by A. C. Arthur
“You want to have dinner with me?” she asked as she’d lifted her head slowly. “Just me?”
“Yes,” he replied. “Just you.”
Her smile was slow coming this time and it drew him instantly. Wade was closing the space between them before she could say another word.
“And Brynne,” he said when he was standing directly in front of her. “I want to kiss…just you.”
When she only stared up at him in shock, Wade lowered his head and touched his lips to hers.
So much for whether or not he should go slow.
Chapter 2
“The 60 Years of Taste event is scheduled for October, the same week as the original opening of the vineyard. We’ve planned three events to lead up to the grand gala. We’ll host each one on the property utilizing all of our space, including the Great Lawn, the Birchwood Cellar, the Poolside, and finally the ballroom here in the Big House.”
Lauren tapped her pen against the notepad that was sitting on the table in front of her. It was a little after two o’clock, an hour after their originally scheduled meeting. The delay had been Wade’s fault, his conference call with Marvin Helmer, the Director of Sales for Basset Banks, had started late because he’d been busy making plans for his evening with Brynne.
“Do you have expense projections for each event?” Wade asked his sister.
He’d looked away from her to stare out toward the copse of trees a short distance from the patio where they were sitting. They were at the back of the Big House, in the sitting area just beyond the second floor study. When he wasn’t in his penthouse in San Francisco, or traveling for either vineyard or one of his personal business ventures, Wade was here at the Big House. The study and the views from this portion of the house were his favorites.
“It’s all right here,” she said as she pushed a folder across the table in his direction. “I know how you like to see everything in writing. I’ll be watching the numbers for this celebration carefully because I know you want to free up more capital for the Tuscany project.”
Wade had opened the folder and was moving one sheet of paper and then the next, gazing over the numbers that he knew he would study more closely later. At her words, he looked up to see his sister staring at him.
“I thought we were both on board with bringing Villa Donati and the land up to date to make it a functional vineyard once again,” he said.
Lauren had sat back, propping her elbow on the arm of the chair and touching her long fingers lightly to a few strands of her dark, bone straight hair. She wore a black top with a red and black skirt today. The top was sleeveless so her thin arms were visible up to the ball of her shoulder. The line of her long neck was evident as she tilted her head to the side and continued to look questioningly at him.
“I do. It’s a great idea to bring nonno’s land back to life. Mama was so proud of her father and all his accomplishments. I have to figure she gave Daddy an ultimatum when she signed all of her inheritance from nonno over to him,” Lauren spoke softly.
It was always that way when they talked about their mother. Soft and somber, just like the woman he’d known and who Lauren had just begun to know as his sister was only three when Lily Banks died.
“It would have been the first time she stood up to him,” Wade told her. “”Adone and Marta Donati would have been heartbroken to learn of the life their only daughter Liliana had lived in the great United States.” That’s what Eleonora said to me when I was in Tuscany.”
Lauren nodded. “Wasn’t it a beautiful thing, that friendship between nonna and Eleonora? Even after nonna’s death just a few years after Mama had left Tuscany to come to America to marry Dad, Eleonora stayed and took care of nonno, until he too died of a broken heart.”
Wade wasn’t so certain that was the cause of either of his grandparents’ death. He was more inclined to go with the medical diagnosis of a heart attack for Marta Donati and kidney failure for Adone. They were old and had worked the land at Villa Donati since they were both young children. Living to be in their seventies had been a blessing. Seeing the progress of their teachings to their only child in the growth of a new vineyard in the states, would have been an added bonus. No, Wade thought, looking out onto the once again thriving vines of the Tuscany villa was what would have made his grandparents’ lives complete. That’s what he aimed to do, regardless of the past and the fact that he knew without a doubt his father would not have approved.
“I’ll look over these numbers tonight, but the anniversary celebration is just as much a priority as Tuscany. We’re in good shape financially, I just don’t want to make too many big moves at once.”
“I get it. The silent auction is up first as far as events, I’m projecting we’ll pull in more than a million on that alone. Donating those proceeds was a good idea. Showing the human side of Basset Banks has always worked to our advantage,” Lauren continued.
His sister was good with money. She was fantastic at marketing. She’d been working in that department since graduating from high school and once she’d finished college she’d taken on a bigger role by not only marketing their wines, but targeting specific high-end vendors and ensuring exclusive distribution contracts. In the last three years she’d moved into the Vice President and Director of Marketing positions, as they’d both agreed that despite their equal shares in the company, they would work their way to the top.
“I take it you’ve created a diverse guest list for the auction,” Wade said.
“Of course,” she replied. “It’s so diverse that I’ve even invited our top three competitors to celebrate with us. Marvin gave me a list of his top sales reps that he wanted to be sure we included and Mrs. Ramsey and I spent an entire afternoon baking cookies and going over all of the family connections that we needed to invite.”
“How many bottles did you go through to complete that great task?” he joked.
Lauren chuckled instantly. “You know us too well. We downed an entire six pack of Mountain Dew because you know as well as I do that the best way to get Mrs. Ramsey to do what you want is to supply her favorite soda.”
