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Ooh. His voice sent shivers down Mary Ellen’s spine. It was deep and sexy, but warm and friendly, too. It was one of those voices that sounded familiar, made you feel as though you knew its owner, even though you didn’t.
Molly laughed, and the guy laughed with her, making Mary Ellen wonder why it was so funny that he didn’t get chance to enjoy his own company much. She thought that was sad, not funny. She had lots of friends and a busy life, but she made sure she got time for herself, too. She’d go nuts if she didn’t.
She dug her phone out of her purse. One of the things she enjoyed most was reading. She had a great book on the go right now and bringing herself out to dinner like this meant she could enjoy it, along with a great meal and no interruptions.
She smiled as Molly passed her on the way back to the kitchen. She was tempted to turn around and check out the guy with the sexy voice behind her, but there was no point. He probably wouldn’t look anything like he sounded. She’d rather enjoy her imaginary version of him. It was a visual she could hang onto while she read—and she did. Soon she was lost in the story, and now the hero looked a lot like the way she imagined the guy in the corner booth did.
~ ~ ~
Antonio took a drink of his beer and smiled. It was good. He loved wine, but sometimes a guy just needed a beer. Tonight was one of those times. There was nothing wrong; in fact, his life was pretty damned good. He knew he lived a charmed life. He ran a great business, had great friends, and no shortage of female company. In fact, if he was honest with himself, he’d had more female company than he could handle lately. He’d always been a ladies’ man. It was part of his identity. He was Antonio; he was successful; he was a winemaker, and he enjoyed the ladies. He took another slug of his drink. So why was he sitting here by himself drinking beer?
He shrugged and blew out a sigh. Nothing was wrong. It really wasn’t. He was just getting tired of everything always being right. He never had to work too hard for anything. He might lead a charmed life—but that was losing its charm. He sighed again and noticed the blonde head at the next booth turn slightly at the sound. Hmm. He should maybe keep it down. He smiled. Or then again, maybe not? He could no doubt get her to turn all the way around if he wanted. He could strike up a conversation, invite her to join him. He could set himself the usual challenge—to take her home at the end of the evening. He smiled. It was hardly a challenge anymore. He’d done it so often. There was little thrill left in the chase. The odds were stacked in his favor. He was a good-looking guy, he was charming, women could tell he was wealthy, and once they learned he was in the wine business, it was pretty much all over. Or at least, they were all over him. He looked at the back of the blonde head and shrugged. No. He wanted an evening to himself.
He looked up as Molly returned to the blonde’s booth with a Margarita. The two women chatted for a few moments then Molly left again. Antonio frowned. Was she a local? Molly seemed friendly with her. He furrowed his brow. Now that he thought about it, there was something familiar about the long blonde hair. He hoped she wasn’t someone he knew. What did it matter? She had her back to him, and the server was heading toward him with his food. He was going to relax and enjoy his meal and forget about his surroundings.
He did enjoy his steak, but he couldn’t quite forget about his surroundings. He watched as the server returned with the blonde’s food. Filet, huh? In his experience, women who ate alone usually stuck to lighter fare.
After a little while, Molly came back to check on him. He smiled and nodded. “Everything’s wonderful, Moll. As always.”
She smiled and moved on to check on the blonde. “How is everything, Mary El?”
Antonio almost choked. Mary Ellen? He spluttered as the blonde head turned toward Molly and he caught a glimpse of the face. It was! Mary Ellen. Cameron’s assistant. Chelsea’s friend. He took a drink and cleared his throat.
