The Winemaker's Dinner: Appetizers

by Rusilko, Dr. Ivan

  It was early December, but LA hadn’t seemed to notice. The breezy day taking shape, with temperatures to reach the mid-seventies, was but one in a string of so many days just the same. Perfect, Jaden supposed, but as she stepped out the door of the townhouse she rather missed the wall of humid heat that often greeted her in Miami. Nothing about this city was familiar. Even the air was different. Eager to focus on the upcoming meeting, not what she’d left behind, she raced down the front steps to where Adam stood with the car door open.

  “I hope you know where you’re going,” Jaden teased as she slid into the car.

  “Of course, Ms. Thorne. It’s only five minutes away,” Adam responded in the same no-nonsense tone of voice he’d used at the airport.

  “Super.” Jaden chuckled to herself. Either the man had no sense of humor whatsoever, his English was worse than she thought, or he was perpetually morose. In any case, he was a far cry from the free-spirited and fun-loving Miami Beachers she’d grown accustomed to.

  As they made the five-minute drive to the meeting, Jaden’s thoughts drifted back to her friends in Miami. So much for focus. The restaurant was just opening for dinner. Tasha was probably at the gym or watching TV, and Ivan was no doubt still elbows-deep in high-end Miami medicine at the spa. With her thoughts stuck on Ivan, Jaden didn’t realize they’d arrived at Bravo’s LA offices, or even that the car had stopped, until Adam opened the door.

  “Right in there, Ms. Thorne.” He motioned to the main entrance of the building. “Take the elevator up to the forty-fifth floor, and the receptionist will show you in.”

  “Thanks,” she said, stepping back into the LA sunlight. As she crossed the mezzanine of the modern high-rise, she could see the rolling landscape of the Hollywood hills.

  Jaden entered the elevator and pressed the button for the forty-fifth floor. The doors slid shut, revealing her reflection in their mirrored surface. Staring intently at herself, she realized her dream was about to come true. She was about to become a TV chef. You didn’t get much more part of the scene than that. Jaden absently twirled the rosary in her fingers as the elevator began to rise, and her stomach began to flutter. Soft music floated through the air, only to be replaced by a chime as the elevator reached its destination. She expected to exit into a hallway, but instead, the doors opened directly into the waiting room of the network’s offices. A middle-aged woman with brown, curly hair sat behind a grand desk that sported the all-too-familiar logo.

  Looking up from behind a stack of papers, the woman smiled. “Good morning, Chef Thorne.”

  Stunned that the woman knew her name, Jaden managed to smile back and return the greeting. “Good morning.”

  With the press of a button, the receptionist announced her arrival. “Jaden Thorne is here to see you, sir.”

  “Excellent, send her in,” a masculine voice answered.

  “Please follow me,” the woman instructed and led Jaden to a large pair of doors to the right of the waiting room. “Mr. Gibbs and Ms. Anderson are waiting for you.”

  The double doors opened revealing a long hallway. As the two women made the trek to the opposite end of the corridor, Jaden took in the posters that hung on either side. Each frame contained a picture of one of her predecessors—names and faces Bravo had helped make famous, or more famous. As they neared the end of the hallway, a plaque on a large wooden door came into view: Mr. Kevin Gibbs, President and CEO. The receptionist knocked on the door and a lump formed in the back of Jaden’s throat. This was it, her time in the spotlight, her time to be the rock star everyone seemed to think she was.

  The doors swung open and Jaden walked in, head held high. Spectacular floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Hollywood hills dominated one wall. To her left was small sitting area decorated with black leather and mahogany furnishings, and to her right sat two plush armchairs that faced an overly tanned, well-dressed, silver-haired gentleman whose face was largely obscured by a bushy beard.

  He stood and greeted her with enthusiasm. “Ms. Thorne, what a pleasure to see you again, and under such different circumstances.”

  What? Was he making reference to some joke she was supposed to get? If so, it was totally lost on her. She had no clue who this guy was, other than the head of the network, of course. Searching her memory, Jaden shook his outstretched hand. “Yes, it’s been a while.”

