On Paper (11 page)

But with Quinn there is this whole other layer and that is what has me so intrigued. I want to peel everything back and know all the bits and pieces. I know she's probably sick of my questions, but I can't help but ask them. Each answer that she gives me makes me want to ask twenty more. She fascinates me. She’s a contradiction of hard and soft, quiet and fierce. The careful girl who is slowly learning she wants to be brave. And the best part, she has no idea how unique that makes her.

We pull up to another winery and I smile over at her. Her cheeks are still flushed from the last stop. "Ready?" I asked, unbuckling my seatbelt. She gave me a nod, following my lead. I met her on her side of the car and took her hand as we walked up to the main house. This was a smaller vineyard and family run. The views were breathtaking with rolling hills of green that stretched out for acres. It was stunning. I imagined what it would be like to live somewhere like this; to spend my days on a deck with this as my backdrop.

"Not a bad backyard is it?" she said, mirroring my own thoughts. I gave her hand a squeeze in agreement.

"Not at all," I agreed.

We were met inside by two brothers. They were Italian and greeted us with big smiles. "Welcome, friends. Are you ready to taste the best wine you have ever put to your lips?" one of the men asked. He introduced himself as Vinny and I smiled at the typical Italian name. It fit him though.

"Most definitely," Quinn said, flashing them both that smile that could melt the hardest of hearts. Hell, it's been melting mine.

We followed them over to the counter where they did their tastings. It was pretty quiet here, aside from the booming voices of the Basilico family who all seemed to be equally as boisterous as Vinny and his brother Sam. There were a few other people here doing tastings at other ends of the bar, but each group had their own guide.

"We've got quite an amazing list to share with you," Vinny said as he began lining up glasses in front of us; a white and red for each of us. As he does he tells us a little bit about the winery and the family history. It turns out Vinny's great uncle had started the winery, but when he had died unexpectedly at the age of twenty-six, his brother, Vinny's grandfather, had taken over to make sure that his big brother's dream reached fruition. It had been a family affair ever since.

Vinny was a good storyteller weaving the tale as he gathered a few bottles of wine and some crunchy breadsticks. Quinn eyed him curiously and he laughed. "Wine makes you hungry," he said simply. She looked doubtful, but smiled anyway, the warmth in her eyes lighting up the entire room. At least it seemed that way to me.

"Well, that and it's nice in between, cleanses the pallet . . . keeps you from falling off your stool if you get too drunk, no?" he laughed.

"Good call," she agreed laughing with him.

"I'm sure your man would catch you, maybe you like that better?" he teased. She turned her gaze to me and gave me a wink, her smirk causing my stomach to flip. That was different.

I watched as Vinny poured us two glasses of crisp white wine and as I watched Quinn focus on his explanation of grapes and aging and barrels I started to feel something unusual. Something different. Nerves. I was suddenly nervous. Butterflies in my stomach nervous. I tried to shake it off, but there was something about the way she leaned in and engaged with Vinny, laughing easily, asking questions and the way she would steal glances at me, pulling me in, that had me feeling like I couldn't catch a deep breath.

"Go on, give it a taste and let me know what you think?" Vinny encouraged. We sniffed and swirled, looking for legs like we'd been taught earlier in the day and then each took a sip. It was good, really good. I nodded to Vinny giving him a thumbs up. "Yeah? I knew you'd like it. It is one of our most popular." Vinny said.

"What do you think?" I asked Quinn, who was taking another sip. I watched as she swallowed, the slight movement of her throat as the liquid slid down causing me to shift in my seat.

"So good. I think I want to take a bottle of this home," she said.

"You wait, Miss Quinn, you are going to want to take them all home. My family is good with the wine. We'll be your favorite. You'll see." I laughed at Vinny's confidence as he continued to flirt with my date.

He was right of course; we really did want to take them all home. I had Vinny set us both some bottles aside and then grabbed a bottle of the Chardonnay that we'd sampled first. Basilico's sold a basket of fruit, cheese and bread and offered up a hillside with spectacular views for their best customers. I’d made sure we were considered such customers. I picked up the picnic basket that Vinny's sister had put together and led Quinn outside.

"This was fun," she said as we made our way down the path towards the secluded spot that Vinny had offered. It was just down from the main house and tasting room and offered up a small square of land overlooking the rolling hills that we had admired on our way in. It was the perfect place to spread out a blanket and take in the view.

Quinn was flushed and a little tipsy from the day. We’d had lunch earlier, but she could probably stand to eat a little more. I set down the basket and began to spread the blanket out when she took it from me offering to help. The sweet smile she gave me made my heart do weird fluttering things. I'd think I had a murmur if it wasn't exclusively tied to her presence.

I watched the blanket fly open from her hands and then drift towards the ground in a graceful decent. I was completely caught up in the sight of her as she smoothed out the wrinkles that I nearly forgot about the picnic basket in my hand. She sat down and then looked up at me quizzically. "Are you just gonna stand there or are you going to give me some of that cheese? Cause I have to say, I'm starting to feel a little drunk."

I shook myself from my fog and laughed sinking onto the blanket beside her. "Lush," I teased.

"Like this isn’t all part of your master plan. You’re so smooth Mr. Harris, what with the wine and the view," she smiled up at me. Maybe it was the genuine way it lit her face or the lack of expectation in her eyes that had me feeling off kilter. Or maybe it was just that when she looked at me it felt like she was seeing everything. I couldn't hide with her and I realized that I didn't want to.

I tore my gaze from hers and started pulling out the food. I was so far from smooth right now it was embarrassing. Something had changed over the course of the day. She was holding all of the cards. I guess maybe she had been all along, but now I knew it.

