Blend

by Georgia Beers

  The calm, soothing voice of The Barefoot Contessa made for a nice soundtrack to Piper’s report reading. Edgar curled up against her hip and began to purr.

  “Those pork chops look really good,” she said to him, when she glanced up at the TV. “Maybe I should try making them.” She watched for another twenty seconds before snorting. “Yeah, right.” When she turned to Edgar, his expression said the same thing.

  She refocused on her work, tried hard to concentrate, but her mind kept pulling her back to her mother’s impending trip, the upcoming meeting, and Lindsay Kent.

  Tomorrow was going to be interesting.

  Chapter Three

  It was a typical crowd for a Thursday evening. The after-work crowd that had come in for a glass of wine with their coworkers had pretty much headed home, and now the occupied tables were mostly people out for a nice night of wine and cheese. Maybe eight or ten customers, total.

  It should be more.

  That thought ran through Lindsay’s head often, at least once a shift.

  Her brain short-circuited right then, though, as she glanced at the door and saw Piper Bradshaw on her way in.

  Piper Bradshaw was uptight. Everybody thought so.

  Piper Bradshaw was kind of snobby. Everybody thought so.

  And Piper Bradshaw was fucking hot. Everybody thought so. Including Lindsay, which didn’t make her happy, given the uptight and snobby parts.

  Today she was wearing black slacks, a rust-colored top unbuttoned at her throat, and a long, black coat. Her brown hair fell in gently spiraled waves past her shoulders, her dark brows accenting eyes that seemed to take in everything around her in an instant. She wasn’t tall—Lindsay put her around five-five—but she had a presence that commanded attention when she walked in. She was a literal head-turner, and Lindsay watched as four people shifted their positions to watch as she entered. Piper’s heels clicked as she crossed the wooden floor to the corner table where Ellen sat with a notebook in front of her.

  As Piper took off her coat, Ellen threw a nod in Lindsay’s direction. That was her cue to bring three glasses of wine to the table and join them.

  “I see Princess Elsa has arrived,” Bridget whispered as she stood next to Lindsay and poured an order for her customer.

  “I’m hoping this is all just a formality.” Lindsay spoke just as quietly as she filled three glasses with the new red blend that had just been delivered that morning, her suggestion to Ellen. “I mean, she rarely shows her face in here at all. I don’t see her suddenly becoming a regular, you know?”

  “I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.” Bridget scooped up her wine and was off to serve.

  Lindsay grabbed her three glasses and carefully crossed the room to the back corner table. When she finished setting them down, she found herself looking into a gorgeous pair of—not brown as she’d originally thought—hazel eyes. She’d never seen that color before…sort of the color of weak iced tea, but with a bit of copper thrown in to brighten the overall effect. Framed by very dark, very thick lashes and accented with various shades of subtle brown eye shadow, they were easily the most stunning eyes she’d ever seen. Lindsay’s breath hitched.

  “Lindsay, you remember my youngest daughter, Piper.” Ellen’s voice yanked Lindsay harshly back to the present. Piper’s expression showed satisfied amusement and Lindsay felt her face warm with embarrassment at having been caught staring.

  “I do.” Lindsay held out her hand. “Good to see you again.” Piper’s grip was firm, a little too firm if Lindsay was being honest, but her skin was soft. Lindsay took a seat.

  “I’ve talked to each of you individually,” Ellen began, her hands flat on the notebook. “So you both know the basics. I really don’t have a lot to talk about, but I wanted the two of you to be in the same space so you understand that you will work together.”

  Lindsay glanced at Piper, who was looking down at her glass as she spun it in slow circles with both hands. She had nice hands. A silver ring that looked like several rings looped together sparkled from her right forefinger. There were no rings on her left hand. Delicate-looking skin. Neatly shaped nails polished with a dark color—black? Yeah, she had really nice hands.

  “I don’t understand what you’re doing, Mom.” Piper’s voice was quiet but firm, the kind of voice that would get the attention of an entire room without the volume ever increasing.