Molly gave him a worried look, but he gave her a reassuring smile and dropped his gaze to his plate. He didn’t want to attract Mary Ellen’s attention. To his surprise, his heart was racing. What was he … scared of her? He chuckled to himself at the thought. Perhaps he was. She was a beautiful woman, but she wasn’t his type. Was that true? Physically, she was his type. She was gorgeous. Statuesque was the word that came to mind. She was voluptuous—great ass, great set, curves … he drew in a deep breath. The woman had curves, the kind he’d love to get his hands on. He pursed his lips. He’d never tried. He liked to think it was merely because she was part of his social circle, and in a way, she was part of his family circle too. She worked with one cousin and was good friends with another cousin. He’d like to think that was the reason he’d never acted on his attraction to her, but that wasn’t the whole reason. No. It was more to do with her personality. She was a no-nonsense kind of girl, from what he’d seen of her. She was capable and efficient. By Cameron’s own admission, she played as big a part in the success of Hamilton-Groves as he did. She was smart, there was no doubt about it. Not just in her work either. She was witty. He blew out a sigh. She represented a different kind of challenge than he usually sought with a woman. With Mary Ellen, it wouldn’t be a question of whether he could charm his way into her bed. He felt it’d be more a case of whether he could earn a place in it—he wasn’t sure he could, so he’d never tried.
Antonio put his fork down at that realization. Was that why he was tired of female company lately? Because it was all too easy? Was he finding it all so meaningless because he’d deliberately been avoiding anything that could potentially be meaningful? He stared at the back of Mary Ellen’s head. And was he ready to make a change? Should he attempt to talk to her?
Hell no!
He was so not ready for that.
He continued to shoot glances at her while he finished eating, pondering a question that had never occurred to him before about any woman. Was she out of his league?
He heard his cell phone ring and reached into his pocket, but it was silent. The familiar ring tone continued. It was coming from the booth ahead of him—Mary Ellen’s. He listened as she answered. He shouldn’t eavesdrop, but he couldn’t help it.
“Hi, Mom. I’m doing okay, thanks. How are you and Dad? … That’s good … Yes, I do know … No. I’m not worried about it … Mom, really. I’m fine.”
Antonio had to wonder what her mom thought might be a problem.
“No. I didn’t know he was coming. I didn’t even know he was one of the candidates until yesterday … No. I don’t think he’s here to make things up with me. I think he’s here because it’s a great opportunity.”
Mary Ellen was quiet for a few moments, and when she spoke again, she was agitated. “Mom! Have you completely forgotten that David’s married? I know we were engaged, but he dumped me, remember? I didn’t fit the part. I’m not pretty enough; I’m not sweet and agreeable enough. Angela was a much better ticket to help him get where he wanted, so he unceremoniously dumped me for her. Why on earth would you think that he’s come to Napa for me?”
Antonio felt bad. No way would Mary Ellen want him to hear any of this, but he could hardly get up and leave—for one thing, he was still eating, and for another, he was fascinated. This David guy must be a complete jackass. Mary Ellen was the kind of girl you married. She wasn’t the kind of woman you dumped for an air-headed barbie—she was the kind you upgraded to when you were ready to man up. He looked up when she spoke again.
“Mom. I don’t care. No, I didn’t know he was divorced now, and no, I don’t think this is a second chance with him. I’ve worked hard since then. I’ve worked on my career; I’ve worked on myself. I’m worth more than that. I might not be what a man’s looking for, but I’m okay with me. I’d rather grow old alone than be somebody’s second choice. I’m not going to be a fallback option, and I’m not going to accept crumbs.”
Antonio swallowed, surprised by the lump that had formed in his throat. Her words were strong, and he could tell that she meant them, but there was a break in her voice. She was stating her truth, but he could hear her pain.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry, Mom. Listen. I’ve got to go, but I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? Okay … love you … bye.”
Antonio watched as she put her phone away. She leaned forward, her head bent. Was she crying? He hoped she wasn’t crying. He swallowed. He had to do something. He couldn’t stand to see her cry. No man should ever have been able to make her feel bad about herself. He had to tell her.
He bit the inside of his lip as he got up. He hesitated, looking around wildly. Maybe Molly would come? Girls knew how to help each other through, didn’t they? No such luck. Molly was taking orders for a table of eight. She wasn’t coming to the rescue. If anyone was going to be there to support Mary Ellen, it was going to have to be him. He walked toward her table. She was leaning her face in her hands. She didn’t even look up. He couldn’t tell if she was crying. He slid onto the bench across the table from her and waited. She still didn’t look up.
“Are you all right?”
Her head shot up, and she met his gaze. For a second, he could see hurt and confusion in her eyes.
