Casa Parisi (24 page)

"Juliet came up with that name and don't worry about having to choose. You can take home a bottle of any of the wines you'd like to try. What about you, Lisa? What would you like?"

"I love a good Baco noir. I'll try that one."

"Can we take a bottle of that home?" Carolyn asked. "Please?"

"Yes--since you asked so nicely," Lucia said.

"It's nice to have a friend that owns a winery," Carolyn said.

"It's nice to have a friend who's a wine professor." Lucia then addressed Lisa. "And one who's a wine journalist. Where else can I get free opinions and advertising whenever I need it?"

Carolyn looked mischievous. "Nothing's free, you know."

"I can see that," Lucia said. "Excuse me while I go get the drinks and something for us to munch on. I have some stuffed mushrooms in the oven."

"I'll help you with that," Juliet offered.

"HEY LADIES," LUCIA said when they came back. "I was surfing on the internet yesterday and I saw a quote I liked. Juliet, you'll like this one. 'Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath, and a glass of good wine.' I've already had the good sleep and the bath, so now I'm ready for the glass of good wine made right here in my winery."

"Which wine are you drinking?" Carolyn asked.

"I'm drinking Juliet's, Simply Foxy. I love it."

"Wasn't that quote from St. Thomas Aquinas?" Juliet asked.

Lucia laughed. "It was and I should have known you would know it."

"Juliet's an expert on wine quotes and little sayings," Carolyn said. "She always had an amazing ability to memorize all sorts of facts and trivia."

"Trivia? I beg your pardon," Juliet said. "Those quotes and little sayings, as you call them, have great meaning attached to them. There's nothing trivial about it."

"I happen to like Juliet's quotes," Lucia said. Along with her other fine qualities, her personality and looks not the least of them, Lucia thought to herself.

"Here's one by Ovid, the Roman poet," Juliet said. "'When there is plenty of wine, sorrow and worry take wing.'"

"Then I shouldn't have a worry in the world," Lucia said, thinking she could just as well substitute the word vodka for the word wine in that quote. That would make it more applicable to her situation. Maybe she should switch to wine from now on. After all, she did have an endless supply on hand.

Lisa began telling them about the article she'd written on the winery. "It's due out in September and I think you'll be pleased. You're also featured on my web site this month and I'd like to do another article after you make your wines this fall."

"That would be perfect," Lucia said. "We've got ambitious plans."

"What do you think of the Lac Bleu?" Juliet asked Carolyn.

"It's crisp and well-balanced." Carolyn inhaled it and slurped in another mouthful, smacking her lips together rapidly. "I taste peaches, honeysuckle, jasmine, and vanilla. My guess is it's primarily a blend of chardonnay and riesling."

"You're correct, Professor," Juliet said.

"How did you know that?" Lucia asked.

"An educated guess. The vanilla flavor comes from aging it in oak, so that made me think of chardonnay and the honeysuckle and jasmine aromas are common to the riesling grape. Hence, I arrived at that conclusion."

"How do all those flavors get in grapes?" Lucia asked.

"They come from compounds called terpenes which occur naturally in grapes and are also found in honeysuckle and jasmine flowers."

"You amaze me to no end," Lucia said. "All of you."

"I'd like to know what you think of the Baco noir, Lisa." Juliet said.

"It has great structure and backbone. I sense the tannins but they don't overpower the flavor. I also detect hints of blackberries and maybe cloves?"

"I don't know how you can detect any of those subtle flavors and aromas," Lucia said. "I can taste citrusy flavors and I know when wine is peppery or oaky, dry or sweet, but I can't pick up anything that specific."

Carolyn tapped the tip of her nose. "Highly trained noses and lots of practice."

"There's got to be more to it than that," Lucia said.

"Highly trained tongues," Carolyn added with a glint in her eye.

"Let's not go there, Carolyn," Lisa said, casting a look.

"There is knowledge involved," Carolyn added quickly. "For example, white grapes contain aromatic essences found in fruits, flowers and herbs--terpenes and esters to be exact. Some red grapes contain phenylethanol, a substance found in roses, so wines made from them smell like roses. Most red grapes contain compounds found in cherries, berries and other red fruits. Some also contain piperdene which gives black pepper its smell and eugenol which imparts a clove aroma. There's more, but that gives you an idea."

