Page 24 of The Sweetness of Life

“I’m sorry, did you suddenly forget whose name is on that bottle of wine you’re drinking?”

Her playful face falls and then goes blank, shutting me out. She blinks at me a few times and then sets the glass back. “I was just kidding.” Her voice is soft but her eyes narrow slightly. “No need to be so sensitive about everything all the time.” She tilts her head to the side. “Oh, wait—are your true colors coming back out?” With that, she rolls her eyes and turns her body away from me and back toward Michelle, who frowns and just noticeably shakes her head.

Kyle, who can see I’m about to lose my shit, holds out his hands behind her back so she can’t see and subtly tells me to calm down. He’s right. I’m angry over a comment that, had it come from anyone else, I would have laughed at.

Taking in a deep breath, I run my hand across the back of my neck and decide I have to let it go. I did provoke her, which is something I need to stop doing. Remember the plan, I chant to myself.

“Here, earlier I made these for y’all.” Michelle reaches into a cooler, pulls out two chicken salad sandwiches wrapped in plastic, and places them on the bar before pouring two glasses of sweet tea. My stomach growls as I unwrap mine.

“Ah, you’re the best. Thank you,” Kyle mumbles as he dives in. She smiles at him and they share a somewhat intimate look. I don’t know why I never thought about the two of them together before. It makes complete sense.

Next to me, Shelby picks up her glass.

“So, what do you think?” I point to the wine in her hand, trying to diffuse the tension between us.

She licks her lips and takes another slow sip while watching me. It’s incredibly seductive, and my mind wanders to what else she could do with those lips—until she giggles. My eyes snap away from her mouth and back to my plate. Damn, she did that on purpose.

“I think it’s delicious. I prefer drier wines, and this hits the spot.” She looks at the glass, twirls the stem between her fingers, and then sets it back on the bar.

“Do you have a preference for red or white?” I ask between bites of the sandwich.

“Nope. I’m not picky. I’ll drink whatever is offered.”

Yes, and then you’ll voice your opinion about it to anyone who will listen if you don’t like it. Anger pushes its way up under my skin, and I breathe through my nose to try to calm down.

Keep the conversation going, Zach.

Make her feel welcome.

Remember the plan.

“What did you do today?” I ask her before taking a gulp of the sweet tea.

“I went over to the barn and helped the guys with the bottling.” Her expression is tentative, and she’s waiting to see if I’m going to have a retort to her wandering around the property.

“Really? What did they have you do?” It seems as if I’m not the only one who likes to get my hands dirty. I finish the sandwich and push the plate away.

“Well, there really wasn’t much for me to do since the equipment does most of it, but they answered some questions I had and let me help crate the bottles once they were labeled.

Kyle bumps my shoulder and hands me his phone.

“Sorry, just a second,” I tell her, angling the phone so she can’t see the screen.

“No worries, I get it . . . duty calls.” She turns to Michelle and they start talking about someone called Fat Amy.

I flash them a smile and then look at the screen. On it is the winery’s Instagram account, and under the profile of Starving for Southern, there’s a photo of our bottles lined up on the assembly line out in the barn. My heart contracts sharply in my chest when I look at the fifty-two thousand likes under the photo and see over seven thousand new followers. And that was after just one post. My eyes meet Kyle’s, and we share a knowing look. The plan is already working.

I hand him his phone and turn back to Shelby with a smile, suddenly feeling a fresh sense of purpose with this girl. “Are there any questions I can answer for you?”

“No, I think I have a good grasp on the operation around here. Michelle did tell me about your wine club—I think it’s a great idea.”

“Ah, the wine club . . .” I glance to Michelle, who gives me a sympathetic smile.

Shortly after taking over the winery, we implemented the wine club and sales went up. Being in the club means that once a month patrons can come in, do a full tasting for two, and leave with two bottles of wine. We automatically charge them on the first of each month for those two bottles, and no matter when they make it in, they’ll be waiting for them. The locals love it. We are also partnered with a bakery in town to add some finger foods to the mix.

“A lot of smaller family-run wineries have adopted a club. We’ve had some good and bad experiences with it, more good than not.” I smile at her because I don’t want to plant any negative thoughts in her mind.

“How many members does it have?” She finishes the sauvignon blanc and picks up the next glass.