Read Be Mine Forever (A St. Helena Vineyard Novel) for Free Online Page B

sip. “This is good. I don’t know what I’m supposed to taste, but—”
    Instead of launching into his practiced spiel about the luscious deep flavors of cherry with a hint of spice, one that he’d given a hundred times, to a hundred different women, he said, “Are you serious? You’ve never been wine tasting?” How the hell did she live in the wine country and never go tasting? “Ever?”
    “I know. It’s awful. I keep telling myself that I have to get out of the house more, actually experience where I live, but between getting my studio up and running and making sure that my so—”
    He placed a finger over her lips, and God, she had great lips. They were full and soft and damp with wine.
    “Rule number two. Remember?” She nodded and he could feel her breath against his fingers come out in shallow bursts. “And since this is your first tasting and first time playing hooky…” he paused to look at her. “Really, not even senior ditch day?”
    “Nope, I made it through four years of high school with perfect attendance.”
    His day kept getting more interesting by the second. Trey didn’t know what he expected to happen when he followed her into Stan’s. But suddenly, his usual go-to game plan didn’t feel right.
    “I assume that since you’re behind the bar acting like you own the place, you do.” She slid the empty glass forward, already eyeballing the next bottle.
    “My family does.” He wanted to make that clear. And when she didn’t seem disappointed by the news, her eyes widening with genuine interest instead, he added, “This was my Grandpa Geno’s favorite tasting room. His father built it back in the twenties. There is even a secret room in the cellar where men would come to buy wine during Prohibition.” Trey felt himself smile. “My grandpa used to take me down there when I was a kid and sneak me a glass or two. Point out the different flavors, what made one unique over another.”
    Those were some of his favorite memories as a child. With his grandfather, he never felt as though he had to prove himself. He could just be in the moment.
    Kind of like he was now.
    “It sounds like you two had a special connection,” she said quietly. “I had the same kind of relationship with my grandmother. My mom taught me everything she knew about dance, but it was my grandmother who shared her love for it with me.” She gave a shy shrug, almost embarrassed, but unlike him, she went on. “After she died, I realized that I wanted to teach dance, help little girls experience the same magic that she shared with me.”
    That was exactly what his grandfather had said to him about wine and why he loved what he did. Grandpa Geno believed wine brought people together, cemented relationships, and allowed special moments to happen.
    “I’m not around enough to share,” he admitted and had to glance away. The way she was looking at him, as though he’d passed on his grandfather’s legacy the way she had her grandmother’s, made him feel like a fraud.
    “Well, you’re sharing it with me.”
    He stared at her, surprised that she openly held his gaze when most people would look away. She might think that she was playing hooky, but the woman was so amazingly open and grounded there was no way she could ever be truly lost. Something that Trey admired.
    “Thank you,” he said and, before he could grab the next bottle, she reached out and touched a finger to his, letting it rest there. The simple connection reminded Trey of just how long it had been since he’d talked to someone like this.
    “Now, share with me your favorite wine,” she said. “Not the ones you give customers or people you’re trying impress, but the one you’d pick for yourself if you were here alone.”
    At that, he smiled. She was beyond good at reading him and calling him out. “Deal. Give me a minute.”
    He walked to the end of the bar and selected a bottle of Chianti from his secret hiding place. Then he palmed two of the