Page 75 of Taken Away

“Yeah.”

“I mean that as a compliment.”

“I know.”

For a while, they ate without arguing. It should have felt awkward, but with their knees continually grazing beneath the tight table, the silence felt heavily loaded instead. Bennett asked if she’d survived Walter’s ledgers. She told him she now understood why French oak should require congressional approval. He told her half the winery’s profit was basically aging in barrels that cost more than used cars.

She tilted her head. “That explains your personality.”

He laughed into his beer, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated right through the table.

The front door opened, and Savannah stepped inside carrying a takeout bag, Chloe following close behind. Savannah stopped dead the second she spotted them.

“Oh my God.”

Aubrey closed her eyes. “No.”

Chloe looked from Aubrey to Bennett, her eyes widening. “Oh, this is interesting.”

Bennett took a slow drink of beer. “It’s dinner.”

Savannah approached the booth like she was witnessing a rare phenomenon. “You’re eating together.”

Aubrey lifted a hand, trying to sound executive. “Temporary peace treaty.”

Savannah looked at Bennett. “Blink twice if she’s threatening you.”

“She’s been surprisingly tolerable.”

Aubrey gasped. “That is not a compliment.”

“From him?” Chloe said. “That’s basically poetry.”

Savannah clutched her takeout bag to her chest. “I’m proud of both of you.”

“Leave,” Bennett said.

Savannah grinned. “Gladly. I have pad thai and no emotional repression waiting at home.”

Chloe looked at Aubrey. “For what it’s worth, the burger was the right call.”

“I’m learning the culture.”

“Careful,” Savannah said, her eyes twinkling. “Next thing you know, you’ll own boots.”

Bennett’s gaze dropped instantly, tracking slowly down the length of Aubrey’s legs beneath the table to where her bare ankles showed above her loafers. Aubrey noticed, her pulse giving a kick. Savannah noticed too, naturally, her smile widening slowly.

“And on that note, we’re leaving before someone says something revealing.”

“Too late,” Chloe murmured.

They disappeared toward the door, both women laughing. Aubrey looked back at Bennett, her face slightly flushed. “You realize your entire staff is deranged.”

“They’re loyal.”

“That too.” The words landed softer than she intended.

Bennett held her gaze, the teasing vanishing from his face, replaced by a raw, heavy gravity. He looked down at his beer.