Chapter 2 #4
Ben had a moment in the house when he hesitated offering her alcohol.
She was technically underage. But everyone he knew had been drinking since sixteen.
Plus, she lived in Napa and worked at a winery.
Surely a glass or two would be no big deal for her.
He hoped not anyway. In the end, he had gone with his gut and grabbed the best bottle of wine they had, which happened to be one of the bottles he had bought that day at Henley Winery.
She worked there, so surely she liked their wines.
Ben held up the bottle for Ella to see, then set about opening it.
“A Henley red wine from 2013. I’m impressed. You paid a pretty penny for that one. Are you sure you want to waste it on me?” Ella asked, eyeing the bottle.
“I realize I have only known you for like ten hours, but I don’t think anything of value would ever be wasted on you. I tried it today and liked it. Since you were the one who suggested we go there, I thought you might like their wine. You do drink wine, right? I am not corrupting you, am I?”
Ella laughed. “Of course you aren’t corrupting me.
This is Napa. They all but put wine in our baby bottles.
Not really, but we are taught to appreciate wine here at an early age and not to drink to excess.
Wine here is an art. I remember sampling wines with my uncle Pedro about the same time I learned to ride a bike.
He only gave me small sips, but he wanted me to develop a distinguished palate. ”
“Learning to drink wine while learning to ride a bike,” said Ben as he opened the bottle of wine.
“So much for me thinking I was cool drinking my first beer at sixteen. Of course it was with my dad, and I only managed about two sips, but I thought I was grown up. If I had known kids in wine country had our time beat by a country mile, I wouldn’t have been so proud. ”
“Y’all? Country mile? You say the strangest things.” Ella said, smiling.
“I guess that is my Southern upbringing coming out in me.” Ben laughed as he handed Ella a glass of wine. He clicked his glass against hers and said, “Cheers to the most beautiful girl I have ever had the pleasure of catching!”
Ella blushed as a giggle escaped before she could stop it.
After swirling the wine around the glass for a moment, Ella took a deep sniff and inhaled its essence.
Notes of blackberry, pepper, and cherry flooded her nostrils.
“This smells divine.” Then she took a long sip.
Swallowing, she said, “Wow. That tastes as good as it smells. Good choice.”
“Thank you,” replied Ben. “I’m pleased. Would you like some cheese?”
Shaking her head, Ella said, “No, thank you. I am full from dinner.”
Settling back on his elbows, Ben looked at Ella. “Well, I have to tell you. I have been looking forward to this moment all day.”
“You have?” Ella asked, shocked and deeply thrilled. It made all the times she had anxiously checked the door of the diner worth it.
“From the moment you fell into my arms and then disappeared earlier today, I have thought of nothing else. Why do you think I dragged my buddies to your winery?”
“I don’t know? You wanted to taste some really good wine?” Ella said this questioningly.
“Yea, but Napa is full of great wineries. Only one had you. All day, I have done nothing but finagle a way to spend more time with you.” After taking a sip of his wine, Ben sighed. “Now, tell me something about yourself that no one else knows.”
“Hmm?” Ella hesitated. “I messed up so many dinner orders watching for you to come through the door tonight, my dad almost sent me home.” Embarrassed by her own honesty, she used her wine glass to cover her eyes.
“Sweet,” replied Ben as he sat his and Ella’s wine glasses off to the side.
Then he leaned over and grazed his lips with hers.
“Now that we have established our mutual attraction, let’s spend some time getting to know each other.
I will go first. I am from Arkansas. I graduate in May with my master’s in political science.
I plan to go home after graduation and start law school.
I had an interesting childhood to say the least, but I am lucky.
I have great parents and two little sisters, Lizzy and Lola.
They are seven and eight. My dad is a lawyer, and my mom is an artist.”
“Seven and eight? Wow, they are a lot younger than you.”
“Yes, and before you ask, there is a long story behind that, but I would rather not get into it. Now it’s your turn.”
“Okay, well let’s see. I am about to graduate from Cal Poly Tech with a degree in geology, with a concentration in hydrology.
I have been accepted into the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability master’s of science program.
I am set to begin in the fall.” Ella said all of this matter of factly, as if graduating college at nineteen in hydrology was no big deal.
Ben’s eyebrows shot up and his head jerked back at her words as if he had been shocked.
If Ella had told him she was an alien from a faraway planet, he would not have been more surprised.
For a moment, he looked at her, trying to figure out if she was yanking his chain.
Of all the things he thought she might share about her life, the fact that she was about to finish college at nineteen was not one of them.
Deciding that she was being straight with him, he shrugged.
“Wow! I never saw that coming. A geology major with a concentration in? What was that again?”
“Hydrology,” said Ella.
“Hydrology,” replied Ben. “Holy crap. You must be some kind of genius. How old were you when you graduated from high school?”
“Sixteen,” answered Ella. “It was during Covid. Everything was online. I was able to graduate early.” Ella did not expound on her educational background or giftedness. Time and experience had taught her it came off as bragging. It was a subject that the less she said about it, the better.
“Holy crap,” Ben said again. He was not used to being intimidated by other people’s intelligence.
He was one smart cookie himself, but this girl was off-the-charts brilliant.
He should not have been surprised because he had seen the intelligence and humor in her eyes earlier, but he was blown away.
He realized he had underestimated her. Blinded by her looks, he had almost missed her most attractive quality, her brain.
He wondered how many other men had made the same mistake.
Taking a deep breath, he gave her a look that reflected how impressed he was by her and asked, “So Ella-with-the-huge-brain, what are you going to do with all that education once you finish your master’s program? What was it in again?”
