Page 22 of Drunk on Love

“That’s very tempting, but what I really want is for you to bring me another piece of that pie and then for me to take one bite and say, ‘Oh God, I’m too full to eat any more!’ and then for you to not yell at me for that.”

“I can do that.” Sydney got up and picked up the wine bottle. “This is empty. Do you need more wine?”

Margot shook her head.

“I’m too old for that now. If we open another bottle, I’ll feel it far too much tomorrow morning.” She picked up her glass and swirled the wine left in it. “I may accidentally fuck my employees, but as God is my witness, I will never show up to my winery hungover!”

She and Sydney both cracked up.

LUKE COULD BARELY BELIEVEwhat had happened to him in the last twenty-four hours. Okay, so, he’d met a hot woman at a bar near his new apartment—not something that happened every day, but within the realm of possibility. He’d kissed her outside of the bar—again, more rare than he would like, but not, like, ridiculous. She’d come back to his apartment—usually something to celebrate, and he had last night, and again this morning. He’d even wanted to see her again!

And then, not two hours after he’d dropped her off at her house—her house that was exactly six blocks from his apartment—he’d walked into her office to be introduced to his new boss.

Why hadn’t she told him her last name last night?

Well, if she’d done that, he probably wouldn’t have ended the night with her naked in his bed, and that truly would have been a shame. But now he had to work under Margot Noble, while all the time thinking about what it had been like to be literallyunder Margot Noble, and if he’d thought his old job had been a struggle, that would be nothing compared to how this was going to be.

And now he had to go have dinner with his mom and Pete, and try to explain to his mom why he’d quit his very prestigious and well-paying tech job, and why he’d moved—at least temporarily—back home to Napa and was now working at a winery. She would be so shocked and horrified. But even worse, she’d be so disappointed in him.

God, he was dreading this.

Unfortunately, his mom and Pete’s house was only about ten minutes from Noble, which meant he wouldn’t have the advantage of a long drive to clear his head before this dinner.

Why was he acting like such a child about telling his mom he’d quit his job, anyway? He was an adult! He would be thirty in a little over a year! He was a college graduate and accomplished in his field!

And that was the exact problem. His mom was so proud of him, for all of that. For how hard he’d worked, for all that he’d accomplished.

He still didn’t know if quitting had been the right decision. Probably not. When he remembered the relief he’d felt on his last day, he was so glad he’d quit. But when he thought about how impulsive his decision had been, that he had no idea what to do next, he doubted it.

He wished he could just... not tell his mom about this. But he’d fucked that up on his own by deciding to move back to Napa, and then getting the damn job at Noble so he’d have something to do all day.

But then, he couldn’t have blown off Avery like that whenshe needed him. She’d been his best friend since high school; she’d been there for him for everything both good and bad for well over a decade. Her breakup had hit her hard, and now that he could actually be there for her at a difficult time, he was glad he was able to do it. She so rarely ever let anyone know she actually needed help, and he couldn’t regret being here for her, when she’d been so relieved that he’d been there to help her move, and she’d seemed so happy to make plans with him for tomorrow night. And she hadn’t even flipped out about him quitting his job, and had even seemed happy for him.

At least he’d have a story for Avery when he saw her. He laughed. She would freak out when he told her about Margot.

When he got to his mom’s house, he walked up the path to the front door and knocked firmly on the door. This wasn’t the house he’d grown up in; his mom had sold that house and moved into this smaller one when he’d been in college, and Pete had moved in here a few years later. She’d used some of the money from the old house to help pay Luke’s tuition, which was one of the many reasons he felt guilty for quitting his job.

His mom threw open the door, a huge smile on her face, and he smiled back at her. He hadn’t seen her in a few months; he hadn’t realized how much he missed her. Now he felt bad for how much he’d been dreading this.

“Hey, Mom,” he said, and pulled her into a hug.

She gave him a very tight hug in return and then took a step back.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” she asked, with that look on her face that he knew meant she was trying not to smile at him. “Dinner with my son, on a Monday night, when it’s not a holiday?”

He followed her into the house. This might not be the house he grew up in, but it smelled like home.

“Something smells incredible in here,” he said, bypassing her question for the moment. “Don’t tell me you made short ribs?”

She took the lid off the big pot on the stove and gave it a stir.

“Well, I know they’re your favorite, and even though it’s the end of April, there’s still a chill in the air in the evenings, so I thought we’d all like something cozy tonight. And you gave me enough warning that you’d be up here so I could start this early and have it simmering all afternoon.”

Luke lifted his hand to Pete, who was standing by the refrigerator. His mom and Pete had met because of him—he’d worked for Pete one summer in high school, and then a year or so later, his mom and Pete had started dating.

“Hi, Pete,” Luke said. “Good to see you.”

It was true, even though he’d had a full year there—at least—when he’d been furious at Pete for dating his mom. And furious at his mom for dating Pete, though he’d been more mad at Pete. At that point, it had been only a few years since his parents had gotten divorced and his dad had moved away. His parents were much better as friends than as a married couple, but he still hadn’t liked the idea of either of them with anyone else. But he’d moved past that eventually. It had helped—once he’d gotten over himself—to see how happy his mom was around Pete.

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