Page 69 of A Taste of Chardonnay

My eyebrows drew together. “What? No, because you’re fiery, fierce, and you look good in red.”

Her teeth slid over her bottom lip. “Do I now?”

I nudged her nose with mine, angling her mouth for me to take it. “Like the devil you are.”

A low, sexy laugh slipped from her parted lips. She slid her hands just above my chest, resting one on my heart. “Careful, Brady. Flattery might get you lucky tonight.”

I smirked, my lips hovering near hers. “That’s the goal.”

Unable to resist any longer, I kissed her, slow and deliberate, giving her something to look forward to. I drew back. Her cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling with unsatisfied desire.

“Don’t be out too late. I’ll be waiting.”

It took everything I had not to jump in the car with her and accompany her to my place, forgetting all my responsibilities.

I kissed her one last time, shut her door and headed into the distillery, thinking of Albert’s advice. I wasn’t going to forget my life. Not when Chardonnay was finally in it.

I should have been in Brady’s bed, stripped down to the new La Perla set he bought me, but instead, I was hurrying to the town hall meeting. Not because I wanted to rebel against Brady’s request for me to honor my banishment, but because Laurent called in a panic.

Apparently, the new winery that sat just outside the town limits—and had been a thorn in our side since they built the ridiculous tourist trap—was presenting a plan tonight to expand into our town. Laurent could go up against the best of them, but he needed backup. Normally, he’d call Dad and keep me posted, but with Mom and Dad officially retiring, he needed me.

We would have been more than happy to welcome another vineyard into our town, help grow a community, build on the legacy my grandfather started, but these people didn’t want a community. Laurent and I tried to meet with them when they first moved to town, and they were unwilling to engage in neighborly conversation. We could have collaborated. We could have done big things, but they didn’t want that.

They wanted to steal our clientele and not abide by the laws. They didn’t want partnerships or shared success, they wanted dominance. Everything they had done had been to undercut us and the restaurants in the area instead of working together and creating a stronger community.

They’d get approval to expand over my dead body. They thought my last outburst was bad, they had no idea the hell coming for them. To even allow this to be brought in front of us was insulting and a slap in the face to everything my grandparents and parents had done for this town. And to sneak this in last minute was a low blow. I could only guess who was behind this.

My jaw tightened as I spotted their slick black SUV with the California license plate. They arrived early, probably to schmooze their way into the council’s good graces.

Laurent waited by the door, looking every bit the confident businessman he was. Phoebe stood with him in solidarity. She had a say in this as well, considering she ran the local resort that had generated a ton of revenue for this town.

“You ready?” Laurent asked as I approached.

“Oh, you have no idea.”

I stormed past them as Phoebe looped her arm through Laurent’s, and they followed behind me as a united front. Inside, I scoped the place out. Lainey had her cake on the table, and Albert was already eyeing the first slice. Odette smacked his hand when he went to reach for a plate.

“You should give the new guests the first piece,” Odette said, being too friendly toward the enemy.

“No, he shouldn’t,” I announced as I stepped into the meeting hall.

“See!” Albert said and snatched the piece of cake.

Brady’s head swung up, and when his eyes met mine, he immediately jumped from his chair.

“What’s going on?”

Frustration and anger vibrated through me, and I tried to speak, but was afraid I’d be too loud.

“There was an agenda change about twenty minutes ago. Gold Crest Vineyards are making a presentation. They’re looking to expand into our side of town.”

“How did that get approved?”

“That’s my thoughts exactly,” I managed.

“Either someone forgot to send out the memo ahead of time, or someone’s playing dirty, and my guess is dirty. The mayor always caves to money. It’s why we have the damn resort.” I glanced at Phoebe. “No offense.”

“None taken.”

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