St. Helena Vineyard Series: Sneaking Up on Love (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Stephanie St. Klaire

  “Have you seen it yet?” A sense of anxiety ran through Seth’s words.

  “No. I couldn’t look – thought I would wait for you.”

  Seth let out a deep sigh, “Same here, shall we?”

  He held out his arm motioning toward one of the tables near the counter where they stood. He pulled out a chair for her before taking the seat beside her when she opened her laptop and pulled up their fake Facebook account.

  ‘Ex stripper heating things up with steamy windows – newest St. Helena Fireman there to put her fire out, or start it?’

  There it was, Nora’s latest Facebook post accompanied by a very unflattering picture of the caught couple. Her flashlight was blinding them and they were each squinting making awkward faces that went with their disheveled hair. Of course she was able to snap a picture in the midst of their twenty second encounter.

  Interestingly enough, there was a second picture and caption just below. She managed to catch Heather and the good doctor leaving the dance studio together saying a rather intimate and unflattering goodbye.

  ‘Late night shenanigans around St. Helena, There must be something in the air… Looks like the doc is checking the dancer’s tonsils.’

  Well played Nora…well played

  Nora two, Seth, Molly, Doc Clay, and Heather…zero!

  ***

  Molly had only seen Seth briefly by accident at Pickers Produce Meats and More grocery shopping on his second twenty four hours on. He was there shopping for the fire station. She was there, well, for her. Nora had been quiet. She was leaving everyone alone at the moment, so it seemed.

  “Hey, I was going to call you!” Seth said in greeting.

  “You were?!?” Molly pinched herself for sounding so eager, “I mean, you should!”

  Seth didn’t miss her excitement, and it pleased him that she looked forward to hearing from him, “Looks like Nora might be moving on – nothing for a few days now.”

  “That’s what scares me – the nothing at all.” She laughed, “I saw her drive by last night when I was doing inventory in the shop.”

  “Really? Same place?”

  “She was headed that direction, so maybe?”

  “Tonight is my last night on, and then I’m off for a few.” He said, “Want to keep watch? You know, in case she isn’t done with us yet?”

  “Of course I do!” she would do anything to spend time with him, even chase old ladies.

  “It’s a date!” he proudly stated, then realized what he said when he felt heat rise to his cheeks. “I mean – it’s a plan!”

  “Yes! A plan!” She said with a smile even though she couldn’t help but be disappointed.

  He turned to walk away and said, “Okay…I’ll call you!”

  She was on her way down the aisle in the opposite direction headed for the check out area when he caught her attention again.

  “Hey!”

  “Yeah?” she said with hope that there was more than just their plan to talk about.

  “The Cork Crawl.”

  “Cork what?” confusion flooded her response.

  “The annual Cork Crawl! It’s a huge event, wine makers compete with each other…it’s like the Oscars but for wine!”

  “Oooookay, sounds…fun?” she wasn’t sure what this Cork something or other was, but it was an opportunity to spend time with Seth which was an automatic ‘I’m in’.

  He laughed, realizing how vague he was about the event he was suddenly excited for, “It is, it’s like an all-day wine tasting. There are tours, and different activities for spectators. It would be a great place to check up on Nora too! Everyone goes!”

  “Oh, well then count me in!” she gave a dishonest smile wishing that they were spending the day together just to spend the day together, but Nora was as good of an excuse as any to spend time with him.

  He smiled back, “I’ll pick you up – tomorrow morning, nine okay? We’ll make a day of it!”

  “Sounds perfect! I mean, we’re bound to see crabby pants at some point if we are there all day.”

  Seth continued down the aisle, groceries in hand meeting the rest of the guys at the end with their cart.

  ***

  Molly made her way to check out, collected her things after paying and started the short walk home. It was a warm sunny fall day; no need for a car for such a short jaunt. Seth was heavy on her mind. He brought a smile to her face just thinking about him. He was the kind and thoughtful nurturing type - and something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It didn’t hurt that he was all kinds of handsome and beautiful to look at.

