I Do

                                                            *****

Josie was not very sure what to expect when it came to dinner. As far as she was concerned, dinner with Ethan would be in a Michelin star restaurant that would have probably taken weeks if not months to get a reservation and she was right. They did go to a Michelin star restaurant but not in the city. Instead, he took her to a small vineyard half an hour out of town. The property had a building right in the middle of the vineyard which had a perfect chef’s kitchen and an outdoor table that had been set up for them. Josie was in awe as soon as they got there.

“Where are we?” she asked as he pulled a chair for her.

“Welcome to The Golden Grape winery and vineyard,” he said with a smile as he sat down across her. “It is one of the few wineries in the country that still uses the old method of making wine.”

She raised an eyebrow over the other.

“You mean… people barefoot on the grapes?” she asked and he nodded.

“I mean, of course, the technique is not feasible with the amount of wine we have to churn out but we still have a couple of brands for people who prefer the old school.”

She shrugged.

“Considering how much wine I consume, I think it is safer for me not to know how the sausage is made.”

His grin became a boyish grin.

“So, how do you know about this place anyway?” she asked and he looked around.

“Well, I kind of own it.”

She raised an eyebrow over the other.

“What?” She seemed confused. “What about when we were talking about you acquiring a vineyard? Also, what do you mean kind of?”

“Well, The Golden Grape was not exactly a business move. It belonged to a family friend, someone Noah and I knew from when we were kids, and long story short, some bad investments were made and the place was almost auctioned off. It was kind of a big deal to them, so Noah and I decided to do the honorable thing. So, in actual sense, the Beckett name is just ornamental. The place still belongs to Peter and Elsie Strauss’ family.”

“That’s a really nice thing you and your brother did,” she said in a soft voice and he smiled at her.

They shared a ten-year-old bottle of sauvignon blanc which Josie thought was simply perfect. She had the chicken marsala and he had chicken parmigiana. She could not explain just how perfect the dinner was. The simplicity of the evening was perhaps the one thing that made her fall in love with the whole evening. Dining under the stars while listening to smooth music coming from the chef’s kitchen. Dinner turned into a walk around the vineyard before they finally walked back to the car. On their drive home, they talked more about their lives and just like all the discussions they’d had in the office before, they were pleased to find out that they were a whole lot more similar than they thought. For Josie, it was as if she had been waiting for this perfect person her whole life and finally, the world had done her a favor and brought her Ethan Beckett. What she did not know was that Ethan was having the exact same thoughts.

When they finally got to her apartment building, the driver pulled up and stepped out of the car to give them some privacy. Ethan did not want to let her go just yet. They had just spent four hours together but he felt like everything had all happened in the blink of an eye. He wanted to reach over and stroke her cheek so badly. Or better still, gently run his index finger down the exposed flesh on her back.

“Thanks for a great evening,” she said. “I really had a great time with you.”

“I had a great time with you too. It is just a pity that the evening has to end,” he said before he looked outside. “I would like to walk you up if you let me.”

Josie bit her lip and exhaled loudly before she shook her head.

“No, I’m fine really. You have already done too much already,” she said smiling.

Ethan nodded reluctantly.

“Well, at least have these,” he said as he got a Golden Grape branded gift bag. “These are the best as far as I can tell. Just something to keep you going until the next time we go out.”

She took the bag from him and was surprised at how heavy it was, she looked inside.

“Four bottles?” she asked, surprised. “I don’t know whether to be shocked, impressed or insulted.”

“Why would you be insulted?” Ethan asked.

The tone in his voice was that of genuine honesty.

“Well, maybe you are subtly trying to suggest that I have a drinking problem,” she said smiling and Ethan forced out a laugh.

“No, considering how long you kept me waiting before you finally agreed to go on a date with me, I am a little concerned about how much longer I will have to wait for a second date.”

Josie shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“How about you propose a day and we’ll see about that?” she asked and Ethan nodded.

“Okay, how about the day after tomorrow?” he asked and she shrugged.

“It’s a date.”

“Good. Then I guess the wine will be a great addition to your wine collection.”

Josie laughed.

“What? Did I say something wrong?” he asked and she shook her head.

“I don’t have a wine collection. I just have a rack that holds three to four bottles.”

“Well, there are exactly four bottles in there. Perfect for your rack.”

“Four?” she asked. “No wonder this bag is so heavy.”

“I could not choose what to give you so I had a red, white, rose and a chardonnay,” he said proudly. “Perfect for every mood.”

She bit her lip and held the bag close to her chest.

“Thank you for this. It is the perfect ending to a perfect night,” she said and he finally suppressed the doubt he had and stretched his hand to stroke her exposed collar bone. He was looking right into her eyes as he did so. He wanted to tell her that his idea of a perfect end to a perfect night was to walk her to her door and then let things naturally transition.

“Let me get the door for you,” he said before getting out.

She waited as he walked around the front of the car to her side and open the door for her. Like the perfect gentleman he was, he took her hand and helped her out of the car.

“Thanks for everything,” she said as she stood in front of him.