Chapter 2
Alex
Iwatch with a warm feeling of contentment spreading through me as this bristly goddess—my new boss—slowly deflates, her forehead smoothing and a small smile breaking out like a sunrise across her face. Damn, was she pissed when she realized who I was!
Ryan Murphy had failed to mention how stunning his family's new winemaker was, not that it would have made any difference.
But now, as I gaze at Sophie Garrett—the Sophia Garrett of the famous Garrett Heritage wine dynasty of California—and admire the rosy blush that moves up her cheeks as I tease her, I realize how much I'll enjoy this particular assignment.
After working for nearly a decade on a dude ranch in the Texas Hill Country and then managing operations for one of the finest wineries in Texas, I was ready for a new challenge.
And I hadn't lied to her exactly…
I did want to learn wine making from the best in the business. In fact, it is my dream to open my own winery someday. But first and foremost, I am here as a favor for Ryan.
In Ryan’s opinion, something is rotten at the Celtic Knot Winery, the Murphy family's legacy located on the eastern coast of Florida. It's my job to sniff it out and report back anything suspicious. I’m not a detective, but I’m not about to refuse anything Ryan asks and especially not when it comes to his family.
I owe him big time after everything he's done for my brother. They'd served together during several tours in Afghanistan and Ryan saved my brother's ass more times than I can count. So, when Ryan came to me with this, I was more than happy to jump in and help him.
Now that I'm here, ready to dig in and scope out what's really going on, I almost wish the circumstances were different, because I can already tell this woman is something special.
Her honey blonde hair lies in a soft, thick braid over her right shoulder, and her wide, hazel green eyes that only moments ago had been spitting fire are now two gleaming emeralds as she smiles at me.
She wears her emotions on her face, and I notice immediately that she's attracted to me.
All the subtle clues a woman gives are there: her body leaning slightly forward rather than away, her pupils dilated and cheeks slightly flushed, and her hands unconsciously smoothing her pants as we chat.
Hopefully when this assignment is over, she'll still want me around, but for now, romancing her will have to wait. I need to keep my head in the game and avoid distractions, and boy, oh boy, is she a lovely distraction.
I'll turn up the heat when this is over, I promise myself.
"Oh, good! You've met." The bubbly assistant—I think her name is Isabella—strolls in. She's been a huge help since I arrived and turns a rosy shade of pink whenever I tease her.
Isabella smirks at Sophie. "Now you know what I was talking about."
I watch, fascinated, as Sophie's eyes bulge and her mouth twists like a prune, a kaleidoscope of emotions crossing her face almost faster than I can follow.
Her head jerks back and forth in short motions.
I bite my lower lip hard as my belly starts to spasm, and a laugh bubbles in my throat, desperate to escape.
Laughing right now might destroy our tenuous truce.
Sophie obviously does not want me to hear whatever Isabella is referring to.
"I actually came back here because I have some bad news, unfortunately." The playful tone in Isabella's voice drops. "My mom needs my help tonight, so I can't go to the baseball game with you."
Sophie's eyes go wide. "Oh no! The game is in a few hours. I don't know if I can find anyone else to go with me, and I hate going by myself."
"What about Alex?" Isabella's eager gaze turns to me. "Are you doing anything tonight?"
"No!" Sophie practically shrieks, her eyes widening further and darting to me before returning to Isabella. Taking a deep breath, she smooths her features and continues, "He just got into town. I'm sure he has other plans."
I bite back another laugh at how quickly she tries to shoot that down, not to mention the logical excuse she supplied. The girl can certainly think on her feet. This should be fun.
I also can’t help but notice the way her shirt stretches and clings in a very interesting manner when she takes deep breaths.
If I hadn't already experienced her prickly manner, I might be insulted. But not now, and not after I've already made up my mind about my interest in her.
Nice try, honey. Take me out to the ball game!
"Actually, I don't have plans," I inject, shooting Sophie a big, toothy grin. "I'd love to go to the game with you."
"Oh, yay!" Isabella claps and bounces on the balls of her feet, her cheeks relaxing and a radiant smile breaking out on her face.