  She thought about all of his visits to Reading Grounds the past six months, how intrigued he was with what she had to say about pretty much everything, especially books, as if hanging on her every word. Unsuccessful super sleuth outings were next to cross her mind, and there were several now. Despite the lack of results, their time was well spent together and thoughtfully planned with his sweet picnics.

  Seth clearly paid close attention to her likes, and even dislikes, even though she never voiced either. Each time she found more and more of her favorites, things picked just for her. Then there was their last rendezvous. Despite stumbling upon an embarrassing moment or two, it ended HOT! It was like he knew her body. Not one for words, his hands and beautiful mouth said it all.

  He knew exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to do it in such a way as to give her as much pleasure as he could, enjoying the sounds that escaped her. He was exciting and thrilling as much as he was chivalrous and sweet. Where had this man been hiding; he was someone she could spend all of her time with, devote forever to, even. Seth was quickly piecing together the heart she didn’t know was broken. If he could fill all of the empty cracks, she was certain, it would be his to keep always.

  A loud rumble crept up from behind her, getting louder as it approached. It was a fire truck, Seth at the helm, smiling back at her with a wink as soon as he drove within viewing distance. She couldn’t help but notice Adam sitting to his right, looking back and forth between them. He tossed his shaking head back with laughter as they passed, earning him a fist to the chest from Seth.

  With a final wave her way, she was watching them drive off, turning to the firehouse. She couldn’t wait until tomorrow.

  CHAPTER 7

  Bright and early the next morning, Seth found himself rushing home after work to get ready for his next adventure with the girl that held his heart. He wasn’t sure why he couldn’t just say ‘date’ and had to make it about Nora Kinkaid, but he did. He was just happy he got to spend time with her, and that was good enough, for now.

  Seth was never much of a ladies man, not to say he didn’t know what to do with one, but in the way it wasn’t his experience to have flocks of women waiting by the phone. He supposed it was just enough rejection over the years to lack confidence when it came to the one that consumed his every thought by day and night.

  Special, genuine, and sincere defined Molly. He loved her passion and enthusiasm when something interesting caught her attention. Pure joy rolled off of her, and she was as contagious as she was addictive.

  He craved her presence and couldn’t wait to be with her today. If he were being honest, as much as he would like to get to the bottom of the Nora Kinkaid business for Molly, he hoped she proved hard to find today, granting the extra time with Molly. He shook his head at that thought in sheer disappointment. At some point in his life, he’d become a total pussy. It was time to man up, grow a set, and ask her out on a real date.

  His thought’s drifted back to their night together in the car. Molly was beautiful and the sound of his name falling breathlessly from her lips was heaven. As thrilling as it was, in the car, he wanted to give her more. Wanted to pleasure her over and over, hear his name as he brought her to ecstasy over and over again. He wanted to learn every inch of her body, find all of her dirty weaknesses, and play them over and over until she knew exactly what she was to him, his everything.

  ***
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  Butterflies, Molly had butterflies for the first time she could remember. Something about this man gave her a sweet smile and made her giddy. Never one to fuss over her appearance much or worry about what others thought, she found herself on outfit number seven or eight and finally satisfied with casual, yet trendy outfit.

  It wasn’t that Seth brought out her insecurities, quite the contrary. He brought out the best in her, made her want to be her best. Not just for him, but for her too. Special was something she hadn’t felt in a very long time, since before losing her father in fact, but Seth made her feel that way.

  Nothing was required of her where he was concerned. He didn’t need her to take care of him like her mother and even her ex had. He just wanted her, or seemed to anyway. The whole ‘date’ thing seemed to fluster him; maybe he was uncomfortable with the term. She didn’t know. When they were with each other, however, it certainly felt like dating.

  She knew he was a bit shy, maybe even awkward in that area, but when they were together, he was anything but. He could make her feel cherished and adored without a word. In some ways she did have Nora to thank.

