Page 6 of The Cask

Picking up the phone, I called to leave a message with Samuel Joseph. The region’s most prestigious wine collector, supplier, and sommelier would be the first and sometimes the only person to acquire rare wine in the area. I’d known him for fifteen years—since I was seventeen years old and working at a swanky Italian restaurant on the other side of town. When I thought I wanted to be a sommelier, he took me under his wing. He taught me everything I knew and cultivated my love of wine. I didn’t just think of him as a mentor. I thought of him as a cool uncle.

He’d kill me if I called him a cool grandpa.

“Hello?” Samuel answered, the sound of jazz playing in the background.

“Hey, Samuel!”

“Ebony Montresor, I was just thinking about you!”

I smiled. “You were?”

“Yes. Your father is Afrogreek, right?”

“Yes. He moved to America for college. Why do you ask?”

“I’m planning a trip to Crete and I thought about you telling me that years ago. How’s he doing, by the way?”

I exhaled. Not many people knew about my father’s condition and I liked it that way. I couldn’t risk getting emotional when I needed to be focused on business. Being asked about him out of the blue always rocked me.

Clearing my throat, I answered, “He has his good days and his bad days.”

“Is he getting worse?”

“Samuel, I’m at work,” I admonished him gently. “Please.”

“When aren’t you at work, dear child!” He sighed good-naturedly. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call, Ebony?”

“Quick question… have you gotten any new clients?”

“Of course.”

“Any new clients looking to buy the rare stuff?”

“Ah yes…” He took a long pause. “I think I know where this conversation is headed.”

“I thought I was the only one you were selling the good stuff to.”

“Why would you think that? Not as many people buy as much of the higher end stuff as you and I tell you about it first, but surely you knew that other people purchase the good stuff.”

“Yes, but I just thought…” I searched for the words. “I mean…”

He sighed. “You know I love you. But businessisbusiness.”

My perfectly arched eyebrows flew up. “But I thought we had a deal.”

“When someone comes in willing to pay three times the asking price, I takethatdeal. I’m sorry, Ebony, but that’s the way it goes.”

“Three times the asking price?!” I exclaimed.

“Yes. And don’t you forget that it’s deals like those that allow me to give you the deals I’m able to give you.”

He was right.

I was mad about it, but I couldn’t deny that he was right.

“The young man seems to be an astute businessman and a wine enthusiast, but his knowledge of wine doesn’t rival yours. Not even close,” he chuckled lightly to himself. “You have nothing to worry about. Besides, a little competition is good for you.”

Judas!

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