"You'll love it. It's our local AAA baseball team, the Rockets.
They're a farm team, and they're playing Syracuse tonight, and it’s the final week of their season.
It's a fun time, and our seats are just behind first base.
Plus, the weather is supposed to be great tonight.
I think we finally broke that humidity streak. "
"Sounds like a great time. Thanks for thinking of me." I watch, fascinated, as Sophie squeezes her eyes shut and flexes her jaw. If steam could shoot out of her ears, it would right then. She is so wonderfully expressive. "Let me know what time you want to leave."
Sophie's eyes snap wide and zoom in on me, her face splotched red as her mouth opens, but nothing emerges. I’ve rendered her speechless, which must be a major accomplishment…
or so I tell myself, since she doesn’t seem to be the kind of person who is normally at a loss for words.
She starts to shift her weight from one foot to the other.
"You'll want to get to the ballpark by six at the latest," Isabella answers, either oblivious to or unconcerned with Sophie's growing discomfort. "The game starts at seven, but they always have fun activities beforehand and there will be several outstanding food trucks lined up."
I blink as Isabella gasps, hands flying to her mouth.
"Oh, my gosh! I just realized something.
We have the annual town festival coming up, and you could help with that.
" She drops a hand on my arm, her gaze intent and voice pleading.
"You will be around, right? It would be so great if you man our booth with Sophie.
She's introducing our new wine to the public, and I know she'll be super nervous.
Brennen was supposed to help her, but he's been spread a little too thin lately.
" Isabella leans toward me further and lifts a hand to her mouth, stage-whispering behind it.
"And Sophie really hates to be around people. "
Sophie stomps her foot and finds her voice, her fists clenched and the fire back in her eyes. "Dammit, Isabella, I'm standing right here."
"I'd love to help at the festival. Sounds like a good time," I interject before Sophie can conjure up a reason to keep me away. I also file away the nugget Isabella dropped about Brennen, making a mental note to take the winery’s assistant to coffee for a chat one morning. Something tells me she'll be a treasure trove of information if I ask the right questions. It doesn’t seem like she has much of a filter, at least from the conversations we’ve had so far, and unhampered information can reveal a lot.
I meet Sophie's frustrated gaze and slip on my most earnest and innocent expression—how I imagine a good Catholic choir boy would look while being interrogated by an angry priest who just sat on a whoopee cushion during mass.
"As for tonight, I'll have to check with my boss.
" I flip her a teasing grin that I hope disarms some of her tension.
"But I can leave whenever you'd like." I pat my stomach and glance around the warehouse, the devil on my shoulder deciding that peaceful relations are overrated.
"I hope they have good ballpark food. I figure I'll be pretty hungry after getting this place squared away. "
As expected, Sophie jerks ramrod straight, her eyes going from spitting fire to blazing inferno in an instant. "I beg your pardon. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Uh…" Isabella, clearly deciding that anywhere else is a better place to be, backs slowly to the exit. "I'll let you two get to work in here. Bye!" She practically runs out the door, leaving us alone.
"I'll have you know I run a very tight ship here. I've been working in wineries since I could walk, and it's not like I've had much help since I got here. Not that I’ve wanted any," she clarifies.
I hold up my hands placatingly. "I'm not insulting your work, Sophie. Even if I hadn’t known who you were beforehand, I could tell that you know what you're doing the moment I walked in here. But I'm the help you've been looking for. Let me prove it to you. Use me."
Yeah, use me any way you want, honey.
Damn my wandering mind. Something about this spitfire pushes all the right buttons. I can’t help wondering what it would be like if I could help her redirect all that raw emotion… to have those strong, lean legs wrapped around my waist.
Staring into her dazed hazel gaze, I’m fairly certain I’m not the only one whose mind dove head-first into the gutter. Sophie’s pupils are dilated and her sweet, plump lips, that I want to kiss so badly, have parted. She’s definitely not immune.
Shit! This assignment just got way more difficult than I anticipated.
“Okay.” I clap my hands and rub them together, making Sophie jump. “Where should I get started?”