  ***

  The Cork Crawl was like nothing Molly had seen before. The event was made up of all local wineries from across the valley, each competing for the highly sought after, highly prestigious Cork King or Queen title. Not only did the event expose wine makers to a voting public and potential new wine drinking fans, but also wholesalers and collectors. It was a big deal. According to Seth, this was the ‘main event,’ following a series of events throughout harvest season that lead up to it.

  “Wow, I knew we were in ‘wine country,’ but I had no idea it was this…big!” Molly confessed, soaking in the contagious excitement around her.

  “It’s like a sacred holiday here. St. Helena celebrates wine and harvests like some celebrate Christmas.” He replied.

  “I can see that! It’s fantastic! Do you smell the food? It’s like a classy carnival. Nothing is fried!” she observed, taking in the mouthwatering aromas around her.

  “Well, I hope you’re hungry, and thirsty. We have some eating and tasting to do! What’s your preference?” he asked, “Red? White? Dry? Sweet? Sparkling?”

  Eyes wide, she paused, not sure how to answer. “Uh, I don’t really know. I don’t know much about wine.”

  “What? How do you live in wine country and not know wine? You were a bartender!” Seth replied with a shocked smile.

  Molly blushed and admitted her little secret, “I know; I don’t really drink!”

  “Well, that was obvious the night in the coffee shop when you had a little too much doctored coffee.” He laughed at the memory.

  A wise guy smirk planked her face, and she gave Seth an exaggerated eye roll. “Ha, ha, wise guy! I knew my liquor for mixed drinks, but the wine was kind of a fake it until you make it situation.”

  “Well, then you are with the right guy. I grew up with this stuff. My family holds the title as one of the oldest distributors on the west coast.” He admitted.

  “Really? Yet…you are a firefighter?”

  A subtle shrug rested on his shoulders while he thought about his answer, “What can I say. It wasn’t my thing. I grew up with it, even worked with my family, but fighting fires was my passion…my dream for as long as I can remember.”

  “Wow. Very admirable. Leave the security of the family business to pursue your dream. An honorable one at that.” She added, fascinated by this man.

  “I don’t know about admirable and honorable,” he chuckled, “I just couldn’t see myself doing something I didn’t love. Besides, it will always be there. When I’m too old and gray to fight fires – there’s wine.”

  Just as she thought he couldn’t impress her more, he had. Seth gave up a certain future to take a risk and follow his heart. That took courage, and commitment.

  Now she understood why he struggled in the beginning – why being FNG (fucking new guy) was harder than he thought. He was completely out of his element. Talk about overcoming adversity and kicking its ass. Wine guy turned firefighter was getting hotter by the minute.

  Startling her from her thoughts, he grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd alongside him, “Come on, you’re late for class!”

  “Class?” she questioned.

  “Wine 101, and you’re late, darlin’.” he gave her a charming wink and a panty melting smile, leading her to tasting row.

  Seth walked her from booth to booth, rarely letting go, and even when he did let go of her hand, it was likely to move his hand to the small of her back or lazily around her waist, resting his hand on her hip. His public display of affection was unexpected but quite welcome. She loved the feel of him close. She felt protected and wanted. Both things she could get used to.

  He may not call this a date, but he certainly made the efforts of a date. Perhaps this was just that, a date and it was just a matter of semantics at this point. She really didn’t care as long as she was with him.

  ***

  “Tell me you have at least been to the vineyards since moving here.” Seth quizzed.

  Taking a moment to think, she could only come up with, “Well, I did go to some sort of tasting room with some of the girls.”

  “With some of the girls? So you were at the Deluca’s? Or Frankie’s place?”

  “Oh, it was the Deluca’s. Frankie had a fit about it, which I didn’t understand, and she’s a Deluca,” Molly shared.

