At First Blush (A Well Paired Novel Book 1) Page 13

  Her town was filled with good, honest people. They took to him instantly, even with his suave looks and style that stuck out like a jellyfish in a lobster crate.

  Hemsworth wasn’t the best judge of character; he loved everyone, so it wasn’t surprising that he’d attached himself to Ben’s side as well.

  “We appreciate the extra hours you put into this, Ben.” Her father turned to Alexis. “I don’t want to rush my girl, though. Her opinion matters to us as it’ll end up being her place in the long run. Can you give us some time? I’ll call you in a week and let you know what we plan on doing.”

  “There’s no need, Shane. I came out here to give you some ideas, to help you plan. You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. I’m not making a commission on which of my ideas I sold to you.”

  “You’re a good man, Ben.” Her mother captured his cheeks in her palms and lowered his head so she could kiss his forehead like a mother would her son. “Your mother and father must be very proud of you.”

  “I manage to sneak in a few good deeds now and then.”

  “We won’t keep you anymore. I know you have a flight to catch.”

  “Take some fritters for the plane. They’re not as good as they are hot out of the fryer, but they’ll keep something in your stomach.” Her mother wrapped four fritters in a paper towel and slid them into a Zip Lock bag.

  “I appreciate it. If you have time, you’ll have to send my mother the recipe.”

  “You can’t cook?” Alexis hadn’t said much during the past few minutes, with her parents ga-gaing over perfect Ben. They all looked up at her, even traitorous Hemmy.

  “I make a killer eggplant parmesan, and meatballs that will sit in your stomach for days.”

  “You say that like it’s a good thing.”

  “Oh, it is.” He moved across the kitchen gathering his laptop and shuffling the papers in the folder. “I’ll leave these files for you. Change them up any way you’d like. And please don’t hesitate to call me if you have questions or need more support.”

  He went into the living room, coming back with his coat and laptop bag.

  “Thank you again.” Her father shook Ben’s hand and slapped him on the shoulder. “I hope to see you again some day.”

  “I’ll walk you out.” Alexis surprised herself with the offer and ducked her head so she wouldn’t see everyone’s reaction. She slipped on her boots and squatted down to lace them, Hemmy nuzzling her in the process. “I’m glad to see you haven’t completely forgotten me,” she said, rubbing behind her ears.

  Ben held out her coat for her like a true gentleman but she batted away his hands when he reached to zip her up. “I got it.”

  Once outside, she dug around in her pocket for her knit cap and tugged it down over her head. The snow last night left only a few inches in its path. Just enough to move around with a shovel, and not enough to have to break out the snowblower.

  “I look forward to sampling Crystal Ice.” Ben followed her to his car he’d parked behind the barn—no wonder she hadn’t noticed it—and shoved his hands deep in his pockets.

  “Sure. I’ll add an order form online. My dad can send you an email when it’s live.”

  “I was thinking I’d come back. Have the winemaker pour me a sample first, before I buy it.”

  “You don’t think it will be good enough?” She crossed her arms and nearly cowered when he loomed over her, trapping her between his car and his body.

  “I think it’s going to be exquisite.” He lowered his head until their eyes and lips were even. “I don’t think just one sample, one taste is going to be enough, though.”

  His eyes, as blue as the bottles she’d ordered, flickered to her mouth and she licked her lips in anticipation. Despite the freezing temperature, she burned inside. Ben had a way of igniting a flame she hadn’t known existed. A flame that burned so hot, so readily inside she imagined smoke pouring out of her ears.

  Only it was their breath, warm against the air, creating a cloud of lust around them.

  “How many tastes do you think you’re going to need?” The flirt came out of nowhere, and she regretted it as soon as the words slipped from her tongue.

  Ben’s eyes darkened, his focus intent upon her mouth. “I have no idea.” He touched his lips to hers in a gentle, innocent kiss that burned her insides. When she wanted him to take it deeper, to taste her as she wanted to taste him, he drew back. “I’ll be back.”

