Intrigue and a Bottle of Merlot

by Bria Marche

  “Who the hell is this?” Sasha demanded.

  Vic looked at the screen on her phone again just to make sure it was Sasha. “It’s me, you fool. Who the hell do you think it is? You called me, didn’t you?”

  “Well, yes, but why is your voice all screwed up?”

  “Because I was drinking all night and apparently slept with my mouth open. What the hell do you want, Sasha?”

  “No need to be snippy. What are you doing? I want everyone to come over and give me their opinion of which arbors and trellises to buy. I have catalogs and brochures here with tons of choices. I’ll make lunch. Have you talked to Tina or Karen this morning?”

  “Sasha, stop talking. Your voice hurts my brain. Tina and Karen are here at my house. We’ll be over in a few hours. You have to call Mia on your own. I need coffee.”

  Karen zombie walked to the living room with three steaming mugs of coffee on a tray. She was far too jittery to carry them on her own. “Here’s coffee, and I found a bottle of aspirin in the junk drawer. I’ve already downed four of them.”

  “There is a God after all. Thank you, Karen.” Tina moaned. “Whose idea was it to get completely annihilated last night?”

  “I believe it was Karen’s,” Vic snarled while holding her temples.

  “Oh, yeah, sorry, guys,” Karen said.

  “Sasha wants us all at her place at noon. We have to help her look over arbors and shit.” Vic groaned. “We have to go, or she’ll probably start crying. I’m going to drink my coffee and shower.”

  “Okay, I’m going home. I’ll see you guys at Sasha’s. I’m taking a mug of coffee, Vic. Thanks for last night… I think. Actually, I don’t remember any of it.” Karen laughed.

  “Yeah, that makes all of us. Later, girlfriend.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Mario looked side to side as he walked the familiar Colorado Avenue to Gravity. The store was only two blocks from the inn. He noticed the different boutiques and small shops that had popped up in the eight months since he’d left Telluride. Some stores have staying power, and others disappear within a year of opening. I should be thankful Gravity has lasted this long. I hope whoever buys it will keep it going strong. Mario knew if Billy was in charge, Gravity would remain a huge success for years to come. He turned right at the alley and entered the store through the back door. Once inside, the second door to the left was his office.

  He stepped in and closed the door behind him. The large window facing the sales floor offered him a great vantage point to watch the staff and customers interact with each other. Business was good. It always had been, especially when Sarah had worked there. Mario had hit a home run years before with Gravity, and now Geared Up and the Summit were following suit. Karen had a lot to do with the successful startup of those two stores. She was a natural when it came to business sense. Sarah and Karen had that in common. I need to make the call now and straighten things out. Mario went out to the sales floor to let Abby and Steve know he’d arrived. He told them he had work to do in the office for a while, but if they needed anything, they should let him know. Back at his desk, with a fresh cup of coffee on a coaster, he called Karen, but she didn’t pick up.

  Mario hit End Call. He was more than discouraged that he hadn’t had a chance to explain everything to Karen or even find out what the emergency was back home, if there really was one. Two days have gone by without more than a few words spoken between us. She’s got to be pissed off, first because she probably saw Sarah and me together, and then those stupid women from last night. I can’t blame her for getting the wrong idea. God, I miss her.

  Mario called Geared Up and the Summit to see how business was going. He considered asking Max if Vic had mentioned anything about Karen but nixed the idea. That sounds way too pathetic coming from a man.

  A knock sounded on the door. The doorknob turned, and Sarah peeked in. “Hi Mario, do you have time to talk now?”

  “Is it lunchtime already?” he asked, not paying attention to the clock on the wall across the room.

  “No, it was just slow at the sandwich shop, so I took my break now. It usually gets busier at noon. May I?” She waited just outside the door, holding Mario’s help-wanted ad.

  “Yeah, come on in. Sit down, Sarah. Would you like something to drink?”

  “Sure, coffee is fine since you already made it. You know how I like it.” She smiled at him.

  Mario poured cream in Sarah’s coffee and added another splash of coffee to his cup to warm it up. He handed her the mug and sat back down on his leather office chair with a sigh.

