Page 5 of Backroom Boy
“I said the 2015 pinot noir only has three bottles.”
I quickly looked down at the clipboard like my life depended on it and wrote down the number in the appropriate column. “Got it.”
Lukas went back to counting.
“And don’t call me princess,” I said in my best bitch voice.
Lukas only made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded an awful lot like he was laughing at me inside. The rest of inventory, we kept quiet, only calling off numbers when necessary. And I kept my eyes firmly on the clipboard.
“Ready for lunch?” Daddy broke the silence a while later, his shirt sleeves rolled up and looking at me expectantly.
I looked back at Lukas, his jaw clenched tight.
“I’ll finish up here. You go ahead.” He took the clipboard from me and kept going, dismissing me without a glance.
I rolled my eyes and followed Daddy out, wondering what inspirational advice he’d force down my throat while we ate lunch in his office. As much as Lukas acted pissed off that I had the attention of the owner of the winery, he didn’t realize I envied him and the lack of responsibility to live up to someone else’s expectations for you.
I’m not saying growing up with money didn’t have its perks.
But it also came with a lot of responsibility and pressure.
3
Lukas
After another round of cleaning glasses, where Delta immediately jumped at the less messy part of the job and left me to do the dirtiest work, we were finally done for the day. I’d learned so much my head was spinning. Didn’t help that the pretty girl from last night was like my goddamn shadow. Everywhere I went I could smell her mangoes like she’d bathed in them before coming to work. She was stealing my focus and I couldn’t have that.
I hung up my apron and grabbed my helmet and keys from the cabinet in the back room. More studying awaited me when I got back to the pool house. I was also thinking of walking through the grapevines and seeing if I could identify which grapes were which based on their early growth stage.
The door swung shut behind me and I sucked in my first breath of non-mango-scented air since this morning. What were the odds I’d get paired up with the owner’s daughter when I was just trying to learn as much as I could this summer? I didn’t move away from home and all my friends to get sidetracked by a spoiled rich girl who didn’t take the winemaking process seriously.
“Hey, Lukas, wait up!”
Shit. I took a deep breath and willed my eyeballs not to roll back in my head. I paused by my bike and looked at her hustling across the parking lot to reach me, her blonde hair tumbling out of the messy bun she’d put it in when we did the dishes.
When she reached me, her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing heavy enough to make my gaze want to look at her breasts, but I was stronger than that. Maybe.
“You want to go swimming or something? We can go back to my pool.” The words were rushed, almost like it was a pity invite. And I didn’t do pity.
“Nah. I got things to do. See you tomorrow.” I strapped on my helmet, got on my bike, and fired it up, drowning out what she said next.
Probably a dick move, but after eight hours around her, I needed some space. I needed to focus on learning about the winery, not the way she swiped her right wrist across her forehead when she got the tiniest bit sweaty. Or the way she bit her bottom lip constantly, driving me absolutely crazy.
The wind hit my arms as I rode, cooling me off and prompting me to keep going on the winding road, just to sightsee for a bit before returning to the pool house. A white Range Rover came up behind me, and after a double take in my mirrors, I realized it was Delta.
“What the fuck?” I muttered.
The turnoff for her house came up on my left, but she didn’t turn, instead following me all the way into the little town of Merlot and around the wineglass-shaped fountain in the square. This time I did roll my eyes.
“Alright then. I guess you’ll follow me right home and learn we’re neighbors.”
I sped up after the last stop sign in town and headed back toward her house, making the right down her long driveway and splitting off to the right again to go around to the pool house.
I’d barely gotten my helmet off and the kickstand down when she ran down the driveway to the pool house. She had the funniest little line between her eyebrows. Still totally hot, even when confused and slightly angry.
“You following me, princess?” I asked with a smirk, knowing the nickname would rile her up further.
She pointed to the house and spoke slowly. “This is my house.”