  He did it again. Those signals, cross wired and confusing as hell. Needing to break the spell, she went for humor. “Okay, Ah-nold.”

  His lips curved into a grin, his eyes dancing in humor before he barked out a deep, gorgeous, belly-fluttering laugh. “I like you, Alexis Le Blanc. And I look forward to our next meeting.”

  He tapped a quick kiss to her lips again and opened his car door, sliding in and driving off, taking her heart with him.

  A week had passed since they’d pressed the frozen grapes and it was time to do the first racking. Or maybe the last. She didn’t want to add too much oxygen to the wine, but had no idea how many rackings would be necessary to get optimum flavors and essence, and a clear wine.

  Her father had surprised her this morning with a coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts and her favorite Boston Cream treat. It was when her mouth was full that he’d told her about being in the red. Had she known the winery was losing money year after year, and that Ben had been called in to help them turn their business around, she probably wouldn’t have been such a pain in the ass.

  Grumpy’s legacy could still be honored if they were smart about their changes. If Coastal Vines was going to stay afloat, she needed to get over her insecurities and build stronger connections with the other businesses in town.

  Alexis siphoned the wine for a second time and left the barn, Hemsworth at her side. “Want to go for a ride, Hemmy?”

  He barked an affirmative, his tail wagging in excitement. “You’ll have to stay in the car most of the time, so don’t get grumpy. Be a good boy and I’ll ask Hope for leftovers.” She scratched his head and opened the passenger side door for him.

  Even with the seat set all the way back, he took up more space than she did. Alexis had tried to keep Hemmy in the back, but he’d stick his giant head in her face and lap at her neck the entire time she was driving, distracting her to no end. Sitting in the front, looking almost human, Hemmy behaved.

  She slid behind the wheel and cranked up the heat, the gust of air blowing Hemmy’s dog hair throughout the car. “One of these days I’ll have a clean car.” But that would mean no dog. She’d take the hair, the drool, the occasional chewed up slipper over no Hemmy any day.

  Their first stop was The Happy Clam. The lunch rush wouldn’t start for another hour, if you could call it that. Hope went from ten waitresses in the summer to two in the winter. But if ten families decided to eat around the same time, she’d be too busy to chat.

  Alexis warned Hemmy to behave and jogged in to the restaurant. She found Hope bussing tables.

  “Short staffed today? I thought I’d find you in the kitchen.”

  “Slow day. I sent Mia home. Lucas is at the grill, and Marty is back-up. They’re working on inventory between customers.”

  Even with Ben’s big plans, their town would still have its slow slumps, especially in winter. Which is what Alexis wanted. Maybe.

  “Do you have a minute?” She and Hope had always been cordial to one another, even though they traveled in different packs. Or rather, Hope was social and Alexis stayed close to her vines.

  “Let me drop these dishes off in the back. I’m assuming you want to talk about Ben Martelli?”

  Just hearing his name brought a wave of heat across her cheeks. “Yeah.” She sat on a barstool and waited for Hope to come back.

  While Alexis had played football, Hope cheered on the sidelines. And when Alexis stayed home to work after high school, Hope went to college. Only she came back at the end of her freshman year depressed and
pregnant. No one knew who the father was. Or at least, the rumor mill didn’t.

  Hope waited tables at The Happy Clam before she bought the business while her parents watched her daughter Delaney. She had to be eleven by now. Alexis hadn’t kept track. Single moms weren’t her social group. Heck, Alexis didn’t have a social group. Hope was more Grace’s type. Or at least, she had been back in high school.

  “Coffee?” Hope stepped behind the bar and held up a full pot.

  “Sounds good.”

  She poured and slid a jar of sugar across the bar top. “Cream?”

  “That would be great.” They stirred their coffees and sipped. “Thanks for this.”

  “No problem. Tell me about Ben from Martelli Designs.”

  Alexis ran through the revised plan, including Ben’s ideas for to-go picnic dinners, and catering events at the function hall.