  “You tasted some of the best wine there is. The Delucas have won this event for decades. Frankie finally won more recently and has held the title since.” He shared with her, “Their families had a rocky history until Frankie and Trey, but when it comes to wine – old habits die hard.”

  “Makes sense…I think?” she laughed, trying to follow the sordid story.

  “C’mon, let’s do the tour. You have to experience this at least once in your life!”

  Wrapping his arm around her waist, Seth helped Molly off the long bed trailer that brought them to one of the Deluca vineyards by way of tractor.

  “So what are we doing here?” She scanned the sprawling rows of grapes and various buildings, scattered around the property, completely puzzled.

  “This is where the magic happens – grapes picked, crushed, fermented, clarified, aged.” He said matter-of-factly, pointing to each area as he called it out.

  “Oh, wow! So…what do we do out here?” Molly questioned, still confused.

  Seth pulled her close, looked her in the eye and gave her a sly smile before a quick kiss, “We make wine, sweetheart!”

  Reaching from the pile in front of him, Seth grabbed a large crate and grabbed her hand to bring her on this journey that had him ever so excited. She looked around at the rows of vines, noticing the sprinkling of people at every row, each with their own crate. Standing in a row of their own, Seth sat the crate down at their feet and handed Molly an odd hooked knife and pair of strange scissors, explaining each as a grape-picking knife and bahco snips. Not very technical, she thought.

  He proceeded to show her how to choose a vine and fruit, how to harvest it, and then dropped it in the crate at his feet. Once done with a section, he would slide the crate a foot or two with his foot to the next area to work on. She enjoyed this side of him. The wine business may not have been his calling, but it was certainly something he knew and enjoyed, maybe even feeling a little passionate about it.

  They worked in unison, enjoying each other’s company, laughing along the way. They each maintained a slight buzz from the earlier wine tastings, her more than him, that may have contributed to the silliness. Once full, Seth lifted the heavy crate and moved to the next area, which rested just beyond the row they’d worked. Smart, she thought. He must’ve picked that row, so he wouldn’t have to carry that heavy crate far.

  Seth dumped their grapes in a large round wooden barrel of sorts. It appeared to be eight, maybe ten feet in diameter and several feet high.

  “Oh my gosh, what are
you doing?” She asked, letting out a laugh, “We worked hard for those!”

  “Oh we aren’t done with them! Sit!” he said, pointing to a bench behind them.

  “Okay!” She looked confused but took a seat on the bench, puzzled by his behavior because it was at that moment, he began to take off her boots and socks, tucking them under the bench. Rolling the cuffs of her jeans was next until they wouldn’t roll any further. He quickly sat beside her, following the same steps for himself.

  Grabbing her hand once again and pulling her along barefoot, he said, “Let’s go!”

  “Go where?” Confusion was her constant at this moment, as he was all over the place, and she hadn’t a clue what their end game was.

  “To wash our feet!”

  Another puzzled look was exchanged, but she followed just the same, washing her feet as thoroughly as the outdoor make shift ‘feet cleaning station’ would allow.

  “So,” she whispered, “Do we shower next?”

  He paused, facing her with his darkening eyes fixed on hers, and gave her a low, deep, throaty response, “Do you want to?”

  “Maybe.” Her breathing grew heavier with her reply.

  He quickly lifted her earning a squeal before standing her in the very barrel they just dumped their grapes in. Understanding washed over her while looking around to see others standing atop their grapes too. Jumping in next to her, Seth held both of her hands for stability – hers not his – and began to dance around.

  She followed his lead, laughing herself silly all along the way. He loved that sound; her laughter warmed his heart and touched his soul. She was contagious, her joy, her laughter, her smile. They danced and danced, squishing every last grape between their toes until they’d crushed every last one.

  “So, what’s next?” she asked with a giggle as they rinsed their sticky feet.

  “Next, it ferments for a few hours. They will add a type of yeast and give it a few hours before bottling it. Normally it would go to barrels, but for this…they bottle it right away.”