Love on the Rocks (with Salt) (3 page)

Before I can protest they’re gone.
Assholes. I can’t believe they left me. I take another sip of my
margarita, and before I can stop it, another memory of Andy comes
bubbling to the surface.

“
I don’t think I can jump. I’ve
made a terrible mistake,” I trembled.

“
I thought you said you like to
live dangerously,” Andy said in my ear, standing behind me and
holding onto my waist.

“
I meant flirting with a cute guy
at a bar dangerously. You know, danger with my heart, not my entire
body,” I said, looking off the edge of the cliff that didn’t look
quite this high when I wasn’t standing on top of it, looking into
the water that didn’t look nearly deep enough below.

“
Don’t worry, Laney. I won’t break
either,” he lied, kissing me. “We’ll do it together. I’ll hold your
hand.”

It was one of the most
exhilarating things I’ve ever done and was sexy as hell. We
couldn’t keep our hands off each other when we got back to the
hotel, but if I knew he was lying, I wouldn’t have
jumped.

“
Your friends seem to have
abandoned you.” I look up and see the golden boy standing in front
of me and pulling me back to the present.

“
They went to
battle the bathroom line.”
Really? That’s
my witty response?

“
Mind if I keep you company until
they return?”

I shrug. “Sure.”

He sits down and leans in close.
“It’s probably not nice of me to say this, but I hope it’s a
really, really long line.”

I laugh. “You’re funny.”

He sticks out his hand. “I’m Kyle.”

He has a nice handshake. Not too firm where he
crushes my fingers, but not limp either. Perfect.

“
Laney.”

The cocktail waitress walks by,
and Kyle gets her attention. “Another round for the ladies at the
table, and I’ll drink what she’s having,” he says, pointing to my
drink.

“
Please make sure to bring one
with no salt,” I call after her as she walks away. “I’m only
halfway done with my drink,” I tell him.

“
It’s busy on Sundays. Best to
order the drinks before you need them.”

“
What about your girlfriend?” I
ask him. “What will she think about you buying me and my friends a
round of drinks?”

“
What girlfriend?”

“
The one in the blue dress who was
draped across you like a sweater.”

He laughs. “You’re the one who’s funny. That’s
Pam. We’re just friends.”

“
Does Pam know that?”

He looks me in the eye. “She does.”

I shrug again.

“
You don’t trust me.”

“
You haven’t given me any reason
to yet.”

“
I haven’t given
you any reason
not
to.”

“
Except for Pam.”

“
Hurt you pretty bad, did
he?”

“
Like you don’t even
know.”

“
I won’t do that.”

“
That’s exactly what he
said.”

“
Hey Laney, who’s your friend?”
Kim asks as she and Amanda return.

“
This is Kyle.
He was telling me how he and Pam in the blue dress are just
friends. Kyle, these are
my
friends, Kim and Amanda.”

“
Hi,” Kyle says, sounding a bit
nervous.

“
Don’t mind Laney, Kyle. She tends
to get a bit sassy when she drinks margaritas. She likes the way
they taste, but they come with some baggage,” Kim says.

“
Maybe I shouldn’t have ordered
her another one,” he tells her as the cocktail waitress sets down
our drinks.

“
You bought us a round of drinks?”
Amanda coos. “And mine has no salt this time. That’s
sweet.”

I want to tell her I was the one
who ordered it with no salt, but before I can, he says to her, “Is
there something else I can order her that she doesn’t associate
with the ex-boyfriend but will still get her a little drunk so
she’ll like me? Or maybe some food? Nachos?”

“
You can definitely win her over
with food,” Amanda says.

“
Great! How about some nachos and
chicken quesadillas for the table?”

“
Steak,” Kim says.

“
If the ladies prefer steak, make
it steak!” he says to the waitress.

“
And a round of shots,” I say,
smiling, realizing I’m being a bitch. If there’s one thing I’m not
it’s that bitchy girl at the bar. And Kyle seems to be trying
pretty hard.

He looks over at me,
surprised.

“
You said you wanted to get me
drunk,” I say.

He raises his glass and smiles, those dimples
of his starting to win me over. “I would like that very
much.”

I look in the mirror one last time
and wait by the door. Kyle knocks at exactly eleven. Two points for
being on time.

“
Wow,” he says, “you’re
beautiful.”

Not, you look
beautiful.
You’re
beautiful. I blush.

“
Thank you.” I
smile. I’m wearing a lime green sundress and sandals and have a
denim jacket in case it gets cool. He has on jeans and a blue polo
shirt. It hugs his body nicely and brings out his eyes.
Look at his eyes, Laney, not his chest.
Turns out men aren’t the only ones guilty of
that.

“
Are you ready for your first wine
tasting experience?”

“
I think so. I’m really more of a
margarita drinker.” I leave out the fact that my mother teases me
about liking wine that’s too sweet. I don’t want him knowing I’m
that unsophisticated. I grab my purse, and we head out the
door.

“
I hope you’re hungry. I packed a
picnic.”

He packed a picnic?

“
Sounds like you’re trying to
impress me,” I say with a smile, trying to play it cool.

“
I might be,” he says as we
approach a blue Prius.

Not what I expected. I raise an
eyebrow at him, and he shrugs. “If I’m going to practice
environmental law, I’d better walk the talk,” he says, opening the
door for me.

I settle in and take in the new car smell.
“So,” I say, as he buckles his seat belt. “You’re a lawyer, drive
an environmentally friendly car, pack picnic lunches and take girls
wine tasting. I feel a little sorry for you. It must be awfully
hard to get dates.”

He laughs. I like the sound of it. “I’m not a
lawyer yet.”

“
When do you find out your bar
results?”