Quinn grabbed up the loaf of crusty bread and tore off a piece. She watched me, amused and curious. "Are you okay?" she asked. I watched as she nibbled on the bread and for a moment I forgot to breathe. Literally. I started to choke as my body reminded me to take in air. I bent over coughing, trying to pull it together.

"Keaton?" I felt her hand on my back, rubbing comforting circles. Smooth. Definitely smooth.

"Sorry," I managed. She looked concerned, trying to figure out if I needed some kind of help.

"Are you sure? Let me get you some water," she said moving towards the basket.

"No. I'm fine really. Sit back down. This is my show, remember?" I said.

She took her place back on the blanket reluctantly. "Your show, huh?" she teased, her body relaxing a little as I went back to my task.

"Do you want a cup? I mean a drink? Can I get you a drink? Would you like some wine?" I asked. For God’s sake, what was wrong with me?

I saw the smile play at her lips. It was almost as if she was trying to keep from laughing. At me. I was killing it.

"Wine would be nice. Thank you."

I took the bottle and tipped it towards her glass. The cool crisp liquid sloshed around ungracefully, nearly escaping the top of the glass. "Shit. Sorry." I said. I wiped the glass and handed it over.

There was the smile again. She thought I was an idiot. It was written all over her face. She thought I was a jackass. I was a jackass.

"You're laughing at me."

She shrugged, folding her legs beneath her. I followed her lead and settled beside her.

"I'm usually a lot smoother than this," I laughed nervously. Why the fuck was I so nervous around her? I'd been fine with her before. Now all of a sudden I was fumbling all over the place.

"Hmmm," she said thoughtfully, sipping her wine.

"What, hmmm?" I dared to ask.

"I like you better this way," she admitted.

"You do?" I asked confused.

"Yes. This version of you seems more real. I like this version of you," she said.

"But you don't like the other version of me?" I asked.

She shrugged again. "I don't know that I cared enough about him to have taken the time to found out if I did," she said. Well how about that for brutal honesty. It took me aback for a moment and I couldn't find words.

"You know, both versions are real. I just don't let everyone see this side of me. I think you are making me nervous," I said softly.

"I make you nervous?" she asked a small frown on her face. It made the skin between her eyebrows bunch up. It was adorable.

I shrugged.

"That's interesting," she said thoughtfully.

"Interesting how?" I urged. I thought I wanted the answer to that question, but now that it was hanging in the air between us I wasn't so sure.

"I just wouldn't have pegged you as someone who gets nervous," she said.

I released a breath, "It doesn't happen often."

I leaned back on my elbows as we looked out over the hills of grapevines. It was beautiful here. Peaceful and perfect. We sat in silence, both enjoying the stillness of the space.

“Thank you for bringing me here, Keaton,” she said, finally breaking the quiet. Her voice was soft, far away as if she were still lost in thoughts and dreams. The sound made me smile.

“It’s been a really good day,” I said in return. It didn’t do it justice, but to me it was the kind of day I had to file away and examine later. Its details had been so perfect, so vivid, so unexpected that to simply assign them to memory without first cataloguing each and every moment would be dismissing them as ordinary. Looking at Quinn now, as she looked out across the hills I knew there was no ordinary in this day. There was nothing ordinary about her.

I HAD TAKEN
a chance coming here today, spending it with a stranger; a stranger who until recently I hadn’t even decided if I liked very much. It gave me hope for taking chances. This one had turned out pretty well. More than that, it had been an incredible day and the company had been surprisingly perfect.

"Would you like some more wine?" Keaton asked taking the glass from my hand. I watched as he moved to the basket and retrieved the bottle we’d been nursing and poured some into each of our glasses. I couldn't help but study the way his back flexed under the movement, or the way his arms moved under his shirt. The man was sexy as hell, but he carried on with his task completely oblivious to it. He knew he was sexy, don't get me wrong, but today he wasn't showing off at all and I liked it.

Each time I got a glimpse of this Keaton I found myself a little more vulnerable to his charm. It was disarming and innocent. It was harder for me to connect him to the cocky, arrogant bastard that I'd always assumed him to be. Maybe I'd judged him unfairly or assumed too many things about him. Either way, when he was like this, laid back and stripped bare of bravado I couldn't help but like him. I was pulled in and intrigued and hungry to learn more about him.

For that reason, I chose to ignore the man we left back in the city. Maybe if I simply focused on this version of him, I wouldn't feel the need to slap him or douse him in disinfectant.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, studying me, his eyes squinting under the sinking sun. His t-shirt was wrinkled and his hair fell unstyled in his face. This glimpse of him imperfect made him exceptionally appealing.

"How am I looking at you?" I asked.

He focused his gaze on me for a moment longer. "Like you are dissecting me," he said finally.

"Maybe I am," I agreed.

"And what are you finding out with such intense examination? Or do I want to know?" he smiled.

His smile made my stomach flip.

"Maybe I'll just keep it to myself for now," I smiled.

I watched as his teeth sunk into his bottom lip as he returned the inspection. I held my breath as his eyes drifted over me and then pulled in a ragged one as he moved towards me slowly. He stopped just in front of me, leaning close to my ear and keeping his voice low as he said, "Secrets don't make friends."

I smiled, unable to stop myself.

"I already have friends," I said. I wanted to mask the fact that my heart was beating fast with his proximity.

He pulled back and his smile left me feeling stunned. The way it always did if I wasn't careful to guard against it.

"I’m sure you do. But do you have the right kind of friends? These are the questions that you need to ask yourself,” he suggested.