“I did ask. Thank you.”
They reached the grocery store a few minutes later and Colt parked the Yukon. Angie was slumped in her seat, thinking, and he decided he needed to make her laugh. “You ready for some fun?”
“I don’t think the grocery store is all that fun. Is it?”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Hell yeah, it is. We can fondle the produce and try samples from the deli. You’ve never had such a great time as you’re about to have with me.”
She laughed. He was glad because he’d wanted to get her mind off the sad things for a while.
“Let’s go then. I’m dying to fondle produce,” she said as she opened her door.
“Me too, baby. Me too.”
Chapter Fifteen
He was right. Angie’d never had such fun at a grocery store in her life. Maybe it was because she was purposely shoving the horror of Jenny’s death from her head, or maybe it was just being with him.
She and Colt went up and down the aisles together, discussing the kinds of things they wanted to eat and what other things they might need. They picked up staples like bread and milk and coffee, and he showed her how to select ripe produce as well as the best cuts of meat. He bought cheese and deli meat, and then they went to the wine aisle. There was a lot of wine.
“How do you know what to get?” she asked as they strolled down the aisle. She pushed the cart because she’d insisted since he was choosing everything. She leaned on it as he moved slowly along.
“You can select by grape. A Cabernet Sauvignon is heavier than a Pinot Noir, for instance. You think of wines you’ve liked, what kind of grape it was, and then you narrow it down. If you’re looking at a California wine, you look at how narrow the appellation.”
“Huh?”
He pointed to a bottle. “See that one? It says Napa Valley. The grapes are only from Napa Valley. But a California wine has grapes from all of California.”
“And that matters because?”
He laughed. “It might not matter at all, but a wine produced from grapes that come from a specific region will have a different flavor than grapes from everywhere.”
“So don’t just pick up the bargain box and head for the checkout.”
“You can if you like it. I’m not judging.”
“Oh please. You’d be horrified.”
He grinned. “I might.” He picked up a couple of bottles of California wine. They rolled past the French section. He stopped suddenly and picked up a bottle. He almost seemed surprised. The label read Chateau d’Duchesne.
“Is that a good one?” she asked.
“It used to be.”
“Not anymore?”
He put the bottle down. “I don’t know.”
“Let’s try it then. I’ll buy it.”
“Angie—”
She tilted her head when he didn’t finish. “What? It’s not that expensive. And you promised to let me contribute to the grocery bill. After all you’ve done for me, I should buy all of it.”
He shook his head as he put the bottle in the cart. “Okay, let’s try it. But you aren’t paying for everything. I’ll let you give me some cash if you insist.”
“I insist. How do you say that name anyway?” she asked as she looked at the label.
He met her gaze evenly. “It’s said like this.” He pronounced it the same as his last name.
“It’s your family winery?”
“It is.”
She sensed she’d bungled something. He’d told her he hadn’t joined the family wine business. He’d never said why. “We can put it back. I didn’t know.”
He put a hand out to stop her as she reached for it. “It’s okay, Angie. I was surprised to see it in this store. They must have gotten a distribution deal, which is great for them.”
“I don’t want to get it if it bothers you.”
“It’s fine. Come on.”
After they checked out and loaded everything into the Yukon, they swung by Maddy and Jace’s. Angie had to convince him, but he finally relented when she pointed out it was cold enough that the groceries would be fine for a short while. She would be with him the whole time, and they’d just gone to a public store where anybody could see them, so why not?
Jace was out but Maddy was waiting with hot tea and freshly baked cookies. She hugged Angie, hard. “I’m so glad you’re doing better.”
“Me too. It was pretty awful for a while.”
Maddy’s gaze strayed to Colt. “But you had Colt, and he took good care of you.”
Angie felt herself turning red. “He did. He’s been terrific. And so was your soup.”
“I’m glad.”
There was a banging sound from the addition and Maddy turned as a man with a shock of gray hair poked his head into the kitchen. “Miss Cole, we need to test the breakers. You might lose power for a few minutes.”
“No problem. We’re set in here.”
The man’s gaze slid over the three of them and then he nodded. He ducked back out again. Angie picked up her tea. It was hot and sweet, just like she liked it.
“We’re getting so close,” Maddy said. “I hope we’ll be in the new master by March first.”
“That’s really exciting,” Angie replied. “I can’t believe all the work you’ve done in a few short months. Hey, where’s Kitty?”
“I had to shut her in the bedroom. She doesn’t like all the noise and then she tries to dart into the addition when they open the door. I’m afraid she’ll get out if that happens.” Maddy lowered her voice. “The workmen aren’t exactly cautious about the doors.”
“Got it.”
“I went to see Mimi this morning,” Maddy said. “I’ve been telling her all about the renovations, but she doesn’t understand. It’s just something to talk about.”
Maddy’s grandmother was in a memory care facility. She had good days and bad days, but she was well-cared for. Maddy seemed to breathe easier now that she had Jace in