“
Next month. I don’t know what
I’ll do if I failed. Studying for the bar was the hardest thing
I’ve ever done. I don’t know if I have it in me to do it
again.”

“
You won’t fail,” I say
confidently.

“
You seem pretty certain for
someone who doesn’t know me yet.”

“
I have a feeling about you,” I
tell him, because it’s true.

“
And what’s that?” he asks as we
pull up to a red light.

“
That you go for what you want and
do whatever it takes to get it.”

He turns his attention away from
the light and gazes into my eyes. It feels like he’s looking into
my soul. “Maybe you do know me,” he says, our eyes
locked.

My mouth goes dry. If it weren’t for these
damn seatbelts, and you know, being in traffic, I know he’d kiss
me.

The car behind us honks, and we
both snap our heads forward. He smiles and gives a wave to the
rearview mirror before shifting into gear and pressing the gas.
“That guy wouldn’t have honked if he knew how hard it is for me to
keep my eyes on the road with you in the car.”

“
You’re a flirt,” I say with a
smile. He’s right, I don’t know him. But I want to.

~~~~

We arrive at Malibu Winery just before noon. I
didn’t even know Malibu had a winery. A large grassy area with
plenty of trees and shade is dotted with tables. There is a rustic
bar where the wine tasting is held. Kyle takes a large soft-sided
cooler and picnic blanket out of the hatch.

“
They have lots of tables. Should
we claim one and taste some wine?” he asks.

“
Sounds good.”

We find a table, and he drapes the
blanket over a chair. “We could lay the blanket under one of the
trees if you’d rather.”

I smile. It’s the first time I’ve heard him
sound unsure, maybe even nervous. “The table is fine,” I tell
him.

We walk over to the bar and squeeze in between
a couple and a group of women in their forties who look downright
zealous to be so far removed from their suburban lives.

“
Welcome to Malibu Winery. Have
you been here before?” the girl behind the counter asks Kyle,
seemingly oblivious to my presence. I take a look at his profile.
He is incredibly good looking. I remember the girl in the blue
dress at Sagebrush—Pam—the way she draped herself across his
shoulder. I still can’t believe he approached me instead of Amanda
or Kim.

“
I’ve been here before, but this
lovely lady hasn’t,” he says, reaching across my back and placing
his hand on my bare shoulder. His hand is warm and soft, but
strong. “This is her first time wine tasting.”

“
Yes, I’m a virgin,” I joke,
trying to regain control of the situation and not focus too much on
his hand.

The bartender—or wine tender or
whatever she is—smiles a forced-looking smile, but her voice is
friendly. “Well, let’s have some fun. We’ve got a tasting virgin,
everyone,” she calls down the bar.

Everyone raises their glasses in a toast. I
think I’m going to like wine tasting.

After tasting our flight we decide on a bottle
of Chardonnay.

“
Are you disappointed we didn’t
get a red?” I ask as we walk to the table, Kyle carrying the bottle
in one hand and the glasses in the other. “You seemed to like those
better.”

“
No, this is perfect,” he answers
with what sounds like genuine enthusiasm. “In this heat a white is
much more refreshing. Besides, I have plenty of time to turn you
into a red drinker.”

Kyle unzips the cooler and places
a wooden cheese board on the table. Then he takes out a baguette,
brie, a stick of salami, some almonds and a bag of pre-sliced green
apples and arranges them on top.

“
Why do I feel like you’ve done
this before?”

He shrugs and grins. “I like
picnics.”

“
Hmm,” I say. I’m impressed but
cautious. He seems a little too good to be true. My last boyfriend
thought sharing popcorn at the movies was romantic. Not that Kyle
is my boyfriend. At least not yet.

He tears off a hunk of bread and
hands it to me. “I guess I should have asked, but since you ate
steak quesadillas I figured you weren’t a vegetarian. Or a
vegan.”

I laugh. “Not as long as there’s bacon in the
world. Or cheese. My mom’s a vegetarian though.”

“
But not your dad?”

“
God, no. Meat and potatoes all
the way. They’re an interesting pair.”

“
How so?” he asks, cutting into
the salami.

I cover my mouth and hold up my
finger so I can finish chewing. “My mom is kind of a hippie. Like I
said, she’s a vegetarian; into yoga and meditating. She’s very
huggy and has no problem expressing herself. My dad’s very
straight-laced, conservative, practical. He loves basketball and
runs five miles every day. I don’t think they’ve ever voted for the
same political candidate except for maybe school board. But somehow
they click. They never argue, and after thirty years of marriage
they’re still deeply in love. They have the kind of marriage I hope
to have one day.”

Oh great. I mention marriage on
the first date. Smooth. This guy is never going to call me
again.

“
That’s nice. My parents have that
business-partner type of relationship. They don’t hate each other,
but I’m not sure they like each other any more either. It’s kind of
sad. I’d like a marriage like your parents’ one day
too.”

My eyes bug out, and he notices my
expression.

“
Cheese too strong?” he
asks.

“
No,” I laugh. “I love the cheese.
It’s just that I did the worst thing a girl can ever do on a first
date and mentioned the ‘M’ word and instead of excusing yourself to
the men’s room never to return you kept the conversation going.” I
poke his arm. Damn he has nice arms. “Are you sure you’re real? A
perfect picnic and visions of how you’d like your marriage? You’re
like a Stepford date.”

Now it’s his turn to laugh. “I’m real, Laney.
Everyone wants to get married someday. Now if you suggest we go to
the mall on our next date and start looking all doe-eyed at the
jewelry store displays then I might excuse myself to the bathroom
for good.”

He’s funny. I like funny. “I can promise you,
I will never suggest we go to the mall. Plus my dad would never
respect you if you paid retail for jewelry. He’s got a guy
downtown. He’ll set you up. Once you ask his permission, of
course.”