Just Like That by Karin Kallmaker

Author:Karin Kallmaker [Kallmaker, Karin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
ISBN: 9781594930256
Publisher: Bella Books
Published: 2005-11-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Shifting in bed, Syrah knew the alarm was not far off but she still told herself she was trying to sleep. Rolling over with a sigh she scratched her nose and the aroma on her fingertips washed over her.

Toni.

Sleep was impossible. After pulling on work clothes, she made her way through the lower fields toward the oldest and smallest fermentation building. The rough-cut stone created a low temperature for slow yeast reactions, resulting in their most mellow, longest peaking reds.

The interior was damp and cool and Syrah hoped it might mellow her, too, but she doubted anything could. Even though her limbs felt like lead, her heart kept missing beats every time she remembered what it had felt like to hold Toni in her arms.

Methodically working her way through the barrels with the testing meter, she relived the night before, everything from the surprising invitation to dinner and the conversation that had side-stepped important things and left so much unsaid. At times she had felt so unschooled, unsophisticated. She was sure someone like Caroline Bingley was never at a loss for words or actions.

How could she have seduced Toni like that? Even when she’d seen those bruises in the starlight she simply hadn’t cared that Toni had been with anyone else. Toni had been responding to her, she was sure of that, not just the romantic spring night and one drink at dinner. Something tingled and ached like never before, but she had been stupid, stupid to grab Toni like that, as if there had been no yesterday and would be no tomorrow.

And then, like some child, she’d gotten scared about what it meant to be making love so intensely and broken the mood. Toni had wanted her and even now Syrah’s body felt simply unreal.

She finished her measurements and notes and walked back to the house, hungry but not sure she could eat. Toni had said today was the last day she’d be at the winery, but she wasn’t going home for a week, maybe. Would she ask Syrah out again? Should she ask Toni for a date? What did they do now, after that awkward hug and peck good-bye?

Toni’s rental car was in the small lot when Syrah regained the house. She braced herself, or tried to, but her stomach still lurched at the sight of Toni casually leaning against the counter, one elegant hand wrapped around a mug of coffee.

At least, Syrah thought with satisfaction, it looks like she got as much sleep as I did.

If anything, Toni’s eyes were haunted. “Good morning” was all she said.

“Good morning. How are things penciling today?”

“Better than yesterday, though there’s a great deal of uncertainty remaining.”

“Not to mention a lot of noise.”

Toni nodded, gazing into her coffee. “A great deal of noise.” She sighed when her cell phone rang and walked by Syrah without a glance on her way to the patio.

Syrah made herself eat a little toast, and coffee seemed to settle her jumping stomach. Every so often a snatch of Toni’s conversation drifted toward them.

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