by Syndi Powell
He gave a brief smile and walked away. April discovered Javier watching Dr. Ross’s departure. “You’re sure about going out with that guy?” he asked.
She shrugged. “You’re married. What other choice do I have?”
They shared a grin, and she pushed off the wall and zigzagged back to the emergency room.
* * *
ZACH FOUND AN empty parking spot behind Marissa’s wine shop and checked his appearance in the rearview mirror before getting out of the car. Not that he needed to look good for her anymore. She’d made it clear when they got divorced that she had no plans for reconciliation. In fact, she remarried within a year and seemed happier with Jeff than she had with him. He tried to be happy for her.
He hit his key fob to lock the car doors, then headed along the alley to reach the street, turn and enter the wine shop, Metro Wines. He still had his hand on the doorknob when he was stopped by a tall man with a goatee. “Do you have your ticket, sir?”
He closed the door quickly to keep the cold air out and patted his coat pockets. Holding his hands out, empty, he replied, “To shop in a wine store? No.”
“We’re not open to the public this evening.” The man started to edge Zach back to the door.
“Leo, it’s okay. He’s welcome to come in.” His ex-wife sashayed toward them and opened her arms to him. He gave her a brief hug as she air-kissed him on each cheek. “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight, Zach.”
“You didn’t return my calls. If you had, you would have known that I was coming.” He whistled at the well-dressed clientele. “You’re coming up in the world, Mare.”
She rolled her eyes at the old nickname. “I’m hosting an exclusive, invitation-only wine tasting. Part of Jeff’s marketing strategy to take Metro Wines to the next level.”
Zach nodded. “Well, I’m here to get advice on wines myself. I’m throwing a wedding for one of my clients and need a few suggestions.”
“It’s always about a client.”
“You know me so well.”
She gaped. “You’re welcome to stay, of course. I’ll be introducing some new labels as well as recommendations of my favorites.”
“Thanks.” He waved to Leo, who still scowled at him. “Guess I’ve got a ticket, after all.”
He strolled past the gatekeeper and took note of certain labels and types of wine. He knew only the basics thanks to Marissa’s influence while they were married, and he wasn’t much of a drinker. Only socially when he was out with clients, and then he tended to stick to the same drink: single malt whiskey probably due to his father’s influence rather than his mother’s Italian one. But he doubted that Chris would want a whiskey bar. Wine seemed to be more appropriate for a wedding.
A small figure in a very bulky pink parka barreled into the store and gave her name to Leo. He gestured her inside and Zach walked up to April. “Fancy seeing you again.”
She took off her hat with the ridiculously large pompom on top and frowned at him. “What are you doing here?”
“Same thing you are. Trying out some wines.” She scanned the room and her shoulders sagged. Zach followed her gaze. “Your date not here yet?”
“He called earlier to say he was running late and would meet me here, but I have a feeling that he’s not showing up. We didn’t exactly hit it off.”
“There’s still time, so, don’t give up hope.” Why was he trying to convince her that her date would be there? Maybe because she looked nervous, and she didn’t deserve to be stood up. He whispered close, “Blind date?”
She shook her head. “No. Well, sort of. Maybe.” She peeled off her coat and balanced it over her arm. “I met him once at the hospital.”
“Another doctor?”
She nodded and looked him up and down. “You’re here on a date?”
“No! No way, nope, uh-uh. This is my ex-wife’s shop, although I snuck in without an invitation. Or date.” He sighed. “We could have come together if you had agreed to go out with me.”
“Not happening.” She walked away from him and started to browse through the aisles.
Marissa stood at the front of the room and tapped a long, manicured nail against a wineglass. “Welcome, everyone. I have seven different wines that we’ll be trying tonight. Paper and pencils are at each station so you can write down your impressions of each. And I have buckets for you to spit into after you’ve tasted the wine.”
April grimaced horribly at Zach, who laughed at her shocked expression. “We spit the wine out? That’s disgusting.”
“It’s part of the tasting experience. Unless you plan on getting completely blitzed, you might consider it.”
“You know about wine tasting?”
He shrugged. “Only what Marissa taught me while we were married. But it’s enough to get by on.”
“Let me guess. You’re more a beer kind of guy.”
“You don’t know me at all.” He took the glass of white wine from a server who handed one to April, as well.
Marissa droned on about fruity notes and woody finishes. He sniffed the wine and nodded. “Not bad.”
“You haven’t tasted it yet.”
“The smell, or bouquet in wine speak, is half of the wine-tasting experience.” He held his glass to his nose and took a deep sniff. “You can smell the pear.”
April mimicked his action and smiled. “I smell the pear...and something else. Some kind of spice.”
“Not bad for a newbie.” He took a sip and swished the wine around his tongue, then leaned over one of the silver buckets on the nearest table and spit out the wine. “I like this one.”
April took a sip but swallowed it. “It’s not too wine-y.” She giggled and covered her mouth. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant to say it doesn’t taste so sour.”
“If you’re drinking sour wine, you’re buying the wrong stuff.”
“Probably.”
