Sneaking Around Page 7

  “Wow, I knew we were in Oregon wine country, but I had no idea it was this…big!” Molly confessed, soaking in the contagious excitement around her.

  “It’s like a sacred holiday here. Pine Valley celebrates wine and harvests like some celebrate Christmas,” Seth replied.

  “I can see that! It’s fantastic! Do you smell the food? It’s like a classy carnival. Nothing is fried!” she observed, taking in the mouthwatering aromas around her.

  “Well, I hope you’re hungry…and thirsty. We have some eating and tasting to do! What’s your preference?” he asked. “Red? White? Dry? Sweet? Sparkling?”

  Eyes wide, she paused, not sure how to answer. “Uh, I don’t really know. I don’t know much about wine.”

  “What? How do you live in wine country and not know wine? Weren’t you a bartender?” Seth replied with a shocked smile.

  Molly blushed and admitted her little secret. “I know. I don’t really drink!”

  “Well, that was obvious that night at Reading Grounds when you had a little too much doctored coffee.” He laughed at the memory.

  A know-all smirk planked her face, and she gave Seth an exaggerated eyeroll. “Ha-ha, wise guy! I knew my liquor for mixed drinks, but the wine was kind of a ‘fake it ’til you make it’ situation.”

  “Well, then you are with the right guy. I grew up with this stuff,” he admitted. “My family holds the title as one of the oldest and biggest distributors on the west coast.”

  “Really?” Molly questioned. “Yet…you’re a firefighter?”

  A subtle shrug rested on his shoulders while he thought about his answer. “What can I say? It wasn’t my thing. I grew up with it. Worked in the family biz every summer even. Fighting fires was my passion…my dream for as long as I can remember.”

  “Wow. Very admirable. Leave the security of the family business to pursue your dream. An honorable one at that,” she added, fascinated by this man.

  “I don’t know about admirable and honorable,” he chuckled, “I just couldn’t see myself doing something I didn’t love. Besides, it will always be there. When I’m too old and gray to fight fires, there’s wine.”

  Just when she thought he couldn’t impress her more, he had. Seth gave up a certain future to take a risk and follow his heart. That took courage and commitment.

  Now she understood why he struggled at the beginning of his career. Seth had told her about being the FNG — fucking new guy — and why it was harder than he thought it would be. Seth was completely out of his slightly pampered element, trying to be a roughneck fireman. Talk about overcoming adversity and kicking its ass. Wine guy turned firefighter was getting more interesting — and hotter — by the minute.

  Startling her from her thoughts, Seth grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd alongside him. “Come on. You’re late for class!”

  “Class?” Molly questioned with a giggle.

  “Wine 101, and you’re late, darlin’.” Seth gave her a charming wink and a panty melting smile as he led her to tasting row.

  Seth walked her from booth to booth, rarely letting go. Even when he did let go of Molly’s hand, it was to move his hand to the small of her back or lazily around her waist to rest on her hip. Seth’s public display of affection was unexpected, but quite welcome. She loved the feel of him close. Molly felt protected and wanted — both things she could get used to.

  Seth may not call this a date, but he certainly made the efforts of a date. Perhaps this was just that, and it was only a matter of semantics at this point. Molly really didn’t care as long as she was with him.

  “Tell me you have at least been to the vineyards since moving here,” Seth quizzed.

  Taking a moment to think, she could only come up with, “Well, I did go to some sort of tasting room with some of the girls.”

  “With some of the girls? So, you were at the O’Reilly’s? Or Brady O’Bannon’s place?”

  “Oh, it was the O’Reillys. Brady had a fit about it, which I didn’t understand at the time,” Molly shared. “I didn’t know about the O’Reilly and O’Bannon family feud that went back generations. Talk about a grudge.”

  “You tasted some of the best wine there is. The O’Reillys have won this event for decades. Brady finally won more recently and has held the title since,” he shared with her. “Their families had a rocky history until Brady O’Bannon and Connor O’Reilly got together. When it comes to wine, old habits die hard.”

