by MJ Duncan
“If you’re sure,” Bryn demurred, torn between wanting to stay and wanting to go.
He grinned and winked. “Positive. By the looks of things, you have something important planned for tonight—so go do that, and I’ll take care of things here.”
Bryn blushed. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Bryn smiled at him gratefully and then turned on her heel and hurried across the floor, out the open double doors to her UTV. The crews in the fields were beyond her line of sight as she drove up the dirt road that led to the single-car rolling door at the back of her garage, but she searched for them nonetheless, curious as to the progress they were making.
Once she had pulled into her garage, however, her thoughts turned from the vineyard to her closet, and how much she was looking forward to seeing Anna again.
She left her boots on their mat in the mud room, and hurried through the house to her bedroom. She turned on the light in her closet as she walked inside, and placed her hands on her hips as she surveyed the garments hanging in front of her. Most of her dresses were leftovers from her days in Boston, designed to go from the boardroom to the most upscale of restaurants, and while they were nice, she wanted something that would leave Anna completely breathless. That left her with only a handful of options, and she grinned as her eyes landed on a designer dress she had picked up on a whim while shopping with Kendall one afternoon in Portland earlier that year.
She lifted the dress on its hangar from the bar and held it up in front of herself for inspection, twirling it this way and that, her smile growing wider as she made her decision. “Perfect.”
Thirty-Nine
Bryn’s pulse began to race when she glanced through the windows beside the front doors and saw Anna’s car rolling to a stop in its usual spot in front of the porch. They had gone out together plenty of times before, but this felt different. This was not simply a case of two friends grabbing dinner after work.
This was a date.
She leaned her forehead against the front door and swallowed hard, trying to force her heart that was threatening to beat right out of her throat back where it belonged. Despite the fact that she had been counting down the minutes until this very moment since she said good-bye to Anna Monday morning, the reality of what it meant hit her like a punch to the gut.
She was going on a date with Anna Fitzpatrick.
What they had would cease to be attraction and affection freely expressed within the safe confines of one of their homes. This would not be a case of her quietly sharing something about herself with a friend, trusting that her secret would be kept safe. She would be going out into the world and all but shouting that she was even more of an anomaly than she always had been. She had been excited about tonight when it was in the abstract, a pretty event to daydream about, but this was no longer an abstraction.
It was real.
The doorbell rang.
She took a deep breath and stood up straight as she smoothed her hands over her dress. She might be a mess inside, but she had a lifetime of practice of not letting her inner turmoil show. She combed her fingers through her hair and nodded resolutely to herself. She could do this.
No matter how scared she was, she wanted to do this.
She took one last deep breath to steel her resolve before opening the door. She smiled nervously, and her stomach fluttered with an entirely different emotion as she saw the slack-jawed, wide-eyed way Anna was staring at her.
“I…” Anna coughed and shook her head. The dress Bryn had chosen was conservative in cut—a classic scoop-neck A-Line, because she would never be comfortable in anything too risqué—but the neckline dropped much lower than she usually preferred, stopping just above her breasts and showing just the faintest hint of cleavage, and the rich merlot color of the fabric was a far cry from her usual grays and blacks. “Goddamn, Nakamura,” Anna muttered, smiling as she stepped forward to drop a light kiss to Bryn’s lips. “You look incredible.”
“Thank you.” Bryn blushed and gave Anna a slow once-over. Anna’s hair was down, curling around her face and shoulders in loose waves, and her dove gray silk shirt was buttoned just enough to not be completely indecent. Her black slacks sat low on her hips, and they were so tight that Bryn had to wonder how in the world Anna even managed to get them on even as she let herself enjoy the way the trousers hugged Anna’s toned legs all the way down to the black heels on her feet. She held her breath as she dragged her gaze higher, again lingering on the swath of skin and hint of black lace visible through the open collar of Anna’s shirt, and when their eyes met, her smile was much more confident. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.” Anna beamed pulled a bouquet of tulips with a big white bow around their stems from behind her back. “These are for you.”
“Oh…” Now it was Bryn’s turn to be speechless as she reached for the flowers. The bouquet was gorgeous; a stunning mix of reds and pinks and yellows and purples, and Bryn closed her eyes as she instinctively lifted the flowers to her nose. A sweet scent that defied definition tickled her nose, and she sighed as she let the bouquet drop. “Thank you. They’re…” She shook her head. “They’re nearly as striking as you are.” She stepped away from the door. “Come in for a minute while I put them in water?”
“Of course.” Anna closed the door after herself as she stepped inside, and followed Bryn into the kitchen.
Bryn was acutely aware of the thoughtful way Anna watched her as she pulled a large crystal vase that had been her grandmother’s from the display cabinet above the wine fridge, but was grateful that she gave her this time to gather her bearings. The nearly suffocating tendrils of her earlier panic had loosened just by being near Anna again, and she was left feeling excited and just a little nervous for the night ahead. She filled the bottom half of the vase with water and set it in the middle of the island where she would be able to look at it while she had her coffee in the morning, and then carefully untied the bow holding the flowers together. “Should I trim them?”
