by Erica M Kim
“I do. I’ve owned the shop for two years now. I enjoy it very much. As much as you love children, I love dogs.”
“So, you met when Lio brought Chase in for a wash?”
“That’s correct,” I say, smiling as I remember that day clearly. It wasn’t actually too long ago, but it feels like I’ve known Lio for ages. “Chase was completely covered with mud and sand as if he had been rolling around in the beach all day.”
“Can I confess something?” Lio interrupts. “I actually saw you through the shop window that day and I wanted to meet you. So, I took Chase down to the ocean and had him do a few ‘rollovers’ in the sand after playing fetch in the ocean.”
“You purposely got him dirty just to come into the shop?!” I smacked his arm.
“Something like that,” Lio admits with a laugh.
“Lio!” Alex and I both say in unison. We look at each other and laugh.
“Lio, that is a total stalkerish move! Ugh, I can’t believe my brother is such a stalker weirdo. You have no game! Lunis, I apologize for my creepy brother,” she says as mirth fills her eyes.
“What do you mean, I have no game?” Lio says, looking hurt. “That was my game! And guess what? It worked.”
“You know what, Lunis,” Alex says, facing me. “If you can deal with my brother’s crazy controlling antics, and trust me, I know them well; then I already love you. Cheers to that,” she says as she holds up her wine glass. We clink glasses, and both drain them.
The food is nothing short of amazing, and we are all stuffed to the collar. After a few bottles of wine, the world is slightly blurry for me. By the looks of it, both Alex and Lio also seem like they can drink some water. I decide this is my chance to pull some information out of Alex.
“Alex, you’re telling me that I’m the very first woman that Lio has ever introduced you to?”
“Yes, intentionally. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve met other women, but none he’s willingly introduced me to. That’s saying a lot about you,” she says, smiling at me. “Lio’s always taken care of me. I’m sure you heard that our mother passed away when I was just one. I don’t have a single memory of her.” Alex’s face is wistful as she tells me this. “Even though Dad was around until I was twelve, he was a very busy businessman. He often traveled to Greece like my brother does now,” she said this with disapproval. “Lio practically raised me. Both he and my aunt pushed me to become the woman I am today. He’s pretty much my brother, mother, and father. And that’s why I am so happy to meet you today because there is nothing else I want more in this world than for my brother to be happy. And I can tell you make him happy,” she says as her eyes lock onto mine. “He was not happy for a very long time,” she continues as she looks to Lio. His face doesn’t show any emotion, but eventually, he smiles at Alex and ruffles her hair like she is a five-year-old.
“Agh! Lio! Don’t touch my hair!” Alex playfully yelps and chucks a piece of bread at Lio’s head. They both dissolve into laughter.
Suddenly it feels like the weight of the world is upon my shoulders. Holy shit. Mother of the gods. How will I ever leave this man now that I know this? I watch the two of them laugh, with such love for each other, and for the first time, I realize how much Lio really means to me. I want to be a part of this. This thing called family. This thing filled with love, hope, and peace. This thing I yearn for. I want to believe that I can be a part of it. I want to believe it with all my heart and soul.
“Do you guys have to leave? Can’t you go up to the winery some other time? I barely just met Lunis, and you’re already whisking her away!” Alex stomps her feet like a child on the sidewalk outside the restaurant as she loops her arm through mine. “I don’t have a lot of friends up here, and I like her, Lio. Don’t take her away already!” At that, she looks at me, and we start to laugh because we all know she is throwing a hissy fit. I feel the same. Despite the barriers I have up against people in general, Alex broke through each one of them. I can already tell that we will be good friends. I give her a tight squeeze around the shoulder to let her know.
“Alex, we are an hour’s flight away from each other. You can use the jet to come visit Lunis and me,” he adds with emphasis, “anytime you want. I have to take care of some business, which is why we need to go to Manos Winery before it’s too late.”
“Ugh, you and your business. I swear, it’s going to be the death of you. Fine. I’ll come visit very soon. I need to do some shopping anyway, and there’s no better place than Rodeo Drive,” she says with a big smile. “Lunis, give me your phone number so I can text you sometime,” Alex says as she hands me her phone.