  “Makes sense…I think?” she laughed, trying to follow the sordid story. “It sounds a little bit like a Romeo and Juliet story…but with wine. Aren’t the O’Reillys known more for their distillery and brewery, though?”

  “Yep. They have the best whiskey and brew around…and wine. They don’t know how to fail at anything, I guess.” Seth laughed. “C’mon, let’s do the tour. You have to experience this at least once in your life!”

  Wrapping his arm around her waist, Seth helped Molly off the long bed trailer that brought them to one of the Drunk and Dirty vineyards by way of tractor.

  “So, what are we doing here?” She scanned the sprawling rows of grapes and various buildings scattered around the property, completely puzzled.

  “This is where the magic happens — grapes picked, crushed, fermented, clarified, aged,” Seth said matter-of-fact, pointing to each area as he called it out.

  “Oh, wow! So…what do we do out here?” Molly questioned, still bemused.

  Seth pulled her close, looked her in the eye, and gave her a sly smile before a quick kiss. “We make wine, sweetheart!”

  Seth grabbed a large crate from a stack staged just off to the side of their tractor shuttle and grabbed her hand to bring her on this journey that had him ever so excited. Molly looked around at the rows of vines and noticed a sprinkling of people with crates in every row. In a row of their own, Seth set the crate down at their feet and handed Molly an odd hooked knife and pair of strange scissors.

  “This is a grape-picking knife and a pair of bahco snips,” he explained.

  “That doesn’t sound very technical,” she chuckled.

  Seth proceeded to show her how to choose a vine and fruit, and how to use the tools he gave her to harvest it. He dropped the cut grapes in the crate at his feet and went on to do another. Molly watched him make a few cuts before trying it herself. Oddly, it was satisfying and mesmerizing. They were moving in unison, quickly knocking out a section at a time before Seth would slide the crate with his foot to the next area to work on.

  Molly enjoyed this side of him. The wine business may not have been his calling, but it was certainly something he knew and enjoyed. Maybe even felt a little passionate about it, given the amount of pride.

  They worked together, enjoying each other’s company, laughing along the way. Each maintained a slight buzz from the earlier wine tastings, her more than him, which may have contributed to the silliness. Once full, Seth lifted their heavy crate of grapes and briskly moved it to the end of their row where groups of people were gathered around.

  Molly followed Seth and watched him dump their grapes in a large round wooden barrel of sorts. It appeared to be eight, maybe ten feet in diameter, and several feet high.

  “Oh my gosh, what are you doing?” she asked, letting out a laugh. “We worked hard for those!”

  “Oh, we aren’t done with them! Sit!” he said, pointing to a bench behind them.

  “Okay?” Confused, Molly took a seat as asked. When Seth began to take off her boots and socks, tucking them under the bench and rolling the cuffs of her jeans, she laughed. “What are you doing?”

  He smiled at her before taking a seat next to her and removing his shoes and socks as well.

  “Let’s go!” he said, pulling her to her feet.

  “Go where?” Befuddlement seemed to be Molly’s constant at the moment. Seth was all over the place, and she hadn’t a clue what their end game was.

  “To wash our feet!” he retorted.

  Another puzzled look was ex
changed, but she followed just the same, tossing her head back in laughter. He bent down and grabbed a soft wood handled brush and bottle of soap, which he drizzled all over her feet. Molly giggled when Seth grabbed the nearby hose and went to work on her feet, cleaning them as thoroughly as the outdoor makeshift “foot cleaning station” would allow.

  “So,” she whispered while Seth moved to scrubbing his own feet, “do we shower next?”

  Seth stood, facing her with his darkening eyes fixed on hers, and gave her a low, deep, throaty response. “Do you want to?”

  “Maybe.” Her breathing grew heavier with her reply.

