Page 15 of A Sip of Sherry

My mind immediately swan dived into the gutter.

He laughed slightly, a knowing look in his eyes.“For the event,” he clarified.“I have some free time, so I’m yours for as long as you need me.”

I’m yours.It’s not how he meant it, but the words still slipped through my ears like a warm caress.

“Those centerpieces I have on the table over there.”I pointed my coffee cup toward the table, spilling a little liquid out of the small hole.“They need to be brought inside.I also need two extra tables and about eight more chairs.”

“You were going to do all this on your own?”he asked.

I shrugged.“As much as I could.I assumed someone would be around to help.”With all the different sections of running a successful vineyard and tasting room, we were never short of people.

“Don’t assume next time.Come straight to me.I’m more than happy to help you.Besides, it’s my job to do just that.”

“I know,” I said and took a deep breath, finding the courage to be honest.“But I’ve been avoiding you.”

“I’m happy you can finally admit that.”

“Honestly, I’m not even sure I realized it until you called me out on it.”

“I wonder why that is.”

He looked at me as if he knew the answer.I waited for him to clue me in on his theory, but before he could say anything, Lainey’s voice echoed through the warehouse.

“You in here?”

Ben didn’t break our gaze, and I refused to be the first to turn away.“I’m in here,” I called out.

Lainey’s footsteps grew louder, stronger as she made her way toward my voice.“The cakepops are in the tasting room, do you need me for—” Lainey’s words cut off.“Oh.Hi Ben.”Her tone was far too cheery for this gloomy day.

“Hi Lainey,” he said.

“I’m sorry.Did I interrupt something?”

“Not at all,” Ben said, finally breaking eye contact and smiling that charming smirk toward Lainey.“We were just figuring out how many extra chairs Sherry will need today.She said eight, I said ten.You can never go wrong with too many when even one short can cause an issue.”

“He’s got a point, Sher,” Lainey said while I couldn’t figure out how he so easily came up with that line of bullshit.

“Fine.Go with ten,” I agreed to this fake scenario, though now I would wind up with two extra chairs I wasn’t expecting to have.But Ben was right.Damn him.It was better to have extra than be short.

“I’ll go get those chairs.”Ben headed toward the room where all the extra chairs and tables were stored.

As soon as he was out of view, Lainey’s eagle-eyed stare landed on me.The longer I said nothing, the wider her blue eyes grew, impatiently waiting for me to spill.

“What?”I finally asked.

“You two weren’t arguing about chairs.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you’ve been my best friend since before I had these lovely ladies.”She motioned to her 34Gs and smiled.“And since before we even liked boys.I’m also very schooled on sexual tension, thanks to your brother.”

I let out a gagging noise as if we were still twelve.

“And what I just walked in on?”She fanned her face, her lips forming an O.“I almost went and got my cake knife.That tension was thicker than my thighs.”

“I get it.”

“Why not sleep with him already and get it out of your system?”

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