India smiled at her before she turned and reached for two glasses in the cabinet by the refrigerator. She didn’t pour them wine, though. She placed the glasses next to the bottle and looked over at Maisie, who still hadn’t moved.
“Scissors?”
“Oh.”
Maisie pulled her old scissors out of a drawer that she’d had for over a decade and wondered if they even worked still. Then, she watched as India pulled out the dozen roses individually and neatly trimmed the stems while Maisie filled a vase with water. It was the only vase she had in the place, and she had no idea where she had gotten it. India arranged the flowers for her and stood back, checking out her handiwork.
“Okay. Well, the wine should breathe longer, but you don’t have a decanter, I’m guessing.”
Maisie shook her head.
“Then, we’ll just drink it when the food gets here and hope for the best.”
“I won’t know the difference, anyway,” Maisie pointed out.
“Do you want me to teach you some stuff?” India offered. “I love a good wine.”
“How goodisthis wine?” Maisie asked, peering down at the label.
“Are you asking me how good it tastes or how expensive it is, Maisie?”
“I just don’t want you to waste the good stuff on me.”
“Impossible,” India said. “And it’s a good wine. I took it from my own wine rack.”
“You have a wine rack?”
“I do. It’s in the hall closet. Well, itwasa hall closet. I converted it to a wine room and moved the hall closet when I bought the place. It’s temperature-controlled, and I’m a big fan of red, but I have some good whites in there, too. They’re chilling in the refrigerated compartment.”
“I think I’ve maybe bought one bottle of wine ever in my life, and it was from the grocery store,” Maisie shared.
“What kind was it?”
“No idea. I just grabbed it because the label looked cool. It had a duck on it.”
“They put a duck on a wine label?” India asked, looking offended.
“Yeah,” she said, laughing a little.
“Wine shouldnothave a duck on the label.”
“So, I shouldn’t pick up a bottle for our next date?”
“You can. You’ll just be drinking it alone,” India said, and her face didn’t do the mental math this time.
“And if I wanted you to try it, would you?”
“In this scenario, am I already drunk?”
Maisie laughed and asked, “What food did you order?”
“I got pizza since I knew what you liked, but I added a pasta just in case you weren’t in the mood for pizza again. Is that okay?”
“Pizza with this good wine?”
“I know… I’m breaking all my rules for you, Maisie Lincoln.”
Maisie knew it was a joke, but there was something inside her that squeezed a little bit when she heard those words coming out of India’s mouth.
