Just a Kiss(Book #1 The Single Girls Wine Club) Wine Country Romance

Just a Kiss- Kate Kisset- Chapter One

Barefoot, Sarah Dupont hurried to the kitchen, grabbed a handful of grapes and peeked through the glass doors at the rolling hills shimmering with grapevines. She still couldn't believe she lived there. Juliet St. John, Bella Villa's most recent resident, and Danica Vargas, Sarah's best friend, were huddled close together in deep conversation on the patio. Every afternoon from four to six o'clock in the summer, the women met there for Chill Hour. Sarah found her favorite wine glass and rushed out to join them. When she reached the group, Danica and Juliet abruptly stopped talking.

"What?" Sarah asked. "Why did you get so quiet?"

Juliet raised a brow to Danica and gave Sarah an innocent smile. "Have a seat," she said patting the cushion on the chair next to her. "Go ahead, Danica, tell Sarah exactly what you just told me."

Sarah sighed, settling into a wicker chair. "Okay, here we go."

Danica poured the Rombauer Carneros Chardonnay into Sarah's glass, huffing while she waited for her to sip.

"I don't know what the big deal is," Danica said, tossing her hair and glaring at Juliet.

"Out with it," Sarah said.

"I have a fabulous idea for the Vine Café, that's all." Danica leaned close to Sarah. "You'll get loads of buzz on the internet for sure, maybe some free print, and who knows, Juliet will probably interview you on her morning show."

"And Danica gets a date with Michael Santino in the process." Juliet looked smug. "Don't leave that part out of the equation."

Danica's eyebrows shot up. "I didn't do it for a date and you know it."

"Of course you did, why else would you do it?" Juliet snipped.

Sarah waved her arms. "Hello! I'm right here."

"I knew it would help Sarah that's all," Danica said.

"Right." Juliet shook her head. "You were near Michael Santino and were only thinking of Sarah? Like that's even possible."

"What wasn't for a date?" Sarah asked.

"I didn't do anything. I would never do anything involving you or your business without asking first. I just had a little idea." Danica scanned Juliet, moving her chair even closer to Sarah's. Danica, the Entertainment Features reporter for the Napa Sun newspaper, made it her business to know all of the Wine Country's movers and shakers. "I saw Michael at the Santino Winery today and we started talking about Jamie. You know Michael's younger brother Jamie, right?"

"There are so many Santino brothers, Danica." Sarah peered into her glass. "He's the actor?"

"A very good one, despite his last two flops." Danica sipped her wine. "So... Michael is very proud of Jamie's movie deal and asked me for a little help."

Sarah leaned forward. "And?"

"Jamie just got a deal with a very prestigious director." Danica beamed like she'd done something to make it happen. "Michael thinks this movie will finally show the world what a great actor Jamie is. This is where you come in."

"I have absolutely no idea where you're going with this," Sarah said.

"Jamie has the starring role. He'll play a famous American baker who moves to France to open a patisserie." Danica winked at Sarah. "You get it now, right?"

"I can see how this movie might be good for him. But what does this have to do with me?"

"Well, you're a baker."

"Right."

Sarah tried not to show her frustration. She owed Danica for getting her the hell out of San Francisco after she broke up with Robert, and for talking her into renting a room here. If she hadn't taken Danica's advice, she didn't know what her life would be like. She glanced over her shoulder at the villa. Decades of wear may have chipped away some of the mansion's original opulence, and the hundreds of acres that used to be Castelli vineyards had whittled away to just ten, but everything about the place seemed like the good dream she'd needed for a while.

Sarah turned to back Danica. "So I know how to bake, so what?"

"And you own the Vine Café." Danica's eyes sparkled. "And even though you serve breakfast and lunch it's almost exactly like a patisserie."

"So?"

"Oh, just cut to the chase, Danica!" Juliet interrupted, bouncing from her chair and turning to Sarah. "Danica promised Michael you'd teach Jamie how to make pastries and let him work at the Vine Café. He starts tomorrow."

"What?" Sarah may have needed rescuing after the Robert debacle, but that didn't give Danica carte blanche to interfere with every aspect of her life, especially her new business. "What the hell did you do Danica? Whatever happened to asking my permission first?"

"I didn't promise anything, Sarah, so just calm down. I just told him it might be okay if Jamie came in tomorrow to meet you. It's not a big deal. Is eleven a good time?"

"What are you talking about? No!" Sarah ran her hands through her hair. "It's not a good time and neither is twelve, one or five. There is no good time to be training drama queens, or kings, or anyone, and you should know that."

"Consider the free publicity you'd get." Juliet looked hopeful. "I don't know if I can swing a morning show interview, but I'd mention a Jamie Santino sighting at your place. He's big."

"I haven't even been open a year." Sarah scooted back in her chair, wanting to get as far away from Danica's ridiculous idea as she could. "I'm just settling in. I'm not ready for any more anything."

"You are ready. It's time," Danica said. "It's time to wipe that rat bastard Robert completely off your plate, just like you wiped him off your pastry table."

Sarah put her glass down and stood up. Danica knew better than to mention his name. The past six months hadn't been easy, but she'd finally managed to create a new life in Sonoma without him. She still caught herself thinking about Robert and the future they'd planned, but his betrayal didn't haunt her as much as it had in the first few months. "I didn't wipe the pastry table. I sterilized it about fifty million times for your information and training some actor in my brand new business has nothing to do with Robert."

"Okay ladies, settle down." Juliet reached for the bottle of Chardonnay. She stood and poured each another glass. "This is Chill Hour, remember?"

"This is what I get for helping." Danica pouted.