Page 17 of Corkscrew You
ChapterSeven
SHELBY
I’m awake. The anxiety broke through before the alarm. There are five cats and one dog on my bed, two dogs on the floor beside it, and I have never felt more alone.
Or more foolish. Or more confused.
I didn’t mean to kiss him but I didalmostkiss him and from the way he reacted that wasnota good thing. Whichisa good thing because kissing Nathan Durant would be a huge mistake.
I’m not making sense even to myself.
Why would it be a mistake, Shelby? You haven’t had a romantic relationship for … a really long time. OK, you’ve had a couple of flings, but you made sure to pick guys who were so easy-going they were also just as easy to leave. They kind of drifted in and out of your life, leaving a faint smell of surf and weed. You occasionally check their Instagram posts but it’s like you’re looking at a distant acquaintance, not someone you shared a bed with. The winery has been your only love affair these past years, but let’s face it, it’s a little one-way.
And you haven’t answered the question: why would it be a mistake to kiss Nathan Durant?
OK, me – here’s my best thinking for this hour of the night. If Nathan and I get involved, then people will take me even less seriously than they do now. They’ll get all gooey about the romantic aspect and ignore everything I’m doing professionally. Cute lil Shelby, isn’t it great she finally found a man? He’s a Harvard graduate, dontcha know? They hooked up just in time for him to save the winery. Ain’t love grand?
Ugh.
And then there’s the small issue of my dad. The winery is his legacy, andIwant Flora Valley Wines toalwaysbe associated with Billy Armstrong. I don’t want some Nathan-come-lately stealing his thunder.
Also, Nathan’s made it clear he’s in this for the short haul. It’s a business contract and once he’s fulfilled it, he’ll be onto the next one. Adios, as they don’t say in France.
But then why do I still care that he didn’t want to kiss me, even if I didn’t really mean to kiss him? Why???? Answer me that, universe!
I wait. The line to the universe is busy.
I glance over at my alarm clock. Five-ten.
Jordan will be up but she’s at some extreme camping overnighter where there’s no cell coverage. Chiara keeps international spy hours, so she’s almost certainly awake but I’m not sure I want her to know what happened, even if nothing happened.
Come on, Shelby, that’s dumb. She’s one of your best friends of all time forever and ever. We look out for each other, us three – Chiara, me and Jordan. Always have, since we were kids.
I text Chiara:U up?
Immediately, my phone buzzes.
“Something wrong?” she asks.
“I don’t know,” I say. “I need to run it by you.”
And I explain the almost kiss and his not happy reaction, and it doesn’t sound any less embarrassing in the retelling.
Chiara doesn’t laugh. She says, “Right. OK,” decisively, as if everything is now clear. “This is good.”
“It is?” I ask.
“Shel,” she says. “You know that because I’m both curious and suspicious, I like to find out about people. Not all people, some are too dull to warrant the effort. A guy like Mr Durant, though, Iwilldo my due diligence on.”
“OK…?” My voice comes out all squeaky. Is she going to tell me he’s a scam artist?
“Hold the worry-horses until I’m finished.” Chiara is so bossy sometimes. “Now you told me that he’s contracting with McRae Capital, so I called this girl I had a threesome with, who works there, too.”
“Athreesome!”
“You’re so easy to shock it’s not even sport. No, I’m kidding. She did a bit of digging into Nathan’s background and found averyinteresting fact.”
“Do I want to know?”
