Page 67 of A Taste of Chardonnay

“I suppose not. But next time you want to bring the traffic to a standstill in the middle of the afternoon, can you warn me so I can take a different route?”

“Speaking of which… Shouldn’t you be with Ron?”

“Nurse started today.”

“How’d that go?”

“So far, so good.”

Albert nodded, his Vietnam veteran’s hat dipping down. “Good. Man’s a stubborn pain in the ass and everyone deserves help.”

I’d come to the realization that showing grace even to those who didn’t earn or even deserve it didn’t mean I was a pushover or too good. It just meant I was human and understood life and people were too nuanced to fit into a category of good or bad, deserving or undeserving. We all had our battles, all did things we later regretted, and showing a little grace didn’t cost me a thing… except maybe my pride.

“He does.”

“I’m not talking about him. I’m talking about you. I know it hasn’t been easy. I know he was a terrible father to you.”

I shifted, not expecting the conversation to go this route. Jack nudged my hand as if he knew just how uncomfortable I was. With Albert, it was off-hand comments, grumbles, and some good pokes.

“It takes a real man to step up and do the right thing when most men would have walked away without a second thought. And honestly, none of us would have thought of you any differently.”

A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed it, forcing it to stay down. “I appreciate that, Albert.”

“The nurse is a step in the right direction, so don’t get so wrapped up in everyone else’s problems that you forget about your own life.”

Chardonnay’s face flashed into my mind, the visions from earlier pushing through to the forefront. I’d lived thirty-nine years, but maybe my life was just starting. “I’ll try not to.”

“Good, now get on your way. You’re wasting my damn time.”

“You’re the one who got all soft on me.”

“I did not, and don’t you go getting too soft, either. The town needs at least one person to call them on their bullshit.”

“You do a fine job of that yourself.”

“Damn right.” He tipped his hat. “Now go do something useful and leave me the hell alone.”

With a laugh, I put my truck in gear and got back on the road. Not even ten minutes later, I was putting my truck in park at the distillery. I opened the door, and Jack jumped out, running straight for the door. He barked as he went, as if he had to announce his presence to the surrounding area. The king was back in his domain.

Meadow opened the door, and Jack immediately flopped at her feet, rolling over, stomach up and ready for all the scratches. Meadow obliged, and I was about to walk in when a car horn grabbed my attention.

My day got even better as Chardonnay turned into the parking lot. Her heeled foot stepped out of the car, and she clicked her way to the trunk.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as she popped her trunk. We hadn’t really discussed what exactly we were doing, but the urge to kiss her was too strong. I leaned in, capturing her lips and sinking into the kiss. At first, her hands slammed into my chest, but within no time, her fingers curled into my shirt, pulling me close.

“Hi,” she said, a smile tilting her lips as she drew away.

“Hi. What’s going on?”

She bent into her trunk and retrieved a large storage bin, resting it on the rear bumper. Her hand landed on the red top. “I just finished helping Sherry decorate the tasting room, and we had all these decorations left over. I wanted to see if you could make use of them.”

“I don’t decorate for Christmas.”

“I know, but I thought maybe you’d want to this year.”

“He wants to.” Meadow ran up to us and took the bin.

“I guess we do,” I said, wondering when I stopped making the decisions around here.

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