Anna shook her head. “I picked them up on my way over. They’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” Bryn placed the flowers into the vase one at a time, trying to keep the original color distribution of the bouquet. When she was satisfied with the arrangement, she wiped her hands off on a dishtowel that was on the counter beside the sink. She smiled as she walked over to where Anna stood watching her, and brushed her thumb over Anna’s lips before she kissed her. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Anna whispered. “Are you ready to go?”
Bryn nodded. “I am.”
“Excellent.” Anna smiled and held her hand out to Bryn. “Shall we, then?”
“We shall.” Their fingers threaded together automatically when Bryn placed her hand in Anna’s, and she looked up at Anna through her lashes as she lifted their joined hands to her lips to kiss Anna’s knuckles.
“Keep that up, Nakamura, and we’re going to miss our reservation.”
The playfulness of the warning calmed what remained of Bryn’s nerves, and she tipped her head in understanding as she let their hands drop. “Would that be a bad thing?”
“Not at all. But I want to take you out.” Anna smiled shyly and shrugged. “I want to open doors for you and spoil you and—”
Bryn interrupted her with a soft kiss. “That sounds wonderful.” She squeezed Anna’s hand for emphasis before giving it a gentle tug as she started toward the front door. “Wonderful” was actually a woefully inadequate description, but she did not know how to even begin to explain the things Anna’s words made her feel. “I just need to grab my coat, and then we can go.”
Anna waited by the door as Bryn slipped on the black blazer she had draped over the back of one of the dining room chairs just off the foyer, and she beamed at her as she opened the door. “After you.”
Bryn gave Anna a small bow as she walked through the door. She slipped her hand in the crook of Anna’s offered arm after she finishe
d locking up, and chuckled softly when Anna opened her car door for her as well. “You weren’t kidding about the door thing, were you?” she asked as she climbed inside.
“Not one bit. I fully intend to spoil you tonight, Ms. Nakamura.” Anna winked and slammed the door shut before Bryn could respond, and Bryn could not keep her smile in check as she watched her hurry around the car to the driver’s door.
“So, where are we going?” Bryn asked once they were headed down the driveway.
“It’s a surprise.”
“Of course it is,” Bryn drawled.
Anna just laughed. “So, how’s the harvest going? Anything exciting happen today?”
“Nothing exciting.” Bryn reported as her gaze landed on Gerald’s truck that was still parked outside the lower entrance to the winery. It felt strange to be driving off the property when there was still work to be done, but she consoled herself with the knowledge that all she would have been doing had she been on the floor was watching him work. “We got the last of the Pinot grapes sorted and into the fermenting tanks today.”
“Well, that’s good, right?” Anna glanced at Bryn out of the corner of her eye as the car bumped over the track of the lower gate.
“It is,” Bryn confirmed as Anna turned her head to check for traffic before she turned onto Halcyon. “If the Merlot and Cabernet come in looking just as good as the Pinot did, we should have another great year.”
“That’s great.”
Bryn nodded. “Gerald is quite optimistic, which is always a good sign. How was your day?”
“Slow, which was actually nice. I managed to catch up on my paperwork from last week, and the sleep I didn’t get all weekend.”
“Dr. Fitzpatrick,” Bryn drawled, arching a brow in playful challenge. “You make the lack of sleep sound like a bad thing.”
“God, no.” Anna reached over and gave Bryn’s leg a playful squeeze. “You may deprive me of sleep like that anytime you want.”
Bryn laughed and covered Anna’s hand on her leg with her own. “Good to know.” She rubbed her thumb over the back of Anna’s hand and added, “And, the same is true for you.”
Anna chuckled as she gave Bryn’s leg an affectionate squeeze. “I’ll remember that.”
They fell into a comfortable silence after that, and Bryn looked over at Anna in surprise when they drove through downtown Wellington and across the river. With the time being as late as it was, she had assumed they would be staying close to home. “Where are we going?”
“Just a little place I know,” Anna answered vaguely. “Don’t worry, you’ll love it.”
“I’m sure I will.” Bryn watched out the window with more interest as the wheels of Anna’s car once again landed on terra firma, heading straight into Northport—the small town that sat across the Columbia River from Wellington. She had visited the town a few times over the years, but had never spent any real amount of time there, and she did not have enough knowledge of the area to even begin to guess where they were going. So when Anna pulled to a stop in front of an Italian restaurant on the riverfront named Andiamo, she did not know what to expect.
She waited in her seat as Anna hurried around to her door, and tipped her head graciously when Anna opened it for her. “Thank you.” She gracefully got to her feet and took a deep breath as she looked at the hand Anna held out for her for an extended moment before she finally laced their fingers together.
“You okay?” Anna asked as she slammed Bryn’s door shut.
Bryn nodded. “Yeah. It’s just…” Her eyes drifted down to their joined hands.
“The first time we’ve done this in public,” Anna surmised as she let Bryn’s hand drop. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Bryn shook her head. “This doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable, I’m just…”
Anna cut her off by pressing a single finger to her lips. “It’s okay. I’m not out to make a statement—I just want to enjoy spending the evening with you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I understand. Believe me. I had my own panic attacks about all this back in the day. Is this too much? Do you want me to take you home?”