"I'm stupefied," Lucia said.

Lisa continued where Carolyn left off. "Generally, we describe wines as being floral, fruity, caramelized, herbaceous, spicy or oaky. For example, we know gewürztraminer grapes are spicy--the word gewürztraminer means spicy wine. A winemaker can also use techniques to add flavors to wines, but Juliet's the one to ask about that. In my field, we use the flavor characteristics of wines when we suggest pairing wines with foods."

"Give me an example." Lucia said.

"Say you're making a dish of sweet scallops in a buttery cream sauce. A good wine for that would be a dry chardonnay with buttery qualities. As a rule, spicy dishes go with spicy wines and delicate dishes with delicate wines. Fruity wines go with dishes made with fruit and so on. Other times it's better to serve a wine that contrasts with a dish."

"Like what?" Lucia asked.

"Like an Asian dish made with soy sauce paired with a slightly sweet wine or a salty dish paired with an acidic wine."

"Like Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Chianti," Lucia said.

"Yes, that's the idea exactly," Lisa said.

"And all this time I thought Luke and Juliet were coming up with those descriptions off the top of their heads so the wines would sound more appealing."

"Come on, Lucia. You must have known a little about it," Juliet said.

"I'm teasing. I did, but not as much as the three of you."

"We taste wines for a living," Carolyn said. "And we studied it."

"Intensely," Juliet said with a grimace before she veered off the topic. "I haven't told you this, Lucia, but I have a new red blend in mind. I'd like to name it Buona Fortuna."

"Good fortune." Lucia smiled. "Nice name and an even better thought."

"I chose it because I see good things ahead for you," Juliet said.

Carolyn raised her glass. "Let's all drink to that."

"I WAS HOPING I'd get a chance to talk to you," Lucia told Carolyn in the kitchen a little over two hours later. "Thanks for volunteering to help me and for asking Lisa to stay out on the porch with Juliet while we cleared the dishes and cleaned up. How did you know I wanted to talk to you?"

"I didn't. It was me that wanted to talk to you," Carolyn said. "I couldn't help but notice the way you look at Juliet and they way she looks at you. You two have gotten close, haven't you?"

"We have become close. I can talk to her."

"Is there something else going on?"

"Not exactly," Lucia said.

"Define not exactly."

"I think she's wonderful, Carolyn." Lucia rinsed a plate, put it in the dishwasher and faced Carolyn.

"I'm not going to dispute that."

"Damn, I wasn't planning on telling anyone about this." Lucia dried her hands with a paper towel and wiped her right eye. "I know she's the last person I should be attracted to but I can't help it. It's been coming on gradually ever since I met her."

"Why is she the last person you should be attracted to?"

"You mean besides the fact that she's straight and has a boyfriend?"

"Well, there is that," Carolyn said. "But she never dated much and never led us to believe she was all that interested in men. Lisa and I have questioned her sexuality even if she hasn't."

"Sometimes I think she--" Lucia shook her head. "I don't know."

"Are you saying you think she might have feelings for you?"

"I know she cares about me, she told me that. And she's warm and affectionate, but I'm not sure if she's being kind or if there's something else there. Maybe it's in the spirit of friendship and nothing more."

"The way she looks at you doesn't remind me of friendship," Carolyn said. "Maybe she doesn't know how she feels at this point."

"That would be too good to be true."

"It might be true," Carolyn said.

"It's the 'might be' part that scares me. I'm scared to death it won't turn out well and I don't know if I can cope with losing another woman I care deeply about."

Lucia picked up a plate, rinsed it and stared at it, water dripping down her arms and off the tips of her elbows. Carolyn had no answers and even if she did it wouldn't matter. She had none either and nothing was going to change the way she felt.

"What are you thinking?"

"Why her, Carolyn? Have I lost my mind?" Lucia still stared at the plate.

Carolyn took the plate out of Lucia's hands. "Why don't you listen to your heart?"