She had a longer drink from the glass before Zach pushed the goblet away from her mouth. “Slow down there, Sparky. We have six more wines to go.”
“Sparky?”
The door to the shop suddenly opened, and they both turned to see who was there. April shook her head when it didn’t appear to be her date. “I’m telling you, he’s standing me up. I don’t think he really wanted to invite me in the first place. It was Page’s idea.”
“Well, he doesn’t know what he’s missing because you’re great.”
* * *
THE SERVER HANDED April another glass of pink wine, but she took it without really noticing it. She peered at Zach, his words seemingly hanging in the air between them. He thought she was great? She took a slug of wine without sniffing it or letting it swirl as some people were. And she definitely swallowed it, trying to figure out this puzzling man. “You really think I’m great?”
Zach nodded and sniffed the wine before sipping. “This is nice. I’ll order a few boxes of this.” He wrote the name on a slip of paper.
She couldn’t keep track of the conversation. “Let’s go back to your saying I’m great. You don’t even know me.”
“Something I’ve been trying to remedy, if you recall. I asked you out so we could get to know each other better.” He put the half-full glass of wine on a nearby table. “I think you’re amazing. And that’s based on the very little I do know. You’re an ER doctor. You’re working on a second-chance list. And you’re not afraid to try new things. That makes you pretty cool.”
She placed her empty glass of wine next to his half-full one. “I thought you thought I was annoying.”
“I never said annoying. You were pushy.” He smiled warmly, and she lost herself momentarily to his charms. “You’re not going to hold our first meeting against me forever, are you?”
The third glass of wine was pressed into her hand. She appreciated the deep red color, then buried her nose in th
e glass, smelling the currants and spices. She took a very small sip. That last glass of wine had been a wallop. She wrinkled her nose and put the glass down before finishing it. Zach smirked. “You’re not a fan of the red?”
“Too heavy.” Pushing the sleeves of her sweater up her arms, she asked, “Is it warm in here all of a sudden?” She fanned her face. “I’m having a hot flash.”
“You’re too young for those.”
“Not when you’re on the cancer meds I’m on.” When he looked at her questioningly, she shrugged. “I take them to keep the breast cancer from coming back.”
“Oh. I didn’t know you had...” His gaze dipped briefly to her chest before returning to her face. He finished the rest of his wine and placed the empty glass next to the others. “Are you better now?”
“Yes. It’s why I’m working on my second-chance list. Facing cancer showed me that life is fleeting. I didn’t want to waste the rest of my life talking about doing things, rather than doing them.”
“Makes sense.”
“So now there’s another fact for your file on me.” She turned in Marissa’s direction as the wine shop owner introduced the next bottle they would be trying. April turned back to Zach. “Now, you tell me one about you.”
The server handed them each another glass. They sniffed, swirled and tasted. April made a face and shook her head as she placed the glass on the table. “No, I’m definitely not a fan of the red wines.”
“My dad died when I was ten.”
She stopped at the whispered confession. “Wow, I’m so sorry. That must have been hard on a kid your age. Any brothers or sisters?”
“Only child. Too bad. It’s just been me and my mom for a very long time.”
Her heart broke a little for the boy who’d lost his father. She couldn’t imagine not having her parents in her life. Sure, they lived up north, about a five-hour drive away. But they were close, especially her and her mom. They spoke on the phone every Thursday night and texted each other during every episode of Dancing with the Stars, giving their own critiques for each dance. And her dad made sure to visit at the beginning of every season to make sure her gutters were cleaned or her furnace winterized or a million other little things she never remembered, but he did. The thought of losing them made her tear up. “No wonder you can be a jerk. You didn’t have a father figure.”
She bit her lip. Okay, she hadn’t meant for it to come out like that. She tried to back up. “I mean, it makes sense that you can be so cold and distant.” She winced. How awful was she? “That’s not what I’m trying to say. Can you help me out here?”
Zach grinned. “Why? You’re doing so well on your own.” He took the next glass of wine from the server and handed one to April. “And I did have a father figure. My grandfather Francisco was a strong presence in my life. So you can’t blame my coldness and distance on him.”
“I didn’t mean...” She glanced at the glass of wine. “I think it’s the wine. It’s making me say my thoughts out loud.”
“Alcohol can do that.”
“But I don’t want to say them.” She sipped her wine, a white this time, and beamed. “Yep, I’m a white wine girl. But I like mine sweeter than this. What about you?”
“I’m not a big connoisseur myself, but I don’t like the sweet wines much. I prefer a dry red, full of body.”
April shivered at the thought. “We’re definite opposites, then.” She let out a breath and glanced about the room, which had taken on a softness around its edges. The front door opened, and she looked again, but it wasn’t Dr. Ross. He’d definitely ditched her. Maybe he’d gotten called by a patient? But she had a feeling it was more to do with her. Oh, well. Like Zach said, it was his loss. She was having a great time.
She paused. She was having a great time with Zach Harrison. There had to be something wrong with this notion. She didn’t like him, but seeing him in this way made her earlier reasons invalid. In fact, she had felt sympathy for him. She closed her eyes. Had to be the wine, she told herself.
