Page 28 of Lochlan

So much crap happened yesterday that I have to think back to our talk before we went to his room. “He wanted to assure me that the corked wine incident wasn't my fault. The wine wasn't corked, and that guy was a jerk.”

“Did he say anything about us in the storage?”

“I think he accepted our explanation of why we were both there. We talked about what happened in the tasting room and he offered to send me information about wine.”

The doors burst open and Lochlan strides in.

I push away from the bar, standing at attention, fearing the worst. The man looks like a drill sergeant on parade as he eyes us.

“Patricia will join us today in the tasting room,” he announces while moving around the bar, examining the setup. “Make sure your iPads are functioning before the customers arrive.” He glances around the room for a few moments. “I see someone missed that empty wineglass near the cookbooks. Kenzie, grab that and place it in the used rack.”

I slip around the bar, heading toward the offending glass.

“Check the room one more time and when you've finished, I want you to come to my office after the setup is done.”

He heads back through the doors like a whirlwind that's left the room.

I find one more glass in a display cupboard and place them both in the rack.

“Would you like to begin the tutoring tonight?” Connell asks, shoving the rack of used glasses back under the counter.

I stop, not knowing what to say. I hadn't thought about him since he left last evening. He turns to face me. “Has something changed? Do you still want to learn about wine?”

“I do, but I need to get to Lochlan's office.”

Patricia breezes in. She's a wine nerd and can be a little condescending when I ask her for information. “I was told to report earlier today. Layla said you might be shorthanded?”

Connell shrugs. “I don't know what to expect. Lochlan didn't say. Kenzie here is off to visit him in his office. Maybe he'll tell her what's going on.”

Patricia looks down her aquiline nose and pushes her short blonde bob behind one ear. “Well, if you have a meeting, then off you go. Connell and I will handle the tasting room while you're gone.”

I glance back at Connell and get the same vibe, that he wants to see the back of me right now. I shake my head and leave through the rear doors that lead through the offices and out the back of the building. Lochlan's office is next to the barrel room. When I arrive, he's studying paperwork on his desk.

“Sit,” he says, not looking up while I take a seat and squirm in my chair. Maybe this is a power play, because it sure feels like one.

“I saw the preliminary slides you placed in the cloud. It might be better if we worked on the presentation together and then we can edit in real time. I'd like for you to come to my room now to complete the work.”

“If you say you can see my work in the cloud, then why do we need to meet in person?”

“Normally I'd agree, but things have changed. The importance of this meeting has increased. I received word that Granda will attend the Wine Association meeting.”

I sit up straighter. That means Ian MacTavish will see my work, and not just a bunch of winery owners. This is way more important. The MacTavish brand is international, with a reach all over the world. Lochlan was right. I've been pursuing sponsorship deals. I've only had small local interest so far. Maybe in some weird way this is an opportunity.

“I want you to work on it during your shift and after, if it takes that long. I cleared my calendar for the rest of the day and tonight.”

“I'll have to go home to get my laptop.”

“You don't need to go home. You can use my equipment.”

He can boss me around in the tasting room, but he needs me to pull this off, so it's time to push back. “I appreciate the offer, but I have notes on the laptop's hard drive that weren't in the cloud.” That's part of the truth. Actually, I don't want to work in the MacTavish version of a fast-food uniform, and I need to get my hair out of this tight bun.

He's resting his chin in his hand, eyes narrowed, wondering if I'm telling the truth. “Alright, then be on your way. We don't have time to waste.”

“I'll be back in about an hour.”

“Kenzie, there's one more thing. You need to disabuse Connell of the notion that you have an interest in him. It won’t be convincing to my granda or anyone else if my girlfriend is seeing another laddie.”

My first thought is to deny Connell has any interest in me, but after Lochlan found us in the storage, that would be a hard sell.

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