“Grgich Hills,” Rachel said as she pulled out a bottle of wine that had probably cost more than my billfold, and my billfold, it should be noted, was a Kate Spade.
Okay, it was a Kate Spade that had been on clearance, but still.
Rachel blew her bangs out of her face, and I admired her long, glossy black hair for the umpteen millionth time. I was flat-out jealous of how her brown skin stayed blemish-free.
Maybe that’s because she doesn’t fool with makeup like you do, Vivian.
“What should we be looking for in tonight’s selection?” asked Abi.
Rachel looked skyward trying to remember and then gave up and skimmed the back of the bottle. “Violet, black currant, plums. A silky mouthfeel.”
I giggled.
“Seriously, Vivian,” Rachel said.
“But ... Mouth. Feel.” I left the words out there until Abi quirked a smile. Rachel stared on. I cleared my throat and schooled my features. “And I have the perfect pairing as well as ... a gift.”
“Oh?” Rachel and Abi asked at the same time.
From my tote bag, I took out a new box of Cheez-Its.
“Of course,” said Rachel.
“... and these.”
With a flourish, I brought out three stainless-steel wine tumblers—complete with lids. One side saidMom Scoutsin a curlicue script. The other side of each cup had one of our names.
“These are cute, Vivian!” Abi had put down her knitting and was spinning the tumbler around to look at each side.
“I told myself I’d at least start looking at merchandise when I hit five hundred subscribers,” I said. “You ladies get to be my wineglass guinea pigs.”
Rachel grinned as she twirled her tumbler. “I’m glad you’re getting so much enjoyment out of your new hobby.”
Yes, my hobby. Her words rankled, but I smiled through them. How could my YouTube channel be described as anything else? I certainly wasn’t making any money from it.
I’d created my Mom Scouts channel after Dylan went to school. The learning curve had been steep, but now I knew how to edit until I had something concise. With twenty videos under my belt, women were starting to reach out and say things like, “Your videos just make my day” and “I needed that laugh.”
And that was why I’d created the channel in the first place: so we women could celebrate all the little milestones of life. The tagline for my channel wasSometimes you deserve a glass of wine. Or a badge. Or a badge and a glass of wine. The Mom Scouts have your back.
“Did you wash these cups?” Abi asked as she took the lid off hers and held it out for Rachel to pour the wine.
“Of course!” I said, taken aback that she would ask such a thing.
Okay. So maybe I’d only rinsed them out instead ofwashingthem, but wasn’t alcohol an antiseptic or something? Not that any of us were about to pour a California cabernet on an open wound or anything.
“Bless you for getting a new box of crackers,” Rachel said. “They were stale last week.”
I sniffed my wine the way Rachel had taught me. I didn’t know anything about it other than how her California wines always smelled distinctive, usually something fruity with a hint of a very specific dirt, a dirt I didn’t know but would like to. Then I took a sip.
Darned if that mouthfeel wasn’t silky.
I liked to think of this as a sort of communion. Nothing fancy. Nothing religious, per se. But Wednesdays sometimes felt like the only time I could really talk about my dreams or what I’d done the previous week that upset me. Abi and Rachel inevitably absolved me of my supposed sins and encouraged me in my ventures. I did the same for them.
“So, do you think I could include the two of you in some of my videos?” I asked.
“Hell no,” Abi said.
“I was thinking we could talk about earning our Sommelier Badge, maybe talk about how Cheez-Its pair perfectly with every type of wine.”
