Page 19 of The Fix Up

“Absolutely. Such a terrific Scottish links design out there. Say, listen—have you had a chance to look over the counter-proposal I sent over a couple days ago?”

“Yes, I took a quick look,” Ben said slowly, trying to remember if Holly had given him any tips on keeping oneself from telling a business associate that his head was so far up his ass that he might as well inspect his tonsils while he was up there. Ben might not be a social genius, but he suspected that wouldn’t be the right way to handle the conversation. “I’ll need to do a more thorough review later. Why don’t we catch up early next week?”

“Sounds good, my boy!” He clapped Ben on the back and buried his face in his drink again. “Good talking with you.”

“You, too.”

Ben turned and hurried away, then remembered Holly’s advice about carrying himself with confidence and poise. Fuck, he needed that drink. He reached the bar and pulled out his wallet, grateful Holly had urged him to buy a new one when they were standing at the counter back at the clothing store. This one certainly looked better than his old duct-taped one, and the leather smelled woodsy and warm.

“What can I get you, sir?”

“What do you have for red wine?”

“We’ve got a great Cab from the Napa Valley, this stunning red blend from Rioja in Spain, and a nice little Oregon Pinot Noir?—”

“The Pinot would be great,” Ben said, glancing back at Holly and wondering if he’d read her right. “Is it a little earthy and spicy?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Perfect.”

She had her head turned, so he could admire her without self-consciousness from the other side of the room. The blue dress fit her like a dream, hugging her curves and showcasing those perfect long legs. He wasn’t usually the kind of guy to openly ogle a woman, but holy hell, how could he not appreciate all that flesh and muscle and?—

“Will that be all, sir?”

Ben turned back to the bartender. “Uh, no. What do you have on draft?”

The guy rattled off the names of a few craft beers, and Ben picked the hoppiest IPA on the list.

He pulled a few bills out of his wallet, making sure to include a generous tip and a smile for the bartender. When he had the drinks in hand, he made his way back toward Holly, more excited than he had any right to be at the prospect of standing beside her, having everyone see this beautiful woman next to him.

“Here you go,” he said, his fingers brushing hers as he handed her the glass. “I hope you like Pinot Noir.”

“I love it,” she said, taking a sip. “Wow, this is amazing. Different than what I usually drink. What is it?”

“You’re probably used to California Pinots,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound like too much of a wine snob. When he wasn’t sipping beer, wine was his beverage of choice, though he tended to prefer big-bodied reds over the more nuanced French wines his dad collected and seldom consumed.

“Pinot Noir from California or France tends to be a little more polished and refined,” Ben explained. “Oregon Pinot, on the other hand—at least the ones I like—are earthy and approachable. A little dirty, if you want to call it that.”

“Huh,” Holly said, taking a slow sip. “Yeah, I see what you mean. I’m not sure I would have thought of that adjective, but if this is what that tastes like, then I guess I like it dirty.”

Ben took a big swallow of his beer and tried not to choke. He surveyed the crowd, catching titters of conversation around him.

“What is it about people in corporate America that makes them talk like androids?” he asked.

“How do you mean?”

“You know—‘Let’s crosswalk this into our wheelhouse and extrapolate the strategic synergy.’ What the hell does that even mean?”

“Not a damn thing, but executives do love their jargon. If it helps, you can turn it into your own secret drinking game.”

“A drinking game?”

“Take a sip every time someone says something like ‘results-oriented’ or ‘due-diligence’ or ‘let’s touch base and put our heads together about the action items.’”

Ben laughed and took a small sip of beer. “I’d be wasted in ten minutes, and then I’d be breaking your first rule about minimizing consumption.”

“Good point.”

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