Her tongue peeked out from between her lips and ran over perfect white teeth. "Wow, sounds like a good idea. Look, I'll be honest here too. I haven't really had much in the way with relationships either. A couple of casual flings as it were so I can't honestly say I'm good at it either." She raised the glass to her lips and took a sip. "Um, look, if you want to see where this can go, fine with me. Garth keeps telling me it's time I found myself a friend."
"I agree, wise young man that brother of yours. Drink up and we will head for home. If you want to go and put Mallika away you can drive over a bit later. Give me a chance to put something together for a meal. How does casual and fresh sound?"
"Wonderful. Anything you want me to bring over?"
"No not a thing. Let's finish this glass before we leave. Be a shame to miss the sun going down."
* * *
Mason was lighting clusters of candles setting the mood when he heard a car on the gravel driveway. He arranged the candles by the fireplace and hurried to the front door.
Sami was standing beside the car, her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as she looked around. She was chewing on her bottom lip and Mason could see she was a little bit nervous.
Makes two of us, Sami.
"You've arrived in time to help me light the fire. Come on in." He slid his arm through her elbow and walked her inside the house. "Let me show you around before we get a drink and sit in front of the fire."
The kitchen was one of his favourite rooms in the house and that was where he started. "This was my grandparents' place, not sure if I told you yesterday. Anyway, they left it to me so I could follow my dream. I wanted to renovate the place so I was comfortable but not make it unrecognizable either. After all, it was the house my mother grew up in and I have so many happy memories of my holidays here."
He watched her looking around the room.
"All the mod cons though. I bet Garth would love a stove like this one, he is the cook in our family not me."
"I enjoy creating a meal, it relaxes me. All I did when I changed things was to gut the main rooms and modernize them a bit. A lot of the house has only had a paint job. Come into the lounge and have a look."
Mason guided Sami through to the lounge. "I didn't change anything in here, apart from rebuilding the fireplace."
"It's lovely and cosy. I like it." She nodded her approval.
"Let me show you the rest of the house and then we can light the fire and sit with a glass of wine before dinner."
She nudged him on the shoulder. "You and your wine."
Laughing together, they walked down the hallway. Mason opened a door at the end and let her enter first. The sandstone walls were still the same as when his grandparents owned the home. The only change was the walk in closet and en-suite he had added onto the house.
Sami peeked her head in and smiled. "Now this I like." The large open shower matched the rest of the house built in sandstone. One wall was entirely made from glass and opened out into an enclosed courtyard. Old fashioned roses tumbled over the walls dropping petals onto the flag stones.
She turned to Mason. "You have done a wonderful job with this. I totally love it." Turning on her heel, she walked back into the bedroom and cast a glance at the king-sized bed in the centre of the room before she walked out to the lounge. When Mason caught up with her she was kneeling in front of the fire, a lit match in her hand.
"I've got this. You can pour the wine or start dinner, whatever you want."
He glanced at her, surprised she wasn't sitting back on the couch waiting for him to do it, as most of his past dates would. "Right."
When he came back into the lounge with a glass in each hand, Sami was sitting on her heels watching the flames. The glow of the fire shone on her hair, Mason stood gazing at her, willing himself not to rush it.
"Are you going to stand there all night and stare, or give me my glass." She turned toward him and let her hazel eyes devour him. Mason sucked in a breath and moved forward.
"Whatever the lady desires."
Sami burst out laughing and shook her head. "Told you, no lady here Mason." She stood, smoothing down the legs of her jeans before taking the glass from him. "I'm not going to put on airs and graces I don't have. Don't and never have seen the point. What you see is what you get plain and simple." Sami tipped the glass and drank. Her lips twitched and she licked her lips.
"Don't like it?" He tilted his head and watched her savour another sip.
"Hmm, not as much as the one we had earlier, no. Sorry." Mason took the glass from her. "Let me get you a Verdelho then."
"Thanks." She followed him into the kitchen and leaned on the counter while he took a bottle from the fridge.
"Don't ever be afraid to tell me you don't like something. Each wine has its own characteristics and we can't please everyone with each blend."
"I'm not and I won't. Really can't understand people lying to make someone else feel better about something anyway. Either I like it or I don't. Life's too short to drink something that doesn't do it for your tastebuds."
Mason stepped over and took the glass from her hand putting it on the counter. "You are amazing," he
