Chapter 11 #2
An hour later, I stood in her doorway, staring at her, not wanting to leave. She made it hard with how she looked at me. Those honey eyes were pleading for me to stay. I wanted to, so badly, but I couldn’t. She needed to focus on her test and not whatever was happening between us.
Undoubtedly, there was a shift in energy between us.
The hugs felt different, and my heart went into overdrive whenever I thought of her.
Last night’s pillow talk added another layer of intimacy to our friendship.
This wasn’t just a simple crush or lust clouding my mind.
I had yet to define it because I knew that would make it real and neither of us was ready to go there.
I was more willing to venture into uncharted territory than Robyn.
If I wanted this to work, I would have to be patient and wait for her to catch up.
“I’ll meet you for breakfast in the morning,” I said, realizing someone needed to make the first move.
She pursed her lips while nodding. “Okay.”
I dropped two pecks onto her forehead then smiled at her. She wrapped her arms around my neck for a long embrace. I held her tightly.
“Goodnight, Goldie,” I murmured against her ear.
A sigh fell from her lips as she let me go. “Goodnight, my darling.”
We lingered in the doorway for a second more before I finally pulled away from her. The door closed softly and I released a breath. Walking away from her was harder than I thought.
“Is she back yet?” Raven asked with great anticipation.
“Not yet,” I replied, glancing down the hallway.
Groups of people exited conference rooms to reunite with their loved ones.
Some wore smiles; others wiped away tears, indicating the results of their master sommelier exam.
My heart raced a mile a minute as I waited for Robyn to come through the double doors.
Since parting ways at breakfast, I’d been anxiously awaiting her results.
She was in good spirits when we met, laughing and making light of the situation.
As the hours ticked by, the more restless I became.
After breakfast, I went back to my room to do some work.
Around noon, I left the hotel for lunch at a café nearby.
Summer and I talked for a little bit as she filled me in on last night’s business.
Then I spent the remainder of my time waiting in the halls with everyone else.
Raven had called twice, both times she asked if Robyn had received her results.
“Okay,” she groused. “I secured the dinner reservation for tonight. Mentioning Starling’s name helped pull some strings. I told them it’s a celebration and to pull out all the stops.”
I chuckled. “Thanks for the help, Raven. Whether she passes or fails, she’s going to have a good night.”
I didn’t realize how my statement came across until Raven laughed and mumbled something under her breath. The brief pause gave me time to consider whether Robyn had told her sister about us. If she told Raven, I wouldn’t have cared.
The large wooden double doors opened and a group of people came through the room.
“More people just came out,” I told Raven while searching through the crowd for Robyn.
“Do you see her?” she squealed in my ear.
My heart jolted when I spotted Robyn. The pink suit she wore made her stand out from the rest. Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail and diamond earrings adorned her ears.
She looked both ways, stopping when her eyes landed on me.
A slow smirk spread across her pretty face and her eyes glimmered with pride.
“How does she look? Is she crying or smiling? Tell me something.” Raven’s voice grew louder with each question. I cleared my throat and bit back my growing smile.
“She passed the test.”
Robyn’s eyes sparkled as she wrapped up another phone call from a loved one. Her cheeks reddened as she soaked up congratulatory praises.
“More water, sir?” the server asked, prompting me to look away from Robyn. I nodded then went back to watching my Goldie revel in her recent accomplishment. She ended her call moments later and sighed.
“Sorry about that.”
“No need to apologize. Everyone is happy for you.”
She smiled. “Pinch me.”
I looked at her outstretched arm. Instead, I grabbed her hand. “This is real. You’re a master sommelier.”
“I have to submit headshots and a bio for the announcement, and confirm my interview with The Vineyard Magazine, and I’m opening my restaurant in three months,” she shrieked. “I have so much to do before then.”
Before she started listing every single task on her mental checklist, I stopped her with a gentle squeeze of her hand.
“We will worry about all that stuff tomorrow. For now, let’s appreciate this moment, drink this wine, and enjoy each other’s company.”
She held my hand tightly. “You’re right. Thank you for being here. It means so much to me.”
“There’s no place else I’d rather be than here with you.”
My uncle Harold was the spitting image of my father.
People swore I was my father’s twin until they saw him.
We shared the same russet skin tone and dark brown eyes, but their eyes were bigger, rounder.
They kept a low cut while I always had hair.
Over the years, I noticed more distinctions between my father and uncle.
Uncle Harold’s lips had darkened from years of smoking.
His weight fluctuated depending on his life circumstances.
When my father died, he lost weight and only once he was married did he gain it back.
Since his soon-to-be ex-wife filed for divorce, he’d lost a few pounds.
With an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, he looked over the cost report I printed just for him.
His forehead wrinkled and his head angled to the left.
Summer looked at me from across the table, her eyes gave away the irritation she felt.
I bit back a smile because I also was irritated.
After thirty minutes of back and forth, my uncle finally conceded and looked over my plan to grow the lounge.
In one hand was a cost report and in the other was a detailed renovation budget.
On the table was the blueprint for the building.
We shared a building with a dry cleaning and tailor business.
They were looking to move to a more efficient location and suggested I buy their space.
Ray’s occupied most of the building, and if we took over the dry cleaner’s space, it could allow more seating inside and on the patio, plus more space on the dance floor too.
We had the money and a contracting company.
I just needed my uncle’s support in the matter.
After looking over the documents for another minute.
He put the papers down and sat back in his chair then removed the cigarette from his mouth and tapped the butt on the table.
“Didn’t we just finish renovations?” His eyes narrowed at me.
I nodded. “A year ago, to be exact. This plan is proposed for late 2027. The Petersons haven’t closed on their new location yet and there are repairs they agreed to take care of before we make the deal.
” He rolled his eyes and looked away. My jaw clenched, but I held my composure.
“Unc, this a great opportunity for Ray’s.
We’re packed three out of the four nights we’re open, consistently.
The patio hasn’t seen a bad night since we opened it.
With more space, we could turn this into a restaurant and lounge, something Dad was trying to do back in the day. ”
“How do a few more tables and chairs make that happen?” He motioned at the blueprint.
“The kitchen will expand and we can add another chef station.”
“And how will you afford a chef when you keep giving employees raises every quarter?”
“Those are bonuses for good quarters. My salary didn’t increase last year, so that money goes to them twice a year.”
Summer’s eyes snapped to me while Uncle Harold chuckled. “You really are your father’s child.”