“That soda is pure caffeine. I’m sure both of you were pretty wound up by the time you finished.”
“Nobody has a constitution like Mrs. Ramsey. Remember she told us about the time she and Mama opened one of the test barrels for a new cabernet blend.”
Wade nodded, remembering that story fondly as one of the most enjoyable ones that the Director of Facilities, Ophelia Ramsey, had shared with them. They’d known her all their lives. She’d fed and changed them when they were babies, mourned with them during their mother’s death, and scolded them as wayward teenagers. She was, Wade thought affectionately, the closest thing to a good parent that he and Lauren had ever had.
“Mama couldn’t hold her liquor well so Mrs. Ramsey did the honors,” Wade finished part of the story.
Lauren added the last part in a somber voice, “And when Daddy found them in the winery sitting on the cement floor sleep after their girls’ night, he wanted to fire Mrs. Ramsey and throttle Mama.”
“That was the second time Mama stood up to him.”
“Go Lily,” Lauren quipped.
His sister pushed back from the table and stood. She walked to the windows and crossed her arms over her chest as she stared out. Wade sat silently for a few moments, marveling at the woman Lauren had become. She hadn’t had an easy time growing up in a world of wealth and prestige without a mother, and with a controlling father. Wade had tried to do what he could, which often meant taking Lauren up to her room to play, or when he was older, taking her out of the house, out of the realm of their father and his unyielding requests.
“I’m having dinner with Brynne tonight.”
The words came abruptly and Wade couldn’t even explain why he’d said them. He hadn’t been thinking about Brynne. At least he hadn’t meant to be. Obviously he wasn’t doing a good job of remaining focused on business matters.
Lauren turned i
mmediately to face him. Her arms remained crossed, her head tilted slightly. The smile that spread slowly across her face was a surprise that didn’t quite calm Wade as he thought it should have.
“You and Brynne are having dinner,” Lauren stated slowly. “Where?”
“On the back deck,” he said. So they could watch the sunset together.
Wade kept that part to himself.
“Mrs. Ramsey is preparing that grilled chicken and peppers dish she likes,” he continued. “And I sent Perez to get a bottle of the new combination we’re working on.”
“She’s not supposed to have a lot of wine,” Lauren told him.
She still hadn’t moved and was giving him a strange look.
Wade nodded. “I know. She’ll take a few sips of the wine and eat a very small portion of the chicken and peppers. Small meals and a steady exercise regimen. I got it.”
“You do, don’t you,” she said. “I would have never guessed it, but you certainly do have it.”
Her look, combined with her words were making him uncomfortable. The feeling was unusual for him and so Wade stood as well. He figured this would put him and Lauren on a level playing field. This way he wouldn’t feel so awkward. It didn’t really work.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” he finally asked. “Brynne’s not a stranger. She’s been staying here for months.”
“Eight months,” Lauren said. “She came here as soon as she was able to travel after her surgery. The first few days she didn’t come out of her room a lot and then you were travelling, so we’ll say that you knew she was here for about half that time.”
“I knew she was here the moment I walked into the den that first day.”
It was the first time he’d stepped into the Big House and felt totally different. The normal welcoming atmosphere of the dark wood trimmings and antique furnishings had felt cooler, as if a breath of fresh air had blown over the entire space. He hadn’t been prepared for the fact that the breath of fresh air had come in such an alluring package.
“But this is the first time you’ve decided to have dinner with her?”
Truth be told, he’d wanted to be alone with Brynne, in addition to their walks, for quite some time now. Today was the first day he’d decided that thinking about being with her was no longer enough.
“No. It’s the first time I’ve asked her to dinner,” he replied.
“Wow,” she said and then chuckled. “I used to look up to you, Wade. I used to think you were the best because you didn’t mince words, you stood for what you believed and you went after whatever it was that you wanted.”
“I still do all of those things,” he said slowly, wondering what his sister was really trying to say.
“Then why would you wait until she’s about to return to her home and her job, to make a move on her?”
Dinner was in forty minutes. Brynne was dressed early.
Did that mean she was excited?
Of course not.
For one, food simply did not hold the same appeal to her as it had before, so looking forward to specific meals because of what she would be eating, rarely occurred anymore. That was just fine with her because that was part of the reason she’d been able to keep off the one hundred and nine pounds she’d lost since the surgery. Her goal wasn’t far off as her blood pressure numbers had already started to look better and the threat of Type 2 Diabetes was drifting further away. She was comfortably wearing a size sixteen now and was actually very pleased with the way she looked. To be clear, Brynne had never had a problem with her appearance. She loved her full face, high cheekbones and plump lips. Every curve of her body—when she was in a size twenty-four and even now—made her feel sexy and desirable. Her café au lait complexion was a combination of her father’s dark skinned hue and her mother’s lighter than fresh butter skin tone. She had her father’s thick hair and her mother’s quick wit. She loved clothes and make-up, but was also disciplined enough to maintain a sensible budget for both. So while there had been things that were a little harder for her to do when she was carrying more weight, the decision to have the surgery, for Brynne, was based mostly on the fear of having to stick herself with needles every day to monitor her blood sugar and the greater possibility of the high blood pressure causing a stroke regardless.
