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Colby walked off toward the other woman and Max glanced down at the one in his hand. Angelica merely shrugged. “I wish I could find the confidence that little Angelica had with her missing tooth and crooked bangs.”
“Yeah, I remember feeling invincible when I was that age,” Max said. Cal and he had felt like they could do anything. He often thought of his brother with regret and sadness but now those childhood memories stirred, racing through the hallways of their house on their skateboards. Trying to replicate Kevin fromHome Alone’s sled ride down the stairs out into the snow.
God, he missed Cal.
He hadn’t allowed himself to be anything but guilty or angry about his death. But finally he realized how much he missed him.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just a little ghost of Christmas past. Now let’s see…where should I hang this priceless ornament?”
He walked over to the tree just in time to see that the ladies had put the Rossi boys in a row on the front of the tree. “I guess she goes here.”
“She does,” Delilah said. “I love it. The little Rossis.”
There were a serious of good-hearted groans and laughter but those were the last ornaments to go on the tree.
Chapter Five
“Reg just textedme and asked me on a date. I’m not sure if I should say yes or no,” Cosima said. It was a slow morning and there was only light foot traffic from the tourist buses, which were later than normal getting to Whiskey River.
Angelica suspected that was down to the ice storm they’d had the night before. “Because of the proposal?”
“Sort of…”
Cosima trailed off and Angelica put down the sketch she’d been making of Max and walked over to her cousin who’d been rearranging the wine display at the front of the store. Cosima was very particular about the type of guy she went out with. They were always casual relationships because she wasn’t sure where she was staying. If Texas would be her home or if she’d be heading back to California.
“Is it Reg?”
“Yes and no. He’s really nice and cute but he’s also way too sure of himself. I prefer a guy who…well needs me for an ego boost, ya know?” Cosima asked.
Angelica wondered if she should be debating something similar about Max. But the truth was she preferred a strong, confident man like Max. Nothing turned her on more than a man she could go toe-to-toe with, one who wouldn’t back down or be intimidated by her. “No, I don’t know. You like him because he’s strong.”
Cosima sighed and shook her head as she turned the bottle closer to her around and looked down at the label, which was an artist sketch of the Rossi vineyard and tasting room in California. Cosima’s finger lightly traced over it and Angelica realized for the first time that her cousin might be missing home. She’d assumed Cosima wanted to start over with her but her cousin might not have wanted to.
“Hey, I never asked you if you wanted to come here; I just sort of assumed you did,” she said.
“What? Of course, I do. I miss home sometimes, but I’m not going back. The truth about Reg is that he isn’t going to stay here—he lives in California. But he’s…I don’t know how to explain it. It’s sort of like he’s a man and I’ve been dating fun boys. He sees through all the stuff I normally do and he makes me… I don’t know, I’m being dumb.”
“No, you’re not. He’s different and it’s making you wonder if he’s worth the risk,” Angelica said.
“Sounds like you’re in the same boat,” Cosima said.
“Yeah. I think I am,” she said.
Her phone pinged and she glanced down to see a text to her and Cosima from Second Start, confirming their proposal had been approved. There was a link in the message for them to click through and use a secure program to review the contract.
“Yes! We got it.”
“Woo hoo. They’d have been making a huge mistake if they hadn’t accepted our proposal,” Cosima said.
They sent the contract to their lawyer to review and traffic in the shop picked up until around five when Cosima headed out for her date. They’d been alternating working late in the shop.
As the shop emptied, Angelica had more time to think about her upcoming date with Max.
Going on a date in Whiskey River wasn’t exactly a low-key thing. During the day the town was full of day-trippers taking tours through the Texas Hill Country and at night locals filled Booze’s and shopped the stores on the Square. Well most of the shops. Angelica and Cosima’s shop did more business during the tourist hours than they did at night. She’d mentioned to Max that she’d be at her shop until eight. To which he’d simply said he liked to eat late.
He was due to meet her when she closed up and the shop had been quiet since seven but at seven forty-five the bell on the door tinkled and Roxanne and a couple of women walked in together.
