Once Griffin and I put the glasses, plates, and cutlery down, Emma asked, “What does everyone want to drink? We have the same wine we drank on the boat.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll have that. I don’t want to mix drinks even though it’s been a few hours.”
“That’s good for me too,” Griffin said.
“We’ll bring a bottle of red too. We always like to have both on hand,” Emma said before hurrying inside.
Griffin and I headed to the fire pit.
“Jude, you need help with that?” Griffin asked.
“No, don’t get close. This is my domain,” Jude replied with a laugh.
“My dad is the same. He’s very territorial with his grill,” I said.
“You miss your parents,” Griffin said with a soft voice.
“A lot.”
“When’s the last time you visited them?”
Jude narrowed his eyes, and I felt as if someone had dropped ice cubes on my back. Thank God Emma wasn’t here; she would pick up that something wasn’t right.
“I was there last month, remember? When you and your brothers went to…” My voice faded because I had no idea what to say. Once again, I felt utterly unprepared. Every time Griffin and I spoke alone, it was like I already knew him and didn’t need to ask anything else. Yet when we were together with Emma and Jude, I realized how many things I actually didn’t know and should have asked.
“Napa Valley,” Griffin finished.
“That’s right,” I said.
“You’re doing business in Napa?” Jude asked.
Crisis averted. Thank heavens.
Griffin looked at him, putting his hand in his pocket. “My brothers and I bought a winery, and we’re going to rebrand it.”
“I thought your businesses were separate from your brothers’.”
“They are, but we decided on a whim to do this together. I’m enjoying it. It’s been a while since we started something from the ground up together. I didn’t even realize I missed working with them until we embarked on this project.”
“Tell me more,” Jude said.
Griffin held up a finger. “On one condition. I want to stoke the fire.”
Jude looked at me. “He always drives a hard bargain, doesn’t he?”
I laughed. “He truly does.” He didn’t even know the half of it.
Jude and Griffin fiddled with the fire for close to twenty minutes before Jude declared it hot enough to place the skewers.
After that, it took another forty minutes for the food to be ready.
“They’re delicious,” I exclaimed after the first bite. “I personally feel like food is more delicious when cooked on a fire pit.”
We debated the pros and cons of an actual grill versus a pit, and then the conversation moved to comparing gas and wood grills.
As I helped myself to a second skewer, I decided to get a fire pit in my backyard too. I didn’t want to splurge on anything, but I was certain I could find some cheap ones online. I didn’t need anything fancy, just something where I could make a fire in the evening and roast something on it. Or honestly just look at it.
The flames had a calming effect on me. I smiled to myself as Emma and Jude went inside for more drinks.
