Sweet, Sweet Wine

by Jaime Clevenger

  “I’m so tired, Scott, I don’t think I’m going to move tomorrow.”

  “Sharon’s got a hot tub. Have a soak tonight.”

  Riley watched Scott hop out of the van and then realized she was the only person remaining. She stood and stretched.

  “Robinson, you all right?” Deb hollered.

  “No. I’m sore as hell.”

  “Just wait till tomorrow.” Deb laughed. “Scott is short, but that man is all muscle. And you’re more of a lean colt. But somehow the two of you pulled as many logs as the boys from the National Guard.”

  “That might be comforting tomorrow.”

  Deb smiled. “Want me to give you a lift over to Sharon’s?”

  “No, I better walk this out. Unless, of course, you’re looking for an excuse to see Sharon.”

  Deb blushed and looked down at her boots. “No, no. I don’t think I…Well, maybe, tell her I said hello.”

  Riley nodded. “So you two aren’t seeing each other?”

  Deb shook her head. “Well, so far it’s only been a complicated friendship. I’m giving her time.”

  “Sharon will take too much time if you let her, Deb.” Riley picked up her backpack and shuffled out of the van. Despite the heavy cloud cover, the air was still pleasantly warm and the rain felt light and refreshing. Riley took the alley to bypass the main house, noting Sharon on the front porch greeting a newly arrived guest. The back gate was jammed. Riley worked the rusted latch until she realized the rain had swollen the wood in place. She gave the gate a hard kick and it finally budged loose with a groan.

  Steam rose off the hot tub, where one of the guests was just climbing out. In the rain, the thought of the hot tub was even more appealing. She unlocked the cottage door, kicked her dirt-encrusted shoes off and immediately stripped. The shower took a long while to warm up, and she kept her eyes closed all the while. Her only thought was whether she wanted dinner before or after a soak in the hot tub.

  * * *

  The rumbling of pipes startled Riley awake. It was dark, but there were noises in the courtyard outside. She fumbled for her phone on the nightstand and read the time in disbelief. It was after nine. She’d laid down after her shower and managed to sleep through dinner. Her belly growled in confirmation. She searched her backpack and found the bruised apple that Scott had given her earlier and a baggy of trail mix, an emergency ration that she’d packed for the Grade. She ate this and the apple that Scott had given her. Both tasted better than expected. She pulled on a clean shirt and a pair of shorts and headed outside.

  A light rain was misting the courtyard. The hot tub was covered now. She debated asking Sharon for food or venturing out alone, then decided to raid Sharon’s kitchen and tell her in the morning. She glanced at the front half of the cottage and noticed that the light was on in the bedroom. The shades were drawn, but she could see the shadow of someone moving about the room. Without thinking, she knocked on the door.

  Ana opened the door, eyed Riley for a moment and then smiled. “What happened to you? Rough day on the mountain?”

  Riley immediately reached for her head. Going directly from the shower to bed had produced predictable results. She could feel the disheveled strands and wished that she’d taken a moment to glance in the mirror. It was too late now to turn around and she didn’t have the energy to offer up an excuse. “I was thinking of going in the hot tub later, but I wanted company.”

  “And this was the first door you tried?”

  “Kind of.”

  “Anyone’s company might do?”

  Riley grinned. “It was either you or that bald guy who’s managed to wear the same Hawaiian shirt for the past two days.”

  “He overdoes it on the aftershave.”

  “Yeah, I was hoping you’d say yes. But I need food first.” Riley glanced over at the main house. “I’m going to raid Sharon’s kitchen. And I didn’t want you to go to bed.”

  Ana laughed. “You didn’t want me to go to bed?”

  “Well, not without asking you about the hot tub first. I was going to ask you yesterday, but I didn’t see you after breakfast.” Riley paused. She had the urge to reach out for Ana’s hand. She was feeling like an awkward middle schooler in search of a dance partner. Ana continued to stare at her with the same playful expression she’d had at breakfast the day before. Riley started again. “Of course, if you want to go to bed, that’s fine, but I wanted to ask before you did. And it’s raining so I didn’t know if you’d go to bed early because of that.”

