Two to Tangle (A Tangle Valley Romance #2) - Melissa Brayden Page 0,73
kitchen before it goes into service?” She slowly lowered the zipper of Ryan’s jeans.
“Here?” Ryan asked. Her stomach tightened and her thighs went weak.
“Here.”
“Isn’t this currently my place of business, though?”
“Aren’t I kind of your boss? Could be a scandal in the making.” Gabriella raised a saucy eyebrow and slid her hand inside Ryan’s pants.
She was a goner.
Just a short time later, she was a highly satisfied one.
Chapter Fourteen
A table for five at the Crown Jewel, the restaurant nestled inside the Jade Resort, was generally difficult to snag on the weekend. In fact, guests booked well in advance of their trip. Luckily, Becca Crawford happened to be one of their five and had arranged not just for last-minute reservations, but for a primo spot along the floor-to-ceiling windows, with a sunset view of the surrounding wine country. Gabriella was impressed and excited to be there, ready to sample the kitchen’s cuisine and unwind with Ryan and her friends all together, a first.
Becca was the last to join their group, having just dashed over from her office off the lobby. Appearing in a killer off-the-shoulder black dress, she must have taken a moment to change from one of her traditional power suits. Gabriella watched as Joey accepted a kiss and gave her girlfriend a subtle once-over. Gabriella exchanged an amused glance with Ryan.
“You look fantastic,” Joey said quietly.
“Not as good as you do,” Becca said back and then regarded the table with a winsome smile. “Hi, guys.”
Gabriella, Ryan, and Madison all grinned and greeted her back. The get-together was Ryan-inspired and arranged by Joey, which couldn’t have made Gabriella happier. She was pretty sure this was Ryan’s way of trying to smooth things over with Madison, who seemed pleasant enough tonight. That boded well, right? Honestly, she and Madison hadn’t spoken much more than pleasantries in passing since their run-in. Occasional movie nights and group hang-out sessions in the tasting room after closing had slipped away. She knew it stemmed from the strain between her and Maddie. She just wasn’t sure how to fix it. Maybe tonight was a good start. After all, everyone was dressed up, happy, and ready to eat amazing food.
“Ready for the restaurant to open already?” Madison asked, taking a sip of her water. She’d pulled her dark blond curls up tonight in an elegant twist and wore a sleeveless blue dress, making her seem more sophisticated than Gabriella was used to. She looked gorgeous. Gabriella would have to be dead not to register that.
“So ready. I keep checking my watch, and we’re still weeks away.” Gabriella sipped, too.
“I can imagine the wait is killer.”
“It is.”
They were too polite, and that made everything feel weird. This was Maddie, for heaven’s sake. But with Ryan on her left and Madison on her right, Gabriella felt like she inhabited some alternate version of herself. Thank God the sommelier arrived and introduced the wines Becca had selected for the table.
Becca leaned in and addressed Madison. “Joey asked for some of the French varietals we got in last week. I hope you don’t mind a pivot from Tangle Valley.”
Madison waved off the disclaimer. She was a pro and a connoisseur. “I love new wines. I’m in.”
They listened to Bruno, Becca’s awesome sommelier, present the wine with a few tasting notes. “I think you Tangled lovelies are going to like this particular blend.” He winked at Joey, who had become his friend, given that Tangle Valley was now featured as the house wine for its local connection to the resort.
“What got you interested in winemaking?” Ryan asked Madison a few minutes later, as Bruno poured for the group. She wore a sleeveless black blouse tonight that she’d accented with a long silver necklace to go with black pants she looked amazing in. Sleek and beautiful. Gabriella was proud to sit next to her.
Madison tilted her head back and forth. “I guess I have Joey to thank for that. When we became friends back in elementary school, I spent most of my afternoons at Tangle Valley until my mom would call me home for dinner.” She smiled at Joey across the table. “I followed her dad, Jack, all around the place, watching everything he did. Taking notes in my Justin Timberlake journal, which is confusing now for a whole separate reason.”
Joey nodded, enjoying the memory. “He called you his plucky shadow because you refused to go away and asked so many questions. Good questions, he said, if I remember correctly.”