Who's the Boss Now? by Susannah Erwin

Author:Susannah Erwin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-05-11T13:19:50+00:00

Seven

Marguerite reclined on the new leather sectional sofa, sinking into the overstuffed cushions as she watched Evan and Nico argue over who deserved the last piece of the meat lover’s pizza, ending with Nico offering to arm wrestle Evan for the spoils. Gabi caught her gaze and they shared an eye roll and head shake of commiseration over the men’s antics as the match began. But Marguerite also couldn’t help grinning. Evan and Nico competing to see who could cheat the most at arm wrestling was not something she’d ever expected to witness.

It was Friday pizza night at the owner’s residence, a tradition that had sprung up shortly after Evan started working from St. Isadore. Nico had taken advantage of Evan’s increased presence by asking for weekly meetings with Evan and Marguerite to discuss his work at the winery. They’d quickly determined the meeting required refreshments, which then morphed into ordering take-out pizza. At the first meal, Evan had brought out beer and Marguerite had recoiled in horror. But then she’d decided to use the occasions to teach Evan more about wine. He might still prefer beer, but at least now he could hold a conversation whenever he ran into another winery owner.

She still couldn’t fully believe Evan had made good on his stated intent to work from St. Isadore. He spent his days holed up in his home office, emerging only to sign off on requests from Marguerite or the director of operations. But the nights...the nights, he definitely made his presence known. To her. At her apartment. On more than one occasion, taking advantage of the guest chair in her office. Even in the pickup truck Marguerite drove to meet with vineyard managers and walk the grapevines.

The memory of what his mouth and fingers had done to her under the open sky, with nothing but green leaves and budding fruit all around them, caused her to shift on the cushions. Evan glanced up from his match with Nico. When their gazes met he smiled, the devilish quirk of his lips telling her he knew what she was thinking. He always knew, but then Marguerite’s thoughts were rather predictable ever since the morning in the courtyard.

“I win!” Nico shouted. Evan’s arm was pinned to the coffee table.

Evan kept his gaze on Marguerite. “I had my eyes on a greater prize.” He passed the paper plate to Nico then took a slice of margherita pizza for himself. “Enjoy.”

His elbow came perilously close to the open wine bottle on the coffee table as he levered himself from his seated position on the rug. “Careful!” Marguerite reached down and moved the bottle. “This is good stuff.”

He joined her on the sofa. “Then, we should finish drinking it.”

“First, pop quiz. Why did we have the Cabernet Sauvignon with the meat lover’s pizza?”

Evan thought for a minute. “Tannins,” he replied. “The tannins offset the fat in the meat.”

“And a fruit-forward wine like this particular Cab Sav pairs well with the flavor.”

“I’m good at pairings,” he whispered in her ear when the younger couple wasn’t looking.

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