I enter my phone number in and hand it back to her then pull her in for a hug.
“It was great meeting you, Alex. I hope to see you soon!”
“Ditto. Don’t let my brother’s craziness get to you. And if you ever need a hand in dealing with it, you know who to call.” Alex winks at me as she releases me and heads toward her brother. Lio and Alex embrace tightly, as if they may never see each other again. Lio kisses her cheek before letting her go.
“Take care of yourself, Alex. I’m serious. You need to cut back on the drinking and partying, so you can focus on your studies.”
“Yes, father,” she says as she turns to me. “See what I mean? Control freak!” Just as she says this, Lio ruffles her hair again, and she sets after him.
After we watch Alex get in her car, a BMW five series, we climb into the backseat of the town car that Daniel’s driving.
“You were right,” I admit facing Lio. “I do love her.”
“See! I told you! And now you guys are going to be BFFs. I knew this would be scary,” Lio says, laughing. “But . . . it makes me happy.” He holds my hand tight. “Now, are you ready for Manos winery?”
“I can’t wait,” I say with a big grin plastered to my face.
24
Of all of the brilliant things that Lio has shared with me, Manos Winery is by far the most impressive. The entrance to the winery is lined with two rows of towering maple trees that shade the small paved road toward the winery. The leaves are just blossoming into shades of green, the first sign that the end of the gray winter may be near. On the right of the small road lays a massive, perfectly green and manicured lawn. At the end of the road sits a rustic, Spanish-style building that has dark wooden support pillars and walls the shade of sand. It’s unassuming and wonderfully charming.
Inside, we’re immediately greeted by a woman who looks to be in her early sixties. She has attentive eyes, and she’s wearing a vibrant purple dress-suit with large pearl earrings. By the way she’s looking at me, I can tell she’s not an employee.
“Lio, it’s been entirely too long, darling.”
“Aunt Lilia! I had no idea you would be here,” Lio says, his face in genuine shock. Despite the surprise, he also looks very happy to see her as he gives her a giant bear hug. She chuckles in return.
“Lio, this is an important meeting, and you know I wouldn’t miss it, even if it means I fly my old ass fifteen hundred miles. And who is this lovely lady?” she asks as she turns to my direction.
“Aunt Lilia, you know this meeting should take no longer than a few minutes. There was no reason for you to fly yourself out here for such business. You’re going to overdo yourself again. And this”—Lio turns to face me with a proud smile—“is Lunis Kendall.”
“Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t do, boy. You know Manos Winery is our family pride and joy.” At that, Lio rolls his eyes at me. “Is Ms. Kendall here on business too?” she asks, addressing me.
“No, Aunt Lilia. Lunis is here as my guest.”
“I believe this is a world’s first!” Lilia exclaims with a shrilly Texas drawl. “Lio never brings his lady friends anywhere! And I am exceptionally delighted to meet you, Ms. Kendall,” she says as she extends her hand out to me. Her nails are perfect and lacquered a shade of violet.
“Lunis, please. And I am very pleased to meet you as w
ell, Ms. . . .” My voice trails off as I realize I don’t quite know what to call her.
“Lilia. You can call me Lilia. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to have a private word with my nephew. I promise it’ll be short. I’ll show you to the tasting room where we’ll get you a taste of the finest wine in Napa!”
“Aunt Lilia, this can seriously only take a few minutes. I am here with Lunis, and I want to show her around,” Lio says to his aunt with the utmost gravity. “Lunis, please only have one glass. I want to be the one to pour the wines for you and tell you about the taste and process for each one. Please?”
I smile at his romanticism. “As long as I have wine, I’ll be fine. And yes, I’ll try to have just one.”
“Oh, Lio, she’s my type of gal, but so much nicer than me,” Lilia says as she turns around and winks to me. The tasting room is this way.” Lilia leads me through double wood doors that cover a massive archway into a dimly lit tasting room. The room is lined wall to wall with massive barrels filled with what I could only assume is wine. The scent of wood and earth invade my senses. The small table at the end of the hallway is where the wine tasting takes place. A man is waiting behind the table for us to arrive.