  “Mario, I won’t let you down, I promise. I’ll behave professionally and do the job you hire me to do. I realize things aren’t like they used to be where we goofed around and… well, I mean, I’ll do a good job, that’s all. I really could use a reliable source of income rather than two part-time jobs. I like the atmosphere at Slopes, and the tips are great, but I don’t work every night.”

  “You don’t have to convince me. I understand where you’re coming from. You always were a good employee and great at your job. You have a way with the customers, which is good for business. They’re attracted to you, and you engage well with them. All of that, plus knowing the business, is a bonus in my opinion. I say okay for now. The store is for sale, and chances are Billy might buy it. He’d be happy to have you as an employee here as well as at Slopes.”

  The shocked look on Sarah’s face told Mario he’d taken her by surprise. “I thought you just needed a new manager because of the theft problems.” She glanced down at the ad and read it again. “I didn’t know you were thinking of selling the store. The ski school, too?”

  “Yes, both, but I’m not only thinking of it—I’m going to do it as soon as possible. I’ve moved on, Sarah. Please don’t read more into my being here than what it is. I came back to Telluride to get the store on track, nothing more. I thought about putting it up for sale as soon as I realized the profits were down. Being an absentee owner was setting myself up for failure. I know that now. You never know who you can trust.”

  “What if it doesn’t sell? I could run the store for you, Mario. You could come and go as you please and have peace of mind that Gravity is being managed properly. It’s something to think about. You know I’m…”

  “Trustworthy? In business, I agree. Sarah, my life is in New York. I have friends and family there.”

  “But you always did. That hasn’t changed.” She took a sip of the coffee and stared at him. Tears began to pool in her bottom lids.

  “Okay… there’s also a woman. I think we’re a good fit, but that’s personal. Anyway, do you want the job?”

  He saw pain and sadness in her eyes. She still loved him—that was obvious—but his admission of dating another woman had blindsided her. Mario didn’t want to hurt Sarah—he knew what that felt like—but he’d needed to tell her about Karen in order to keep things on a professional level. She had to understand they weren’t getting back together.

  She cleared her throat and took another sip of coffee before speaking. “So, when can I start?”

  “As soon as you can. Do what you need to do across the street and let me know. Sarah?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thanks for offering. It’s really a huge burden off my shoulders. Are you working at Slopes tonight?”

  “Yeah, I’m bartending from seven until closing.”

  “Okay. I might stop in for dinner. I wanted to talk to Billy anyway, if he’s going to be there. Tomorrow, we’re meeting with his investment partner and their banker.”

  “The special tonight is pot roast,” she said. “I know how much you like that.” She smiled at him, holding his gaze a little longer than necessary, then turned and walked away.

  ***

  Karen set the blow dryer to medium as she leaned over and let the warm air dry her highlighted hair. She was angry with herself for going to the trouble of changing her hair and clothing style to impress Mario. He’s just a guy like the rest—
untrustworthy. If I really want a man in my life, I’m going to have to go back to the nerds that are older than me and can’t get a woman to look twice at them. At least they probably don’t have a dreadlocked hottie waiting in the wings.

  She remembered the phone call she’d gotten while she was showering. Karen turned off the blow dryer to take a look. Damn it—Mario! Her heart did a flip-flop, cancelling out all the logical conclusions she’d been trying to convince herself of just five seconds earlier. She checked for a message, but there wasn’t any. Okay, enough of this shit. This thing with Mario, whatever it is, is getting resolved today. The girls will tell me what to do when I get to Sasha’s house.

  Karen had hope again. She dressed, realizing her throbbing headache was gone. Thank you, aspirin gods. She tore open a bag of kibbles and poured them into Claire’s bowl, refilled her water dish, and bolted out the door.

  Karen was the last to arrive at the Victorian. Tina was looking as hungover as she had earlier. Vic wasn’t much better, but at least she’d showered. They were sitting at the dining-room table, drinking coffee, when Karen walked in. Catalogs and printouts of garden decor were scattered across the large table. A plate of freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies was placed in the middle like a centerpiece.

