“We need to continue this discussion,” he said softly. “Just not right now. Tomorrow.”
“Okay. Are you mad at me?”
“No, sweetheart. I’m not mad at you. Are you mad at me?”
“No,” she answered into his chest. “I love you.”
He stroked her hair and kissed her head. “I love you too.”
They arrived at the hotel and Amanda decided she would feel better if Viktor was closer, especially since the room was more like an apartment. It had a large living room with a balcony. By the door was a small kitchenette with a sink, filtered water spout with both hot and cold water, microwave, coffee maker and small refrigerator.
Amanda settled into one of the bedrooms while Viktor took the other. They each had their own bathroom equipped with a rain shower that, to Amanda, looked overly complicated. Viktor was relaxing on the couch when Amanda came out of her room.
“I’ve never been intimidated by a shower before,” she declared.
He chuckled. “Would you like help?”
A broad smile crossed her lips. “I don’t need help showering, but if you know how to turn the darn thing on, that would be helpful later.”
He grinned as his face turned a slight shade of red. “That’s what I meant.”
She gave him a playful look like she didn’t believe him. “Mmhmm.”
“Are you hungry?” he asked, changing the subject.
“A little.”
“Would you like to go to the winery now or do you want to rest a bit?”
“How far is it?”
“About 20 minutes.”
“We can go now,” she decided.
After leaving the city, they got off the highway and drove up a winding road eventually coming to a large field of grape vines planted in perfect rows on a steep hill. The ground leveled off at the top of the vineyard where the actual winery was located. There was a large parking area in the back, preserving the striking view of the sprawling vineyard down the hill with mountains in the background on each side and a clear view of the ocean off in the distance directly in front.
“Oh my,” Amanda remarked as she admired the landscape.
“I love this place,” he proclaimed.
“The sunset must be amazing!”
“It is,” he agreed.
The parking lot was almost completely full. They parked in one of the last spaces and got out. The tasting area was split between a dining area inside and a patio area outside. Every table on the patio was spoken for with people eating and drinking wine. They walked to the front entrance where a young hostess welcomed them.
“Do you have tickets for this evening?” she asked.
“No, we do not,” Viktor answered.
“I’m terribly sorry but we are completely booked. I can try to fit you in tomorrow,” she offered.
“Is Anthony here?” Viktor asked.
The hostess seemed a little surprised by his question. “No. Anthony is off today.”
“Who is managing?” Viktor then asked.
“Scott, the assistant manager is here. Do you need to speak with him?” she nervously asked.
“I’ll find him.” Viktor smiled.
Just as he said that, a man dressed in a black tailored suit with salt and pepper hair and grey eyes came running over.
“Mr. Dostoyinsky! So nice to see you! I wasn’t expecting you.”
Viktor smiled and shook his hand. “I was in the area. You look busy.”
“Yes, very,” the man replied. “Business is good.”
“Glad to hear,” Viktor said. “Do you have any extra chairs that you could set up in the vineyard?”
“Of course! Will you be eating?”
“Yes,” Viktor answered.
“I’ll have a table set up as well. Just give us a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” Viktor said appreciatively.
“Wow. They really rolled out the red carpet for you,” Amanda remarked after the man left. “Let me guess. You know the owner?”
Viktor smiled. “Yes, I know the owner.”
A feeling of dread began to envelop him as another opportunity to tell her the truth fell by the wayside. He thought it would be easier to use his vineyard as a starting point to broach the subject. Now that the time had come, he was losing his nerve. Part of him wished she would just figure it out but it clearly wasn’t even on her radar.
The man returned a few minutes later and escorted them to a quiet spot overlooking the vineyard just outside the building, out of view from the patio and parking lot. He handed them menus as they sat and asked if they wanted to wait for their food or start sampling the wine.
“You can bring us the first white,” Viktor replied.
“Excellent.” The man left to get it for them.
“Is that Scott?” Amanda asked.
“Yeah.”
“How do you know so many rich people?” she asked.
He leaned back in his chair and looked at her. “What’s your beef with rich people?”
“I don’t have a beef,” she replied defensively.
“So if I told you that I was a multi-millionaire, you wouldn’t have a problem with that?”
Her demeanor became even more defensive. “But you’re not.”
“Let’s say I was,” he pressed. “Would that change how you feel?”
She appeared extremely uncomfortable with his line of questioning. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. Just forget I said anything.”
Scott appeared just then with the first wine. He set the glasses on the table and poured a generous amount in each one.
Picking up on the tension between the couple and worried that perhaps he had missed something, Scott inquired, “Is everything to your liking?”
“Yes. Thank you, Scott,” Viktor answered. “Give us a few more minutes to place our order.”
“Certainly, sir.”
Viktor looked over at Amanda as Scott walked away. She was sipping her wine and looking out over the horizon. He studied her for the next minute as she purposefully avoided looking at him, turning her attention from the view to her menu. He felt perplexed by her attitude. He picked up his glass and took a drink as he deliberated on how to handle the situation.
“The baked scallops sound delicious,” she stated with her eyes still buried in the menu. “Oh but so does the grilled tuna.”
When he didn’t respond she finally looked up and saw that he had
