by Té Russ
He noticed the hours on the store door. The store was going to be closing soon and the last tour was already out. Looking at his watch and remembering the length of the tour being mentioned on their website, Xavier figured they would be heading back soon.
"Welcome to Russell Oaks."
Xavier turned at the sound of the warm greeting and his eyes locked with a beautiful pair of eyes and an even more beautiful smile. She wore a white button down shirt with the winery's logo on it.
"Can I help you find anything?" she asked.
Her voice was familiar. He returned her smile as he said, "That depends. Amaya?"
She looked at him and her eyes instantly grew wide with recognition.
"Xavier!"
He held out his hand. "It's great to finally meet you in person."
He looked better than anything she could have conjured up in her dreams. The moment he turned around that little gallop she always got in her chest whenever they spoke on the phone turned into what felt like the Kentucky Derby.
She'd watched as he took her in from head to toe, raking an appreciative gaze over her body. Then he smiled, with that perfect smile and she thought she would actually swoon. She prayed she didn't sound too breathless when she said his name. When she placed her hand in his, her body felt consumed with a delicious heat, that spread through her entire body before finally settling heavy in her core.
Why does he have to have a girlfriend? her mind cried out.
"Maya?"
Her eyes flew open. She hadn't even realized she'd closed them. She looked up to find Xavier staring at her with a look of concern.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
She looked down at his chest. How had they gotten so close? And why was he still holding her hand. Not only that, but now he had both of his large hands wrapped around her small one.
She took a step back and nodded, trying to remove her hand from his.
"Are you sure?" he asked, gripping her hand tighter.
She cleared her throat and looked over his shoulder before saying, "Yes."
"You looked a little dazed for a moment there. You're not getting the party started early without me are you?" he teased with a grin.
Maya swallowed a whimper and shook her head.
Why does he have to be so funny? And why is he still holding my hand?
She looked around and over his shoulder again and his eyebrows drew together in curiosity.
"Are you expecting someone else?" he asked, looking around.
Finally she pulled her hand out of his grasp.
"No, I'm not...I thought maybe you were though."
He looked at her confused. "Who would I be waiting on?"
"Well, I just assumed that since you were coming up here for a weekend vacation that...Darby would be accompanying you."
She was caught off guard when he suddenly looked very uncomfortable. He blew out a heavy breath before running a hand across his jawline.
"Actually..."
Suddenly she thought back to her conversation with Eva the other day. Was it possible that he and Darby were no longer....
No!
"Darby and I are no longer together."
Yes!
"Oh," Maya said, in what she hoped sounded like a sympathetic tone, as she placed her hand on her chest.
"We ended things about six months ago."
"I'm so sorry Xavier," she said, only half-heartedly meaning it.
Xavier shrugged. "You didn't know. No harm done."
They stood there for an awkward moment before Maya finally said, "Are you ready for your tour?"
She was relieved when he finally smiled again. "Definitely."
"Russell Oaks is a family owned winery that has been making wines for over forty years. It's one of the oldest wineries run by African-Americans in Napa Valley and prides itself on quality and...."
Xavier couldn't focus on what he was sure to be a fascinating history lesson on the winery. Not when there was an even more fascinating woman in front of him. She'd guided him through most of the winery explaining their process. When they started their tour, he'd purposely hung back so she could lead the way. Now, the sway of her sexy hips seemed to be the only thing holding his attention.
He looked up when he heard Maya let out a wistful sigh.
"This is my favorite part of the winery," she said.
They were on a paved pathway that led to an underground cave. Bright lights illuminated both sides of the walkway.
The cave was split into two sections, the first part held the barrels of wine.
"Do you still age the wines down here?" Xavier asked as they began to walked toward the cave.
"We sure do," Maya said, proudly. "Would you like to try some?"
"Really?" he asked.
"Of course." She grabbed a glass, and the wine thief to extract the liquid from the barrel. As she poured a little wine into the glass, she informed him of what kind of wine it was.
"This is one of our chardonnays."
She handed him the glass and her fingers brushed against his, sending a small jolt of awareness racing through his body. He hadn't been sure about the feeling when he first shook her hand in the store. But now he had no doubt. There was definitely some kind of attraction.
He watched as she quickly turned away to close the wine barrel back. When she turned back, she gave him a small smile of anticipation.
He held the wine glass up and gently swirled it around, before bringing it to his nose to inhale.
"Nice," he said, as he took in the familiar scents. "I can smell the citrus."
Maya nodded her head.
Finally he brought the glass to his lips.
"Hmm," he said, thoughtfully. "You can already taste hints of vanilla. How much longer will this one age?"
"Another six months," Maya said.
"It's going to have a very nice buttery taste when it's ready. I sure hope to get one of these bottles," he said with a wink.
"I will definitely see what I can do," she responded as she took the now empty glass from his hands.
Xavier looked around and noticed the second section of the cave.
