Yep, there it was. He saw her.
“Margot, hi,” he said. He and Avery stopped in front of their table.
“Hi, Luke,” she said, in what she was surprised to hear was a normal voice.
“I . . . um, how are you?” he asked. “Having dinner?”
He was already fucking going on dates? And with someone she knew? See, she should have done that, instead of making excuses about work.
“Yeah, I love this place,” she said. “And hi, Avery, good to see you. Looking forward to our breakfast later this week.”
Luke turned to Avery for a half second. Margot could see the You know each other? question on his face, but he didn’t ask it.
“Hey, Margot, me, too. And hi, Sydney,” Avery said. “How are you guys?”
Margot smiled. At least, she hoped she did.
“Oh, good!” She gestured to Sydney. “Luke, my friend Sydney, she’s a local restaurateur. Sydney, this is Luke Williams, he’s one of our new tasting room staff at Noble.”
Sydney gave Luke a very bland smile, and Luke smiled back. Did he recognize her from the restaurant that night? Margot couldn’t tell.
“Hi, Luke,” Sydney said. “And hey, Avery.”
“Hi, Sydney. Nice to meet you,” Luke said. He—very slightly—raised his eyebrows at Margot. Okay, maybe he did recognize Sydney.
Damn it, why was he giving her secret little eyebrow raises when he was on a date with another woman? She tried not to let her expression change.
“Are you—” Luke started, but just then, their server came over with their entrées.
“Oh! I’m sorry, are your friends joining you?”
“No,” Margot said, she hoped not too sharply. “Thank you.”
Luke took a step back.
“We shouldn’t keep you. I, um— See you tomorrow, Margot. Nice to meet you, Sydney.”
Margot nodded, and tried not to look at him.
“Yeah, see you tomorrow. Talk to you soon, Avery.”
They walked away, presumably to another table, though Margot forced herself not to turn her head to see where they were, and just concentrated on the steak in front of her.
“Okay,” Sydney said after about thirty seconds. “They’re out of earshot.”
Margot’s head shot up.
“Are you sure? Like, positive?”
Sydney nodded.
“I mean, if you start shouting again, then no, but yes, we can carry on a low conversation about what the fuck just happened without them hearing us.”
Margot took a gulp of her drink.
“Great, because what the fuck just happened, Syd? Did my employee, who I—accidentally—slept with, and now can’t fucking stop thinking about, much to my dismay, just walk in here on a motherfucking date? With Avery Jensen, of all people?”
Sydney cut a scallop in half.
“Yes to all of those things, but why ‘of all people’？ I thought you liked Avery?”
Margot cut into her steak, probably more vehemently than the steak deserved.
“I do like her! She’s great! She’s also young and skinny and has gorgeous hair and probably perfect perky boobs, all things I do not!”
Sydney paused, her scallop halfway to her mouth.
“Hey. You have great boobs. And fantastic hair.”
Margot rolled her eyes.
“Yes, when I work at it. Avery has that effortless sun-kissed-curls thing going on. When I try that, I just look bedraggled.” She grimaced. “See? I should have tried to go out on dates to get him out of my head! I should go pick up a stranger at a bar, or something, and make it even better than last time, so I know the magic is in me, not fucking Luke Williams.”
“In a manner of speaking,” Sydney said.
Margot glared at her.
“I didn’t say anything,” Sydney said.
“That’s what I thought,” Margot said.
Margot stabbed her steak again.
“You know it’s killing me that my back is to them, right?”
“Oh, I know,” Sydney said. “You’re doing great at not turning around, though. I’m really impressed.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.” Then suddenly she grinned, and Sydney grinned back at her. And then they both started laughing.
“Only me,” Margot said, when they finally subsided.
Sydney shook her head.
“Oh God no, definitely not. Do you know how small Napa Valley is? Things like this happen all the time. Everyone knows each other.”
Margot sighed.
“I know. Did I tell you . . . when he kissed me, outside the Barrel that night, that’s what I told him—that we couldn’t do that there, that too many people know me.”