The second reason she wasn’t nervous was because she knew this wasn’t a date. Wade was Lauren’s older brother. Lauren was her best friend. That was it.
But he wanted to kiss her. He’d told her so. In reply, she’d acted like a fourteen-year old and backed away he second his lips had brushed against hers.
Shaking her head Brynne punched the keys that logged her into her email and prepared her mind to focus on something else. For the majority of the time that she’d been in California Brynne had been communicating with the outside world via text message or email. The reason for this was she believed people tended to say more when they spoke personally. Hence talking to them on the phone or even via Skype for that matter, would undoubtedly have led to conversations lasting longer and opinions being dispersed. Opinions that were often negative or at the very least non-supportive of her overall plan. So she’d declared a communication distance, as well as the physical one. Still, she couldn’t just walk away from everything, namely the career she’d worked so hard to get started.
Speaking of which her first email was from Monica Lakefield.
It’s too late. Atlanta is secure with the manager we’ve had in place for the last year. Will be in touch if there’s anything else.
Brynne sighed.
Well, she’d blown that job.
Two years after she’d graduated from Gonzaga with an Art History degree, Brynne had interviewed for an internship with the Lakefield Galleries. Bailey had used her connection with the Desdune family and Karena Lakefield to get Brynne the interview, and she’d let Brynne stay with her until she found an apartment in New York once she’d clinched the job. For the next two years Brynne worked side-by-side with Monica Lakefield, the manager of the New York gallery. It was during her third year of working with Monica that she’d received the offer of a lifetime. At twenty-seven years old Brynne was going to be managing her own gallery, the Atlanta Lakefield.
She was ecstatic and was ready to share her good news at the family reunion and Brock and Noelle’s wedding. But that was before Bailey, Regan and Victoria were held captive by a crazed serial killer. By the time they’d left the family island of Sansonique tensions were high and it didn’t seem like the time for such an announcement. Months later, while construction of the gallery in Atlanta was nearing completion, her uncles’ houses in Miami were vandalized and her father had begun to act strangely. Things continued to go downhill from there and by the time the gallery was about to open it was Christmas Eve and Savian and Jenise were getting married the next day. Brynne hadn’t wanted to steal her cousin’s thunder, especially since she liked Jenise a lot. But her good intentions were almost thwarted when Savian opened a box to find a clock and a cryptic note: “Time is ticking by”.
Two days after that, the Seniors shared the news that would forever change their family. Brynne’s doctor’s appointment came next, three weeks before the scheduled opening of the Atlanta gallery. That night Brynne had called Monica to tell her that she could not accept the job.
For months after making that call Brynne had questioned her sanity. The job was a once in a lifetime offer, she knew that. She also knew she needed to ensure that she would have a healthy life before accepting another position. Hence the reason she’d begun exchanging emails with Monica in the past few months. Brynne wasn’t foolish, she knew that burning bridges was never a good thing in the business world. So she’d kept in touch, without actually asking for another job. At the same time she’d been sending her resume out in the hopes that she would come up with something by the summer. It was now March and there had been no interviews, no offers. Nothing.
With a sigh, Brynne opened a new email and attached the invitati
on she’d promised Lauren she would send. Once that was done, she scrolled through her inbox deleting messages and marking some to be read later. She stopped, her fingers freezing over the keys as she saw the sender of the next email: #donovans#1
She’d received more than a dozen emails from this sender in the last year and she hadn’t opened any of them. She didn’t know who it was from but the name was hitting too close to home. Today, however, she wondered if she should just open it. Just to see who it was and what they wanted. How bad could it be? Brynne shook her head. She didn’t even want to entertain that question. But she couldn’t keep ignoring it because that made her feel like she was running, again. She’d spent so much time working on herself, on her mindset and her disposition. She should be able to read this email and deal with whatever it presented. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly she decided she was right. It was time to get this over with. She opened the email at the same time as there was a quick knock on her door.
Brynne jumped as if she’d been caught looking at porn, slamming the case closed over her tablet. She stood and was turning around just as another knock sounded.
“Come in,” Brynne called out before clearing her throat.
“Hey!” Lauren said when she came in. “Just wanted to…well, well, well. Don’t you look pretty. Got a hot date?”
Brynne looked down at the light wash stretch jeans she’d decided to wear. She’d added a cream colored tank top and a floral print kimono with cognac colored high-heeled sandals. Her hair was left loose except for the section she’d pulled off her forehead and held back with a leather barrette. It was a casual outfit she thought since Wade had stated the dinner would be here at the house.
“Thanks. No, um, I…it’s just dinner with, um, Wade. So you know, nothing big or fancy or hot,” Brynne said and then stopped because she felt like she was saying too much.
The way Lauren was nodding as she moved forward and walked around Brynne still surveying her outfit, proved that not only had Brynne said too much, but that Lauren was clearly thinking too much.
