Sneak a Peek At Red Wine Lover
Can’t wait for the next tale from the Chocolate Lab Café?
Here’s a teaser for Red Wine Lover, featuring Lauren and Jean-Luc—and their pups Baby and Cab.
Prologue
Lauren
Valentine’s Day 12 months ago...
“B aby! Baby, come back!”
The moment I’d set my handbag on the floor, my little girl had jumped out and raced toward the back of the shop.
I struggled to pull off my raincoat as a clap of thunder sounded. We were all soaked despite our vow to run between the raindrops from the Chocolate Lab to the wine shop a few blocks down the street.
I was up from Sonoma for the winter dog show, and my bestie had invited me to join her and her girls for a Valentine’s Day wine-tasting at Dogwood Wine Merchants. Worked for me. We were all unattached on this most romantic day of the year…well, except for me, and I was happy to take a break from…all the pre-show schmoozing.
The place appeared deserted even though wine bottles marched in a line down the high counter on the right, each in its own anonymous brown paper bag. Long-stemmed glasses sat next to small plates of sliced baguette, along with a pitcher of water.
Rose called out, “Jean-Luc? Jean-Luc, you’ve got some thirsty tasters out here. And where’s that candied bacon you promised?”
Crackles and pops sounded as I wove between stacked open boxes and crates, following Baby to the back. She disappeared through a door, and I arrived to push it all the way open.
My breath caught in my throat.
The tiny papillon had crowded between two monsters…in size, at least. Though at five foot nothing, I saw monsters everywhere.
But my Baby was fearless. She stood facing the huge Bernese, her butterfly ears perked forward, her tail on the wag, ready for anything. When she didn’t get the expected play bow, Baby sat down and scooted closer, tilting her head in inquiry.
I started forward to rescue my girl, then stilled. The poor big baby had wedged himself between two rows of wine crates, shivering and whimpering and whining at each blast of thunder.
The monster of a man knelt in front of the Bernese, crowding Baby from the back. A fine sheen covered his face, even under his closely trimmed black beard. His corded and veined forearm, visible below the rolled-up black sleeve, trembled as he reached around Baby to offer a bacon chunk to his pup.
Thick, longish black hair glimmered under the harsh bright light, like he’d been out in the rainstorm…or rubbing his damp hands on his head to dry them.
Even kneeling on the floor didn’t disguise his bulky shoulders, barrel chest and muscular thighs.
“It’s alright, ma petite,” the man rumbled, wrapping his other huge hand around Baby to prevent her from getting closer. “Cab’s just afraid of loud noises.”
Baby resisted his efforts to hold her back and moved forward to nudge the big guy’s throat with her muzzle. Cab gave one last shudder and settled down on his stomach, head on paws, peering at this new part of his world.
Jean-Luc swung his head toward me and then jerked back, like I’d surprised him. At the same time, a boom overhead shook the walls around us. Had lightning struck nearby?
I met his stare in alarm and was instantly sucked in. Sooty thick lashes surrounded eyes so black they seemed out of this world. Nobody in real life had eyes like that, right? The intensity of the moment must have caused his eyes to dilate, consuming the more common brown beneath.
Jean-Luc
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from la belle who stood frozen at my side. The reverberations from the thunder rolled right through me, shaking me to my core.
Was the fabled French coup de foudre —love at first sight—a real thing? The thunderbolt to the heart? Or was I just exhausted from the usual heart sickness that came with a storm and not thinking clearly.
I shifted to face la belle goddess, never breaking eye contact, when Rose burst through the door.
“There you are, Jean-Luc. Have you met my friend Lauren? She’s visiting from California for the dog show.” Rose paused for a breath. “Besides dogs, you folks have a lot in common. Lauren and her husband own a vineyard in Sonoma County.”
I blinked. Struck down before I could even rise to claim her.
Watch for Red Wine Lover, the next tale from the Chocolate Lab Café, coming your way in early 2026.