Page 98 of The Sweetness of Life

“No headaches today?” I scan his face, looking for any trace of them, but the looming shadows are nowhere to be found.

“No. Kyle and Michelle sent me back to the doctor, seems everyone thinks I need to get a better handle on managing stress. I can’t imagine why.” He grins, joking, and I smile along with him.

Goodness gracious, what this guy does to my heart.

A throat clears to my right, and I turn to see Meg standing there beaming from ear to ear. We didn’t even realize she had joined us.

“Sorry!” Zach says as he turns his attention to her and holds out his hand. “We haven’t properly met yet. Hi, I’m Zach.” He gives her a megawatt smile, and she falters briefly. When he turns on the charm, it’s impossible not to swoon.

“Meg. Nice to meet you.” She slips her hand in his. “This is quite a place you have here, Zach.”

“I think so,” he says proudly as he releases her hand.

“Shelby’s a lucky girl to have gotten to spend two weeks here. I mean, a castle that has endless amounts of free wine? I can’t think of anywhere better.” She winks at me, and then she turns back to him with a stunning smile of her own.

Zach laughs, and my heart dances at the sound. Two of my favorite people are conversing, happy, and my cup runneth over.

“Actually, I’m the lucky one,” he says affectionately. He pulls his hand out of his pocket and reaches over for one of mine. Warm fingers bring my hand to his mouth and he kisses the back of it. This man melts me, and in the best way possible.

“Zach!” From behind, he gets slapped on the shoulder, and we turn to see Jack and Bryan, but no James. “Hey, Shelby,” Jack says cheerfully as his eyes drop to our connected hands. He grins and gives Zach an I-told-you-so look before turning his attention to Meg.

Neither of them moves or says anything, and I inwardly laugh at their competing appraisals of each other, Jack’s more in intrigue, Meg’s more in scrutiny.

“And hello, gorgeous,” Jack says after the silence between them has already stretched into being uncomfortable.

Meg, the girl who isn’t normally thrown off by meeting new guys, seems flustered. Her sharp tongue and quick wit are missing in action. Interesting.

“Hey, I’m glad y’all could make it,” Zach says, breaking the silence and turning toward Bryan.

“Absolutely!”

“We’re glad the timing worked and we could drive up. Wine and some of Shelby’s cooking . . .” Jack eyes me hopefully until I nod. “How could we turn it down?”

I laugh and shake my head. “Meg and I brought the cobbler, but the rest of the food was prepared by others from the recipes for the pairings. Although I didn’t personally cook the food today, I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

His face falls a little. “I don’t know about that.” He huffs, and a sense of pride washes over me. I love that Zach’s friends like my food. Food is my thing, and to me, cooking for friends is an expression of love, so knowing he feels this way means something to me.

“Well, if you like mine, you’ll love Meg’s even more. Her cooking is way better. You should drop by our place in Charleston next time you’re up and have her cook for you,” I say conspiratorially.

“Is that so?” He turns and looks at her again as if she’s become the answer to all his prayers. He grins, dimples popping out, and inwardly I laugh. Dimples are her weakness.

Meg’s glare drops into a scowl. I almost feel bad for Jack. He has no idea what he’s getting himself into, and Bryan chuckles next to him.

“Come on, darlin’, how about we leave these two to do some work, and you and I can get to know each other better.” He holds his hand out to her, but she doesn’t take it.

Frowning, she looks at Zach and me as she weighs her options. She knows we need some time to talk, but she isn’t sure about his friend.

“Fine.” She finally relents, but instead of taking his offered hand, she folds her arms against her chest. He just smiles even bigger, his dimples deepening, and drops his hand.

“Fine starts with an F. Did you know there are only two Fs needed to satisfy a man? Food and fu—”

“Oh my God! Don’t even say it,” she snaps as the three of them turn and head for the bar. “You do realize we just met, right?”

He laughs and places his hand on her lower back.

“Should I be worried about her?” I ask Zach, half joking, half not as they disappear into the crowd.

“Nope. From what I experienced of her outside your restaurant, I think she’ll be just fine.” He draws out his last two words.