When she opened her eyes, she found he was watching her. “Is your mother with you tonight?”
He seemed a bit shocked. “She’s not here. Why are you asking?”
“Well, you said your dad had passed away and that it was only you and your mom. So, where is she?”
“Tonight, she’s at home.” He glanced at his watch. “Probably asleep with the television on.”
“Does she live near here?”
“I’m living with her right now. She’s had some health issues. I moved in to help care for her.”
Why did he have to go and say that? Was he purposely trying to show her he was a nice guy? She groaned. “Next, you’ll tell me that you donate to charity and play with puppies in your free time.”
He peered at her. “Are you feeling okay?”
He put his hand on her arm, and she didn’t protest or push it away. If anything, it felt like a comfort, an anchor. It made the room spin less, at least. She opened her mouth to tell him she was fine, but her stomach rebelled at having too much alcohol and no food. She turned to find the bathroom and instead threw up all over Zach’s expensive-looking shoes.
CHAPTER FIVE
ZACH WAITED OUTSIDE the restroom for April to return. He glanced at his shoes and shrugged. They’d never been his favorite anyway. He’d cleaned them as best he could, but figured that the acid would probably leave permanent marks.
The restroom door opened and April popped her head out. “Is everyone gone yet?”
“No, they’re still trying more wines. But if you want to make an escape, I can smuggle you out the back door.” He pointed to the opposite end of the hallway. “My car is parked out there, and I can drive you home.”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t ask you to do that. Not after I ruined your shoes.”
“You’re not in any condition to drive yourself.”
She brightened at this. “I didn’t drive. I live not far from here, so I walked over. I can walk home. I’ll be fine. I’m feeling better.”
“No, please, I insist on driving you.” There’s no way he could let her walk alone in the dark while she was this tipsy. If he did, his grandfather would be disappointed in his behavior. Gentlemen made sure their ladies returned home safely. Even if April wasn’t his lady, he still felt responsible.
He started down the hallway, but she tugged at his arm. “I left my coat in the main room. I don’t think I can show my face there again.”
“I’ll go get it.” He left her and returned to the store.
Marissa approached him as he grabbed April’s coat from where she’d placed it on top of a display. “How’s your friend doing?”
“She hadn’t eaten anything since lunch, so the wine went straight to her head,” he explained. “I’ll be by tomorrow to pick out some wines.”
“Promises, promises.” She sauntered away, and he remembered why he hadn’t been heartbroken when she’d left him. The woman could hold a grudge and remind him every day word for word why she did.
When he got back to the hallway, April was half leaning, half slouching against the wall with her eyes closed. He put a hand on her shoulder. “You ready to go home?”
She opened one eye and looked at him. “Will you hate me if I throw up in your car?”
He winced as he put an arm around her waist and helped her take a few steps. “Maybe you could give me enough warning for me to pull over first.”
“I’ll try.” She rested her head on his shoulder, and he tried to ignore the delicious way her hair smelled. Like flowers in a field on a summer day.
He held on to her as he opened the back door with one hand, then kept it open with his body as she slowly exited the store. His SUV was parked close by, so he hit the fob to unlock it and helped her ease into it before slamming the door shut and running around to the driver’s side.
He started the car, but leaned in to her to make sure that her seat belt was secure. She looked up at him with wide eyes, but he quickly faced the windshield. “So where do you live?”
She told him the address, and he nodded, driving in that direction. His mom’s house was only two blocks away from hers, which meant he was familiar with the neighborhood. He turned the radio off, but jacked up the heat in case she was cold. “Feeling any better?”
She shook her head and groaned. “I’m never drinking wine again.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. You might want to have a decent meal before you do it again, though.” He glanced at her. “I told you those spit buckets were there for a reason.”
“It seemed so unsanitary.” She closed her eyes again. “I should have, though. I didn’t realize it would have such an effect on me. But then, I’m not much of a drinker. Lesson learned.”
He chuckled. “You’ll be feeling that lesson tomorrow I’m betting.” He made a sharp right turn onto her street. “Do you have someone who could stay with you tonight? Maybe Page?”
“I’ll be fine. I’m going straight to bed.”
“I’d feel better if you had someone with you.” He glanced out the window, trying to read the house numbers.
She pointed at a light blue cottage on the right. “It’s that one there.”
The house suited her, petite, dependable, painted in pastel colors, featuring big windows with lacy curtains. He pulled into the driveway, and she started to open the door. He held out his hand. “Let me help you inside.”
“I’m not completely useless.”
“Didn’t say you were, but you’re still unsteady on your feet. You don’t want to slip on the ice and break your ankle.” He got out and walked around the car to her open passenger door. He waited as she slowly emerged, then held tightly to him as he put his arms around her waist. They lumbered up the path, and he took her house keys from her when she fumbled with them. Once inside, she flicked on a nearby light switch and he took in the cozy atmosphere. She had lots of pillows and a multicolored crocheted blanket over the back of an overstuffed sofa. An antique rocking chair with another blanket that looked handmade was next to a jam-packed built-in bookcase. Candles on every surface. He walked her to the sofa and laid her down. “Where’s your bathroom?”
