Page 67 of Vodka and Violets (The Hamiltons)

Willow blew out a sigh. “She wanted us to run wine bars together because there’s so much that she would never feel comfortable doing. She’s smarter than most people give her credit for, she could run the business – no problem. But she needs to feel as though she has someone at her back.”

Xander smiled. “I’ve got her back.”

“Then you should talk to her. How would you feel about running a wine bar?”

He chuckled. “I’m not big on wine either.”

“How about just a bar that also serves wine?” asked Slade.

Xander stared out at the lake. “Thanks, guys. I need to have a think, and Tori and I need to have a chat.”

“Keep us posted,” said Willow.

“And I’ll call you again soon,” said Slade.

~ ~ ~

Tori took Xander’s hand as they walked up the cobbled walkway toward the wine bar.

“Are you sure that you want to go in here?” she asked. “It’s not exactly a great atmosphere. I know you only offered because you know I like Rachel and I’m worried about her.”

She couldn’t figure out what the expression on his face meant when he stopped and put his hand on her shoulder. “I should have told you before now. I wanted to bring you back here to see how you feel about the place.”

She leaned her cheek against his arm. “I don’t understand.”

“Wasn’t it your dream once upon a time – to own a wine bar?”

Her heart started to hammer in her chest. “It was. Once upon a time. For a long time. But that was me and Willow. I couldn’t do it by myself. And besides…” she looked around “… This is Summer Lake.”

His smile melted her insides – it always did.

“Then forget it,” he said. “It’s just that I talked to Slade the other day. Willow joined in, and she was talking about you having a dream of running a wine bar.” He shrugged and gave her a rueful smile.

She shrugged back, not knowing what to say.

He took her hand again and tugged. “Sorry. This was a dumb idea. Come on, where do you want to go? We can eat at the café before it closes. If you prefer, we can have dinner at the restaurant in the lodge; whatever you like.”

Instead of following, she tugged back on his hand, making him stop.

“How would you feel if I did want to run a wine bar?”

She was surprised at the way his lips quirked up into a small smile. “I’d be happy to see you do anything you want to do, sprite. I just want you to be happy.”

She blew out a sigh. “Okay! I admit it. Running a wine bar is still something…” She met his gaze. “But I can’t.”

He came to her and slid his arms around her waist. She melted against him as she looked up into his eyes.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not practical enough. I can create a place, an atmosphere, that people enjoy. But that’s all about the intangibles. I can create my own little world and invite people to share it. I could probably even do a better job of running a real-world business than Rachel and Ian did – I’m not entirely inept. But I couldn’t do it all on my own.”

She couldn’t figure out what was going on behind those intense gray eyes of his as he studied her.

“What?” she asked when she couldn’t take it any longer.

“Do you think that you could do it with me?”

She just stared at him. So many questions crowded her mind that not a single one of them could make it out of her mouth.

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