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“Thank you.” Jodie put the flowers in the vase, keenly aware of how close Mac was standing. And that they hadn’t kissed yet. She glanced up at him and he had the same bemused expression on his face that she felt.

“Is it weird for you, too?” she asked. “Suddenly dating a coworker?”

Mac visibly relaxed. “Yeah, it is.”

Jodie nodded. “I thought so.”

Mac slid his arms around her waist. “But I’m not going to let that stop me.”

Jodie grinned as Mac lowered his head and found her lips.

They were almost late for their reservation.

The maître d’ at Lavender led them through the dining room, past pale plaster walls, exposed beams, and windows thrown open to the warm evening. Lavender was beautiful without making Jodie afraid to touch anything. Small vases full of their signature lavender sprigs sat beside candles on the tables, and she could smell herbs, garlic, and French bread baking.

“I like this place already,” she said as Mac pulled out her chair.

“You haven’t been?”

“No.”

“Then I’m glad I’m the one who brought you.”

Their server brought menus and a wine list, and for the first time in nearly two weeks, Jodie could actually order something stronger than Coke.

“I’m down to taking a couple of ibuprofens twice a day.” She opened the wine list. “I’m celebrating with a drink tonight.”

Mac laughed and reached for his own. Jodie had barely started down the reds when Mac tapped one entry with his finger.

“Anne Pichon Sauvage. Southern Rhône. Syrah and Grenache.” He glanced at her. “That could be good.”

“Could be?”

“Depends on what you order. But it should play nice with just about anything.”

Jodie lowered her wine list. “You know wine.”

Mac actually ducked his head. “A little.”

Then she remembered. “Oh, right. Your family owns a vineyard.”

He shrugged. “My grandparents do, yeah. In Napa. St. Helena, actually.”

“And you grew up on a cattle ranch in Alberta. Your dad’s family.”

Mac smiled. “Wow. You already know everything about me.”

Jodie scoffed. “I know your résumé and your background check. Thank you, Paranoid Boss Kyle.” She leaned an elbow on the table. “But I don’t know you. I don’t know what it was like having grandparents with a vineyard in Napa.”

Mac scoffed. “You make it sound like I’m some kind of winery scion. I’m not.”

Jodie grinned, trying to picture the unassuming Mac as a rich snob swirling wine in a glass and talking to a group of investors. “Did you visit your grandparents often?”

Mac took a sip of his water. “Quite a bit. Summers when we could. Every other Christmas. A harvest now and then. Mom took us down whenever Dad could spare us from the ranch.”

“Did they make wine themselves?”

“A little, for the family, but not commercially, no. They grew grapes to sell to the big wineries in the area. They’ve got about forty acres now. They used to have more Merlot, but after that movie Sideways came out, demand softened enough that Granddad started grafting some of those blocks over to Syrah and Viognier for The Prisoner Winery. Viognier’s a lower yield, but Grandma loves it and Granddad’s always up for a challenge.”