  “It is raining, but I don’t see how that changes when I go to bed. Anyway, I’m hungry too. I had my last meeting tonight at a steak house and I don’t eat meat. Literally, the only vegetarian thing on the menu was an iceberg lettuce salad. The tomatoes were terrible.”

  “Welcome to cattle country.”

  “Think Sharon will mind if we both raid her kitchen?”

  “No. Well, probably.” Riley shrugged. “But I can’t bring myself to put on real clothes and go to a restaurant. I’ll wake up early and run to the store to replace whatever we eat.”

  Ana grabbed her keys, locked the cottage door and followed Riley down the path to the main house. Riley flipped on the kitchen lights and saw a plate of oatmeal cookies on the island. She picked up a note that had her name written on it and handed a cookie to Ana. “They’re from Scott. He’s the sweetie I spent the day with and the reason I’m so sore.”

  Ana arched her eyebrows. “Scott?”

  “We drug logs up the side of one of the burned hills in a drainage canyon. The idea is that the logs will slow down the water flow. They’ve also built these big ditches to try and catch the debris before it finds its way to the river. If they control erosion up there, they’re hoping the town won’t get bathed in mud when a big rainstorm hits.”

  “Let’s hope it works. I spent all day in one of the buildings by the river. It’s beautiful down there.” Ana took a bite of the cookie and nodded approvingly. “You know what this dinner needs? A glass of milk.” She went over to the cupboard and found two glasses, then pulled the milk out of the fridge. “Judging by the way you looked, I thought maybe you had climbed Pikes Peak after all.”

  “Saving it for another day, I guess. I actually had a good day, despite appearances.”

  “Well, aside from my run this morning, the rest of my day was shitty. I would rather have been dragging logs with you.” Ana filled the glasses and then handed one to Riley.

  “What was your meeting about?” Riley asked.

  “I’m trying to help someone make a tough decision. The corporate folks want us to buy out the franchise owners for the location here and orchestrate a change in management or close the place.” Ana paused. She reached over the plate of cookies to touch Riley’s hair. She ran her fingers through the short strands and then pulled her hand away. “I’m sorry. It’s just hard to have a serious conversation with you right now.”

  “My hair’s crazy?”

  Ana smiled in return. She leaned closer and tried again to press Riley’s hair into place. “Unless you were trying for that bedhead look.”

  “Nope. Without gel, this is the real deal.” Riley found the strands that were standing on end and pressed them down, doubting anything short of a shower would have any effect. She didn’t mind that she’d given Ana an excuse to touch her, however.

  Ana pulled Riley’s hand away from the hair and laughed. “It’s a lost cause. But I kind of like it.”

  Riley smiled. “You were telling me about your meeting.”

  Ana nodded. “Anyway, of course, the owners want to hold on to the winery, but they don’t know how to do it. I consult for multiple wineries, but this corporate work makes up most of my paycheck so I need to somehow make everyone happy. Boutique wineries have a narrow margin. With last year’s fire and then the drop in tourists, this place had a rough start.” She paused and then said, “You know, I don’t really want to talk about work right now. Do you mind if I take a pass on the rest of this?
”

  “Yeah, I understand. I’m trying to see if I can spend an entire week without talking about my work too.”

  “Well, I already know what you do in the real world, so I won’t ask,” Ana confided.

  “How’s that?”

  “Sharon.” Ana finished her cookie and sipped the milk. “I asked her about you this morning. She doesn’t skimp on details.”

  “Why’d you ask her about me?”

  Ana blushed. “Why do you think?”

  “I’m not entirely sure.” Riley was testing her and watched her expression for some hint that she was wrong. “Should I think that you…”

  She hesitated. What was the right way to ask what she needed to know? Gay or bi, it didn’t really matter. The important question was if she was interested in Riley, not if she was interested in women in general.

  Then again, that mattered too.

  Ana nodded. “You should.”

  “That doesn’t really answer my question.”

  “You weren’t specific.” Ana smiled.

