who would hang on his every word and do things exactly as he wanted? He could also change his will, if he hadn’t already.
“Just a reminder of why starting my own label was the right thing to do,” she told herself as she scrambled to her feet. “It doesn’t matter what he does. I’ll have my own winery to worry about.”
But the words didn’t offer as much comfort as she would have liked. Nothing in her world was the way she thought it would be. Not her past and certainly not her future.
“Final figures,” Nic said when he entered Maggie’s office and slapped the folder on her desk. “Read them in awe.”
She raised her eyebrows, then flipped through the pages. “As long as you’re not letting success go to your head.”
“Would I do that?”
“Answering that the way I want to would be unprofessional.” She closed the folder. “I’ll work up a projection based on these numbers. You’ll have it in the morning.”
“Great.” He sat down in the chair in front of her desk. “What about the numbers for Marcelli Wines?”
She flipped through a stack of papers by her computer and handed him several sheets. He read the estimations for gross sales, broken down by region.
“That’s as good as we can do without looking at their books,” Maggie told him. “I had the sales guys nosing around, but they can only find out so much.”
“This is good,” he said.
The sales projections were even better than he’d thought. There was plenty of profit to be had. Once he’d modernized everything and streamlined operations he would-
He glanced up and saw Maggie watching him. “What?”
She shrugged.
“You still disapprove of what I’m doing,” he said.
“That’s too strong a word. I don’t like it, but liking it isn’t part of my job. I keep thinking about that loan to Brenna Marcelli. What are you going to do with her? Destroy her?”
“That’s a little melodramatic, don’t you think?”
Maggie shook her head. “Gee, Nic, you’ve loaned her a million dollars and given her the chance to start her own winery. She’s moving ahead with the belief that all her dreams are about to come true. Yet at any moment you could call the loan and pull the rug out from under her. I’m guessing when that happens she’s going to be a little broken up. What would you call it, if not destroyed?”
“Interesting question.”
“Do you have an answer?”
“Not yet.”
The callable note gave him options. Now that he’d seen Brenna in action, he knew that given time, she could make a go of Four Sisters Winery. Maybe he would sit back and collect interest like one of the good guys. Maybe not. The only thing he knew for sure was that seducing her hadn’t been part of his plan, but since that damn kiss he hadn’t been able to think of anything else. Maybe it was time for a different plan.
“You’re looking very predatory,” Maggie said. “I don’t want to know what you’re thinking.”
He grinned. “You’re right.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Maybe I’ll go meet Brenna Marcelli and see for myself what she’s like. If I hate her, I won’t feel so guilty about being a part of all this.”
“You haven’t done anything but your job. You have no guilt in this.”
“Easy for you to say.”
He knew he couldn’t talk Maggie out of her feelings. She’d always been a soft touch. “Suit yourself.”
“Aren’t you going to warn me not to say anything about the secret plot to purchase her family’s winery?”
Nic stood. “No. You work for me. You’d never be indiscreet. That would mean breaking the rules. Something you don’t do.”
“You do it all the time.”
“I know. That’s why I always win.”
“In the past you’ve won without breaking the rules. Something tells me that this time is different. Be careful, Nic.”
“Always,” he promised as they walked to the door.
They both knew he was lying, but Maggie wouldn’t say anything. Had Brenna been privy to the conversation, she would have called him on it in a heartbeat. Of course if she knew about his plans for Marcelli Wines, she would have his head mounted on the fence dividing their property.
Not something he wanted to think about. He would be fine just as long as Brenna didn’t find out the truth until it was too late to stop him.
It had been a good night’s work, Brenna thought sometime after midnight as she watched the last of the grapes move from the crusher to the presser. Her second load of Chardonnay grapes had arrived on time. The quality had been everything she’d hoped for-each bunch had been ripe and bursting with flavor and juice. She’d managed to put her latest fight with her grandfather behind her. She refused to think about him or her brother showing up and claiming everything. Even better, she was only thinking of Nic every forty-eight seconds, a marked improvement from earlier in the week. In a day or two she might work up to ten whole Nic-free minutes at a time.
It was that damn kiss, she acknowledged. He was too sexy by half. If that hadn’t happened, she might have been able to convince herself that whatever she remembered from the past was simply time rewriting history. She could have convinced herself that no one was that good. Unfortunately reality had been better than her memories. She’d gone from zero to take-me-now in less than five seconds. Just her luck-she was hotter than a Ferrari.
“So I’ll get over it,” she told herself, stepping back from the presser.
She would have to. She and Nic were all about the past and that was a place neither of them was likely to want to go. Her life was here in the present.
She crossed to the open doors and breathed in the cool air. She could hear crickets and other night creatures. The sky was clear and it seemed as if she could almost reach up and grab a star or two. Would it grant her a wish if she promised to set it free? What would she wish for?
Brenna returned to her equipment. Not success, that was too easy. Not love. She might be alone right now, but she wasn’t lonely. Peace, she thought. Or maybe contentment.
Before she could decide, she heard a fast, clicking sound, followed by a yip and a slide. She glanced at the open door and saw Max slipping around the corner before loping into the big room. He looked around, saw her, and barked with delight.
Brenna barely had time to brace herself for the fact that where Max was, Nic was soon to follow, when the puppy plowed into her. She laughed and bent down to gather him into her arms. He wiggled and licked at her face, his whole body vibrating as his tail wagged so hard it went in circles.
“Hey, good-looking,” she said, holding the puppy close.
“How are you?”
“Not bad.”
She had to swallow before looking up to watch Nic enter. She hadn’t seen him in a few days, and she hated that she’d actually missed him. He wore his usual uniform of jeans and T-shirt, which managed to emphasize his broad shoulders and long legs. Every cell in her body went on alert, while a small biplane flew through her brain, dragging a banner behind that read “I want some more of that.”
Honest to Pete, she really had to get a grip.
“Actually I wasn’t talking to you,” she said. “Max and I were having a moment.”
“That dog has quite the life.”
She set the puppy on the ground. When Max went off to investigate exciting smells, Brenna tried to keep her attention off of Nic’s mouth. Was it her imagination or could she actually see the sparks arcing between them?
“So how’s it going?” he asked, moving closer to the presser.
“Good.” She couldn’t help grinning. “Okay, it’s going great.”
“Modest as ever.”
She nodded.