  Ellen sighed and Lindsay got the impression they’d been through this already. “I’m sixty-five, I’m tired of working, and I’d like to do some traveling before I croak. What’s there to understand?”

  Lindsay rolled her lips in and bit down on them to smother a smile.

  “And you’re just going to leave Daddy’s business?”

  “It’s my business now, Piper.”

  Piper made eye contact with her mother and their gazes held. Lindsay felt like she was intruding on a private family moment, so she sat silently and sipped her wine.

  Several beats went by and Lindsay was finally clear on where Piper got her determination and confidence, because she turned away first and Lindsay gave Ellen a mental point.

  “Fine,” Piper said, and the slight tone of sad defeat made Lindsay feel a little sorry for her. “What do you need from me?”

  With one nod, Ellen opened the notebook. “You won’t have to do much. Lindsay’s going to take care of the day-to-day running. Right?” Ellen smiled at her protégé.

  “Absolutely,” Lindsay said. “I got this.”

  “You, Piper, already have access to the bank accounts, so we’re just going to keep it that way. Lindsay can handle all the regular expenses. She knows how everything works. But if she needs something unexpected that costs money, she’ll need to run it by you.”

  That was the one part of the whole arrangement that didn’t thrill Lindsay. She was perfectly capable of running Vineyard. Easily. And it wasn’t like she was going to tear the place down and rebuild while Ellen was gone, so the idea of running some of her new ideas by Piper—and then needing her approval to put any of them into action—was less than ideal. They’d only met a handful of times, but Piper didn’t like Lindsay. She’d made that abundantly clear. The staff didn’t call her Princess Elsa for nothing. It was as if everything she touched turned icy. And really, Lindsay couldn’t have cared less if Piper didn’t like her. It hadn’t mattered one bit in the grand scheme of Lindsay’s life. Until now.

  Piper was nodding. “That makes sense.” She turned to Lindsay. “You got that?”

  “I do.”

  “You come to me for approval. I’ll keep track of your daily spending. If something looks suspicious or unusual, I’ll be coming to see you. Understood?”

  Lindsay wasn’t sure if it was meant to sound like a threat, but it sure did, and she had to take a moment, count to five in her head before responding simply, “Yes.” Her jaw began to ache from clenching her teeth.

  Ellen sipped her wine, then looked from one of them to the other and back again. Something that might have been amusement zipped across her face, but it was too fast for Lindsay to analyze. “I’m expecting you two to work together.”

  Lindsay nodded. “No problem.” If your daughter keeps her uppity self out of Vineyard altogether, things will be just fine.

  Ellen sipped again, then looked at Lindsay and lifted her glass slightly to indicate the wine. “This is good.”

  Lindsay felt her face light up. “Right? Told you.”

  “This is the new blend?”

  As Lindsay nodded, Piper’s brow furrowed. “You’re selling blends now? Dad hated those. He said they were made by vintners who were too cheap to get the real varietals right.”

  Lindsay wet her lips as she turned to Princess Elsa and her scowl of disapproval, and she smiled. “Blends have come a long way over the past few years. There are some very prominent—”

  She was interrupted by Piper’s upheld hand. “I don’t need a lesson, thank you. I’m aware of how wine is made.”

  Li
ndsay bit back a snarky retort that would have included something to the effect of how could you possibly be aware of anything with your nose that far up in the air? Instead, she said simply, “Taste it.”

  Piper let out a little sigh, and Lindsay took it as her dissatisfaction at being told what to do. But to her credit, Piper picked up her glass, sipped, let it roll around before swallowing. “It’s good.” She said it almost grudgingly, and Lindsay smiled, though she was pretty sure it didn’t reach her eyes.

  “Blends tend to be a bit less expensive as well. I’d like to bring in some more, pull back on the super-expensive wines we carry.”

  “Vineyard is sophisticated,” Piper said, those gorgeous eyes flashing at Lindsay. “That means the clientele is sophisticated. Sophisticated people don’t want to drink cheap wine.”

