Page 14 of Lochlan

“I have.”

Pru's eyes glint with admiration, while Poppy clasps her hands. “Have you already done the deed?” Poppy asks, in a lowered voice, as if she's confirming secret information.

I cut my eyes at her, wondering if she's serious, but Poppy doesn't joke. How fast does she think this is going to happen? Attraction isn't always a dead certain. “No, they have hired me for the tasting room and Lochlan is doing my training.”

Poppy brightens. “Oh, you've already started, good. Poor Livi has only appeared at a tasting at Foxton and hasn't met Douglas. Looks like you're off to a head start, but I wouldn't count Livi out yet. This challenge is to accomplish your goal, not who can achieve it first. Although coming in first would weigh heavily in your favor or Livi's if she manages to do the deed a head of you.” She rises to her feet. “That's all I wanted to know. I'll let Livi know that you're making progress; it might start a fire in her belly.”

“Poppy, I thought we could practice together. The Muscle Beach tournament is coming in three weeks. You'll need a partner.”

“Thanks for reminding me. I'd like to train with both of you. You can partner with me at Muscle Beach and there's another tournament a few days later that I'll partner with Livi. These aren't qualifying for the Olympics, but it will give me a sense of how well we work together in a tournament setting.”

“How soon will you name your partner for the Olympic qualifiers?”

Poppy gives this all-knowing smile. I think she likes that two talented players are competing to be her partner. “After the initiation is completed.”

CHAPTER7

WHISKEY & CHOCOLATE

LOCHLAN

Abottle of MacTavish whiskeysits on my nightstand alongside a glass filled with a finger full of the brown liquid. I down the remaining alcohol in one gulp. It's wasteful to throw out premium whiskey, especially if it's your family's lifeblood.

I rub my eyes with the heels of my hand to get the sleep out. Amber wasn't available last night; she had to attend some kind of shower they were throwing for her wedding. I'm guessing I'll be seeing her one, maybe two times before our tryst is over. I'll send her a case of that cab she likes as a parting gift. We're about to become a client with Heritage wine brokers, so no one will think it odd that I've sent their wine rep a gift for her upcoming nuptials.

The bathroom is my first stop as I push away from the bed. I'm not sad, not happy; I feel nothing about the ending with Amber. I'm annoyed I'll have to find a replacement. The problem is finding one who's discreet.

I've got The Silicon Valley Wine Association meeting coming up. I've already asked to be placed on the agenda to talk about my project, Catriona. That's just the working title; I'm shite at naming stuff. I'm more the man who has the idea and runs the place.

I'm not good with pitches—I'm expecting this to be a nightmare—but it's the most efficient way to get the word out about our plans and gain support. I'll schedule time with some of the vintners for a personal appeal if needed.

After my whiskey breakfast, I shower and get ready for the day. The first stop is Geordie's office to go over the day's business. He's not there when I arrive, but I see him walking through the vineyard from his office window. That's a better way of meeting, so instead of waiting for him to remember he has a standing appointment with me, I take the back stairs down. Walking among the vines while you inhale the cool sweet air and earth is the best way to begin a day.

I stride down the row and see Geordie at the end, examining a vine. These are older vines we bought from a grower in France. It’s a grape that's not grown much in California, but we're hoping to introduce it here as a single varietal or blended with our existing wines.

“Geordie,” I call out. “Did you forget the morning meeting we have every day?”

He turns, still in his head about something. “No, I had a notion and I just wanted to follow it up. Look at this. There's something on this vine I've never seen.”

I take a closer look. “It looks fine to me; maybe this is something from the watering, since we changed the irrigation?”

“It could be, but I don't want to take chances. I'll call someone to look at it to give an opinion.”

“Are you talking about Fred, the one who was the planting consultant?”

“Aye, I'll send him some photos first, but he might have to fly up here to see the vines.”

We have a winery consultant we relied heavily on in the first years of the operation. “I've an idea; let Connell look at this first.”

“I'm not willing to rely on an amateur.”

“He's trained in viticulture and he's been begging you for an internship. He wants to impress you; if he doesn't know, he'll find out. I'm willing to bet he still has connections at Davis. At least let him try.”

Geordie considers. “I'll tell him it's a test of his knowledge. That should be enough to get an opinion, but not get his hopes up.”

“If he comes through, it's worth an internship. You're shit at the agriculture part, but you're a genius at blending. Lots of wineries have two managers, one for the vines and the other for the juice.”

“Aye, well, I didn't take much to the growing part, so a second opinion is always welcome. Talking about things that someone is shite at…” Geordie says, “Are you on the agenda for the Wine Association meeting?

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