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“Good, isn’t it?” she said.
“Hopefully what I make will be half this good.”
“Is that what you’re worried about?”
He shook his head. “I love the grapes, what we do, the wine we’re making. I have no doubts about that. And in the summer when wine country is crawling, it’s amazing.”
“Less so in the drippy winter.”
“Your ex-husband loves it.”
“We’re not talking about Ezra.” She reached up and tilted his scruffy chin down, forcing his gaze. “Your whole life can’t be the dirt and the barrels and fucking tourists in the summer, then hiding away in the winter. You’re not a polar bear.”
His grin was one of the sexiest she’d ever seen. Had been why she’d sent Ezra across the floor of a crowded party to fetch him that night long ago. “And your whole life can’t be your work. Neither of us is cut out for that.” His gaze cut across her shoulder again but this time landed squarely on CC. “You always were a sucker for a redhead.”
She returned his earlier shrug, and his full barrel-chested laugh eased some of her worry. And drew said redhead’s attention.
“Go get your girl,” Archer said with a slap to her ass. She slapped his back, then followed his order for a change. She circled behind CC, traded her empty glass for a red velvet cupcake, then looped an arm through CC’s, drawing her over to the window bench seat.
“Will we be seeing any more of the Dotsons?” CC asked.
“No, I don’t think so. They’re going to pause acquisitions for a while. Bo has the line he wants, Rob wants something different with the company.” She flitted a hand in the air, as much a summary of the shouting match she’d witnessed that she cared to bother CC with. “They’ve got their own shit to sort out. This deal just made that more clear.”
“So you’ll be going too, then? Back to New York?”
“What I do is independent of Dotson Brands.”
CC laid a hand on her crossed knees. “I’d wondered about that. I’m sorry if this deal cost you the secondment.”
“Don’t be. The secondment simply ran its course.”
“But that’s not exactly what happened, was it?”
She shrugged. Yes, if Dotson Jr. wanted to bring an ethics complaint against her, he would probably win, but she didn’t think Dotson Sr. would let him given his own shady dealings. But the writing was on the wall for Dotson Brands too. Bo had his pet project, and Rob would be taking over the rest of the business. Al was more than happy to hand Rob to someone with more patience than her. But while she had that flexibility, hers wasn’t the only job that could be affected. She and CC had talked about that earlier this week, and CC had decided it was worth the risk, but it was a risk nonetheless.
“What about you?” she asked. “Any fallout at MRM?”
“Status quo for now. Bosses are happy with the paycheck.”
“It could have been more.”
“It could have been none if we hadn’t closed the deal.”
“Touché.” Al held up the last bite of her cupcake to toast against CC’s glass. Their quiet laughter was drowned by Colby’s and Sloan’s at the bar.
“I’m going to miss her,” CC said.
“Sloan?” Al wasn’t surprised her daughter-in-law and CC had hit it off, both at the Hanukkah dinner and as Sloan had negotiated the deal documents for Rosin with her the past week.
“Yes,” CC answered. “She’s been great to work with and get to know better, but I meant Colby.”
Al nearly choked on her last bite of cupcake. “What?”
“You didn’t hear?” CC patted her back, then handed her the glass of whiskey. “Miller stole her away.”
Al’s eyes grew wide. “For the head pastry position at Chess?”
CC nodded.
