To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne

Author:Lauren Layne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 2021-06-29T00:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

It’s been a while since I’ve indulged in a proper girls’ night. And when you need one? You need one.

I’ve invited all the usual suspects: Lily, Rachel, and Keva, but I’ve also made a surprising addition:

Robyn.

The prickly sommelier’s been bothering me less lately. The intensity that used to drive me, well, nuts, has actually been a pretty big asset around the store lately. I’m realizing that perhaps I’ve been seeing her all wrong: Robyn’s not a condescending know-it-all as much as she is a woman who’s lucky enough to have found her passion (sparkling wine) and a job that allows her to live that passion.

In the past couple of weeks, it’s been Robyn who stays late to help me brainstorm new ideas on increasing revenue; Robyn who takes it upon herself to try to get vendor sponsorships every Friday; Robyn who’s taken over inventory management.

And I don’t know if it’s the successful shopping trip with Keva that resulted in her new lipstick or what, but her customer service skills have done an about-face. Instead of spouting off her knowledge as though wanting a gold star for her efforts, she comes across as committed to making sure people take home a wine they love.

She’s even been friendlier with the Bubbles team and had nearly broken my heart last week when she’d shyly confessed that she’d never been good at making friends and had asked for tips. Remembering the look of pleased shock on her face when I’d invited her to tonight’s get-together is making it a little easier to tolerate the fact that she’s currently in my living room rattling on about the flavor profile of vodka.

Lily catches my eye from the kitchen, where she’s adding baby carrots and ranch dip to her plate, and makes a face as Robyn utters the word grain alcohol for the tenth time, but she’s smiling.

“Oh gawd,” Keva interrupts Robyn, reaching out and emptying the remains of the cocktail shaker into Robyn’s glass. “Woman, I love talking about my craft too, but at some point, food is just food, and a drink is just a drink.” She points. “So drink it and shut up.”

Robyn, cross-legged on my living room floor, blinks. Then she shrugs and sips her cocktail. “Okay.”

“I’m so glad I pumped my afternoon away so I could drink,” Rachel says, pulling her curly hair into a messy knot atop her head. “I had no idea how great cosmos were. I thought they were just a Sex and the City set piece.”

“Take it from someone who came of age during their heyday, there’s such a thing as too many,” Lily says, returning to the living room with a glass of white wine.

The other women all happily sip the cosmopolitans I suggested. Paintings with pink cocktails are continually my best sellers, and every now and then I get a craving.

Lily dunks a potato chip in the ranch meant for her untouched carrots, and after popping it into her mouth, wipes the salt off her fingers and makes grabby hands in Rachel’s direction.

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