Page 28 of A Taste of Chardonnay

I needed to get out of here. Her scent lingered in my nose, taunting me. If she wanted to stay, then fine. She was safer in here than out there, anyway. This place had a top-of-the-line alarm. She could set it after I left and ride the storm out till morning. There was more than enough food in the kitchen, enough wine to last her a year. She’d be fine here.

“Then stay. I’m gone.” I slid off the stool, pushed it against the bar, and stalked toward the door.

I swung it open, and a gust of wind smacked me in the face. Snow billowed in, and I couldn’t even see my truck anymore. Everything was white. Using my muscle against the gusts, I yanked the door shut.

Chardonnay stood there, hands on her hips, eyes wide.

“Looks like neither of us are going anywhere,” I grumbled.

I stomped toward the door, refusing to accept Brady’s assessment. There was no way in hell I was going to be stuck in here with him for God knows how long. I should have already left, but it had been so quiet here, and I had just got to a good part in my book this morning, so I thought I’d read a chapter before going home. Except it got super steamy, and there was a major plot twist, and I couldn’t stop reading.

I shoved the door open, and cold air and snow blasted me in the face. Ice cold flakes pelted my skin. The wind grabbed the door, and I reached for it, tugging on the solid wood, fighting against the gale. It was too strong, too fierce. I planted my heels in the ground and used my whole body to pull. My hair whipped around my face, and I regretted every decision I had made in the last two hours.

Brady reached across me, his body too close. Flashes of his Halloween costume ran through my mind as his muscles bulged against his thermal and heaved the door shut.

“Believe me now?” he grumbled.

“I can’t believe this.” Denial wasn’t going to do me any favors, but why was the universe working against me? Brady and I had been cordial for the last couple of weeks, but locking us in the winery together to wait through this storm was going to put us back at each other’s throats.

“Believe it. This is our reality until this storm is over.”

“And when the hell is that supposed to be?” Normally, I kept up with weather reports. I should have already been home, glass of merlot on my end table, fire roaring, and settled in with my Kindle. But no. I was too impatient to wait to see what happened, and now I wouldn’t even be able to finish the book tonight. The last thing I needed was for Brady to ask me what I was reading and look over my shoulder.

“According to the last radar I checked, tomorrow early morning. Plows won’t be by until at least seven.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck. The one time I don’t have Jack with me.”

“Where is he?” I asked, suddenly aware he was not being followed by his fluffy shadow.

“At my house. I was just going to drop the damn chairs off. Now he’s stuck at the house while I’m stuck here.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” I assured him. Jack was a dog, but to Brady, he might as well have been his biological son.

“I know he’ll be fine. But I’d rather talk to him than you.”

Unbelievable. I had started feeling bad for him. My eyes rolled so hard they might as well have implanted in the back of my head. “You’re an asshole.”

“I might be an asshole, but you’re lucky you’re stuck with me.”

“Why is that?”

“Do you have flashlights?” he asked.

“I have one on my cellphone.”

“You need to reserve your battery. In case we lose power.”

Of course. I knew that. I spent most of my life here. I knew how this worked. That damn book, then Brady showing up, had completely messed with my brain.

“We need to do inventory.” I hurried behind the bar to grab my emergency notebook I kept stored there. As soon as it was in my hand, Brady plucked it from my grip. “Hey!” I tried to snatch it back, but he held it beyond my reach.

“We don’t need a checklist.”

“You do things your way, and I do things my way. And if you don’t give me that notebook back, I swear I will make you regret being here.”

“I already do.”

My lips pressed into a thin line. He was such a dick. I wasn’t happy about our situation, but at least I wasn’t being an asshole about it. He couldn’t even control himself for ten minutes. This was going to be a long night. I planted my hand on my hip and held my other hand out. “Notebook.”

He grumbled something and slapped the notebook in my hand.

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