  He quickly lifted her from the ground, earning a squeal before standing her in the very barrel they just dumped their grapes in. Understanding washed over her while looking around to see others standing atop their grapes too. Seth held both of her hands for stability after jumping in after her and began to dance around.

  Molly followed his lead, laughing herself silly along the way. Seth loved that sound — her laughter warmed his heart and touched his soul. It was as contagious as she was — her joy, her laughter, her smile. They danced and danced, squishing the grapes between their toes until they’d crushed every last one.

  “So, what’s next?” Molly giggled as she sat on the bench once more and rinsed their sticky feet.

  “Next, it ferments for a few hours. Then we’ll add a type of yeast and give it a few hours before bottling it. Normally it would go to barrels, but for this, they bottle it right away.”

  Surprised by his answer, she questioned, “And then it’s done?”

  “Technically, but it won’t taste like much more than grape juice. It needs to age,” Seth explained.

  “How long before we can drink it?” Molly asked.

  A smile grew large across his face as he thought about his answer. “Six months. A year would be better.”

  “Ohhh….” She didn’t have a problem waiting six months to drink their wine with him. She could see waiting a year too.

  CHAPTER 8

  Seth and Molly walked hand in hand through the rows of vines to the edge of the property where it overlooked the valley below. Seth led the way to a spot that would boast the most beautiful sunset views for miles, a bottle of wine and two glasses in one hand, Molly’s hand in the other. They sat and drank, speaking very little, enjoying their silent company while taking in the breathtaking scene unfolding before them.

  The painted sky of golds and oranges rested on the highlighted vines and hills beyond, melting into a layer of reds and corals, while shadows danced as the sun made its slow descent. Seth pulled the sheers from his rear pocket and collected a couple fruity bunches for them to enjoy while watching the magic of God’s beautiful majesty.

  Several glasses in, and many grapes later, Molly was lying in his lap and feeling the day’s intoxicating abuse with a serious bout of the giggles and case of the clumsies. Feeding each other grapes had been romantic until Molly began to miss her mark, losing her grapes as they rolled off Seth’s face, covering the ground around them.

  Molly sat up to face Seth to get a better shot at her target, determined to feed him the grape instead of the ground, but she was quickly lost in his stare instead. Giggles briskly silenced when he pulled her close and kissed her. A soft, sweet kiss with intentions of more, Seth swiped her lips with his tongue, inviting her to play. Molly opened to Seth and kissed him back with a sense of boldness she hoped led Seth to her bed sooner rather than later — that wasn’t the wine talking. Molly’s hands full of grapes were resting on his shoulders when she leaned her body into his, her chest pressed against his. She was tempting him, or maybe inviting him — either way, her intentions were made clear. So clear, his hand drifted from the back of her neck until it finally rested on her ass.

  A loud clicking sound grabbed the couple’s attention. A startled Molly dropped the remaining grapes she was holding and was quick to scoop them back up from Seth’s lap — and because awkward encounters were their thing, Molly’s handful was not grapes at all. Firmly holding Seth’s crotch, she gasped before pulling her hand away, only to fall face first in his lap, compliments of wine-induced coordination. It was a precarious position that looked anything but accidental, innocent, or appropriate for public display.

  When the clicking from behind increased to rapid fire secession, an exaggerated sigh escaped Seth. Molly didn’t even have to look at his sour expression to know where the teeth-sucking clicking full of judgement was coming from.

  Oh shit. Evelyn Shirley.

  “This is a public place you know! I sense a theme here with you two!” Evelyn seethed through gritted teeth. “Do either of you own a bed? There are families here! For shame!”

  “It’s not what you think. We were waiting for our wine and watching the sunset…” Seth began to explain.

  “Well, the sun has set,” Evelyn rebutted, gesturing toward the darkened foothills to the west, “but you wouldn’t know that with all of this…this…indecent canoodling!”

  “What are you doing out here, Evelyn?” Molly asked, full of suspicion, given just how far out in the vineyard they were from the activities. “Strange how you’re the only person we’ve seen clear out here. Gotta secret, Evil — I mean…Evelyn?”

