Not to be outdone, Liam added, “Stay, we promise to give you a really big tip!”
Ella laughed, then shaking her head she said, “Sorry.I got to go.Work calls.”
As Ella turned to leave, Ben reached out and stopped her.“Just curious.Where do you work?I mean besides here?”
Giving Ben a shy smile, Ella replied softly, “On Saturdays, I help out at the Henley Winery.Why?”
Giving her a very mischievous smile, Ben replied, “Well, that might be information I might need.”
Smiling and looking directly at Ben, Ella said, “Well, the Henley is a well-kept Napa secret.If you are planning to go winery hopping, I am sure you would love it.”
Giving her a thumbs-up, Ben replied, “I am sure we would.Maybe we’ll see you there later.”
Smiling, Ella replied, “Hope so.”While she doubted she would ever see any of them again, a girl could dream.
As Ella walked away, she heard one of the guys at the table who hadn’t said much ask, “Hey, did you hear that?We just scored the babe that seated us.Remember I saw her first.She is all mine.”
Ella was not surprised the guy was fawning over her younger sister.Sophie was only seventeen, but she looked every bit of twenty-two.What Ella did not know at that moment was that while Ben’s buddies were jockeying for position to be the dude who snagged a date with the bombshell hostess Sophie, Ben was singularly focused on Ella.One thing was for sure, he knew he would be eating at The Depot again sooner rather than later.And if he could talk his buddies into it, they’d be dropping by the Henley Winery very soon as well.
Chapter 2
Later That Day
The Henley Winery
Napa, California
It had been a long day at the Henley Winery.Ella loved working there when she got to spend her time outside in the fields or giving tours of the vineyards.She was not a fan of being cooped up all day inside the gift shop, selling tasting tickets and T-shirts like she had been doing for the past five hours.On Fridays and Saturdays, she was scheduled inside to help with the increased crowds rather than outside giving tours.Although Ella did not like the work, she did like the money she made from it.
Plus, Parker Henley needed the help.He had let Ella accompany her uncle Pedro on his rounds through the vineyard.She had started tagging along with him when she was eight.Parker also let her do her college research projects in his fields as well.She owed him.So here she was, standing in one place all day, bored beyond belief with her feet aching like nobody’s business.
Much as Ella hated to admit it, she had spent way too much time watching the front door in hopes that Ben and his friends would stop by.Every time she heard the door open, she’d look over in wide-eyed anticipation.It had been the only thing that had made the day bearable.They were closing soon.Her hope of Ben showing up was dying a slow, painful death inside her heart.Checking her phone, Ella saw she had about ten minutes left before the last tasting session.Once that happened, they’d lock the doors, and she would be free to go.
Luckily Ella had to go back to the diner for the closing shift.Yay me,she thought sarcastically.She did not usually work both opening and closing, but she had promised Sophie she would cover because Paulo was in town.He and Sophie had been apart for weeks with him away at basic training.No way could she say no to her little sis.So here she was, counting down the minutes until she had to go to her third shift of the day.That was her life.Work.School.Work.School.Work.School.Rinse and repeat.
Preparing to leave, Ella was bent over gathering up her backpack and jacket from under the counter when she heard the front door open and a loud group enter.Straightening up, she saw Ben and his crew ambling in.She had never been more happy to be working the gift shop as she was in that moment.
Almost instantly, Ben’s clear blue eyes found Ella’s.She gave him a huge smile and was barely able to stop herself from dancing around in a circle yelling, “Yea!You came!You came!You really, really came!”
Instead, she said nothing but stood staring at him smiling.What was it about this guy that caused her brain to shut down?
Walking straight over to Ella, Ben leaned on the antique wooden counter she had been standing behind all day.Giving her his sexiest grin, he simply said, “Hey.”
Hey.That was it.Yet it almost stopped Ella’s heart.Ben did not need to say anything else.His swagger and flashing blue eyes said more than a Shakespeare monologue.Barely able to stop herself from groaning, she gave him a goofy smile.Straight laced, no nonsense Ella was giddy at the sight of him.Her siblings could never know about this.She would never live it down.
Neither spoke for a moment.They just looked at each other like kids in junior high, smiling at each other, not knowing exactly what to say or do next.
That was when one of Ben’s friends recognized her.The minute he did, he pointed to Ella and in a very loud voice said, “Guys, look who it is: our runaway waitress.”
At that moment, all of them looked over to where Ella was standing.Turning toward Ben, the five gave him knowing looks that promised him hours of significant teasing.He’d had his one pass earlier today with his spicy comment.This time, they would eviscerate him.Later.Not now.In this moment, they smiled smiles that promised hours of future torture only those who know you best can extol.
One of the guys yelled, “Hey, can you give me your sister’s number?I know she would want me to have it.”
Turning to his friends with a very irritated look, Ben screeched, “Scat.All of you!”
Ella laughed and said, “You just told them to scat like they are cats.”
“Well, sometimes when I am with them, I feel like I am herding cats, so scat is the perfect word.”
