Chapter 9 Kinley
Wyatt was so different from what I’d expected.
I adored working at BuzzPage—until it all went to hell—but my bosses there had been completely different.
They didn’t have even half of Wyatt’s motivation.
He lived and breathed his business; work was a part of him but didn’t overcome him. And that was hot.
Yes, my boss was hot. And I needed to control myself.
“Okay, I’m intrigued,” I said in what I hoped was a nonchalant tone. “What are we doing?”
“Let’s head out to Calistoga. We could make it in time to catch the sunset. I’ve seen it a few times. It’s really great.”
A CEO who takes time to watch sunsets? Now that’s something worth writing home about.
“Sure. How far away is it?”
“An hour, give or take.”
“Right. Just give me five minutes to change, and then I’ll be ready to go.” I loved my sneakers, but I wanted to get out of them after so many hours.
I headed to my room, intending to change and then go to the bathroom to apply makeup, but then I heard the shower turn on.
Oh, right! I was sharing a bathroom with Wyatt.
It felt weird. I’d never shared a bathroom.
Growing up, there were three in our house—my parents had one, and my sister and I each had our own.
I decided to put on my makeup in my room as well.
I changed into a flowery dress that I’d bought in a vintage shop. It was a very ’50s style with a wide skirt and a sweetheart neckline. I paired it with a light beige sweater and a white jacket on top. It could get chillier in the late hours of the evening, and I didn’t want to feel cold.
I liked fun and fancy clothes. Mark used to make fun of me for that, but I’d always ignored his comments. I didn’t care if he liked it or not—I did, and that was all that mattered.
I opened the door to the bedroom and nearly swallowed my tongue because, ladies and gentlemen, Wyatt Sterling had just gotten out of the shower and was walking through the living room with nothing but a towel wrapped around him.
Holy shit!
He turned abruptly, which made me realize that I’d probably gasped or made some sound to give me away.
He whistled. “You’re ready.”
“Y-yes. Told you I’d be ready in five minutes.”
I was actually two minutes late.
“All right, my bad.”
“What do you mean?”
“Women always need longer than they say.”
I cocked a brow, trying very hard to focus on his face. I was absolutely not going to check out his torso.
Damn it. How can he just parade around like this?
“You shouldn’t be so quick to judge all of us or lump us together.”
He nodded once. “Duly noted. I’ll be quick.”
“I’ll wait outside.”
I crossed the room, opening the front door before he could reply.
If I stayed, I was running the real risk of giving myself away by ogling those muscles to my heart’s content.
Besides, the air was lovely outside. It was going to be a beautiful night.
I couldn’t believe that we’d finished the workday already.
Wyatt joined me a few minutes later. “Right, I’m ready to go.”
He was wearing jeans and a simple black T-shirt, flashing that tattoo. It seemed almost intentional.
“How are we getting there?” I asked him. Sage had picked us up, so I didn’t know how we’d manage this.
“I’ve rented a car.”
As if on cue, I noticed Sage driving toward us in a huge Mercedes. She stopped in the circular driveway and got out without even taking the key out of ignition.
“All ready for you, boss.”
“Thanks, Sage.” Wyatt gave her a salute, putting two fingers to his temple and directing them at her.
“You’ll like the city. I recommend you two go to Castello di Amorosa. It’s got one of the best views.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I’ll tell you about it in the car,” Wyatt said. “After all, we have plenty of time.”
He was right about that. We had an hour together, and driving alone with this man was going to be interesting.
Once we were in the car, I prompted, “So, what’s Castello di Amorosa?”
“It’s a medieval winery. Tuscan style.”
“Is it a replica?”
“No, since it’s not a copy of an existing building, it was actually built in the fourteenth-century style using traditional techniques and antique bricks imported from Europe. They offer a wine tour, and I’ve always wanted to do it. Fingers crossed that they still have tickets.”
“We can only go there to see the sunset with tickets?”
Wyatt laughed, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. “Don’t worry. If we can’t get tickets, I’ll find a way to sneak us up to a good viewing point.”
“Sneak us, huh? That’s in your CEO repertoire?”
“Oh, no. That’s in my middle brother’s repertoire.”
“How many brothers do you have? I know I’ve read it but don’t remember. Four?”
“Five.”
I whistled. “Your mom and dad certainly had their hands full with you all growing up.”
“They did,” Wyatt said, but he didn’t sound very positive about it. “I have two younger brothers and three older ones. And being the third youngest meant I had the best of both worlds. I was young enough that my parents didn’t reprimand me and old enough to learn tricks from the others.”
“Big family. You were lucky. I’ve got one sister, but my aunt had four girls, and we lived on the same street. It was mayhem growing up, but I loved it.”