"I'm not sure I trust that troublemaker. It's impulsive and totally lacking in good sense." Lucia dried her arms, wet a soapy sponge and squeezed the excess water out. She handed it to Carolyn. "Wipe the counters off for me, will you?"

"I should do something. All I've done so far is stand here," Carolyn took the sponge and started wiping. "I should tell you I'm not big on being sensible and I don't think the way you feel about her is wrong."

"It wouldn't be if it was mutual, but it isn't. And she works for me."

"What difference does that make? It's a winery for God's sake, it's
your
winery," Carolyn said. "Most wineries are owned by husbands and wives and families and they all work together. This isn't the corporate world. This is your world."

Lucia grunted. "You sound as if you like the idea of us together."

"I'd like anyone or anything that put the light back into those pretty eyes of yours and if it were Juliet, I'd like it all the more. Juliet wouldn't admit it, but I think she needs someone in her life as much as you do."

"There's still the issue of her sexuality."

"That should be revealed in time."

"One way or the other." Lucia closed the dishwasher and started it. "We're done here so we'd better get back to Lisa and Juliet before they come after us."

"I want to say something and I don't want you to take it the wrong way." Carolyn squeezed the excess water out of the sponge and put it on the edge of the sink.

"Go ahead and say it." Lucia straightened her back.

"Devin's death was an awful tragedy, but you're still here. You have a lifetime ahead of you and all the makings of a very special life. Don't run away from happiness."

"I couldn't agree more," Lucia said. "And believe it or not, I want to live it."

"You're doing better. I can see that." Carolyn cleared her throat and pulled Lucia into a hug. "I hope things work out for you both."

IT WAS TEN-THIRTY when Carolyn announced she and Lisa had to leave because of something they had to do early the next morning. Juliet gave no indication that she was leaving when they did and that pleased Lucia. Although she'd enjoyed having Carolyn and Lisa over and the evening had been loads of fun, Lucia secretly longed to spend more time alone with Juliet. In fact, that longing was getting to be an everyday thing.

"Do you have to get home or can you stay a while?" Lucia asked once they were back on the porch from saying goodbye to Carolyn and Lisa.

"I'll stay if you get me a cold beer."

"I'll have one with you. Do you want a glass?"

"No. I'll drink it from the bottle."

Lucia went into the kitchen and returned with the beers, handing one to Juliet who was sitting in the chair next to the wicker sofa. Angel had curled up in the other chair and was sound asleep. Lucia flopped down on the end of the sofa next to Juliet's chair, kicked off her sandals and propped her feet up on the coffee table.

"Tonight was fun," Juliet said.

"It was. We need to do that more often."

"I had a good time being with you." Something stirred in Juliet's eyes that hadn't been there before. Her gaze, focused and intense, burned into Lucia and she never took her eyes off Lucia's as she said, "Earlier you told me you had a good week. Why was it so good?"

"I felt like a burden had been lifted from my shoulders."

"No need to go out drinking?" Juliet asked.

"No, I haven't felt like it."

"No sex with strange women?"

"I never choose women that are strange."

"Funny." Juliet's soft laugh sounded more like a moan. "You know what I meant."

"Sorry, couldn't resist. No, no sex with strange women."

"I hate to think of you having sex with a stranger." Juliet leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. The warmth in her face was gone, replaced by suffering.

"Why does that bother you so much?" Lucia asked.

Juliet's hand shook as she took a long swallow of beer. "I'm not sure. I think I'm jealous. It hurts me when I think of you having sex with someone else."

"Why would you be jealous or hurt?" Lucia touched Juliet's arm. She could see it hadn't been easy for Juliet to tell her that. "I'm not trying to be smart. I really want to know what you're feeling and why."

Juliet left her chair and moved next to Lucia. "I don't want anyone else to have you and it's because of how I feel about you--and because I'm attracted to you. I don't know what to do about any of it."

"Are you sure you feel that way?"

"I'm as sure as I can be." Juliet drank more beer and set her bottle on the table. "I say that and yet, I'm not sure about anything anymore."

"I asked if you were sure because I have the same feelings for you and I don't know what to do either." Lucia took Juliet's hand in hers.

"Yes, I know." Juliet stared at their joined hands.