“No.” Bryn shook her head. “I want to enjoy the evening you have planned for us. I’m just not good with this kind of stuff anyway, let alone…”
“When your date’s as hot as me?” Anna offered, waggling her eyebrows.
Bryn laughed, grateful for the comedic relief, and nodded. “Something like that.”
Anna smiled. “Do you want to head on in, then?”
“Yes.” Bryn took a deep breath. “I do.”
“Okay, then,” Anna said, waving a hand at the door.
While the exterior of the restaurant was nothing particularly striking, the interior was cozy and intimate. The dining room was dimly lit as the majority of the room’s light came from the candles on every table, and soft violin music played quietly in the background. Anna gave her name to the hostess, who nodded and immediately picked up some menus and motioned toward the back of the room. They were shown to a table that was tucked into an alcove framed by plush velvet drapes that gave them a small measure of privacy from the surrounding dining room.
Bryn hung her coat on a hook mounted on the wooden frame of the alcove, and smiled at Anna once the hostess had left them to look over their menus. “This restaurant looks wonderful. How did you find it?”
“Di told me about it.” Anna shrugged and reached for the leather-bound wine list that was propped in the middle of the table. “Her and Thom come here all the time.”
Bryn watched Anna’s eyes skim down the list, and she sat back, wondering which wine she would choose. She did not have to wait long, however, because two minutes later, their waitress appeared. “Good evening, and welcome to Andiamo. My name is Maya, and I’ll be your server this evening. Would you like to start with some wine?”
Anna nodded and grinned at Bryn as she snapped the wine menu closed and set it down on the table. “We would. Can we get a bottle of the 2008 Spectrum Merlot?”
Bryn covered her mouth with her hand to try and hide her smile, but knew from the curious look their server gave her that she had failed miserably.
“Of course,” Maya said as she scribbled the order down on her notepad. “I’ll be right back with the wine.”
“Thank you,” Anna said. Once Maya had moved out of earshot, she smirked. “What? I happen to know that the bottle I ordered is incredible.”
Bryn laughed. “Do you, now?”
“I do.” Anna winked at Bryn and leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table. She waited until Bryn copied her before she added in a mock whisper, “I know people. Important, knowledgeable, beautiful people.”
“Oh.” Bryn blushed. “Well, as long as they’re beautiful…”
Anna smiled and brushed her fingers over Bryn’s, her expression so open and unguarded that it made Bryn’s stomach flip. “You are absolutely breathtaking, Bryn. And I am so glad that you’re here with me tonight.”
Bryn smiled shyly, blown away by the affection burning in Anna’s gaze, and she looked down at their hands on the table as she tried to steady herself. She watched the way Anna’s fingers gently caressed her own for a few heartbeats, it felt so right for Anna to touch her like this, and then glanced up at Anna through her lashes as she turned her hand over. Their fingertips hooked together in a light hold, and she whispered, “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“Bryn, I…”
Whatever Anna was about to say was interrupted by the return of their server. They both pulled their hands back as two glasses were set onto the table, and Bryn’s heart raced as she folded her hands on her lap. She waited for Maya to say something about what she had interrupted, but instead the server simply poured a small amount of wine into Anna’s glass since she was the one who ordered, and waited for her decision.
When the wine was declared acceptable and their glasses filled, Maya excused herself wit
h a polite smile and a promise that she would be by in a few minutes to see if they were ready to order.
“I’m sorry,” Bryn apologized as soon as they were alone.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Anna assured her, looking not at all bothered by the fact that Bryn’s hands remained locked together on her lap. “Try the wine. It’s quite good,” she added with a playful grin.
Bryn sighed. “I’m sorry.”
Anna’s expression gentled, and she again leaned forward, keeping her voice low as she said, “There is nothing for you to be sorry for, Bryn.” She shook her head. “I’m just happy to be here with you tonight. I can’t even begin to describe how happy I am right now.”
“What did I ever do to deserve you?”
“Well…” Anna smiled. “You didn’t kill me when I crashed my car into your vineyard.”
Bryn laughed and shook her head. “I hardly think that counts, Ms. Fitzpatrick.”
“Whatever the case may be, Nakamura,” Anna drawled, winking at Bryn, “we’re here now.”
“Yes,” Bryn murmured. “We are.”
“Yeah. We are.” Anna took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she reached for her menu. “Di says that the Chicken Andiamo is her favorite dish here, so I’m probably going to get that. What’s sounding good to you?”
“I don’t know.” Bryn picked up her menu. The dish Anna had mentioned was the first entrée listed under the Entrata heading, and she pursed her lips thoughtfully as she read its description—The house favorite, our Chicken Andiamo is two chicken breasts topped with artichoke hearts, capers, prosciutto, and sage in a lemon butter sauce, served atop your choice of pasta. The picture beside the description looked positively delicious, and she nodded as she laid her menu down on the table and picked up her wine. “That actually looks quite good. I think I’ll give it a try as well.”
