Drunk on Love(64)

He glanced sideways at her as they walked down to the car together. She looked so elegant tonight, in just a simple sundress and jewelry. He suddenly felt too young, too unseasoned, to be walking next to Margot. He knew he was younger than her, but he wasn’t quite sure how much younger. Did she know? Did she care? If he asked her how old she was, she would think he cared about her age, which he didn’t. Well, not like that—he just wanted to make sure she didn’t care. See, this was why he couldn’t ask her, because even in his head he sounded like he cared for all the wrong reasons.

He opened the car door for her, and she smiled at him. He realized what would help him stop overthinking this.

He got in the driver’s side and unbuckled the seat belt she’d just put on.

“I meant to do this at the door,” he said, “but you in that dress got me all flustered.”

She laughed as she turned to him.

“Did I? What did you mean to do then?”

He took her face in his hands.

“This.” He leaned forward to kiss her, just as she reached for him. The kiss felt familiar now—he knew the way her lips felt against his, the way her body dipped and curved under his hands, how smooth her skin was. But it still felt so exciting, so hard-won, that he could just reach for her like this, and kiss her, and have her meet him kiss for kiss, touch for touch, with that soft sigh and gentle tug that thrilled him so much.

Finally, they pulled apart, and he touched her bottom lip with his thumb.

“Hi,” he said softly.

“Hi,” she said. They smiled at each other as she put her seat belt on again.



* * *





LUKE DIDN’T REACH FOR her hand as they got out of the car and walked inside Verdant. Margot was both disappointed and relieved about that. She didn’t—exactly—want to walk into the restaurant holding his hand. It wasn’t anything about Luke; he was great. She was actually worried that he was too great, that this whole thing was some sort of a trick, or mirage. But that wasn’t why she’d been relieved.

She was sure she’d run into someone she knew tonight—it was almost impossible not to, these days. And she was worried she’d run into someone who knew that Luke had been her employee up until yesterday. Or even someone who thought he was still her employee, currently. And that then they’d tell her brother.

She should have thought about this earlier today, when Luke had asked if she wanted to go to Verdant—one of the hot new restaurants in the valley—for dinner.

But all she’d thought when she’d gotten that text was how it had been years since someone had put thought into a date with her, planned something for her like that, and how wonderful and surprising and disconcerting it was. When she’d said “tonight” that morning to Luke, she’d just expected him to come over for sex again, maybe buy her takeout for dinner, if he really gave it some forethought. She hadn’t expected a real date.

He’d obviously gotten advice from Avery on where to take her, which was so fucking sweet it made her want to lean over and kiss him right here, in the doorway of the restaurant. She didn’t do it—she didn’t even reach for his hand—but just thinking of it made her almost not worried about whether she’d run into someone she knew.

“We have a reservation at eight—Williams, party of two,” Luke said.

The host smiled at them.

“Margot! Good to see you.”

Margot almost laughed, it happened so quickly. This host had worked at the Barrel last year for a few months.

“Hi, Sean. Good to see you, too. I didn’t realize you were here now.”

He picked up two menus and tapped something at the computer before he led them to their table.

“Yeah, I’ve been here since they opened. Sydney helped me get this job, I owe her one. Tell her I say hi.”

Margot apparently had a great deal to tell Sydney the next time she talked to her.

“Will do.”

Luke laughed after Sean walked away.

“Do you know everyone in this town?”

Margot shook her head.

“Not at all—I’m brand-new here, by the standards of Napa Valley, but I’ve tried hard to remember names, it makes a big difference when you’re trying to establish yourself. But the thing is, as you know, there aren’t all that many Black women in Napa Valley, especially not Black women winery owners, so everyone seems to know me. Which definitely keeps me on my toes.”

“Ah.” Luke smiled at her, with a little glint in his eye. “So you weren’t just saying that, that first night. About how too many people know you around here for me to kiss you on the sidewalk.”

Margot tried to keep a straight face.

“Excuse me, are you trying to tell me that you thought I was just making that up to try to get in your pants? That it was a handy excuse to invite myself back to your place?”

Luke twitched his eyebrows at her.

“It’s honestly kind of an ego blow for me to realize you were just telling me the exact truth.” His leg touched hers under the table. “Though to be fair, you didn’t immediately invite yourself back to my house—you clarified first whose place was closer.”

She laughed.

“Oh, that’s right, I forgot that part.”

“If I’d been a little farther away, you would have just turned toward your house, and I would have run right after you.”