  “Sounds great in theory, but I’m not set up for that kind of operation. I’d need special dishes, ways to transport food, more hired hands.”

  “There’s always someone looking for a job, but I didn’t think you were into the catering business.”

  “No, but maybe someone else in town who likes to cook a lot? Helen and June might be, on a small scale. We can ask.”

  “Other than that part, what’s your feeling on the big picture? The theme weekends?”

  “I think it’s cool.”

  “It would be pulling a lot of business away from Seaview Drive and bringing it up my way.”

  Hope shrugged. “Yes and no. You’re the outing adventure; I’m where they come to sit and dine, have someone cook for them.”

  “How does everyone else feel about it?”

  The Happy Clam, because of its location and the abundance of food, was the real center of town. If you wanted to find out what was going on, someone at the restaurant, be it Hope or a patron, could tell you.

  Yet no one knew much about Hope. She went to college in Connecticut and came back before her freshman year was over. And a few months later Delaney was born.

  “I was kind of short with Martelli.” Hope opened a package of oyster crackers and handed them to Alexis. “In all fairness, I expected him to be all smarmy, but he was a real gentleman. And not in the way where he was trying to blow smoke, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know.” All too well.

  “I listened to his pitch but pulled out my poker face. Told him I’d need to check in with you first. Coastal Vines is a staple around here. I wanted to make sure he was on the up and up, and that your family was welcoming. Word on the street is he’s spent a lot of time at your place. Even helped pick grapes in the middle of the night.”

  “My parents want to adopt him. So does Hemmy.”

  “And you?”

  “I don’t need a brother.”

  “Uh huh.” Hope smiled behind her coffee mug. “He’s hot.”

  “Maybe.”

  Hope laughed. “Honey, he is fine.”

  “Yeah.” Alexis smothered her grin by shoving crackers in her mouth.

  “So. You and Ben?” Alexis coughed, pieces of cracker flying everywhere. “I heard you two dined regularly.”

  “Dined? Well, the man had to eat. But I wouldn’t say regularly.”

  “He was here for four days. My resources tell me you had brunch at the Sunrise Diner.”

  “Priscilla has a big trap.”

  “Seafood with Willie.”

  “He needs to get a life.”

  “Dinner at the Seaglass Inn, and again at Sunrise on the Water. I haven’t heard news about any sleepovers.”

  “There were no sleepovers.”

  “Breakfast?” Hope’s eyes crinkled in mischief.

  “Twice. With my parents at their house. But one of the times doesn’t count. It was the morning of grape picking.”

  “I think he has a crush on you.” Hope picked up a rag and wiped the spotless counter.

  “I think you’ve been hanging out with Priscilla too much.”

  “So, this function hall,” Hope said, ignoring Alexis’s gibe, “it would be above the tasting room? Isn’t that your apartment?”

  And that had been the crux of it all. She loved living there; being able to open her door and walk out to the fields. Watching the sunrise over the horizon, the day’s first ray of light shining through the morning fog. The vines stretching their arms to the golden ball in the sky, nourishing and fulfilling the grapes. The natural give and take of nature. It was all so…therapeutic.

  Alexis set her coffee down and rested her elbows on the counter. “Yeah.”

  “Will you stay at your parents’ place?” Alexis slumped. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I still live with my mom and dad. I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

  “You guys are close?”

  Hope nodded. “Now. Not at first. Not when I came home pregnant. I don’t know what I would have done without them. Mom has watched Delaney while I work, and has never missed a single dance recital or school play.”

  “I’m pretty tight with my parents as well, but living with them? I don’t think so. We cross paths a little too often as it is.”

  “Ty Parker was in today. Said you contacted him about starting the renovation project soon.”

  “Seems any time I stop in here Ty Parker is lurking around.”

  Hope tossed the dishrag in the sink behind her and held up the coffee pot. “Refill?”

  “Avoiding the question?” Alexis laughed and held up her cup.

  “No more than you avoided some of mine.”

  “Touché.”