"What's back there?" he asked, pointing in that direction.
"Oh..." Now Maya looked uncomfortable. "That's where we have private dining and wine tastings."
Xavier wondered what would make her hesitant about mentioning that area all of a sudden.
"May I?" he asked, already heading toward the back of the cave.
He stopped short when he noticed there was a spread of wines and small foods on the table.
"Again, I'm so sorry," he heard Maya say. He turned to look at her and she continued. "Like I said earlier in the store, I assumed you would be bringing Darby with you. I just thought the two of you would enjoy ending your tour in here with some wine and food pairings."
"Wow," Xavier said on an exhale. "That was really thoughtful of you."
"It was nothing...really..." She began to head back to the cave's exit. "We can go ahead and start making our way back to the store."
"Wait a second."
Maya stopped and looked at Xavier.
"What about all of this?" he asked as he waved his arm over the table. "We certainly can't let this go to waste. You went through so much trouble."
Maya shook her head. "I already told you...it was nothing. It's just some different cheeses and fruits to taste with the wines. But if you'd like, I can pack all of it up and you can take it with you."
"Or..." he said slowly. "We could just sit down and enjoy this lovely spread right now."
Chapter 3
Maya stood there in the wine cave staring at Xavier.
"'We'," she said. "As in...you and me?"
She watched at the corner of his mouth quirked up slightly, before he released a deep chuckle.
"Yeah," he said. "That's the idea, unless there is some rule that says you can't drink right now?"
"My boss doesn't mind if we taste the wines along wit
h our tourist, as long as we use the spittoon. But it is after hours and everyone has left for the day."
"So what do you say?" he asked with a smile. "All these years we've talked on the phone and emailed each other, it would be nice to sit down and finally get to know more about you."
She wanted to get to know him better as well.
Then why are you hesitating? her mind screamed.
She looked over her shoulder at the exit, then back at the table.
"I'm sorry," he said when she still didn't answer. He looked at his watch. "I suppose now I'm being presumptuous. Here I am asking you to sit down and share this wine and food with me and technically you're suppose to be off the clock already. I didn't think that maybe you already had plans with your husband."
Maya grinned at Xavier's inquisitive tone.
It was more than a little obvious that he was fishing for her relationship status. Grinning, she held up her hand to reveal her bare ring finger. "I'm not married."
"Boyfriend?" he corrected.
She shook her head, and she felt her grin widen. "I'm single."
"Then I'm not stealing you from anyone important."
"It doesn't appear that way." Finally Maya smiled and said, "Sure I would love to sit with you."
They moved over to the table and Xavier held a chair out for Maya. As he pushed her chair in after she sat, she felt his finger inadvertently brush against her shoulder. It amazed her that even the lightest touch from this man made her body come alive.
She expected him to go around and sit on the other side of the table, but was surprised when he pulled out the chair right next to hers and sat down.
"So, what do we have here?" Xavier asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Trying to ignore their knees touching under the table, Maya pointed to a white wine.
"This is a chardonnay, much like the one you tasted from the barrel. Of course this one is ready for consumption," she said with a smile.
They both reached for the bottle at the same time and she stopped as Xavier's large hand grabbed it first.
"Do you mind?" he asked.
"By all means." She held up her glass so he could pour some, then he filled his own glass.
"I assume we're pairing this with the brie cheese over there?" he guessed as he sat the bottle back down.
"You're absolutely right. It's actually from a local cheesemonger not too far from here." She cut them both a small slice of cheese. "You know your pairings."
"I would hope so, otherwise business would be terrible at my café."
"What made you decide to open a wine café?" Maya asked. She had always been curious. "Why not just open a wine shop?"
"Because there is a wine shop every few blocks. Not to mention you can get wine from just about any store. With the wine café, people can also experience the joy of learning about wines as well as different foods that pair well with them."
She loved his answer. And it was obvious that he was a true wine lover. As they went through their flight of wines, tasting several varieties, she watched as he described each one in great detail, as well as how each item of food was enhanced by the wines.
As they finished up their tasting, Xavier wiped his mouth and sat his napkin down on the plate in front of him.
"That was amazing. I can't thank you enough again for doing all of this."
"Even though it was meant for you and someone else?" she asked sheepishly.
Xavier turned and looked Maya directly in the eyes. "If it was meant for me to be here with someone else, I would have been here with someone else," he said with a self-assured tone.
There was something in his voice and the look in his eyes that made Maya's heart race.
She broke their eye contact and stood, gathering up the dishes. "I still feel terrible. Setting up this whole romantic scene must have brought up some strange feelings considering–"
"Maya." Xavier stood, gently grabbing her arm, to stop her from her task of cleaning. "The only thing I've felt tonight is joy at spending time with you. In fact..." he removed his hand from her arm and hooked his thumbs into the loops of his jeans. "...I was wondering since the winery is closed tomorrow, do you have any plans tomorrow?"
