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“What?”
    “So, let me get this straight: you’re not sure he spent the night because he was gone by the time you woke up. Did you guys at least cuddle afterwards?”
    Ari hesitated. She remembered saying a few words to him, but after that, things went blank. “Uh ... well ...”
    “So, that’s a no then. That kind of answers my next question. He didn’t say the ‘L’ word, did he?”
    Ari felt heat rise into her cheeks. She hated it when Natalie drilled down to the essentials so quickly and dug up stuff Ari felt uncomfortable about. “Guys don’t say that immediately. You know that as well as I do!”
    “Okay, I grant you that.” Yet that admission didn’t shut her friend up. “Has he called you yet?”
    “It’s nine thirty in the morning! Of course, he hasn’t called me yet. Don’t you think that would be a little desperate?” Actually, if Dio called now, she’d find it very sweet. More than that, she’d find it utterly endearing.
    “Desperate, schmesperate ,” Natalie said. “It would be the right thing to do. After all, you guys had sex last night. The least he could do is leave you a note on the pillow or call you first thing in the morning. Just saying.”
    There had been no note, at least Ari hadn’t seen any. And she had searched for it. Just on the off chance that he had left her a little message. Maybe he’d been in too much of a hurry to get to work.
    “I’m sure he’ll call later this afternoon.”
    “He’d better.”
    “Listen, I’ve gotta go. We’ve got a big shipment coming in, and I still have to make space in the storeroom.”
    “Okay, but call me as soon as you hear from him.”
    “Sure.” Ari put the phone down and smoothed back her hair. Fifteen minutes ago, she’d felt like walking on Cloud Nine, and now she had doubts. She felt like a sixteen-year-old school girl wondering if the high school quarterback would ask her out again. With an impatient gesture, she tried to rid herself of the stupid thought. Of course, Dio would call. They’d made love last night, and she’d seen the sincerity in his eyes. There was nothing to worry about.

Chapter Five

    Ariadne let out a deep breath when she inspected her answering machine. Dio hadn’t called all day, not at the store, not on her cell phone and not at home. A quick sweep of the apartment confirmed that she hadn’t overlooked any note from him either.
    There was no word from him.
    The doubts that had started bubbling up after her conversation with Natalie now nagged even more. Uneasiness skidded over her skin, making goose bumps appear despite the sweltering heat. She couldn’t just sit around and wait for him to contact her. It felt too pathetic. No, she had to do something. Maybe there was a perfectly good reason why he hadn’t called.
    Determined not to let this get her down, Ari turned back to the entrance door of her apartment and left. She could simply go to the few bars that she knew were Dio’s favorite hangouts and see whether he was there. It would be innocent enough. Calling his cell would be too desperate. Besides, a couple of those bars were her customers, and she could pretend to stop by to inform them of the new delivery she’d received.
    Excuse in hand, she stalked outside. At the first bar, there was no sign of Dio, and according to the bartender, he hadn’t been in all day. Maybe she should find it odd that many of the bartenders in the city knew him, but for a wine connoisseur like Dio to frequent the bars with the best wine was probably normal.
    It was one of the things that had first made her notice him when he’d entered her shop: his knowledge about wine was extensive, yet he was entirely unpretentious about it. They’d talked about the various grapes and their pros and cons, and about the different winemaking methods. But she would be lying if she said that his knowledge about wine had attracted her to him. No, it had been his eyes, the way they sparkled blue like the morning sky. But