Page 40 of A Taste of Chardonnay

“Our sister, ladies and gentlemen.” Sherry extended her hands toward me like I was a vowel on Wheel of Fortune.

I glanced at my to-do list that was on the counter. “The photos I approved from the shoot… How are they performing on social?”

Rose rolled her eyes. “If I knew we were going to talk work, I wouldn’t have stopped by.”

“Work is important. My sex life isn’t.”

“Considering you’ve been drier than the Sahara, I’d say your sex life is very important,” Rose countered.

I swung my gaze to Sherry before she could say anything. “You are in the same dry rotted boat. So you can’t say a thing.”

“I keep telling her she should sleep with that Ben guy,” Rose said.

“Ben?” It took a minute before the name registered. “Oh, the new warehouse manager hire. You met him at Brady’s Halloween party. It looked like you two hit it off.”

Sherry sighed. “We did, and then he got hired, and you know I won’t date an employee of the Vineyard.”

“It’s a stupid rule.” Rose looked at me. “Tell her it’s a stupid rule.”

“Actually, it’s a pretty good one. Very professional.”

“Says the woman who had sex in the middle of the tasting room,” Rose said with a playful sigh. “What would the health inspectors think?”

“Okay, time to leave.” I pulled both of their arms until they were off the stools.

“All right, all right,” Sherry said. “Just one question.”

“What?”

“Are you going to sleep with him again? Are you two like a thing? Or was this just a onetime wham-bam, thank you ma’am?”

My lips parted, but nothing came out. Brady and I hadn’t discussed it. He kissed my forehead when he left, and he didn’t take off like he’d made the worst mistake of his life. We had spent so much time hating each other that last night didn’t feel like enough time to make up for all those years.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Wyatt and Nero showed up, and we didn’t really have time to talk.”

“Do you want it to be something more than one night?” Rose asked.

I glanced at my baby sister, who was lucky enough to find her soulmate in college. She and Wyatt had been together for over a decade, and they were still very happy. At times I had been jealous of her, wishing I had someone to go home to, to confide in, to cuddle with when I got snowed in. I never imagined it would happen for me, but now… I couldn’t imagine it being anyone else but Brady.

It was funny how easily the shift from hating him to not happened, but it did.

“That’s a yes,” Sherry said.

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to. It’s written all over your face.” Sherry circled her finger in front of me.

“You’re down bad,” Rose added. “Now don’t go and mess it all up.”

“And exactly how would I do that?”

Rose tapped my to-do list. “By overthinking it. You’ve got a plan for everything, but love doesn’t work like that. Just let it happen.”

“Nobody said anything about love.”

A knowing smirk passed between Sherry and Rose.

“See you at work,” Rose said way too cheerily, and Sherry waved goodbye to me as they walked out of my kitchen and through the front door.

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