Her smile widened, a little too pleased with my rambling. “Sounds delicious.”
“Would you like some wine? I’ve got some bottles put away in that cabinet by the TV if you want to pick something. I have no idea if they are any good; most of them were gifts.”
“Benefits of being a celebrity?”
“There are perks. What can I say?”
She hopped off the stool and started looking through the cabinet. I genuinely hoped that there was something decent, considering I’d never learned anything about wine and couldn’t remember the last time I looked in there.
“Oh, wow, you have a bottle of Grange in here. Did someone really gift you this?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I can’t remember who I got that from. Is it meant to be good?”
“Is it …” She looked at me like I’d grown a second head. “Jace, this bottle is worth over $1000. I damn well hope it’s good.”
I shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”
There was an incredulous snort before she carefully put the bottle back, finding something more suitable. “Ok, firstly, no. We’re not popping a bottle of Grange for no reason. That is the kind of wine you save for your twentieth wedding anniversary, not a random Tuesday night.” She returned, placing a bottle of rosé on the counter. “Secondly, you don’t pair a red that strong with a cream-based pasta. It would completely overpower the food.”
I forgot the food and pulled her into my arms, turned on by her wine knowledge. “Ok, well, firstly, that was hot.” I paused to kiss her. “Secondly, I think a random Tuesday night is the perfect excuse for any kind of wine. And thirdly, you’re very sexy when you’re wine pairing.”
She playfully swatted my chest but didn’t make a move to go anywhere. “You mentioned.”
I allowed myself one more kiss before I reluctantly turned back to the counter, cooking the guanciale. “Do you have to know that for work?”
“Not anymore. Years ago, I worked as a sommelier at this Michelin star farm-to-table restaurant near the loop. The pay sucked, and the owner was an ass, but I loved learning more about wines and food.”
“How did you get from that to what you’re doing now?”
“I told you how I worked at Empire before Bespoke, right?” I nodded, and she continued, “Well, the wine rep who sold to the restaurant worked there. He made it sound really interesting, lots of stories about traveling around, meeting and learning from the winemakers themselves, and being able to market the wines for these passionate makers to bars and restaurants around the country. It sounded like an adventure. One I wanted in on.”
While I mixed the egg yolks and cheeses in preparation, she maneuvered behind me to pull out a large serving bowl from the cupboard. I watched as she filled it with water and then added ice. When I cocked a brow in question, she replied, “It cools the wine quickly,” while placing the wine in the ice bath.
Damn, she was impressive. “That’s where you met David, wasn’t it?” I asked, piecing together snippets from other conversations we’d had. This was the most she’d talked about her past, and I didn’t want her to stop.
“Yep. He helped me work my way up from research grunt to senior regional sales manager. I wouldn’t be half as good at my job if it weren’t for his help.”
“Sounds like a great boss.”
Her grin widened. “He really is. I still can’t believe he asked me to go with him to Bespoke, but I’m so thankful he did.” Now that the ingredients were ready, I started to boil the water for the pasta, and I took advantage of the fact that I didn’t have anything pressing to do right now to touch her again.
I moved away from the stove to where she’d been leaning and watching me and crowded her against the counter, her body fitting against mine perfectly.
She stretched up for a kiss, but I wanted to hear more about her life. I ducked playfully away from her lips and asked, “What made you want to go with him?”
Her chest rose and fell with a sigh. “I learned so much working at Empire, but they cared more about money and markups and profit than the people or wine itself. I’d literally hear my co-workers creating bullshit lies just to add an extra zero to the bottle price. It was soul-sucking.” Her hands found their way into my hair as she spoke, absentmindedly scratching my scalp, sending tremors through me. “David felt the same. The whole point of Bespoke is that we focus on something authentic—celebrating local creators and local businesses. He said it didn’t matter that I’d never sold spirits before, and I trusted him to know what he was doing.”
I was completely captivated.
The water boiled, pulling me away, but the great thing about carbonara was how quick it was to throw together.
While I pulled together the pasta, Audrey opened the now chilled wine and poured us both a glass. Having never been much of a wine drinker, I was skeptical but trusted her judgment. If pressed, I would pick a red over anything else, but I was surprised to find I enjoyed it. It was crisp, clean, and a little sweet.
Audrey took the wine, complete with its ice bath, to the table, then came back to get the glasses while I served dinner, and when her eyes lit up at the sight of the meal, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to be the person to evoke that lightness in her for as long as I could.
Because Olivia was right, when you found someone who made you feel the way I felt when I was with Audrey, you couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.
24