  Lindsay opened her mouth to reply, but Ellen held up a hand. “Enough,” she said, using Piper’s earlier method of speaking very firmly, but quietly, so that only Piper and Lindsay heard and understood. But her eyes flashed not unlike Piper’s had, and it was obvious she was irritated by their behavior. “You two are grown women, and you’re going to have to figure out how to work together. I’m not going to worry about it. I’m telling you both that right now. I will not be basking on a beach in Florida wondering if you two have killed each other yet. You’re adults. Work it out.” She gently closed her notebook, and Lindsay was surprised by the relaxed smile on her face. “I leave next Friday. Wish me safe travels.” She held up her glass.

  Lindsay and Piper both touched their glasses to hers. “You’re going to have a great time,” Lindsay said. “I’m so happy for you.”

  Piper nodded, but apparently had nothing to say.

  Thankfully, the awkward silence was broken by a big, burly man with a beard who appeared at their table. “They’ll let anybody in here, I see.”

  “Matthew!” Ellen jumped up from her seat and threw herself into his arms. “Oh, my God, it’s good to see you. It’s been so long. And Shane.” Another man sidled up next to the first. He was taller and thinner, with dark hair and striking blue eyes.

  “It’s good to see you, Mrs. B.” He, too, wrapped Ellen in a hug.

  “How are you?” Ellen asked.

  Lindsay watched the exchange with amusement. Piper’s expression had softened and relaxed, so it was obvious she knew these two as well. That was confirmed when she stood from her chair and hugged the man named Shane. She gave Matthew a playful shove. It was so interesting to watch Piper change. She went from that chilly Princess Elsa persona to an actual warm-blooded human being who was happy to see her friends, in a matter of moments.

  I guess it’s just me she doesn’t like.

  Lindsay gave a mental shrug, trying her best to pretend that didn’t bother her, and stood to leave the Bradshaws to their friends, but Ellen grabbed her arm.

  “Lindsay. Meet these two handsome young men.” Lindsay met the kind eyes of the bearded one Ellen introduced as Matthew. “Matthew was like the son I never had when the kids were in high school. He and Piper were inseparable. Still are. He spent as much time in my kitchen as he did his own. Right, Matty?”

  “True story.” Matthew reached a hand out and Lindsay shook it. “Matthew O’Keefe.”

  “Lindsay Kent,” Lindsay said. “Nice to meet you.”

  Matthew turned to the other man, but before he could say anything, Ellen chimed in with, “And this is his gorgeous husband, Shane.”

  Shane also shook Lindsay’s hand, gave her a friendly smile and nod.

  “Well, I’ll leave you to your visit,” she said, but Ellen was already chatting animatedly with the men. As she turned, Lindsay caught Piper looking at her, then she looked away quickly and pretended to be engrossed in the conversation. With a nod, Lindsay headed back behind the bar.

  “Get a little intense over there?” Bridget asked in low tones, as she sidled up next to her.

  “How do you do that?” Lindsay asked her, brow furrowed.

  “Do what?”

  “Appear out of nowhere and know exactly what’s going on.”

  Bridget grinned up at her. “Mad skills.”

  Lindsay shook her head good naturedly. “I wouldn’t say intense.” She kept her voice low and her eyes on the foursome that still stood near the table chatting. “I’d say that Princess Elsa doesn’t like people knowing more than she does.”

  “Unsurprising.”

  “Yeah…” She continued to watch the action, again amazed by the very obvious change in Piper’s demeanor, still annoyed by the fact that it rankled. She laughed at something Shane said, the sound very feminine, and laid a hand gently on his arm. Matthew and Mrs. B. were standing a bit away from them, their heads together in quiet conversation. “Anyway,” she said to Bridget, “Mrs. B. leaves next Friday morning. I think we should have a staff meeting on Saturday just to touch base with everybody. Can you send out a text?”

  Bridget nodded, her eyes also on the Bradshaws and their friends. “Not a problem, boss.”

  Lindsay gave a look. “I prefer Queen.”

  “Oh, these next few months will be fun.” Bridget rolled her eyes, then bumped Lindsay with a shoulder and went to wait on a table for two.