  “It’s about time you got here.” Tina groaned. “Now maybe we can get started.”

  “Isn’t that the same outfit you wore to Vic’s last night?” Karen asked.

  “Yeah… you got a problem with it?”

  “Nope, just an observation. Okay, this is the last time I’m going to bring up Mario. I just want to get it out of the way so we can focus on Sasha’s wedding garden today. He called earlier while I was in the shower, but he didn’t leave a message. Does that mean he’s pissed off or has given up?”

  “I guess Mia and Sasha don’t know about last night, right?” Vic asked.

  “Nope.”

  “What happened last night that nobody had the courtesy of telling me about?” Sasha snipped.

  “It’s not about you, Ms. Destiny. You’ll get plenty of attention as soon as this conversation is over.”

  “Fine, what happened?” Sasha’s fingernails were almost in her mouth when Vic slapped them away.

  “I swear, Sasha, I’ll kill you right now if your hands get near your mouth again. Don’t test me.”

  Sasha scooted her chair closer to Mia.

  Karen began again. “I called Mario last night to give him a chance to explain Dora Dreadlocks to me. He answered the phone with a bunch of screaming, laughing women in the background. They even grabbed his phone and took it away from him. He obviously isn’t missing me very much. I think our relationship was over before it even got started.”

  “Does that mean I won’t get paid on the bet?” Sasha whined.

  “What bet?” Karen eyed them all, one by one.

  “Sasha, zip it.” Mia glared at her with a threatening look. “So, have you and Mario actually talked to each other since you’ve been home? I mean for more than two seconds?” Mia jammed a chocolate-chip cookie into her mouth.

  “Don’t eat all the cookies. We have lunch coming up,” Sasha reminded her.

  “Then why the hell are they on the friggin’ table?” Mia said.

  “Because they’re pretty.” Sasha smiled proudly at the cookies.

  Karen moaned. “Hello… can we get back to my problem, please?”

  “Oh yeah, so you haven’t really talked?” Mia asked.

  “Well, not exactly. We either get each other’s voice mail, or something like last night happens. I had time to talk to him last night too, damn it. I was going to tell him about Sasha’s emergency then wait for him to explain where he and his teenage girlfriend went after she gave him that lip-lock.”

  “I had an emergency? How come nobody told me?”

  “We already did, Sasha. It isn’t important anyway. Have a cookie.”

  “Okay, back to me. I have to know exactly what to say when Mario and I talk. Do I say I know about his girlfriend and act all pissed off, or let him bring her up? Maybe I’m worrying about nothing since this was the first time he went back to Telluride in eight months. I mean, he’s supposed to be coming home soon. He must be over her, right?”

  “Didn’t you just say she kissed him, then they left together? He was gone for hours, wasn’t he?” Mia asked.

  “Karen, just call him, and see what he says,” Tina said. “He’s the one that has to come up with a believable story, not you. It’s going to be up to you to accept it or not. You can start over with him or kick his ass to the curb.” She smirked.

  “Hey, don’t talk like that about my brother,” Vic threatened.

  “Oh my friggin’ God—I’ll figure it out myself. There’s, like, sixteen topics going on at once. Let’s eat lunch and look at these stupid catalogs.”

  Everyone shot the shit eye at Karen as Sasha’s lip came out.

  “Oops,” Karen said. “That was a slip of the tongue, honey. I really didn’t mean it. I’m just frustrated. Can you forgive me? I’ll help you make lunch.”

  “Okay, I guess. C’mon let’s make sandwiches. We have a lot to do this afternoon.”

  Karen slathered mustard and butter on the individual pieces of stone-ground wheat bread as Sasha loaded them with a variety of meats and cheeses. The assembly line they had going along the countertop and ending at the griddle worked flawlessly. Mia, Tina, and Vic sliced celery and carrots then filled the vegetable platter with cherry tomatoes and olives. Chips and dip completed the lunch menu as they gathered in the kitchen to eat.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The afternoon was spent picking out six arbors, eight trellises, and various plaster-winged statues for the wedding garden. The actual ceremony would take place under a large pergola, so that needed to be custom-built at the site. All of the arbors and trellises were Victorian in style and white. They were scheduled to arrive by freight on May 8th.

