Now Luke turned to look at Margot, who smiled oh-so-widely.
“Oh, of course,” she said. “No offense taken. I just wanted to offer up my expertise.”
Luke hoped Margot never looked at him like that. She definitely wanted to throw that man out the window. Without opening it first.
“I’ll be right back with those wines,” he said.
Margot turned to him, and her smile changed. It was conspiratorial now.
And so fucking hot.
“Thanks, Luke,” she said as they walked together to the bar. “I’ve got this from here.”
He raised his eyebrows at her.
“Oh, I’m sure you do,” he said under his breath.
She winked at him.
“You know it,” she said.
They locked eyes for a moment. Finally, Margot looked away.
“Go check on that group in the corner. They seem fun. Actually, wait.” She went behind the bar and came out with a bottle. “Give them some of this.”
Luke took the bottle from Margot and went back over to the fun group.
“Can I offer you three—or you two, rather,” he said, with an apologetic look at the pregnant one, “a taste of our 2014 estate Cab? Margot—our co-owner over there—thinks you might enjoy it.”
They all giggled.
“If that’s an apology for making us listen to that blowhard,” the one with the curly hair said, “no need. Not that we’ll say no to the wine, obviously, but watching her insult him to his face without him knowing what she was doing was a master class, and I thought I was good at that.”
Luke grinned at them as he poured wine into their glasses.
“Wasn’t it? I learn from her every day.”
“To Margot,” the one in the pink dress said, “and to having a built-in designated driver.”
The pregnant one rolled her eyes, but drank her sparkling water.
“You two are going to be nightmares later, aren’t you?” she said.
They nodded.
“Yep,” they said in unison.
Luke laughed as he walked back to the bar.
* * *
MARGOT KEPT THE POMPOUS little jerk talking for so long that （a） she barely had to pour him and his silent group any wine, and （b） she made them late for their one-thirty lunch reservation. People like him always overscheduled themselves in Wine Country. Now she’d messed up his carefully crafted day, and he’d be stressed and running behind until dinner. Just thinking about that would make her happy all day. She gave the group a huge, genuine smile as she waved them out the door.
The group of three Black women in the corner who had been laughing and casually flirting with Luke for the past hour got up to leave just after Margot had waved goodbye to Mr. I Bet You Snuck Some Smoke-Tainted Grapes into Your Wine.
“Well, this has been both delicious and very exciting,” the woman in the royal blue dress said, “but we’ve got to motor if we’re going to make those spa appointments on time. However, since I’m newly a member of the Noble Family Vineyards wine club, I’d like to take advantage of my discount and buy some of that last wine . . . well, and a few of that second-to-last one.” She grinned at her friends. “That phone call in the airport yesterday landed me a new client, I just found out.”
The one in the red dress hugged her.
“Great job, Liv!”
Margot rang up the wine and gave the women their discounts and then waved goodbye to them. They talked and laughed on their way to the car, and Luke followed them out, carrying their many bottles of wine. She admired his muscles under his T-shirt for a few seconds before she caught herself and turned away. She glanced at the appointment book. Nothing in there until two, and it was one forty-five. She could go back to her office for the next few minutes, or even for the rest of the afternoon. Luke could handle the afternoon appointments by himself, unless he needed her.
He hadn’t really needed her for the noon appointments, but when she’d glanced into the tasting room, just to check and see what was going on, and overheard that guy maligning her brother’s character, she hadn’t been able to stop herself from butting in. She probably shouldn’t have done it—she probably should have gone back to her office and let Luke handle it, or she should have just been bland and politic and tried to sell wine, but she’d honestly wanted to kick that asshole out of her winery, so being rude to him in a way he was too pompous to notice was her compromise.
She walked slowly back into her office, but just as she walked in the door, Luke came in behind her.