"Uh, no. I don't have any plans tomorrow. You're not going to visit anymore wineries?"
"I visited all of the ones on my list yesterday and today. This was the final stop for me. I wanted to save the best for last," he said, and she felt like he was referring to more than just the winery.
"I know this may seem fast, and forward. And I'm kind of out of practice with all of this, but...I've enjoyed our time together today and I want to see you again. So I was wondering if you would have lunch with me tomorrow, before I have to head back to Sacramento."
Oh. My. God.
After years of fantasizing about this man she'd never before met, he was better than anything she could have imagined. And for all of those years, there was a road block in her dreams by the name of Darby. Now Darby was out of the picture and Xavier was showing interest in her. It was the stuff romance novels were made of.
She remembered what her sister had said about jumping at the opportunity if it presented itself with Xavier. Well...she'd been a little more cruder, but still...her overall advice was on point. And Maya wasn't going to let a chance she'd secretly been wishing for, for several years now, pass her by.
"Lunch with you tomorrow would be great."
Xavier looked around his hotel room, double checking to make sure he'd packed everything. It was just about time for him to check out of the hotel, so his plan was to settle his bill with the front desk, then head over to the little bistro that he and Maya had decided on for lunch.
He'd just zipped up his bag when he heard his cell phone ring. He went over to the small table and picked up the phone and when he saw his sister's name on the screen he answered immediately.
"What's wrong?" he asked, quickly.
Lena had assured him that she would only bother him during his time away unless it was an emergency.
He listened as she let out an audible sigh. "It's Enrique."
He rolled his eyes before saying, "What now?"
Their head chef had a tendency to be a bit temperamental at times. And that was putting it lightly.
Lena began to explain. "The truffle vendor couldn't make it today. Their delivery truck broke down. Now Enrique is having a fit because the lunch menu is ruined."
Xavier cursed under his breath. The last thing he needed today was drama from Enrique. He looked down at his watch. Lunch started in an hour and a half.
"Xay?"
"Tell Enrique to chill. The vendor we get the truffles from is on the route to Sacramento from here. If I leave now, I can swing through, get the truffles and have them there right when lunch starts."
"Okay," Lena said, relieved.
"I gotta go," he said, growing more and more despondent by the minute. "I've got some phone calls to make."
He hung up with Lena, then scrolled through his phone until he got to Maya's name. As he waited for her to pick up he swore under his breath. He grew even more frustrated when the call went to voicemail.
He sat on the edge of the bed, listening to her melodic voice inform the caller that she was currently unavailable. Finally at the beep, he left his message.
"Hey Maya, it's Xavier. A crisis has come up at the café and I have to head back to Sacramento right away. You have no idea how sorry I am that I'm having to miss getting a chance to see you again. But I promise, I will make it up to you one day soon. Give me a call when you get this."
He ended the call then stood and yanked up his bag before heading out of the hotel room.
Maya danced out of her bathroom, wrapped in a towel, singing along to the music blasting through her speakers. She grabbed her phone off of the bed that was laying next to the sundress she'd picked out to wear on her lunch date with Xavier.
She smiled when she saw that Xavier had called her. She t
hought back on the evening before when they'd exchanged phone numbers. Her smile gradually faded as she listened to the message. He sounded just as disappointed as she now felt. But he did promise that he would make it up to her at the end of his message.
She touched his name on her phone screen to return his call. A few moments later, Xavier's voice was on the line.
"Maya?"
She could hear the strain in his voice.
"Hi," she said, "I got your message. Is everything all right?"
"It will be," he said. "Lena called this morning. Our order of truffles was unable to be delivered and now my head chef is up in arms."
"Well, considering how expensive truffles can be, I can see why he's so upset," Maya said, sympathetically. "And with the price they are right about now..."
Xavier chuckled. "Enrique would love you."
"I guess I will have to meet him soon."
"That would be great, I would love for you to visit the café one day."
"So would I."
She heard what sounded like a door slam, then Xavier said, "Look I'm at the vendor, so I've got to get off the phone. But can I call you sometime later?"
"Yes, definitely," Maya said.
"Great, I'll talk to you soon. Oh and Maya?"
"Yeah?"
"I meant what I said about making it up to you."
"I know, Xavier."
"Okay, goodbye Maya."
"Goodbye."
After she hung up, she let out a sigh as she dropped down onto her bed.
"What now?" she mumbled out loud as she ran her hand through her wet hair. Not wanting to spend the rest of the day at home. She picked up her phone again.
"Hey Evie, you busy?"
"Never too busy for you."
"Wanna have lunch?"
Thirty minutes later, Maya was sitting on the patio of the bistro with Eva. The same bistro she was suppose to be having lunch with Xavier at.
She looked up to find Eva sipping on her straw, studying Maya over her glass of lemonade. Maya took a sip from her own drink.
