I felt for my littlest sister, deeply understanding wanting something you couldn’t have. My only hope was that she found a way to move on one day—or that Ezra pulled his head out of his ass long enough to see that my sister was the most incredible woman, and he’d be the luckiest man alive to be with her.
With me and Brie staring at him expectantly, Ezra said, “I want to get more involved with the community, beyond all of this.” He gestured to the winery, encompassing his work here. “So I was thinking about ways I could give back, and I thought perhaps hosting a fall dinner of sorts at the community centerwould be fun. I’m thinking a ticketed event with five to seven courses, each cooked by me and paired with a Chateau Delatou wine. I could do fall-inspired dishes with a Swedish flair.”
I cocked my head to the side, studying Ezra. Something about him was…different. Gone were the shadows in his eyes, and the bags beneath them. He seemed brighter, peppier, like he wasn’t simply moving through his life anymore in the wake of the tragedy that sent him running from NYC to ABB, butlivingit. I had to admit, it looked good on him. He was even more handsome with light in the chocolate depths of his eyes and a smile on his face.
Shifting my gaze, I looked at my sister, who sat still as a statue, mouth popped open slightly.
“And Brie,” he said, turning to her fully. In response, my sister snapped her mouth closed, adopting that air of nonchalance she’d mastered in Ezra’s presence. “I was hoping you’d contribute to the dessert course. Maybe you could come up with something to pair with the CD ice wine?”
“I—” Brie choked on the single letter, then cleared her throat loudly. “That sounds wonderful, Ez. Count me in.”
“What do you need from me?” I asked.
“Marketing help,” he said with a sheepish grin. “Even just word of mouth would be a major boost since you know everyone around here.”
“I’ll put out a blast on my social accounts,” I said. “There will be a lot of tourists coming in for this, so I’ll make sure people are aware it’s happening. We can do flyers around town and post on the Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page too.”
Ezra’s shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Thanks, Delia. Thatwould all be amazing.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair and said, “Now I just need to figure out logistics. I suppose I could cook it all at home…”
He trailed off, mumbling to himself and scribbling notes on the paper in front of him, seeming to have forgotten for the moment that Brie and I were still there. And though it had been blessedly quiet the last few weeks since I’d found a worthy project to throw my efforts into, that tiny little voice belonging to my inner chaos demon piped up with an idea. One I couldn’t resist suggesting.
“You should use the bakery’s kitchen!” I said brightly, and Brie’s head shot up so fast her neck cracked. The look she gave me was positively lethal. “It’s only a few storefronts up from the community center, and there’s plenty of work space and storage.”
“Storage I use for my shop,” Brie said through gritted teeth.
I shrugged, unperturbed. “You can use that industrial sized fridge that takes up ninety percent of your kitchen upstairs,” I said. “After the hell you put Dad and Logan through to get it up there, it’s really the least you could do. Unless you want Ezra using that one instead.”
My sister’s emerald green eyes were laser beams designed to flay my skin from my body. Truly unfortunate for her that no magical powers ran through her veins.
“I really wouldn’t want to impose…”
Both of us stared at Brie, waiting for her to make up her mind either way. Ezra clearly expected her to turn him down, and had sort of curled his shoulders in as if bracing for that rejection.
But I knew my sister better than that.
“No, no,” Brie said, waving her hand. “It’s fine. You’re more than welcome to use the bakery.”
Ezra’s eyes widened, a smile halfway unfurling on his face before he bit down on it, offering a closed-lipped one instead. “Thank you, Brie. I’ll…text you to sort out the details.”
“Me too, please,” I said. “When you’ve had a chance to nail down the date and time. Then maybe we can sit down and come up with a marketing plan.”
“Sure,” Ezra said, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. “I’ll be in touch with both of you.”
“Great!” I said, clapping my hands. “Well, I have to get back into town for some more meetings, so I’ll see you guys later!”
I knew there was no way I was getting out of the winery without Brie chewing me a new ass, but even so, I power-walked back inside and down the hall, toward the entrance and the parking lot beyond.
“Delia!”
Called it.
I stopped on a dime and turned to Brie, folding my arms across my chest, feigning boredom. The truth was, I’d acted completely out of pocket back there, but…if it got the two of them to figure their shit out instead of walking around each other on eggshells, then my work was done.
“Yes, baby sister?” I asked, tone saccharine.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Do you want the short answer or…”