  “Hey, we’re having a book club meeting on Thursday night. Want to come by?”

  Those darn warm and fuzzies wrapped their arms around her again. She’d never been asked to be part of a group before.

  “I haven’t read any books in a long time. I’m not sure what I can offer up.”

  Hope swiped her hand through the air. “Nah. Don’t worry about it. It’s really just an excuse to hang out with the girls and drink wine. Everyone has their reasons for joining. For some, it’s the books.”

  “I didn’t even know Crystal Cove had a book club.”

  “Celeste Parker lets us use Books By The Ocean after hours as long as we clean up after ourselves. We used to meet during business hours, but you’ve seen Mia after three glasses of wine.” Hope laughed and drained her coffee.

  No, Alexis hadn’t. She didn’t socialize with anyone in town. Or out of town. That’s what Grace did. Maybe Hope thought Alexis would be the same. But she wasn’t. The only time she’d felt comfortable was on the athletic fields in school. She didn’t have to worry about conversation or looking the part of a teenage girl. It’s where she was one hundred percent accepted.

  That was high school. A long, long time ago.

  And years didn’t do much to help her grow socially. It didn’t come naturally to her. Not with girlfriends or boyfriends. Heck, her track record was proof of that. Instead, she invested her time into her grapes. Her dog. They never looked at her the wrong way, told her she wasn’t like the other girls.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Hope reached out and touched her arm in concern. “Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry. Sometimes my mouth runs, part of this business, talking with strangers. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  Alexis shook her head and attempted to curve her lip in a meager smile. A stranger. That’s what Alexis was, even living in the community her entire life. Sure, everyone knew who she was, but she’d spent most of her life keeping to herself.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong, Hope. I appreciate your kindness, but you don’t have to invite me to your group. It’s okay.” She stood and picked up her coat from the back of the chair. “I have Hemsworth in the car, so I should go anyway.”

  “Hang on. I’ll see what I have out back.”

  Of course she would. Hope was like that. Dealt a rough hand long ago and still trudged through with a smile on her face, and kindness in her heart. She returned with
a Styrofoam container.

  “I didn’t ask his preference, but he’s a big dog, right? I’ve seen him around. I packed a few meatballs for him.”

  “Good thing you’re not hand delivering or he’s likely to kick me to the curb and move in with you.” Alexis took the box and thanked Hope.

  “And for the record, it’s not my group, or Celeste Parker’s group, or Mia’s group, or anyone else who happens to show up on Thursday nights. It’s like what your friend Ben was saying. We’re a community here. People helping people. Neighborly love and all that. It’s an open door policy, and I know everyone would love to have you there. Think about it, okay? Seven o’clock.”

  A real invite with no expectations. Hope didn’t ask her to bring anything or ask her for a favor. The sincerity in her voice touched Alexis, making her feel truly welcomed and wanted at the book group. She’d never had girlfriends before, never been part of a group other than a sports team.

  She wasn’t asked as Grace’s sister or as a Le Blanc with wine connections. She was asked to be herself and join other women in some social time, possibly discussing books, to be a part of a community.

  There was no need for a winter jacket this afternoon. Those warm and fuzzies were now wrapped around her heart.

  Ben had been home for two weeks and still there were traces of Maine, traces of Alexis everywhere. The pocket warmers still in his coat. Hemmy’s hair on his black pants. A cork in his briefcase.

  He’d spent last night at the Martevino guesthouse, and helped his sister and her husband, Jacob, with the morning duties around the family vineyard. To say Adrianna was surprised at his desire to wake up at the ass crack of dawn and check on the grapes would be an understatement. He’d come by the night before to visit his nieces, and shocked them all by agreeing to stay the night in the guesthouse instead of driving back to his condo in San Francisco.

  Ben looked at everything differently since returning from his stay in Maine. The business trip had been more than he had expected. Hell, he hadn’t expected anything other than a few quick tips for a small business, maybe hit a ski a slope or two, and hightail it back home.