  Riley finished her cookie and the milk, eyeing Ana all the while. She went over to the sink and rinsed out their glasses. Ana leaned against the counter watching her. Riley wiped her hands on the kitchen towel. “I really want to ask you something, but…” Riley couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

  “What do you want to ask me?”

  Riley didn’t answer. Ana arched her eyebrow and crossed her arms. A minute passed with Ana only staring at her. Somehow, even this felt suggestive. “You wanna go sit in the hot tub with me?”

  Ana slipped her arm through Riley’s as soon as they stepped outside. The closeness of Ana’s body ignited Riley’s senses. Her perfume was faint but appealing. Riley was a few inches taller than Ana and averted her eyes when she realized she was able to glance down at the low neckline of Ana’s blouse. They parted without words at Ana’s doorstep. Riley went into her side of the cottage and changed into her bathing suit. She thought of grabbing a towel, but Ana was in the bathroom. She went outside, tiptoeing quickly over the cold stones, raised the hot tub cover and slipped her hand in the water. The temperature was perfect. The rain had finally stopped, but the air was misty and heavy clouds concealed the stars.

  Ana’s hands settled on Riley’s hips. Riley glanced over her shoulder and smiled. Ana had changed into a black bikini. She let go of Riley, letting her hands brush across Riley’s midsection as she did, and climbed into the hot tub. She sank into the water slowly. “Okay, this day isn’t a total loss after all. Damn, this feels good.” She sank lower and sighed. “Sometimes I think I should get a hot tub. But there’s no point, really, since I’m never home.”

  Riley eased into the water. She picked a spot opposite Ana. “Where do you live?”

  “Airport hotels, mostly. But I’ve got a condo in Napa. I call that home.” Ana crossed the distance between them. She floated in front of Riley for a moment, then steadied herself with one hand on the step nearest Riley. “You know, I’ve been distracted all day.”

  “Really? Why’s that?”

  Ana put one hand on either side of Riley. She rose up from the water, their faces only inches apart, and then she hesitated. The next moment, she turned abruptly and dropped under the water’s surface. She swam back to the other side of the hot tub and reemerged. The water cascaded off her smooth shoulders. They stared at each other for a long moment before Ana finally looked away. Ten minutes passed with neither of them speaking.

  Riley closed her eyes. She thought of the last time she had been in a hot tub. It was early summer and Lisa’s friend, Elle, had invited them over for a barbeque. Elle was obsessed with baseball. Most everyone was inside watching the last inning of the game on her big-screen TV. But Riley had been out in the hot tub with Lisa and Jen. Lisa had been distant all evening. Riley had tried to think of something she’d done to piss her off, a common occurrence, but had come up empty. Work had been busy that day and her thoughts had drifted to the patients she’d seen. At some point, someone had come outside, likely Elle, and switched on the hot tub lights. In a brief moment, Riley saw Jen’s hand on Lisa’s leg, then the two moved away from each other. She was nauseous and furious, and yet she couldn’t form a single word.

  Now, months later and with too many wounds to bother recounting, she wondered what Lisa and Jen were doing at the moment. She imagined them in a narrow ship’s cabin, curled about each other in bed. Shaking off this thought, she exhaled slowly. This tub was a perfect ending to the day. She didn’t want to ruin it with thoughts of Lisa. Riley opened her eyes when she heard Ana stepping out of the hot tub.

  “I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow.”

  Riley nodded. She watched her reach for a towel and, wrapped in this, tiptoe across the flagstones to the cottage. At the cottage door, she hesitated and glanced back at Riley. Riley knew she was once much better at flirting, better at initiating the first kiss, better at convincing a woman to spend the night talking even if there was an early meeting. But she’d lost her footing in this realm. She watched as Ana went inside and closed the door. Riley sank low in the water, letting it envelop her aching shoulders.

  * * *

  A loud knocked wrestled Riley away from her dream. It was near dawn, judging by the faint glow in the sky. Sharon was dressed in a dark blue robe and puffy pink slippers. “Are those yours?” Riley wondered aloud.

