Page 65 of Beneath the Sapphire Sky

She placed her hand on Sam’s shoulder. He glanced up and beamed at her.

“Bella!” He stood up and kissed both her cheeks, her face cupped firmly between his rugged hands. “You wonderful girl. Woman.” He waved a hand agitatedly and muttered something in Italian that she didn’t quite catch. It sounded suspiciously like cussing. “You gift me with your presence.”

Belle laughed, relaxing a little at his usual effusive welcome. “And you are still too much of a flirt to be real, Mr C.”

She stepped back and glanced at the rest of them around the table. Dante fiddled with his linen napkin, a tight smile sent in her direction, his gaze not quite reaching hers.

Belle’s confidence plummeted. She brought her attention back to Sam before she could lose her nerve.

“I just wanted to come and wish you all good luck. I know how hard you’ve worked on your entries for this year.” She aimed the words at the table in general, but they all knew she was talking to Dante. He was the one who’d spent the last few years on the blend, not the others.

“Ahhh! You bless me with your kindness, sweet Bella.”

A chorus of thanks echoed around the table. Dante’s voice, barely able to be discerned amongst them, joined in.

“Thanks, B.”

He’d answered. A small thing, perhaps, but it meant everything.

Heat surged up her neck and she glanced back at the table where her father and Jack waited for her, both their expressions cut from the same cloth. They both looked as worried as she felt.

“Well, I’d better get back. They’re waiting for me.” A total lie, but who was going to tell on her? Her cheeks followed her neck and heated to unbearable temperatures. “Enjoy your meals.”

She laughed then. “Look at me. Talking as if I’m the one waiting on your table. Force of habit, I guess.”

Ria laughed. “It gets like that. I end up saying the stupidest things in shops in town. I forget I’m the customer, not serving. Lucky they know us, hey, Belle?”

Belle nodded and stepped back, biting her lip.

“Good luck to you guys, too.” Raphael’s deep voice brought her head around.

Her gaze clashed with Dante’s, the heat in his gorgeous eyes making her stomach somersault and her knees turn to jelly. He looked down at the menu in front of him, his own cheeksdefinitely pinker than they had been moments earlier. Her heart stuttered from that simple exchange. Raph smiled at her, seated beside Dante.

“Thanks, Raph.”

She nodded again and hurried back to her table, trying hard not to look like she was rushing.

She grabbed the wine menu and fanned her hot face with it.

“That good, huh?” Jack asked.

“Shush.”

“Now, Jack, leave the poor girl alone.”

Jack laughed and shrugged. “Nah. Watching her squirm is too much fun.”

Belle looked at him. “Stop it.” She eyeballed Patrice. “How do you put up with him? He’s a right pain in the rear.”

Patrice smiled half-heartedly, not willing to get involved in the bickering. The waitress came to their table, and they ordered their meals from the set menu for the evening. A young man came back with their glasses of wine and set them on the table.

Her attention wandered toward the front of the room where Jonathan had set up a large projection screen. He dimmed the lights and clicked a button. Images of people and a podium filled the screen.

The awards committee.

A hush fell over the room as the man she recognised as the head of the International Wine Awards committee stepped behind the lectern. Thick greying hair topped a handsome, but rugged face.

“This year we departed from tradition and decided to stream the award announcements ceremony, as so many of you worldwide couldn’t be here this evening.”

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