  He returned to his spot behind the large mahogany desk, and Jaden took a seat in one of the armchairs across from him. Where had she met him before? She’d met the CEO of Bravo and not even realized it? Impossible! She tried desperately to connect the dots but came up short. She prayed something would trigger a memory and she’d recall who this guy was before making an ass out of herself.

  “You’ve had quite a ride the past few months, haven’t you?” His gaze drifted to another large wooden door opposite the one Jaden had entered. “Stacey will join us in a minute. She had to step out to make a phone call.”

  Just who the hell are these people, and where do I know them from? Jaden was even more confused now. Stacey’s email made it clear that the two of them had met before, and now Kevin Gibbs, the CEO of the network, was carrying on like they were old friends. Just then Jaden heard the door open.

  “Ah, Stacey, there you are.” Mr. Gibbs stood to greet the latecomer.

  Jaden slowly turned and her eyes came to rest on a tall, slender figure approaching her: dirty-blonde hair, mid-thirties, perfect tits, perfect ass, and a smile from ear to ear—the mystery woman! What the fuck? Jaden could scarcely wrap her head around what she saw. Stacey was the blonde from the Winemaker’s Dinner who’d draped herself on Ivan’s arm, the woman she’d met at the party and at the restaurant not once, but twice—all without catching her name. This was the person responsible for the job offer that changed her life? No, it couldn’t be! No wonder she’d seemed so personable, and yet so secretive, every time they’d talked. She was sizing her up, playing some Hollywood entertainment mind game.

  Walking right up to Jaden, Stacey leaned down and gave her a big hug. “So great to see you again, girl! Is everything going okay? The house suitable?” she asked with great interest.

  “Yeah, it’s great. Thank you,” Jaden responded in a confused tone.

  “I am so glad Jessie was able to get you to that casting,” Stacey proclaimed. “I told her it was of the utmost importance!”

  Then it all hit Jaden like a ton of bricks as the pieces fell together. So many of the people she’d met in the last few months had been instrumental in the series of events leading to this exact moment. And Jaden suddenly realized who the puppetmaster pulling the strings for her was: Ivan. It had all started the day he’d tracked her down and made a romantic ass out of himself at the restaurant. He’d brought everyone to Bianca for a reason.

  Jaden shook her head. How could all of this have happened without her clueing in? Had Ivan been intentionally light on the details in his introductions? And then it hit her. Patty, the birthday boy, had been a co-owner of a TV network. Was it Bravo? Jaden looked again at Kevin Gibbs and glimpsed a familiarity that hadn’t revealed itself to her even moments ago. If she replaced the suit with a pair of jeans and designer shirt, removed the beard, and added an extreme tan he would look identical to… Jaden gasped. “Mr. Gibbs, you’re Dr. Shaunnessey’s partner. We met at his birthday party!”

  “I was wondering how long it would take you to recognize me. I could tell by the look on your face that you didn’t have a clue who I was.” He laughed. “It must be the beard,” he added, running a hand across his wooly face. “And please call me Kevin.” Looking past her, he waved in an assistant who stood in the doorway.

  Jaden sat silently, trying to process all of this new information as thankfully, the others busied themselves with some shop talk. Stacey, her assumed arch nemesis, the thorn in her side, the woman whose hair she’d fantasized about ripping out, turned out to be the casting director for a major cable channel. She had been the one who contacted Laura and set up the auditio
n. As it turned out, Stacey was not the enemy, she was a true ally.

  This overwhelming realization screeched to a halt when a familiar scent flooded her senses and stirred her soul. It sent a rush of warmth through her, followed by an array of feelings and memories: sand at her back, a trail of kisses that tattooed her neck, the chill of Pennsylvania air against her skin, wine teasing her lips, and the hum of Frank Sinatra on a momentous Sarasota night.

  Then, clear as a bell, the voice she’d come to love and cherish called to her, “Baby girl.”

