Maverick glanced at the clipboard in his hands and silently cursed. His head had been in the clouds ever since Sunday dinner. So far up, in fact, that it had started affecting his work.
Grayson had hit his limit on Maverick’s stupid, tiny mistakes this morning, banishing him to the wine cellars to do inventory. He knew his brother meant the task as a punishment, because they both hated the job, so it was typically a draw-the-short-straw kind of deal when they had no choice but to do it.
Today, however, Maverick had been grateful for the task. Because it was mindless enough that he could do it while daydreaming about Ella.
Or at least that was what he’d thought.
He walked over to the laptop, deleting the last three rows of numbers he’d inputted because they were all wrong.
Nora would have his head if he fucked this up.
Rubbing his neck, he twisted it from side to side until it cracked.
Work wasn’t the only thing that had been suffering since Ella Decker’s return to Gracemont. Sleep was also a thing of the past, as he spent night after night tossing and turning—and jerking off—while playing out old memories and new fantasies, all starring his gorgeous, willowy redhead.
He’d been thrilled when Mila asked him to set an extra spot at the table on Sunday, saying Ella would be joining them. After their too brief conversation at Whiskey Abbey, he’d become even more determined to grab that fresh start his brothers suggested. Especially when it was obvious Ella was no more anxious to dredge up their past than he was.
So, he’d approached Sunday as he had that first day in the hallways of Gracemont High, taking them back to square one. Friendly and flirty.
He would have continued down that path quite happily…but once again, he wasn’t so sure. Because Ella had finally alluded to their relationship when she mentioned meeting his parents and seeing his home. Like her, he’d found it strange that she hadn’t seen his home or met his parents previously. While they’d only dated eight months, to Maverick, that relationship—still his longest one to date—had felt much, much longer.
“Hello?”
Maverick frowned, wondering if his lack of sleep and obsession with Ella had finally driven him crazy. Because it washervoice he just heard.
“Hello,” he replied, when the sound of footsteps descending the stairs reached him. He walked around the row of oak barrels, glancing toward the steps.
Sure enough, Ella appeared. She gave him a somewhat timid wave. “Hey.”
“Ella.” Maverick crossed the large space, happy to see her again. He’d gone to Whiskey Abbey last night with his brothers, hoping she’d show up for ladies’ night, but she never appeared. They hadn’t reached a comfortable enough place where he’d felt as if he could call her up and invite her out, so the idea of waitingfor Sunday and praying she joined them again felt like torture. “What a nice surprise.”
“Hope it’s okay that I’m down here. Your brother, Grayson, told me where you were.”
“Of course, it’s okay. There are no state secrets hidden in the barrels.”
She laughed. “Edith sent me. She was hoping we could entice you to sell us a bottle of that Chardonnay from your special stash.”
Ella and Edith both mentioned how much they loved the rosé at dinner, which had prompted him to mention another wine that he thought was even better. He and Levi had been toying with intentional limited yields for a few years, both interested in concentrating the flavors in a couple different grapes. The result had been the best Chardonnay he’d ever made. Unfortunately, because of the low yield, they hadn’t been able to bottle as much as they usually did, and it had flown off the shelves quickly.
Maverick had loved it so much, he’d held back the last fourteen bottles for special occasions. Apparently, Edith had bought one of the bottles before the stock ran out and had been kicking herself for not buying more.
“You cannot entice me to sell you a bottle,” he said, trying to hide his grin when she was clearly disappointed. “But youcouldentice me to give you a bottle.”
Ella immediately started shaking her head. “Oh no. We definitely don’t expect you to give it away. It’s just, she’s making mushroom risotto for dinner tomorrow night, and she said Chardonnay pairs best.”
“Edith is making her mushroom risotto?” Maverick was blessed with a family of amazing cooks, so great food was the norm rather than the exception. Saying that…Edith’s mushroom risotto was in his top five—no, topthree—favorite meals of alltime. “Tell you what. Snag me an invite to that dinner and I’ll bring the wine.”
“Et tu, Mav?” Ella asked. “Manny says the risotto’s even better than thecoq au vinfrom the French restaurant.”
“He’s right. It is.” Maverick tilted his head toward one of the shelves near the back of the cellar. “I keep the Chardonnay over here.”
She started to follow but both of them pulled up short, Ella jumping in fear, when the peace of the cellar was broken by a loud crash of thunder outside.
“Holy shit, that scared me!” Ella had a hand over her heart, as if that would calm the sudden racing.
“Storm must be right on top of us,” he mused, as the sound of a hard rain pelted against the building. While they were somewhat insulated in the cellar, they could still hear the torrent.
“The clouds were really dark as I pulled up. I was hoping to beat the bad weather,” she said.