  Sharon glanced down at the slippers as if seeing them for the first time. “Max gave them to me last Christmas. They’re comfortable,” she added. “I need you to run an errand. One of the guests has a head cold. He’s one of my regulars and a real sweetie.”

  Riley combed her hand through her hair. It was still a mess. “You want me to go pick up a decongestant?”

  “I’d do it, but I’ve got to get dressed. Apparently no one should see me in these slippers.”

  Riley shrugged. “They give you a grandma look.”

  “I am a grandma,” Sharon riposted. “And I’ve got a full house for breakfast this morning.”

  “No problem. I’ll shower and be out the door in five minutes.” Riley was in the habit of getting out of the house quickly. For the past three months she’d made a habit of avoiding Lisa by dodging out the door before she’d woke each morning and then staying at work late. “And you’re making omelets.”

  Sharon nodded. “Hungry?”

  “I somehow slept through dinner.”

  “But you had milk and cookies with someone. Tell me what happened when you get back from the store. Oh, and bring me a receipt so I can pay you back.”

  Riley checked the time and then headed for the shower. Ana opened her door to the bathroom at the same moment that Riley opened hers. Riley stepped back into her room, closing the door with an apology. The shared bathroom only made sense, she decided, when a family had rented out the entire cottage. Otherwise it was just awkward, especially if the person who had nearly kissed you the night before was in the opposite room.

  A minute passed and the lights flicked off. Riley slipped into the bathroom and quickly showered. She dressed and grabbed her keys. A knock sounded again on the front door. She opened it, expecting Sharon. Ana was dressed in a tailored navy business suit with a skirt. She opened her mouth and then closed it again. She turned to leave and then paused. She turned back and said, “I’m not sure what happened last night.”

  Riley felt her stomach sink. A straight girl was about to tell her how much she really liked men. She had never had this particular conversation and never thought she’d have to hear it. Fortunately, she’d always been attracted to women who were interested in women. Riley held up her hand to stop Ana’s next sentence. “You know, don’t worry about it at all. We ate cookies together, nothing more.” Riley started past her. “I’ve got to run an errand for Sharon. See you around.”

  Riley jogged to her car, trying to push away the image of Ana in the navy blue suit. She couldn’t help her attraction to her, but Ana’s quick exit from the hot tub and the
brush-off this morning made Riley wish she had no feelings toward her at all. Riley turned the key in the ignition and the Honda’s old engine sputtered to life. She concentrated on the errand, content with this distraction, and drove until she found a convenience store.

  Riley bought two different decongestants and an orange juice vitamin drink, thinking it would be a nice touch. Sharon was clearly interested in impressing this guest. She got back to the main house in time to see Ana leaving. The business suit fit her like it had been made to accentuate her curves exactly. Ana climbed into a red rental car. Riley wondered what type of car she had parked at the condo in Napa. A midsized American-made red sedan just didn’t fit her. Riley sighed. Sharon was right. She needed this trip to be about clearing her mind, not about filling it with thoughts of an unattainable, beautiful woman.

  Sharon had changed out of the robe but still wore the pink slippers. She took the bag from Riley and handed her a bell pepper and a knife. “Thank you. Can you chop?”

  While Sharon delivered the juice and medicine, Riley chopped peppers, onions and mushrooms. Sharon returned and took over the cooking, setting Riley to the task of making coffee and toast. Except for the guest with the cold, everyone else wanted an early breakfast. The omelets disappeared quickly. Eight guests later, Riley was finally given a plate. She wolfed down the food. Sharon shook her head when she set her plate in the dishwasher.

  “Did you even taste it?”

  “Delicious.”

  “Make yourself another piece of toast. I want company when I eat.” Sharon finished cooking her own omelet and then sat down on the stool next to Riley. The dining room had been cleared, and over the next hour, the guests would file out to enjoy the day of sunshine. No one was checking out or arriving, so only the kitchen cleaning had to be done and Sharon was in a good mood.

  Riley let Sharon finish her omelet and then asked, “So, what’s going on with you and Deb?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Okay, how about this: Want to talk about why you aren’t seeing Deb?”

  Sharon shook her head. “You know why.”