  It’s him…he’s here! Jaden whirled to find the man she adored and tell him she was wrong. He was her miracle and she wanted him no matter what the cost. But her excitement quickly faded to despair when she found a five-foot-four desk clerk with a bad haircut and acne standing before her, not the tall, long haired, muscled man she’d come to love. The smell—Ivan’s smell had tricked her. The wrong man was wearing the cologne she’d come to associate with pure passion.

  “What did you say to me?” she demanded, both disappointed and confused.

  “Coffee, ma’am?” the assistant repeated, looking at her strangely.

  “Oh. Ahhhhh, no. Thank you.” Jaden looked at her lap and exhaled deeply. What the hell was that, she thought to herself. Then she remembered her realization.

  Ivan. He was the catalyst of her ascension to stardom. He’d selflessly helped promote her career through his connections, and in what turned out to be his final act of devotion, he’d made the ultimate sacrifice for her: love suicide.

  Jaden felt a knot tighten in her stomach. Ivan had given her everything, and in return she’d kissed him goodbye at the airport. What the hell have I done?

  “Okay, so, I think we’re about ready to get started, Ms. Thorne. Thank you for your patience,” Kevin said, interrupting Jaden’s swirling thoughts.

  Jaden smiled weakly. She could feel two pairs of eyes boring into her. “Ahhh…” she said, completely unable to focus on what was happening in the office. Her thoughts lingered on the last time she’d seen Ivan: driving away from the airport, heartbroken and dejected. How could she not have seen all this? Jaden tried to rein in her emotions, but it was no use. Her heart filled with regret, even as she sat in the meeting that would change her life. She knew what she had to do.

  “How many days until the first rehearsal?” she asked, her voice loud in the quiet room.

  Stacey paused to glance at Kevin. “It’ll be in five days,” she answered slowly.

  “I have some things to take care of first,” Jaden announced, rising from her chair. Her body moved boldly, but inside she pleaded silently for them to understand.

  Kevin studied her for a moment, and then he rose as well. “Okay, then. I guess that about covers it for now,” he said, answering her silent plea. “We can reschedule a time to talk again.”

  “Thank you,” Jaden practically shouted over her shoulder as she rushed from the room.

  “Good luck!” she heard Stacey yell after her.

  Everything passed by in a distorted rush as Jaden sprinted to Adam and the waiting town car. Dreams happened every night, but she knew now that Ivan—her miracle—was once in a lifetime.

  Chapter 33

  “The Letter”

  “BACK HOME, MA’AM?” Adam was standing next to the town car as if he’d somehow expected her when Jaden came sprinting out of the building.

  “LAX. How fast can we get there?” she yelled. Pushing past him, she opened her own door, jumped into the backseat, and motioned for him to pick up the pace.

  A look of alarm on his face, Adam raced to the driver’s side, hopped in, and sped off. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked, eyeing her through the rearview mirror.

  “Do you know what time the next direct flight leaves for Miami?”

  “There are several that leave this afternoon,” he replied. “But the next one departs in an hour.”

  “Can we make it?”

  “I’m not sure, but we’ll sure as hell try.” Evidently infected with Jaden’s anxious excitement, Adam floored the town car, swerving in and out of traffic in his rush to make it to LAX.

  Jaden jumped out of the car as it screeched up to the ticketing area. It was a good thing she hadn’t unpacked everything, because her passport and all her other identifications still rested safely in the side pocket of her purse. Jaden ran through the airport at full steam, skipping to the front of the line and drawing nasty glares from the people behind her. A string of cuss words aimed at her echoed through the air, but she ignored them, tossing her credit card onto the desk and tapping her foot impatiently as the ticketing agent gave her a look.

  “I need the next flight to Miami, please.”

  The stout, bearded man behind the counter guffawed as if he was privy to some sort of inside joke. “All we have is first class tickets, and it’s fifteen hundred dollars.”

  “I don’t care. I’ll take it.”

  Ten minutes later Jaden was weaving her way through security and toward the terminal. She barely saw anything around her, because the only thing she could focus on was six hours away. She reached the gate and barely broke stride, heading right into first class boarding. Finding her seat, she slammed back a glass of cheap white wine and prepared to tempt fate one last time. The plane rumbled down the tarmac and took off, and Jaden closed her eyes, racing toward the man who’d sacrificed his heart for her dreams.

