You Had Me at Merlot: Part 2 Read Free Page A

toes.
    We followed Jamie, single file, down through the vineyard between rows of grape-gifted vines.
    ‘You have a lot of good grapes this year,’ Jon called out timidly. ‘Can we help you out and pick any on the way?’
    Jamie stopped and we all gathered close to him to listen, which, of course, meant George was by my side in a second and very
     much within my personal space. ‘Thank you for the offer, but these are still growing at the moment, becoming the best grapes
     in Italy so Bella Notte can be the best wine.’
    ‘So if we came back later in the summer there’d be even more?’ Laurie asked. ‘The vines already look like they’re about to
     topple over.’
    ‘There will be hundreds more, so when you stand up at the main house and look down the fields it’s like there’s a purple mist
     covering them. And as for sturdiness, you can grow a whole vineyard from one single vine, if it bears a fruit you fall in
     love with. They are strong. Now, turn around and look back up the hill, please.’
    We all rotated on the spot and saw with surprise how much of a slope we’d walked down. The vineyard stretched back up before
     us, rows of vines spreading to the left and right, all basking in the morning sunshine like holidaymakers around a swimming
     pool, while the main house stood at the top, its terracotta roof sparkling. As far as they eye could see, the world was green
     and purple and red.
    I glanced at Donna; she was standing with her eyes closed. To the others it probably looked like she didn’t want to be there,
     didn’t want to appreciate it, but I wondered if, like me, she was just soaking in the lack of noise from Tube trains, mobile
     phones, Outlook calendar alerts.
    Jamie went on to explain the different vines and the wines they produce, and how soil, sunlight and the steepness of a hill
     can affect taste. Out here, he seemed far more animated and alive than when he’d entered the room full of guests at the meet-and-greet
     last night. Winemaking was his passion, and I wondered if he felt like we were all intruders.
    We strolled – a slow train of people who had given in to ‘holiday time’, where nothing has the need to be rushed – back up
     the hill where Jamie was to show us the cellars and explain more about how wine was actually made. I caught up with him, which
     probably made me look a bit eager, but if neither of us were here to play love games then what did it matter?
    ‘Hey.’
    ‘Hey to you.’ His eyes crinkled at me.
    ‘I just wanted to say thanks, and sorry, for turning into a bit of a crybaby last night.’
    ‘It’s fine. How are you feeling now?’
    ‘Much better. It was just a shock to see her here.’
    ‘I know. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to step away from something that feels like your whole life, even if just for a
     short time, and you think you’re okay until something reminds you of it.’
    ‘Do you ever feel like that?’
    He walked on, thinking.
    ‘Like, when you’re in your vineyard and you look up and see a bunch of singletons trying to fondle each other among your vines?’
     I pressed, gently.
    He looked at me in surprise, a smile forming on his lips. ‘Maybe. I don’t know …’
    I decided to change the subject. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing those cellars and getting out of this heat for a little while.’
    ‘The sun is strong today, huh? Are you okay?’ He shielded my eyes with his hand for a moment, a warmly intimate gesture that
     made me feel a bubble of what it must be like to have a partner. Maybe it wasn’t all bad.
    ‘I’m okay, thanks.’
    ‘So, have you found anyone you like?’
    ‘No.’ I intently studied the vines we were passing. ‘Though the American guy, George, seems to think we’re made for each other.’
    ‘I suppose it’s flattering … but he doesn’t make you smile?’
    ‘Not intentionally.’
    ‘I think he seems like a catch. He owns this huge company in Miami, all about … Hmm … hairbrushes or