“This system is gonna track inventory, manage shipments and handle vendor coordination—everything stays in one place so nothing gets lost or miscounted and we don’t end up with a room full of papers again.”
I shot her a look and she blew me a kiss.
She tapped the screen, moving through tabs seamlessly.
“And this part right here,” she added, “will help with booking for the events. So we don’t overfill and piss people off.”
I nodded once, leaning in slightly to look closer.
She didn’t move back.
“Where you get this system from?” I asked. “It looks custom.”
“A friend,” she said casually. “All he wants as payment is wine for his little dinner parties.”
I huffed a quiet laugh. “The good old bartering system.”
She smirked. “Yeah, I knew your old ass would like that.”
I glanced at her. “Careful.”
“Or what?” she asked, not even looking up from the screen.
I stepped in enough for her to feel me against her.
“You keep pushing me like you think I’m soft or some shit.”
She finally looked up then. “I don’t think that at all, Mr. Sinclair. Trust, I can tell you’re veryveryhard.”
Her eyes trailed down to my crotch and I didn’t even have to follow it to know what she’s referring to.
“Anything else you need, Mr. Sinclair?” she asked.
“Nah.”
“Good,” she said, closing the laptop and heading for the door knowing that in this current state, I couldn’t follow. “Because I’m about to run this shit. Ta-ta for now and um— take care of yourself.”
THREE WEEKS LATER…
LIKE FINE WINE
Rory.
“—Andover here is the bar where we’ll serve the wine and cheese boards.”
Patch stoodbehind the counter with one hand resting on the polished wood and the other gesturing toward the spread we had set up.
The travel agent stepped closer, eyes scanning every detail. “Local?”
“Of course,” Patch answered without hesitation. He’d better. We rehearsed this a million times. “Everything here is sourced from within the region. Cheese from two farms down the road. Honey from a supplier we’ve worked with for years. Even the bread is baked fresh every morning from a local bakery.”
Nice.
Then he reached for one of the bottles and held it up slightly.
“This one right here,” he continued, “is from our lower vineyard. The soil there holds more moisture, so the grapescome out a little fuller. You get a richer taste, but it’s still balanced.”
One of the influencers leaned in, recording. “Can we taste that one?”
