Page 9

Rhone clinked his glass with Sutton’s.“Thank you!At least someone agrees with me.”
I took a sip of my wine, wondering if Sutton was right.If a midnight kiss set the tone for the year ahead, then why the hell did my pulse race at the thought of Ben’s offer?
Once Rhone and Wyatt started debating if the kiss had to involve tongue, I excused myself and made my way through the crowd, checking on the caterers, making sure the centerpieces were still in the center of the tables and pretending like I wasn’t scanning the room for him.
I spotted him talking with my other brothers, Franc and Laurent.
Midnight.You.Me.No more pretending.
My skin prickled at the memory of his breath on my ear, the rough sound of his words coursing through me.I gripped the edge of the tasting bar, inhaling and trying to clear my mind of Ben Wright.
Odette, a regular to the winery and a town staple, approached, taking my arm and giving me a squeeze.“You outdid yourself,” she said.Her eye shadow reached new heights tonight, the bright blue touching the bottom of her eyebrows.Her red lipstick exceeded the natural lines of her mouth, including a healthy swipe against her front tooth.Not many people could pull off this look—actually no one could—but it was so distinctly Odette, I couldn’t imagine her any other way.
“Thank you, Odette,” I said, patting her hand.“Are you having a good time?”
“I’m having a blast!”Odette beamed, holding up her glass.“I even got Albert to dance.Can you believe it?”
I blinked.“Wait a second.Albert?As in, grumpy, refuses-to-participate-in-anything Albert?”
She nodded proudly as I took a sip of my drink.“Well,dancemight be pushing it.I grabbed his hands and wobbled him back and forth until he gave up trying to fight me.”
I choked on my wine, but recovered quickly.I’d have paid money to have seen that.
“Meadow cut in, and I spotted you and just had to sing your praise.”
“I appreciate that.”
“And we all appreciate you.”She nudged me with her elbow.“Now tell me, do you have a special someone you’ll be kissing at midnight?”
What was everyone’s obsession with kissing at midnight?
“I’m leaving that to my siblings.”All but Rhone and Sutton were paired off, and I… well, I was the planner.The fixer.The one who made sure everyone else’s night was perfect… except my own.
“So you won’t be kissing a certain warehouse manager?”
“Ben?”I asked, as if I was completely shocked by her insinuation, then added a laugh for good measure.“Absolutely not.”
“You two looked awfully friendly before.”
“We were discussing an upcoming event I need his help with.”
“Is that all?”she asked.“Well shucks.I guess I owe Albert ten bucks.I could have sworn you two were a thing.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
“Oh, that’s quite all right.I’ll win the next one.”
“The next one?”I asked.
“You might not be a thing now, but you will.I’m never wrong.”With a wink of an overly mascaraed lashes, Odette hurried to her group of old timers and Meadow, who, at only twenty something, had a way of effortlessly blending into any group.
I continued making my rounds, attempting to ignore Ben, but his gaze was like the sun—impossible to get away from, and hot as hell.
Someone grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward them.I stumbled slightly before getting my footing and stopping just before slamming into Dad.
“Dad, what are you doing?”I asked as he spun me around before continuing our dance to the jazz music that filled this area of the tasting room.
“Your mother is complaining her feet hurt,” Dad said.I glanced to the tasting bar where Mom was four inches shorter, her shoes discarded at her feet.“I told her not to wear new shoes tonight.”