  As the plane started to lose altitude, Jaden began to lose her nerve. What the hell was she doing? What if Ivan refused to see her? After all, she’d essentially told him she’d rather be famous than be with him. Imagining the situation reversed, Jaden cringed. The outcome looked bleak. Her unease continued to build as the plane made its final approach to Miami. Had she thrown it all away?

  The wheels of the plane touched down, and the chipper voice of the flight attendant on the intercom reminded everyone to gather their personal belongings. Jaden laughed. Aside from her phone and her purse, everything else she owned was still sitting in the middle of the living room floor of her temporary townhouse back in LA. Jaden was glad to not be burdened by luggage. The sooner she could get out of the airport and back to Ivan, the better. As the exited the plane, the harsh artificial airport light contrasted with the darkness outside, and Jaden had to laugh again. After a six-hour flight and a four-hour time change, her body truly had no idea what time it was.

  In her haste to get out of the airport and catch a taxi, Jaden almost didn’t notice the man with a mane of brown hair standing at a nearby gate as she deplaned. Nor did she at first notice the well-worn jeans that covered his muscular legs. It wasn’t until her eyes found the leather carry-on bag that sat on the floor beside him that Jaden began to sense something familiar. Her mind must’ve been playing tricks on her, because for a moment she thought of Ivan and the way he always wore the same jeans and carried the same bag when he traveled. Thoughts of Ivan triggered by her senses had fooled her once already today. This time she was determined to stay focused.

  Still, her pace slowed to a crawl as she passed the man, who was turned away from her. The way he stood, his hair falling down around his neck and his right leg crossed over his left, perhaps because it felt wrong to do it the other way, was eerily familiar. Skirting around the waiting area, Jaden tried to get a better look. Get a grip, she told herself. Everything and everyone reminded her of Ivan. Her thoughts had been consumed with him for months.

  Just as she was about to leave and find a taxi, the man turned—just enough for her to catch a glimpse of his profile. It was Ivan. He stood at the gate, listening to music on his phone and reading a sports magazine while he waited to board the redeye to…LA?

  He must have sensed he was being watched because he slowly raised his eyes and looked around. And then he saw her. Jaden stood, unable to speak and barely able to see him through her tears. He dropped the magazine, grabbed the back of a nearby chair for a moment, and then he began to run.

  With their eyes fixed on eac
h other, they drew together like magnets, and their bodies locked as they met in the middle of the terminal. Jaden threw her arms around Ivan, weeping tears of joy, and Ivan buried his face in her neck. Her heart raced as she felt another miracle beginning to unfold.

  “Baby girl, I’m so sorry,” Ivan whispered against her neck. He hugged her tighter, as if she might disappear.

  “No, Ivan. I’m the one who’s sorry,” Jaden said, her heart rejoicing to hear him call her baby girl again. “I know now what you did and what you sacrificed for me. I should have realized it a long time ago. I would pass on all the TV shows in the world if it meant keeping you. I should never have gone to LA.”

  Ivan looked deeply into her eyes. “Of course you should have.”

  “I should’ve what?” Jaden choked out.

  “Jaden, as much as I love you and want you by my side, I would never want you to pass up an opportunity like that. Going to LA is the right thing to do. It’s a chance of a lifetime. I know I said I’d never have a long-distance relationship again, but I can’t imagine my life without you. These last few days—only hours, really—have been an eternity. No matter what I envision for my future, you’re a huge part of it.”

  Jaden tried to pull back so she could look at him, but Ivan pulled her closer.

  “I love you so much, and I was coming to LA to tell you I’ll do whatever it takes to be with you. If it’s a long-distance relationship, so be it. We’ve been given something most people only dream of, and I have no intention of ever letting you go again. Three months ago I wanted to help by introducing you to the right people, but everything spiraled out of control so fast, and before I knew it, my good intentions had cost me the thing I treasure most.”