  * * *

  Her mother and Shane were going on and on about some new yarn shop they’d both discovered and which knitting projects they were each working on. Piper smiled and sipped her wine. Which was better than good, though she’d never say it out loud and let Lindsay Kent know she was right.

  “I still don’t get your issue with her,” Matthew said, as if looking straight into her brain. His voice was low, meant only for Piper. “First of all, she seems very nice. The customers seem to really like her. Second, have you looked at her? She’s really sexy.” He gestured with his bearded chin toward a table about ten feet away where Lindsay was talking and the two customers seemed fully engaged, large smiles on their faces.

  Piper followed his gaze. She didn’t want to let her eyes roam over the way the dark jeans hugged Lindsay’s ass. She didn’t want her gaze to linger on what looked to be very soft, super-smooth skin of Lindsay’s forearms, bared by the rolled-up sleeves of her light denim shirt, which stood open. And as she turned and Piper got a glimpse of the front of her, she certainly didn’t want to look at the surprisingly ample breasts covered by a white V-neck T-shirt.

  But she did all of those things.

  She didn’t even stop looking when Lindsay moved to a different table, tucked a hank of her blond hair behind her ear, and bent forward slightly to listen to what the woman sitting there was saying.

  “Yeah,” Matthew said, and when Piper turned back to him, a knowing smile had taken up residence on his face. “I see you have looked at her.”

  “Shut up,” Piper hissed. “You know nothing.” She finished off her wine, really wanted another glass, but didn’t want to call Lindsay over.

  So damn Matthew did it for her. Piper watched in horror as he lifted his arm and signaled to Lindsay, who glanced at Piper before smiling at Matthew and walking toward their table.

  “Hi there,” she said, and Piper saw a small mole on her right cheek she’d never noticed before.

  “Well, hello again,” Matthew said, a wide smile on his face. “I think the lovely Miss Piper here needs a refill. And I’d like a glass as well.”

  “The blend or something different?” Lindsay asked, hands clasped in front of her.

  “The blend,” Matthew said at the exact same time Piper said, “Something else.”

  “Of course,” Lindsay said as she looked at Piper, and those two words said a lot more than that.

  “I’d like a glass of the Castle Rock Pinot Noir, please,” Piper said, looking Lindsay in the eyes, surprised by their greenness.

  “Of course,” she said again as she took Piper’s empty glass. “Be right back.”

  “I don’t understand you.” Matthew shook his head.

  “Who, me?” Shane asked, surprising both of them.

 
Piper shot a pleading look at Matthew, which he seemed to get, thank God.

  “Yes. The yarn and the needles and the stitches and the patterns. I don’t understand it.”

  And they were off on a discussion about the joys of making your own hats and mittens and giving them to others. Piper listened absently but was very aware of Lindsay’s approach. Which didn’t make her happy.

  “The blend for the gentleman. And the Pinot for you.” Those green eyes snagged Piper’s and held them for a beat. Two. Three. Piper wanted to look away, but somehow…couldn’t. “Enjoy,” Lindsay finally said, and was gone.

  Piper swallowed and poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue. When she finally turned her attention back to Matthew, he was studying her over the rim of his glass.

  “Interesting,” was all he said.

  “Shut up.” Piper sipped her wine. It was delicious, but part of her wished she still had the blend, which she had zero intention of telling Matthew.

  Matthew still looked at her, his gaze a mix of amused and gleeful, and she had to fight to keep from squirming in her chair. He finally broke the eye contact and nodded, sipped his wine. With a knowing grin, he said, “Uh-huh. I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

  Chapter Four

  “So far, so good, Rocket, my man.” Lindsay flopped onto her couch and toed off her shoes as her big lug of a yellow Lab put his paws in her lap and demanded attention, his firehose tail sweeping everything off the coffee table in one swoop. “Dude, seriously. Have a little respect for my stuff.”

  “Well, I would, Mom, if you were home more often,” Lindsay then responded in the low-pitched, rumbly voice she used when she did what she considered her impression of Rocket. “Have some respect for me.”