“They still live close by?”
“No,” I sighed. “Just my sister and I are in San Diego. Our cousins are scattered throughout the country. We keep in touch, but it’s not the same. I like spending time with the people I care about. Probably why I camp out at my sister’s house so often when her husband is away.”
“He commutes for work?”
“He’s in the Army.” I bit the inside of my cheek, glancing out the window.
“You disapprove.”
“No, not at all. I think it’s commendable. But it’s difficult for my sister, and not just because they have a kid. She lives in fear that something could happen to him, although he’s rarely in combat zones.” And so did I, quite frankly. Ryan was a great guy, and my sister loved him immensely.
“Did your sister ever think about moving to the base with him?”
“No, because she doesn’t want to uproot her daughter.”
“That makes sense.”
I was shocked that he was so invested in this. “I mean, if she did, she’d be by herself most of the time anyway, and this way she’s still by family. My parents and I can help out when needed.”
“Of course.”
“On the bright side, that means I can spend a lot of time with my girls without worrying that I’m getting on my brother-in-law’s nerves.
Although he’s a good guy and wouldn’t mind, I probably wouldn’t be over there so much if he was stateside.
Now, back to Calistoga. Tell me more about it. Have you been there often?”
“Three or four times. I don’t remember, to be honest. When I come here, I usually only stay a few days, and I work from dusk to dawn.”
“Ha. I knew this was too good to be true.” I snapped my fingers for dramatic effect.
“What’s too good to be true?”
“This whole ‘Oh, we should explore and have a relaxed evening’ persona. You’re a workaholic, aren’t you? You can tell me the truth. I’ve already signed a contract. I won’t run away. I can deal with anything.” I meant that in a literal way.
Wyatt laughed. “No, I’m not a total workaholic. I just try to make the best of my time here. As I said, I usually only spend a couple of days, not a week.”
“We can shorten this trip.”
“Nah, getting a good feel of the Napa area is going to help you with marketing. We want to show off the heritage of this area in our branding. We want to transport people to Napa whenever they have one of our wines.”
That was a bit cheesy, but I got the idea. So, tonight was still a business trip.
Of course it’s a business trip, Kinley. Why on earth would it be anything else?
For the rest of the drive, we spoke a bit more about the area. I had to do more homework on this. I hadn’t researched Napa too much, but what Wyatt said made sense.
The castle was up on a hill, majestically overlooking over the city. I could see why it was a popular spot for watching the sunset. We walked straight up to the ticket office. A seventy-something woman was typing furiously on her keyboard. She had curly red hair that I would die for.
“Hello, I’d like two tickets, please,” Wyatt said.
“We’re all booked for the last tour today,” she said without even looking at him.
Oh, well, that was that. I felt a pang of disappointment, then remembered what he said in the car. He was going to sneak us in anyway.
“I’d be very grateful if you’d make an exception.” Then he leaned closer and whispered, “I want to propose to my girlfriend up there.”
His words were like a shock to my system. Holy shit. This man’s sneaky skills were truly out of this world.
The woman instantly softened, looking at him with pure adoration. I had to remember this tactic.
“Two tickets coming right up.”
Wyatt straightened up, turning and winking at me. He looked mighty happy with himself.
The cashier printed two tickets and immediately handed them to Wyatt. “I wish you all the best.”
“Thank you,” he replied.
Then he walked straight to me, winking again. As I turned, he put an arm around my shoulders. “How did I do?” he asked.
“That was fantastic. You didn’t even bat an eye.”
“She ate it right up.”
“Think she’s going to be sad when she finds out it’s all a ruse?”
“She won’t find out. The cashier’s desk is only open for ten more minutes.”
“That’s good. I could imagine the look of disappointment on her face. I’m very impressed with your sneaky skills,” I admitted. “Did you have this planned just in case?”
He hesitated before answering. “I actually stole the idea from one of my brothers.”
“They habitually say they’re going to propose in order to get what they want?”
“Close. My brother Griffin pretended to have a girlfriend to secure a business deal.”
I gasped. “That can’t possibly be true.”
“It is.”
“I thought that only happened in movies.”
“Nope. Griffin and Phoebe are proof it doesn’t.”
“You’re talking about them as if they’re a couple.”
He nodded. “They started pretending, and then things worked out between them.”
“Whoa. Well, then you’re not as inventive as I thought.”
Wyatt dropped his arm from around my shoulders and straightened up. “What? No. I still get credit for what I pulled back there.”
“You do,” I reiterated. “Just not as much as before.”
“You’re a tough negotiator.”
I grinned. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”