“George, you get younger every time I see you,” Lilia flirts with him with southern charm as she kisses both cheeks. The dark-haired man looks to be in his late fifties, with very tanned skin like he spends most of his days in the sun. His face is kind, and his eyes are an amazing shade of olive. I can see why Lilia flirts with him.
“Lilia, you certainly know how to make a man feel better about himself.”
“George, this young lady here, is a guest that Lio brought! Can you believe it? Lunis, George. George, Lunis,” she exclaims. I am now officially embarrassed. I feel like I’m a show horse going on display. Despite my discomfort, I remain calm, collected, and completely quiet because I’m not 100 percent sure how to deal with this Aunt Lilia character yet. Not that I need to figure it out right at this moment as I notice that she’s already tiptoed out of the tasting room toward the main reception hall.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Lunis.” George’s voice also has some unnamable accent. “So, you’re a guest of Lio’s . . .” Why does everyone keep saying this? And what does this mean? I want to scream, but I bite my tongue inside my mouth.
“How long have you been with Manos Winery, George?” I ask in an attempt to change the subject.
“I’ve been with the winery for thirty years now. When Lio’s father, Ilio, first looked for someone to take care of his vineyard, he found me. I was working at an apple orchard, helping that farm find new genetic versions of apples. Ilio and I loved each other like brothers. Once Manos Winery was built and established, he entrusted me to run the day-to-day business while he traveled back and forth to Greece because of M.M.S.”
I make a mental note to find out more about M.M.S. and what this enterprise consists of. It’s obvious that Lio’s family is supremely well off, and he seems to always be under some sort of duress or high-pressure meeting. Yet I barely know anything about the business since Lio doesn’t tell me any details. It’s both frustrating and annoying.
“Well, George, would you so kindly give me a taste of what Lilia calls the finest wine in Napa?”
“There would be no greater pleasure than to do so.” George reaches for a long-necked bottle and breaks the golden seal off of it with a short wine knife. The liquid that comes pouring out into the white wine glass is colored like honey.
“This is a Viognier, a sweet and highly aromatic fruity wine,” George explains as he pours a splash into my glass. I don’t wait much longer, and I grab the stem of the wine glass and gulp down the content without much elegance.
“If you drink it so quickly, you won’t be able to really taste the subtle notes of the grapes and flora,” George reprimands me gently. “Here, let me pour you another, and you can drink it more slowly.” Score!
George pours another glass. “Now, close your eyes and swirl the wine while you take in the scent . . .” George doesn’t get to finish his sentence before I drink the next glass just as fast as the last one. He lets out a loud sigh of frustration. He continues on about the harvesting and fermentation process, and I nod along, wishing it was Lio telling me this instead. How long has Lio been gone now? I glance at my watch. Nearly thirty minutes?
“George, I really think I almost tasted the grape in this last taste, so can I try it one more time? I’d also like to taste these other two wines here,” I say, pointing to an unopened bottle of red and white wine. It quite frankly doesn’t seem fair to me that Lio’s gone for longer than promised, and I’m stuck listening about the wine making process without tasting the wine.
“I do believe I heard Mr. Manos tell Ms. Lilia that he wanted to reserve much of the tasting so you can enjoy it with him.”
“Oh, did he?” I feign innocence and offer a sweet smile. “But you’ve been working at Manos Winery for so much longer; you know a lot more things. Lio is taking longer than he said he would anyway.”
“Very well. I’ll show you just two more tastings, and then that’s it.”
“I promise I’ll keep it a secret.”
George pops both new bottles open. The red is a Malbec; it has a dark, inky-red color that reminds me of blood as it’s poured into the wine stem. The taste is full-bodied with remnants of black cherry and tobacco. Very delicious.
The second bottle is a white Sauvignon Blanc, my favorite. George pours a splash of this wine, explaining its contents.