  “Well! That, young lady,” Evelyn’s cheeks puffed out and reddened, shoulders tight, and she emphasized her final words, “is none of your business!”

  Evelyn briskly walked off in a huff, throwing around a fit of words under her breath as she charged up the slope toward the crowds.

  “Yeah!” Molly shouted after her. “And our…canoooodling,” she slurred, “is none of your business, ya busy body!”

  A sharp gasp could be heard in the distance. “Why, I never…young people these days…” and then Evelyn’s words trailed off to something they could hardly hear, much less make out.

  “I can’t believe I just did that,” Molly said, wide-eyed. “Like, where did that come from? We’re so screwed now.”

  Seth laughed. “Maybe. But it was worth it. Did you see the look on her face?” He snorted. “Pretty sure nobody has ever said anything to her like that before.”

  “Here we were, out looking for her. Well, sort of…” Molly went on. “And she found us! Again!”

  Seth nodded. “How does she keep doing that?”

  It was worse than they thought — Evelyn Shirley’s venomous strike was the worst yet on #RumorHasIt. Not only were there pictures of an intimate kiss, but also one of Molly’s face plant to Seth’s crotch while he had an awkward cross-eyed look and his head half-cocked with his mouth gaping wide open. No mention of dropped grapes or startled by sneaky old ladies. Just a nice comment about today’s young people, public indecency, demeaning act of oral sex, and a dig at the sheriff for allowing their town to become an outdoor brothel.

  While Molly and Seth sat speechless looking at the pictures, the entire town would have the pleasure of misinterpreting them. What stumped them more than anything was how Evelyn always managed to get a picture without anyone really noticing. She was good — too good.

  With her face buried in her hands, Molly whined, “What have I done?”

  “It wasn’t just you — it was us both,” Seth defended, feeling badly that Molly was taking all the blame.

  “I kind of told her off,” Molly deadpanned, giving him a stern look. “Why did wine let me do that?”

  “In wine’s defense,” Seth teased, “whether you told her off or not, I’m pretty sure those pics and the headline would have been posted.”

  “You’re probably right,” Molly conceded. “The whole town sees my face in your…you know…and I didn’t even get to…” Molly paused, realizing what she was saying.

  Seth choked on his coffee, realizing Molly was thinking out loud and probably didn’t mean to. “Um, yeah. I mean…it was innocent, and you didn’t…you know…and it’s probably good that you didn’t.” Seth was not good at this and making an awkward conversation more so. “I mean, I’m sure
you would have been good at…I mean, I would have enjoyed—”

  Blushed cheeks, Molly interrupted, “I get it. Yeah. It would have been…great, but good we were, you know…not doing in public what Evelyn implied.”

  “Sure. I mean. Maybe some…other time,” Seth tried to salvage the moment. “In private. But…”

  A buzz and ping came from Molly’s phone, saving the two of them from anymore embarrassment.

  Alley behind Prissy’s shop. Come alone. Back your car in. Discuss with no one. Ten minutes. Bring the boy. – Cady

  “Well…that’s ominous,” Seth said while reading the text again.

  “She says come alone, but bring the boy?” Molly laughed, picturing Cady in a dark backroom somewhere surrounded by her posse while she wrangled a text message together. “Guessing you’re the boy?”

  “This should be interesting!” Seth tilted his head with raised eyebrows and laughed while checking his watch. “Let’s go — we’re probably down to about eight minutes.”

  Backing into the alley behind Pricilla’s as instructed, Seth and Molly sat in his SUV, unsure what to do next. Another buzz and ping finally sounded. Molly went to her phone and read aloud.

  Kill the engine and lift the hatch. It doesn’t look like you were followed.

  “Is she watching us?” Molly tossed a quick puzzled look to Seth before looking around to see how she knew they were there, then finished, “This feels very mafia mob boss. Why do I feel like we’re the hit?”