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Love swamped Lucien. He wanted to tell them how he felt, but now wasn’t the right time. Not with so many people there. But the feeling stayed with him, and he knew it always would. He squeezed Calder’s thigh again, then returned to his food.
Lydia sat across from them with a plate. “How did you three meet?”
“I’m doing some restoration for them, but we actually met first in a bar.” Gio winked at his mother. “I saw them and knew I had to have them. They already knew each other.”
“You two were together first?” she asked, a hint of worry slowing her words.
Lucien shook his head. “We weren’t together without Gio. The three of us got together at the same time. But Calder and I are…roommates.”
She nodded. “Ah, love at first sight when my Gio came into the picture.”
“Nobody has said anything about love, Ma.” Gio laughed. “But we’re hoping we’re on that path.”
She waved her fork at her son as if batting away his words. “Bah, there is already love. I can tell. You two are perfect for my boy. A mother knows these things.” She snagged one of the bottles of red wine and poured herself a glass, then held the bottle across the table to Lucien. “You need more.”
He took the bottle and poured himself a second glass of wine. That would be all he had since he was well aware the pestilents were in Charleston and he needed to stay sharp. He set the bottle on the table only to see it snatched up by another family member. The more the wine disappeared, the more the laughter increased.
Damn, this was just amazing.
The conversation continued to flow around him as he enjoyed his dinner. Even Calder was pulled into it as he chatted with Lydia about surfing and his life in California. One of Gio’s uncles was teasing him about his poly lifestyle, but it was all in good fun.
Lucien got drawn into a conversation about beer once they found out he’d once owned a microbrewery and he happily chatted about what it had been like to make their own brew. Gio’s father made his own wine, which explained the label-free bottles everywhere.
“I don’t bother to make labels all the time,” Georgio explained from where he sat next to Lydia. “My family goes through it too fast, and all they have to do to get more is bring the used bottles back.”
“Do you use kits?” Lucien asked, genuinely curious.
Georgio nodded. “Most of the time, yes, though I have tried to do it from scratch a few times.”
“We don’t talk about those times,” Lydia said with a shudder. “Watermelon wine is not a good thing.”
“There’s a store downtown that stocks all the kits and supplies, so I stick with that now. Though I will say that peach wine wasn’t too bad.”
“Says you.” Lydia laughed as she poured more red wine into her glass. “I prefer a good Cab myself. Merlot or Pinot as well.”
“Red wine flows through her veins,” Georgio teased, dropping a smacking kiss on her cheek. “But all the family enjoys the wine, so I make a lot.”
“How much does each kit make?”
“About six gallons of wine. I can show you where I ferment it, where I keep all the bottles, if you’re interested.”
Lucien nodded. “Of course. I’m fascinated, and it might be something I’d like to try myself.”
“When you’re done eating, I’ll show you.”
Lucien looked forward to it. He was definitely interested in making his own wine. He’d enjoyed the process of making his own beer even though his part of the business hadn’t been the actual processing. He’d helped, though. Mostly in the beginning.
“The dessert table is in the kitchen,” Lydia said as she eyed Lucien’s now empty plate. “Cake, cookies, and pie. Eat up!”
Lucien rubbed his full belly. “I couldn’t eat another bite, but thank you. Maybe in a few minutes.”
“More wine?” She pointed her fork at the bottle between them. “There’s plenty.”
“I’m good.”
“Well then.” Georgio pushed away from the table. “Come. I’ll show you where I make my wine.”
“He loves showing that off.” Lydia gave her husband a fond smile.
Lucien followed the man through the house. They decorated in bold colors like Gio, with rainbow throw blankets draped over the red couch and recliner. They had framed children’s art all over the walls. Everything spoke of warmth and family and Lucien loved it.
Georgio reached a back room in the hallway and opened the door with a flourish. Immediately, the heavy scent of fermenting fruit hit Lucien. Also, the smell of yeast and wine. There were thick shelves built into the walls with large buckets lined up. Empty bottles filled several of the shelves along with other wine-making paraphernalia. He could recognize some of the things from his brewery days.
“I usually keep about five batches going.” Georgio pointed at a whiteboard on one wall. “I keep track of the process here. I have two batches about to be bottled, so I’m getting ready to start the filtering process. There’s so much food out there, you probably couldn’t smell the fermenting but normally, it does smell up the house a bit. We’re used to it.”