“This is the most popular wine from Manos Winery. The Sauvignon Blanc is a summertime wine known for its crispness. It pairs marvelously with fish or cheese.” Just as the rim of the glass touches my lips, I hear someone clearing his throat. Specifically, Lio clearing his throat. Oops.
“Let me guess. Knowing that George would only serve our wines in the order, if that’s the Sauvignon Blanc, this would be your third tasting. What happened to stopping after the first?” While Lio’s face looks neutral, his voice is stained with irritation, then he glares at George, who seems to be slowly backing away from the crime scene. Good idea, George.
“What happened to this meeting will just be a few minutes? It’s been almost an hour, Lio, and George has kindly been entertaining me despite your absence.” I turn to face George. “Thank you, George.” I turn back to Lio, with a smile. “Now, before you walked in, I was just about to taste the best-selling wine of Manos Winery. You want to help a neophyte out?”
After finishing the remainder of our tastings, Lio takes me on a tour of the winery on a red Vespa scooter. I’m pretty certain I wouldn’t mind trading jobs with George and spending the rest of my life here. There seems to be acre, after endless acre, and row after row of grapevines. We finally reach a secluded area where there is a manmade pond with a beautiful willow tree, surrounded by rose bushes. This place looked like it came out of a page in a fairytale. We reach the rose bushes, and Lio takes out a pocketknife and cuts a single, perfectly blossomed, white English rose and hands it to me.
“A rose for a kiss?” I stare into his eyes, and I’m enraptured by the moment, by the sounds and smells, and by him. Above all, him. Without a moment’s hesitation, I wrap my arms around his neck, and my lips gently find his. I am tentative with my lips, unlike previous times when I’ve practically thrown myself at him. I’m not sure if I’m overwhelmed by this magical place or if it’s just a new tactic in hopes of getting more out of Lio. Likely a mixture of both.
Lio pulls me in snugly with both arms, and he bites my bait, voraciously releasing his tongue into my mouth. Instead of pressing myself against Lio, I let him drive this time and go with the flow of his momentum and drive. My mouth teases his, inquisitively asking for more. Not a moment later, Lio’s hands travel down my waist and grips my ass, pulling me close to his hip. Oh yes, he’s definitely ready for some action. Playing coy seems to work with Mr. Manos.
I caress the back of his neck, and I feel Lio’s body relax ev
en more. And to show the utmost control, I break away from the kiss and stare straight into those glacial-blue eyes, filled with lust and hunger. I want to smirk, but I’m not that cruel. I finally have the upper hand, although everything in my body wants to give into Lio. His breathing is harsh, and his body is rigid, in every way possible.
I turnaround and mount the scooter as a final signal that this passionate session is over on my clock, and Lio looks like a child who just got his Halloween treats taken away—miserable and confused.
“Wanna finish our ride?” I say suggestively. Okay. That was a little cruel.
“I suppose I deserve this after all the times I’ve stopped you. I’d love to take you on one hell of a ride,” he said as he boards the scooter. Goosebumps prickle my skin at his words.
We’re finally on our way back to my apartment, and I realize that today has to be one of the best days I’ve ever had in my life. Every minute I spend with Lio feels so right—like every star in the universe perfectly aligns when we’re together. It almost feels like everything that has happened in my life has led me to him. Despite barely knowing him, I feel complete with him in a way that I’ve never felt before. It’s as if I was walking around with a vacant hole in my heart my whole life, and Lio not only fills it, but he makes my heart burn with a warmth that is both foreign and satisfying. He is perfect. Too perfect for me.
I look across to the driver’s side and see his contemplative face focused on the road. Is he thinking about M.M.S. and his trip to Greece tomorrow? Is he thinking about how he will miss me? I’m not brave enough to ask, afraid of what I will hear. Both answers would crush me. If he’s thinking about M.M.S., I know that I will never be the one to fill his heart. If he’s thinking about me, it will mean that he’s falling for me, just like I’m falling for him. And it will also mean that he will be just as devastated as me when I bring this to an end. I’ll crush and devour both of our hearts.
