Would Luke have been? If she weren’t his boss?
She didn’t think so.
“Oh wow, you own a winery?” Matt asked, and leaned in a little closer. Hmmm, apparently he wasn’t scared off. “Which one? That sounds amazing.”
She tossed her hair back, more for the benefit of Sydney, who she was sure was watching.
“Noble Family Vineyards,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun, and also a lot of hard work. I don’t do it by myself, of course—my brother and I are the co-owners.”
“How does that work, to own it with your brother? I can’t imagine being in business with any of my siblings,” Matt said.
It would be easier if Elliot didn’t hate that she was the co-owner. And if he respected what she did. And if he stopped doing things like hiring people without talking to her about it first. God, why did she keep thinking about Luke?
“We have a pretty good division of labor,” she said.
She and Matt talked for the next hour, as food kept appearing in front of Margot. Matt seemed like he’d finished eating, but made no motion to leave.
Finally, Margot asked for, and paid, her tiny bill, and Matt did the same.
“I should be getting home,” she said.
He stood up when she did.
“So should I,” he said, like she’d known he would. “Breakfast session tomorrow morning, unfortunately.”
They walked out of the bar together. Margot refused to even look in Sydney’s direction, but she knew her eyes were on them.
Matt stopped her on the sidewalk.
“My hotel is this way, if you’d like to walk with me? Maybe have a nightcap?” He took a step closer to her. When she didn’t move away, he took another.
“I . . . That sounds . . .”
Before she could finish, he bent down to kiss her.
The kiss was very nice, just like Matt. But after a little while, Margot took a step back.
“I’m sorry, Matt. I should get home. It was lovely to meet you, though. Really.”
Matt stepped back and smiled at her.
“It was lovely to meet you, too.” He pulled a card out of his pocket. “Just . . . just in case you change your mind.”
She smiled at him.
“Thanks. Have a good day tomorrow.”
He nodded.
“You, too. Maybe I’ll stop by that winery of yours sometime.” She knew that was her cue to give him her card.
She didn’t do it.
“I hope you do,” she said instead.
She watched him walk away, then went back into the Barrel.
“Excuse my language, but what the fuck are you doing here?” Sydney asked her when she sat back down at the bar.
“He kissed me,” she said.
Sydney raised her eyebrows.
“And?”
“And nothing. Just . . . nothing.” Margot sighed. “A perfectly nice, nothing kiss.”
Sydney looked at her.
“And are you sure that nothing wasn’t because of you-know-who?”
Margot stared down at the bar, and then back up.
“It wasn’t about him in the way you mean. It’s not like I’m saving myself for him, or anything like that. But . . . I knew immediately, as soon as he kissed me, that it would be good with him. That it would be great with him. That first kiss, it was . . . My whole body responded to him. And so when I know it can be like that, why waste my time with a kiss that feels like nothing? Why waste Matt’s time when I felt nothing?”
Sydney pursed her lips.
“I don’t think Matt would have thought his time was wasted.”
Margot pursed her lips right back.
“And doesn’t that make it worse?”
“Point taken.” Sydney lifted her hands in surrender. “Oh well. You tried.”
Margot dropped her head to the bar.
“Yeah. I tried,” she said. God damn it.
She pulled herself upright and shrugged.
“Okay. I’m going to walk home now.”
Sydney shook her head.
“Oh no you’re not. Not with that look on your face. Stay here while we close up. I’ll drive you home when I’m done here.”
Margot sat back down.
“Only if you promise not to make fun of me for all of this.”
“I promise,” Sydney said immediately.
“Okay,” Margot said. Sydney started to walk away.
“He’s not dating Avery,” she said as she stared down at the bar.
Sydney stopped and turned back to Margot.
“He told you that? Please don’t tell me you asked him.”