.”
I pulled her into me for a quick kiss on the nose. Then another on the lips, for good measure. “Have fun. I’ll see you in a bit. Love you.”
“Love you too. See you outside—” Brooke smiled mischievously, “—Clark.”
My laughter filled the tasting room.
Everything was as it should be.
epilogue
Neo
“Our inaugural VIP Wine Cruise,”Marco said, having finally shown up. The reason for his delay hung on his arm as if he were some sort of god. Which everyone knew was far from true—everyone except Marco’s new girlfriend.
I used the term loosely. They’d been “dating” for a few weeks, and from the look of it, my brother was about as interested in her as he’d been in the last half dozen of them. Meaning, not very much. He’d been complaining about her always being late, so I assumed that was the reason we all had stood around waiting for him.
“So sorry,” she purred. “It was all my fault.”
As usual, the girls were polite. Brooke engaged her in small talk as Cos readied the boat to leave. With the dock completed, this boat newly purchased, we were one step away from offering actual VIP tours. And just as Brooke had predicted, they were booked solid for the rest of the season. I didn’t know how she’d done it, but my soon-to-be sister-in-law had drummed up a fervor for the “highly exclusive experience.” If Sunset did come in with a whole fleet of new boats, they would have to give thirty tours to our one for the same revenue.