Page 11 of Backroom Boy
His gaze dipped down to my mouth, making my heart sputter. “Yeah. Dinner it is.”
5
Lukas
The Wine Cellar was so not my scene, but I could fake it for an hour or two just to get the chance to stare at Delta in that little navy blue dress. The hostess walked off and I put my hand on Delta’s bare back to guide her through the restaurant. Well-dressed couples took up most of the tables, the low light and hushed conversation making me feel distinctly uncomfortable. I was used to sports bars and to-go food, not multiple forks in a formal place setting.
After pushing in Delta’s chair, I had a seat in mine across the table, accepting the menu that contained a lot of dishes I knew about, but had never experienced. My gut wanted out of here, but I knew all of this was experience that would help me later down the line. No one made it far in life without getting out of one’s comfort zone.
“My parents love this place, and while I love the food, it’s a little over the top for me.” Delta smiled at me, setting her menu down and leaning her elbows on the table.
I knew she was trying to make me feel better, but she didn’t need to do that. “What’s your favorite type of restaurant, then?”
She shrugged. “Something a little less formal. A place where you can be yourself and not worry if you laugh too loud or use the wrong damn fork. There’s a place nearby my college where we go a lot. It’s cute, but not formal. Good food, nice people. An easy atmosphere.”
“Sounds like Forty-Diner from my hometown.” I grinned just thinking of the place where the whole town went and gossip traveled faster than the servers.
“Tell me more about this hometown of yours.” Delta leaned forward, a soft smile on her face.
She had on more makeup than she did when we worked at the winery. Not that she needed it. Delta was beautiful in a classic girl-next-door kind of way. And based on her mom, she’d be beautiful with a few more lines and years on her face too.
“I was born and raised in Auburn Hill and it’s your typical small town. Everybody knows your business, but it means everyone cares, you know? I can’t wait to start my own business there.”
Delta’s grin grew and I couldn’t look away. “And what business are you going to open?”
I took a deep breath, feeling a little uncertain about sharing with her. But then again, she’d gone to bat for me to her father with my idea, so I felt like I could trust her.
“I want to open my own winery, actually.”
Her mouth opened in a cute little circle. “Really?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I have a little plot of land, with a handshake deal with my elderly neighbor to sell me his lot right before he passes. I should have just enough land to plant a decent vineyard. I loved chemistry back in high school, but didn’t see myself doing anything with that until I stumbled on winemaking and all that goes into it. I’m kind of fascinated.”
I tugged on my collar, feeling like the button-down shirt was trying to choke me. I didn’t know how men wore them all day every day.
Delta reached across the table and put her hand on mine. “Lukas, that’s amazing. Now I get why you’re so attentive at work. I thought you were just a kiss-ass.” She smirked.
I squeezed her hand and let go, needing to not be touching her. Touching her only led to wanting her more, and I knew that was definitely crossing a line.
“Thanks a lot,” I said wryly, winking to let her know I wasn’t actually offended. “What about you? What’s your career goal?”
Delta blew out a heavy breath. “God, I don’t know. I know Daddy wants to groom me to take over Black Bishop, but I have other things I want to do too. I want to do something that’s all mine, you know? Like, my eventual success has nothing to do with everything being handed to me. I want to know I did it all on my own.”
I nodded, even more impressed with her. I’d judged her unfairly when we first met. Every day I learned something new about her that made that judgement crumble.
“I do know what you mean. We share that desire.”
We stared at each other for a beat and I knew we shared more than just a desire for a career. There were most definitely other desires we had too. Based on the way she bit her lip and her eyes went soft, I’d bet she felt the same pull that I felt. The one that said we should scratch that itch and step across that line of friendship.
“Good evening, folks. What can I get you started with this evening?” The server interrupted our stare, startling us both.
Delta gave the server her dinner and drink order smoothly, melting into this environment with ease. My order was a bit more stiff as I doubted my pronunciation of everything, but I got it done and soon we were left alone again.
The rest of dinner went smoothly, and despite my irritation at not fitting in, the food was outstanding. Delta and I kept up the conversation, learning more about each other and sharing our food. Dante was my best friend back home, but even he and I didn’t have deep conversations about dreams, parents, and how we wished we were different. But with Delta, all that stuff flowed easily.
As we left, I kept my palm on the bare skin of her back, the smooth silk feeling driving me crazy in the best way. The sun had set and the little white lights were lit up all over downtown Merlot. We walked for a bit, checking out the shops. I was having such a good time I didn’t want the night to end.
Delta came to a stop right at the wineglass-shaped fountain in the town square. The water splashed as it hit the pool below it, the perfect overflowing glass. She pulled two pennies out of her tiny purse and gave one to me.
