Ledger pushed that thought aside when he had no family to compare it to and refocused on Starling Enterprises and what would be expected of him. They appeared to be good customers. He’d gone through all the wines they had in the expansive cellars with Aster, the vineyards viticulturist, who was a sweetheart and a fount of knowledge on the grapes grown. It assisted Ledgerin understanding the notes of the wine and then aided him in pairing them to the occasion.
Being a sommelier meant projecting confidence and communicating with the customer. These were the key to success in gaining sales. He was excited and nervous because this would be an actual test of his skills in front of Thorn’s family.
Ledger was just grateful Thorn wasn’t around because he made Ledger more nervous. Not because he couldn’t do his job, but because of the possibility of what could happen in front of an audience if Thorn acted possessive. It seemed Ledger was a complete sucker for it—quite literally. At the sight of Thorn’s fangs, Ledger found his teeth sinking into the man’s throat every time. If that wasn’t bad enough, he had also lost his composure and sanity and ripped Thorn’s clothes off his body in front of Calvert.
Doing any of that in front of clients was not what he wanted to happen.
“When we aren’t doing a tour of the winery, we use this room for the tasting. If the client is doing a vineyard tour, we do the tasting down in the wine cellars.”
Ledger stepped into the room behind Dacian and stopped to appreciate the view through the large bi-folding doors. They led out onto a small courtyard surrounded by vines. The soft sunlight filtering through the laden vines was the perfect backdrop to a wine tasting.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, taking a second longer to take in the view beyond the vines, before he glanced around the room.
It was a genuine pleasure to see the care the Vaughn brothers had taken to create a space that Ledger was going to love working in. Much like the house, it was a combination of modern and old. The semi-circular table in the center of the room was perfect for wine tasting. It was above waist level, nearly toLedger’s chest. This allowed a person to see the color of the wine through the glass rather than from above. Below the table he could see two chrome and glass fronted wine coolers for chilling the white wines and champagne. Against the black wood, they were a stark but pleasing contrast.
On the table were several sets of wine glasses and flutes that sparkled in the sun pouring into the room. Laid out in sets of five, there were enough for a dozen people. Parties larger than that made it more impersonal, and Ledger could already see that his beliefs jibed with Thorn and his brothers. It reaffirmed his decision about working for them—excluding the mate situation, if possible.
If he was honest, he couldn’t wait to get started.
Around the stone walls were pictures of the vineyard and winery in its stages of evolution. He wanted to have a closer look, but now was not the time with the clients due any minute.
He glanced at Dacian, who was watching him closely. “You have an expert eye for detail. All of you do.”
Dacian’s gaze swept down Ledger, paired with the smirk that wound up Thorn. “I’d agree with you, except then I’d be talking about you, too?”
“Give over.” Ledger had quickly learned to stand up to Dacian or find himself walked over. The sound of car engines brought Ledger’s attention to the open doorway.
“Looks like it's show time,” he said excitedly, eager to get started. “You go and greet them, I’ll set out the wine.”
Laugher shook Dacian’s shoulders. “Bossy much?”
Ledger paused and grinned at Dacian, arching one brow. “You’ll see just how bossy if you don’t go get my clients.”
The laughter continued as Dacian left, and Ledger walked to the gap in the table. With practised efficiency, he had the bottles of red wine arranged and breathing. The three bottles of white he placed in the chiller for the time being, along with thechampagne. He tucked away the box he’d used to carry them in, keeping it out of sight. Not two seconds later, he heard voices and groaned when he realized one of them was Thorn.
He eyed his mate, who wore a smug expression as he left the group to walk around the table and join Ledger in the semi-circle.
No. This is my space. Either go back around the table or leave.He made sure to be firm as he held Thorn’s gaze.Go on,he added when he felt Thorn’s hesitation.
He nudged Thorn for good measure, his attention returning to the mixed group. All but one were dressed stylishly, while one man dressed like he’d come from one of the surrounding ranches. Ledger guessed their age ranged from around sixty to mid-twenties as he considered his audience and who to pitch the wine to.
Dacian hadn’t returned, but Calvert was there. Ledger got the impression, when he gave a warning look at Thorn, Calvert was purely there to make his brother behave.
Ledger swallowed a chuckle at guessing correctly when, a moment later, Calvert elbowed Thorn in the ribs when he glared at a dark-haired, attractive man dressed in jeans and dusty cowboy boots, who smiled enticingly at Ledger.
“You’re new,” a silver fox with friendly gray eyes said as he held out his manicured hand. “I’m Lane Starling.”
Damnation. One of the founders of Starling Enterprises, which meant the silver-gray haired shifter with piercing blue eyes watching them, had to be Derick Starling, Lane’s husband.
Ledger didn’t let any of his nerves show as he took the hand and shook it. “Ledger, the new sommelier at Vaughn winery.”
“And my mate,” Thorn said, cutting in.
Lane’s eyes twinkled as they dropped to Ledger’s mate mark before he grinned at Thorn and released Ledger’s hand. “Howmarvellous. Congratulations to you both. True mates are such a blessing.”
His eyes widened with alarm. How did Lane know they were true mates?
How does he know that?
