Page 54 of A Taste of Chardonnay

She spun around and smiled. “I always am.” Her foot slipped on ice and her legs went wide. I leaped out the door, Jack at my side. She managed to straighten herself before I got to her. I held her arm to make sure she was okay.

“Damn you.”

“You’re going to blame that on me, too?”

She poked my chest. “I told you. You’re a distraction.”

“Poke me again, and I’ll carry you right back in the house and show you what kind of distraction I could really be.”

She hesitated for a moment, as if she was mulling it over. “Feel free to raid the fridge. I have eggs and bacon. Or I have overnight oats. I also have oranges and bananas. If you didn’t distract me earlier, I would have made you breakfast.”

“I’ve been fending for myself most of my life. I think I can handle breakfast. Go,” I said and smacked her on the ass.

Her eyes widened, mouth dropped open in a too sexy O.

The things I wanted to do to that mouth. “Keep making that face, and I’ll throw you over my shoulders.”

“You really are an ogre.” With a laugh, she got in her car and drove away.

Jack followed me into the house. I straightened up a few things, but for the most part, Char had already handled it. I had caught her at two am in the kitchen washing dishes. I picked up a towel and dried while she finished washing before carrying her to bed.

I grabbed a banana and went to leave with Jack when I remembered the damn cat. “Fanny, let’s go!” It took me all of two seconds to realize Fanny did not listen like Jack. I didn’t even know where the damn thing was. “Jack, where’s the cat?”

Jack tilted his head and stared at me.

“Some help you are,” I mumbled as I started looking under the couches and in cabinets. I didn’t have time for this shit. With Char gone, the list of crap I had to do today rolled through my mind. I was already running behind.

“Fanny! Get your ass over here!” I waited, but of course the cat didn’t show. With a grumble, I went upstairs. I got down on my knees and there, cuddled under the bed in a blanket, was the damn cat. “Did Chardonnay make you a bed while I was sleeping?” I asked as I reached under the bed, praying that cat didn’t attack my hand. I very slowly pulled the blanket until the blanket and cat were in the open. I picked Fanny up in the blanket, making sure to keep her claws secured beneath the material. I’d bring the blanket back to Char later.

She clearly didn’t mind lending it to Fanny. Char might have had a tough exterior, but she really was soft on the inside. “Time to go.” Fanny meowed and would have swatted me if she wasn’t swaddled. “I know. You have such a rough life.” I patted my leg. “Jack, let’s go.” He bolted down the stairs, waiting for me at the bottom. I opened the door, and he took off. Fanny tried to make her escape again, but my reflexes were much quicker than she anticipated. I hugged her to my chest and hurried to the truck.

The sun shone brightly above, causing a near blinding reflection. The ground wasn’t nearly as slippery as I expected, and I got to the truck and Fanny inside without incident. Jack jumped in and growled.

“Jack, don’t,” I said, and with a pathetic whimper, he plopped on the passenger seat. “I know, boy. It’s not ideal. But pretty soon we’ll be back to you and me. We’ll even go for a long walk through the park. What do you say about that?”

Jack answered with an excited bark. I gave his ears a good scratch, then threw my truck in reverse and got my day started.

After dropping Fanny off, Jack and I headed to the distillery to make sure everything was in order and ready to open tonight. I pulled in and was surprised to see Meadow’s car in the parking lot. She had a bag of salt in her hand.

“Hey there, boss,” she said as I hopped from my truck.

“You don’t start until four. What are you doing here so early?”

“I had nothing else to do and had some leftover salt after I sprinkled some in front of my apartment door. I thought, why not come down here and make sure everything is ready to go for tonight?”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I appreciate it, but next time, keep your salt. I have plenty.”

“Good to know.”

My cell that I finally charged rang. I retrieved it from my pocket and saw the hospital number flash on my screen. “I have to take this.”

“You go do you,” Meadow said.

I answered the call, and the woman informed me Ron would be discharged at two. That gave me a couple of hours to finish what I had to do and get over there.

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