Without missing a beat, Ella replied, “Environment and sustainability. And I am going to come back here and work for one of the certified gold-level wineries, which are using cutting-edge technology to improve the quality and quantity of the grapes grown here in Napa Valley while being kinder to the environment.” The way Ella spouted out her response, Ben knew it was not the first time she had told someone her life plan.
“Impressive,” replied Ben as he reached over and tucked a strand of Ella’s long dark hair that had escaped out of her low ponytail behind her ear. “And very ambitious for one so tiny. I am starting to think the biggest thing about you is your brain.”
Ella did not have any idea what to say to that, so she said nothing.
Ben ran his hand casually up Ella’s back as he asked, “Do you live on campus at Cal Poly Tech? Are you just home for the weekend?”
Shaking her head, Ella replied, “No. Actually, I have done all of my coursework that I could online. I go to San Luis Obispo two weekends a month for classes and labs.”
“Holy crap, you did college mostly online too?” Ben had heard of people taking a few online classes, but most of the time the grades were awful.
Most college kids did not have the self-discipline to get the work done on time and correctly.
He was even more impressed with her. And he did not think that was possible.
“I had to,” Ella replied. “My folks needed help with the diner. We are a family business. Like I said earlier, we all pitch in. That is the only way small-town, locally owned businesses make it here. And you know, you say ‘holy crap’ a lot.”
“Holy crap, I do?” asked Ben. Both of them laughed at his response. “I am sorry if it bothers you. I will not do it again.”
“No, it is fine. I just have never been around anyone who used profanity. Of course I have never been to a party before with a guy, so tonight is a night of firsts.”
Ben almost said holy crap again but caught himself. “This really is your first party. You mentioned earlier that you rarely date. Is there a reason you don’t do those things?”
“Well, my folks are really strict. The girls in our family can’t date until they are sixteen.
Covid hit a few months after my sixteenth birthday.
Like I said, I was so focused on school that boys and dating took a major backseat.
And honestly, I have never met anyone I was all that interested in dating before now. ”
At her words, Ben’s eyes lit up. “And now you have? Am I to hope you might be interested in dating me? I am more than interested in getting to know the beautiful, big-brained Ella some more.”
Ella scrunched up her nose and said, “Please don’t call me that. It feels like you are making fun of me.”
“Which one? Beautiful or big brain?”
“Both,” Ella replied so quietly that Ben almost did not hear her. Grimacing, she looked as if she were about to cry.
Ben had meant it as a joke, but seeing Ella’s face fall, he regretted his words.
Sitting up quickly, he took her face in his hands and said, “Oh, I am so sorry. I am so spectacularly impressed with you. You are the smartest person I have ever met. And as far as being beautiful, you have to know you are. Absolutely, holy crap, beautiful. Oops! Sorry! I won’t do that again. ”
At that, both of them laughed just before Ben closed the distance between them and kissed her.
Ben wanted to take the kiss deeper but restrained himself.
He did not want to scare her. He wanted to spend many more hours over the next few days kissing her so he figured it would be best to pace himself.
After a few more minutes of soft kissing, Ella could not stop herself from yawning loudly.
Again, they both laughed. Realizing that she must be exhausted after having worked literally all day, Ben stood and reached to help her up.
Telling her to leave the blanket and glasses, he stole one more quick kiss before guiding her back toward the house.
As they came around the side of the yard, Ella saw her earlier prediction that the pool and hot tub would soon be full had been correct.
Several of Ben’s buddies and the girls they had invited back to the house were in various states of undress as the party had moved outside.
Ella was shocked that she had not heard them because they were very loud.
She had been so caught up in kissing Ben, everything else faded into the background.
Waving as they sailed past, Ben called out a goodnight. He guided Ella through the house and out the front door before anyone could waylay them.
The Depot and Ella’s family home were side by side.
It only took a few minutes for Ben to walk her to her front door.
Just as before, he held her hand as they walked.
Instead of going up the front walk, Ella said it would be better if she went in the back way, so as not to disturb anyone already asleep.
Unable to resist, Ben put his arms around Ella’s waist and pulled her in close. Dropping soft kisses on her face and lips, he whispered, “Say you will spend the day with me tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” parroted Ella. When she was kissing Ben, thinking was too much.
It took her a moment to process what he was asking.
She had not even allowed herself to think past this moment.
But instantly she knew she wanted to spend every minute with Ben that she could.
School, work, everything else could wait.
“Well,” she replied. “As luck would have it, I am off most of the day tomorrow. Of course, I have to help with the morning breakfast rush, but that will be over by ten. Could we meet up then?”
Giving her a sexy smile, Ben replied, “Ten it is. Is it okay if I come early and eat breakfast there?”
“Of course,” replied Ella. “Just make sure whoever seats you puts you in my section.”
“I will,” promised Ben. Then as if unable to contain himself, Ben kissed her as passionately as he had been dying to do all night.
He felt her stiffen as his tongue broke through the seam of lips and touched hers for the first time.
But she did not pull back. After a moment, Ella relaxed into him and allowed her tongue to join the sensual dance.
They continued for several minutes until a light went on inside Ella’s house.
It startled Ella, and she jerked herself back.
Running the back of her hand over her lips, Ella said softly, “I need to go. I have an early day tomorrow. Thank you for tonight. I had a wonderful time.”
Nodding, Ben said, “Yea, me too. Sleep well. See you tomorrow.”
Ella nodded, then turned and quietly entered the back door of her house.
Looking down at his watch, Ben saw that it was just a little after 11:00. He had almost ten hours to kill before he could see her again. Heading back to the rental house, he knew he would spend almost all of it thinking about her.