Chapter 6 #3
They fell into a comfortable silence as Max drove. She quietly thanked herself for putting on music before Annie had gotten in the car, therefore preemptively eliminating any awkward silences. Stop it. Why do you care? This isn’t a date. Get your head out of your vagina!
“So,” Annie started, a hint of unease in her voice.
Oh God, Max thought, had she been quiet in her head for too long?
“How long have you worked at the club? And the winery is your other job, right?” More small talk.
Not surprising, anyone could do small talk.
That wasn’t really connecting though—at least not in the way she craved it.
“Yeah. Winery and the club. Although I only picked that one up a year and a half ago. Needed some extra money and they were looking for someone who knows a lot about wine.”
“Can confirm you are very knowledgeable on that subject, at least from what I observed yesterday.”
“An observation that carries weight…” Max teased gently.
“How did you get into wine? Did you study viticulture in college?”
“Ha, uh, no. I did two years at community college then transferred to a state school to finish up my history degree—and before you give me that look… I know. I don’t know what I was thinking either.
I was young and dumb and didn’t really have a solid idea of what real life would be like or how paying back student loans would work.
Couldn’t find a job in my field and ended up working at vineyards in Virginia. Eventually found my way up here.”
“So you’re from Virginia, then?” Annie asked.
“Eastern Maryland. My parents were both in the Navy and we moved around a lot. Dad teaches at the Naval Academy now.”
“And your mom? What does she do?”
Max considered herself pretty good at reading people.
But reading Annie was a whole different game, and for the life of her, Max couldn’t tell if she was asking her questions to be polite or because she genuinely wanted to know more about her.
“Did I miss the memo? Are we playing twenty questions?” she interjected.
“Oh my God,” Annie said quickly, shifting in her seat. “I’m sorry. I do that sometimes—you know—ask too many questions.”
“It’s okay,” Max reassured with a smile, “I don’t mind, I just also want to know things about you too.” She tightened her grip on the steering wheel reflexively.
“What do you want to know?”
Everything. What? No. Stop it. She scolded herself for even thinking that. “Tell me a secret. Something not a lot of people know about you.” Her voice dipped unintentionally—okay, maybe intentionally— as she asked.
“You already know my secret,” Annie pointed out. “I got cheated on. That’s the only secret I have.” She shrugged.
Max turned on her blinker, guiding the car onto the exit ramp as their speed began to decrease. “Oh come on. Everyone has secrets. Emphasis on the plural.”
“Oh yeah? Wanna share some more of yours?”
“Touché. Okay. We’ll table the secret sharing for the time being. Fine. What made you throw the wine at your ex that night at the club?” They sat at a red light, Max using the opportunity to sneak a glance at Annie, her face illuminated by the glow of the dashboard as she shifted in her seat.
“Man, you really want to jump right to the deep personal stuff, don’t you?”
“As I said, life is short. And small talk is boring. I want to get to know you—the real you. What are the things that make you tick? Had to be something good to get you to waste such a nice glass of wine.” She arched an eyebrow, catching Annie’s gaze.
They stayed like that for a moment, eyes locked, Max wanting nothing more than to reach out and trace the tips of her fingers up the length of Annie’s perfect thighs.
Annie spoke softly, clearly having accepted Max’s question. “Caroline called me boring. Like, you know. In bed. Which I’m not. I’m a good lay—I-uh-think—I’m—I’m not boring,” she finished feebly as Max’s heart broke the tiniest bit because ouch.
Yeah. Max would definitely have thrown a glass of wine all over someone, too, if they had the gall to say that to her face.
“And don’t,” Annie said, her voice a little stronger now. “Don’t say you’re sorry. Same rules as that night at the club. I don’t want you feeling sorry for me.”
“I wasn’t going to say I’m sorry,” Max clarified. “I was going to say I would have done the same thing. Fuck her. That’s just cruel to say to someone’s face.”
“Right?!” Annie was smiling again.
“I’m also glad it was red wine. Maximum stainage is only appropriate for a comment like that.”
“It was luck that she happened to be wearing a light sweater. But man, was it satisfying,” Annie added.
The light turned green, and Max eased on the gas pedal, accelerating the car forward.
“So who are your friends I’m meeting tonight?”
Max turned onto the street Jack’s townhouse was on. A quiet, tucked-away neighborhood of cookie-cutter little rectangles designed to look like shipping containers—not exactly what someone thinks of when they think Connecticut real estate, but who was she to judge.
“I think the group is pretty small. My friend Jack, who I work with at the winery. His boyfriend Drew. And our friend Dani. They’re cool people. I think you’ll really like them,” Max said, parking the car in one of the two reserved guest spots in front of Jack’s townhouse.
They got out of the car, making their way towards the front door, Annie walking next to her, their shoulders bumping slightly.
“God, I feel like everyone around here has the same name. I know so many Jacks and Drews and—”
The front door swung open and Jack appeared, floppy hair and all-boyish smiles, but that smile dropped as his eyes landed on Annie, his face paling.
Another voice came from behind Jack as Drew appeared over his shoulder, brassy blond hair and twinkling blue eyes. But like Jack, Drew’s smile dropped as he looked down the steps.
“Annie?” Drew breathed.
Max turned to look at Annie, whose features had twisted into utter confusion.
“Andrew?”