  “Yay, that’s done,” Sasha said. “I can scratch it off my list. It’s one less thing to worry about. Do any of you know somebody who can build the pergola for me?”

  Mia responded with a nod since her mouth was full of cookies again. She swallowed hard, took a sip of wine, and answered. “Ask Josh. Don’t forget he owns plenty of real estate in town. He’s either done a lot of the work himself or hired someone to do it. He’ll know someone for sure that can build it.”

  “You’re right, Mia. Thanks.”

  “So, what happened with the Candy ordeal?” Tina asked

  “Josh had a legal agreement drawn up for visitation. J. J. stays with Candy on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other weekend. The same goes for Josh except his days are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They have to share holidays.”

  “Has she found a job yet?”

  “I think she works at the Arby’s near the mall. I’m just glad she isn’t allowed to bang on my door whenever she wants anymore,” Sasha said.

  Tina agreed. “Amen to that.”

  “I made up a fun project for J. J. It will keep him involved and feeling like he’s a big part of our new family and the pregnancy. I bought a photo album, and every few weeks I’ll have J. J. take pictures of my growing belly. We’ll turn it into a scrapbook of sorts with silly anecdotes and the date. I think he’ll like putting a memory album together for the family.”

  “That’s sweet of you, Sasha. J. J. is really excited about this baby,” Vic said.

  Karen said goodbye to the girls and went home at four o’clock. She needed time alone to do some soul-searching and think about her future. Do I even want a guy? Maybe I thought I did because everyone else was jumping on the bandwagon. Tina and I can be perfectly happy spinsters—I’m sure of it. I already have the cat, and she can borrow Kismet whenever she wants.

  Trying to talk herself out of pursuing Mario proved difficult. Karen was in love and had been for months. They’d been almost at the point of becoming a real couple until the second day in Telluride. She couldn’t believe how jealou
s she’d become when she heard the conversation at the sandwich shop. Then, when Sarah had walked into Gravity and kissed Mario, Karen had almost blown a gasket. Who am I kidding? I’m not ready to give up on him yet. I have to give this relationship the best shot I can. How will I ever know if we have a chance unless I try?

  She nervously paced, not knowing if it was her place to question Mario or not. She walked the length of the hallway with a glass of Merlot in her hand, sipping on it while she debated with herself what to do next. She wasn’t even sure if they qualified as a couple yet since they hadn’t actually discussed exclusivity with each other.

  “Screw this.” The courageous Karen appeared if only for a few minutes. She filled the wine glass again, grabbed her cell, and sat on the couch. Karen scrolled to Mario’s name and stared at it, frozen in fear. “Okay, I just have to get this over with.” She hit Call and waited. She glanced at the clock, knowing he ought to be at the store and hoping he still was.

  The ringing on the other end almost sent her into panic mode. She felt sweat droplets forming in her hairline. She wiped the back of her neck and took a large gulp of wine.

  Mario picked up. “Karen?”

  “Hi, Mario, I guess we’ve been playing phone tag, right?” Try to sound nonchalant, damn it. She chuckled, not knowing if she sounded convincing.

  “Karen, I’m still at Gravity. Hold on—I’ll step into the office so we can talk privately.”

  Karen heard Mario talking to Abby, telling her he had to take a call.

  “Okay, I’m alone. I’m so sorry about that mix-up last night.”

  “Oh, no big deal. I’m sure you were just having fun. A guy’s gotta get out once in a while and let loose, right?” She took another gulp of wine and laughed again.

  “No, that isn’t what happened. Karen, what’s going on?”

  Her eyes began tearing up. She was glad he couldn’t see her agony. She was forcing herself to act as if she didn’t care what he did. “You mean why did I leave Telluride?” Karen cleared her throat so he wouldn’t hear her voice crack.