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“Where are the glasses?” He looked left then right.
“Behind the bar.” She pointed him in the right direction as she began walking away. “I need to grab a few cases of wine from the cellar.”
“I have a better idea.” Shaking his head, he flashed a cheesy grin and lifting his arms and clenching his fists, flexed his muscles. “How about you show me which bottles of wine you want and I’ll carry the heavy cases while you set up the glasses?”
Hiding a soft chuckle with her hand, she nodded. “Okay. Far be it from me to turn down muscle.”
Once again, looking around as he headed to the cellar door, he turned to face her. “Where’s your help?”
“For now, I’m afraid you’re it. Fate decided today would be a good day to strike either my employees, or their kids, with a nasty bug. Siobhan and Eve are on their way, but it will take them a while and I’m already behind.”
Stepping aside for her to lead the way downstairs, he followed her to a cage stacked with cases of wine.
With one hand she pulled her hair back from her face while pointing with the other. “This stack of cases needs to go behind the bar.”
“Okay.”
Before she rushed away, he touched her hand. “This is part of the competition?”
She nodded. “It’s an ongoing one and we’re the first winery in the rotation. I’m undecided if that’s good or bad.”
He rested his hands on her shoulders. “First or last, it won’t matter. You make great wine.”
A shaky smile teased at the corners of her mouth. “Thank you for your vote of confidence. I know we have good wine, very good wine, but I needed that.” She inched up on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek before rushing off.
Following her, he carried the cases into the tasting room.
“How are you at opening wine bottles?” She waved a traditional cork screw in her hand.
“I’ve opened a few in my time.” More than a few, but no point in going back in time to his early days of the game and wining and dining anything in a skirt now.
“Great.” Her arm uncurled in front of him and she handed him a corkscrew. “Open two bottles from each case and put them back in the box. I’m not pouring until everyone gets here.”
Daniel did as he was told, happy to be working alongside Paige. What he wasn’t so sure of was how was he going to feel tomorrow when he was thousands of miles away?
The sight of Daniel at the door had set her heart dancing, and just as quickly her stomach sank when realization struck. Now was not a good time to have distractions taking her attention away from the competition. And if there was one thing that Daniel most definitely did well, it was distract her.
Despite knowing deep down that her wines were excellent, her nerves were on edge. Today would be the first of three important statewide competitions. Considered by many to be the Triple Crown in the wine industry, even placing in today’s competition would be considered a very big deal.
Any misgivings she might have had about Daniel’s presence quickly faded into the background. She’d been delightfully surprised at his offer—no, insistence—that he pitch in to help. Almost from the first day she’d met him he’d been nothing but thoughtful, considerate, cooperative, an all around good sport—especially when her family was involved—and now, very supportive.
Any minute now the judges would be walking through the front door. Everything was ready and looked absolutely perfect, and she had Daniel to thank. Siobhan and Eve had only just shown up, flustered and upset about an accident on I45 that had slowed them down. Each had glanced around, nodding their heads and smiling. Even they could see what a great team she and Daniel had made under less than perfect circumstances.
A hand on her back startled her out of her reverie. “Is there anything else you need?”
Staring into Daniel’s eyes, she almost blurted outwhat a loaded question. “For now, all I need is for the judges to arrive and get this show on the road.”
He nodded. “Okay then. What can I do during the competition?”
Siobhan and Eve had gathered near them. Paige cleared her mind and pictured the rest of the day. “I’ll want you each at a different bar. This way, if the judges have questions you can answer them.”
Daniel was the first to speak up. “Uh, I was thinking something more simple, like handing out hors d’ouevres or maybe clearing the bar.”
Both her sisters’ heads bobbed in agreement.
“He’s got a point.” Siobhan actually looked a bit green. “If you want to hand out some Guinness I might be of help, but wine?”
“What she said.” Eve waved a thumb in their youngest sister’s direction. “Except for the Guinness part.”
