Read Wine Astray: Spirit of the Soul Wine Shop Mystery (A Rysen Morris Mystery Book 1) for Free Online Page B
Authors: K.J. Emrick
surprising to hear her own thoughts echoing in his question, like he could actually read her mind. No guy should be able to do that. "Yes," she told him anyway. "I won't let my sister down. I owe her too much."
"Is that the only reason?" he asked her, cocking his head to the side.
"I…I don't know what you mean."
He smiled with a little shake of his head. "Don't worry about it. I think I might know how to help Christina. You trust me?"
Rysen felt herself drawn toward him in spite of herself, leaning over the shelves, locking eyes with him and not caring if Christina or anyone else saw. "I don't even know you."
"So ask me something.”
"Like what?"
He spread his hands wide. "Like anything."
Was he for real? "Okay, fine. Where are you from?"
"You mean because of the accent?"
Rysen nodded.
"Yeah, a lot of people ask me that. I'm from New York City originally." When she stared at him incredulously he laughed. "By way of Sydney, Australia, of course. See? Now you know something about me."
"That isn't much," she pointed out.
"Don't have to know someone for long," he said in a low, intimate voice, "to know what kind of person they are. Take you for instance. I've known you for all of ten minutes, and I already know you're one I can trust."
Oh, dear God, this man was pushing all the right buttons. Did she trust him? Rysen didn't know the answer to that one, but she did know one thing for certain.
As crazy as it sounded to herself she was starting to fall in love with Brandon.
***
Christina was down in the dumps for the rest of the day. Nothing that Rysen did would cheer her up. Not that she blamed her sister at all. Even Chunky Monkey ice cream couldn’t fix what was wrong. And Chunky Monkey fixed everything. The more that she saw her sister mope around the house, the more Rysen’s resolve hardened. She just hoped Brandon's plan would work.
After she got her sister to bed, she felt exhausted. What she needed was a good soak in a tub and a glass of wine and a foot rub…
Well. Nobody to join her in the tub and rub her feet tonight. She'd have to settle for borrowing the master bathroom next to her sister's room and a glass of wine from downstairs.
Wine! Oh, man she'd forgotten all about Beatrice and the wine she'd ordered from the shop. With the shipment gone, they didn't have what they needed to fill the wedding order they had agreed to. Had Christina already called and explained the situation? Probably not. Not with the funk she'd been in all day. Rysen would have to do it. At least she could take that small task off her sister's shoulders.
Sitting at the kitchen table, she dialed Beatrice's number and waited, her sock feet up on a chair. The clock on the wall said it was nearly midnight. Kind of late to make a call. Even so she got an answer on the fourth ring.
"Hello?"
Rysen couldn't say anything back. The voice wasn't Beatrice's. It was Josh's.
"Hello?" he said again. "Who is this?"
"Uh, hi Josh." Why did it have to be him? "I was hoping to talk to Beatrice. About wine. The wine she ordered, I mean. You know? Um. Is she there?"
She heard how badly she was babbling and hated herself for doing it.
"Beatrice is asleep," he told her. "Upstairs. Can I give her a message?"
Rysen rolled her eyes and called herself every kind of stupid. Of course they lived together. "Sure. Tell her we might not be able to get the wine she ordered on time. There's been a…well, an issue. I'll have Christina call her tomorrow."
"That's too bad," he said. "Is everything all right?"
No, she almost blurted out. My sister's shop is going under and I lost my job and you're living with my best friend from childhood when I should have just stayed in this damned town and gotten married to you and had your babies.
Probably not the thing to say, she decided.
"Everything's fine," she lied. "Christina can explain it
"Is that the only reason?" he asked her, cocking his head to the side.
"I…I don't know what you mean."
He smiled with a little shake of his head. "Don't worry about it. I think I might know how to help Christina. You trust me?"
Rysen felt herself drawn toward him in spite of herself, leaning over the shelves, locking eyes with him and not caring if Christina or anyone else saw. "I don't even know you."
"So ask me something.”
"Like what?"
He spread his hands wide. "Like anything."
Was he for real? "Okay, fine. Where are you from?"
"You mean because of the accent?"
Rysen nodded.
"Yeah, a lot of people ask me that. I'm from New York City originally." When she stared at him incredulously he laughed. "By way of Sydney, Australia, of course. See? Now you know something about me."
"That isn't much," she pointed out.
"Don't have to know someone for long," he said in a low, intimate voice, "to know what kind of person they are. Take you for instance. I've known you for all of ten minutes, and I already know you're one I can trust."
Oh, dear God, this man was pushing all the right buttons. Did she trust him? Rysen didn't know the answer to that one, but she did know one thing for certain.
As crazy as it sounded to herself she was starting to fall in love with Brandon.
***
Christina was down in the dumps for the rest of the day. Nothing that Rysen did would cheer her up. Not that she blamed her sister at all. Even Chunky Monkey ice cream couldn’t fix what was wrong. And Chunky Monkey fixed everything. The more that she saw her sister mope around the house, the more Rysen’s resolve hardened. She just hoped Brandon's plan would work.
After she got her sister to bed, she felt exhausted. What she needed was a good soak in a tub and a glass of wine and a foot rub…
Well. Nobody to join her in the tub and rub her feet tonight. She'd have to settle for borrowing the master bathroom next to her sister's room and a glass of wine from downstairs.
Wine! Oh, man she'd forgotten all about Beatrice and the wine she'd ordered from the shop. With the shipment gone, they didn't have what they needed to fill the wedding order they had agreed to. Had Christina already called and explained the situation? Probably not. Not with the funk she'd been in all day. Rysen would have to do it. At least she could take that small task off her sister's shoulders.
Sitting at the kitchen table, she dialed Beatrice's number and waited, her sock feet up on a chair. The clock on the wall said it was nearly midnight. Kind of late to make a call. Even so she got an answer on the fourth ring.
"Hello?"
Rysen couldn't say anything back. The voice wasn't Beatrice's. It was Josh's.
"Hello?" he said again. "Who is this?"
"Uh, hi Josh." Why did it have to be him? "I was hoping to talk to Beatrice. About wine. The wine she ordered, I mean. You know? Um. Is she there?"
She heard how badly she was babbling and hated herself for doing it.
"Beatrice is asleep," he told her. "Upstairs. Can I give her a message?"
Rysen rolled her eyes and called herself every kind of stupid. Of course they lived together. "Sure. Tell her we might not be able to get the wine she ordered on time. There's been a…well, an issue. I'll have Christina call her tomorrow."
"That's too bad," he said. "Is everything all right?"
No, she almost blurted out. My sister's shop is going under and I lost my job and you're living with my best friend from childhood when I should have just stayed in this damned town and gotten married to you and had your babies.
Probably not the thing to say, she decided.
"Everything's fine," she lied. "Christina can explain it
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