Page 20 of Lighting Up Christmas

Riley climbed down the ladder enough to grab the light and then climbed back up.

“Go stand by the door and tell me the height that you like.” She fed out some of the rusted chain and let the chandelier dangle down over the bar.

“Lower by nine chain lengths.”

That was oddly precise. She complied.

“Perfect.”

She clipped it up on the track, checked her work and climbed down the ladder. She put a battery in the remote. “Before we turn this cutie on, I want to move the Christmas tree lights to a different circuit.”

He ran his hand through his hair. “The power is that tenuous? One more light and poof!”

“This will work tonight, and I’ll reconfigure starting next Monday. I have jobs booked all weekend or I’d come earlier.”

“It’s Friday night. Monday morning is early,” he said. “I expect you’re waiting for an apology.”

She dropped down next to him.

“Not holding my breath.” She smiled to take the sting out of the words, she hoped. “The client is always right except when he’s not.” She nudged him with her hip. It was like trying to budge a redwood. “I thought you were having a party. You look like you’re facing a firing squad.”

“I hate parties,” he said in a low voice she barely heard as she released the catch on her extension ladder.

“Then why are you having one?”

“Business. I’m not good with people, which is news to no one.”

Riley’s heart stuttered. How awful to feel that way. But why open a winery? Wineries were all about people and events and connections. Sharing good times and the literal fruits of one’s labor. Zhang seemed more like a high-tech guy locked away with three computer screens and a fancy Bluetooth keyboard that took up an entire desk. Or she could picture him as a stockbroker or investment guy. Buy. Sell. Hold. He seemed decisive. All about success and money.

“Obviously,” he said.

She didn’t know what to say to that. Her normally agile brain and running commentary mouth was stubbornly silent.

“The light looks…good.” Zhang finally broke the silence.

High praise.

Luckily, she left that alone in her brain, still reeling with sympathy about his not being good with people confession, and of course burning with curiosity as to why Mr. Stay On My Mountain would open a winery, and why he never wanted kids.

She looked up at the forty-year-old vine dangling above them. Her head brushed his shoulder, and for a brief, crazy second, she had the impulse to lean into him. Have some human contact. Riley was such a physical person, and she had friends she could hug in greeting, but it wasn’t the same as having a man, having someone special.

She stuffed down the sigh and instead looked up at him, almost challenging him to dare utter another “good” adjective in her presence.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” she told him. “The lacklustergoodis about to be banned forever from your vocabulary in about two minutes.”

“Why two?”

Riley smiled, stalked outside, and switched the circuit that the trees with the Christmas lights were on. Then she reentered the winery.

“Close your eyes.”

“Huh?”

“Just do it.”

Looking wary, Zhang closed his eyes.

“How do you like me now?” Riley teased as she hit the remote for the vine light.

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