Good morning all!

Hope all is well! I have started writing A Spring Affair and it's coming along rather nicely I think :-)

So today I'm sharing from my work in progress that is set to come out March 20, 2015 (the first day of Spring!)

*This is unedited*

Maya stood there in the wine cave staring at Xavier.
"'We'," she said. "As in...you and me?"
She watched at the corner of his mouth quirked up slightly, before he released a deep chuckle.
"Yeah," he said. "That's the idea, unless there is some rule that says you can't drink right now?"
"My boss doesn't mind if we taste the wines along with our tourist, as long as we use the spittoon. But it is after hours and everyone has left for the day."
"So what do you say?" he asked with a smile. "All these years we've talked on the phone and emailed each other, it would be nice to sit down and finally get to know more about you."
She wanted to get to know him better as well.
Then why are you hesitating? her mind screamed.
She looked over her shoulder at the exit, then back at the table.
"I'm sorry," he said when she still didn't answer. He looked at his watch. "I suppose now I'm being presumptuous. Here I am asking you to sit down and share this wine and food with me and technically you're suppose to be off the clock already. I didn't think that maybe you already had plans with your husband."
Maya grinned at Xavier's tone.
It was more than a little obvious that he was fishing for her relationship status. Grinning, she held up her hand to reveal her bare hand. "I'm not married."
"Boyfriend?" he corrected.
She shook her head, and she felt her grin widen. "I'm single."
"Then I'm not stealing you from anyone important."
"It doesn't appear that way." Finally Maya smiled and said, "Sure I would love to sit with you."
They moved over to the table and Xavier held a chair out for Maya. As he pushed her chair in after she sat, she felt his finger inadvertently brush against her shoulder. It amazed her that even the lightest touch from this man made her body come alive. 
She expected him to go around and sit on the other side of the table, but was surprised when he pulled out the chair right next to hers and sat down. 
"So, what do we have here?" Xavier asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Trying to ignore their knees touching under the table, Maya pointed to a white wine. 
"This is a chardonnay, much like the one you tasted from the barrel. Of course this one is ready for consumption," she said with a smile. 
They both reached for the bottle at the same time and she stopped as Xavier's large hand grabbed it first. 
"Do you mind?" he asked.
"By all means." She held up her glass so he could pour some, then he filled his own glass.
"I assume we're pairing this with the brie cheese over there?" he guessed as he sat the bottle back down.
"You're absolutely right. It's actually from a local cheesemonger not too far from here." She cut them both a small slice of cheese. "You know your pairings."
"I would hope so, otherwise business would be terrible at my café."
"What made you decide to open a wine café?" Maya asked. She had always been curious. "Why not just open a wine shop?"
"Because there is a wine shop every few blocks. Not to mention you can get wine from just about any store. With the wine café, people who want to learn more not just wine, but which foods go best with particular wines can come in and have a great learning experience."
 She loved his answer. And it was obvious that he was a true wine lover. As they went through their flight of wines, tasting several varieties, she watched as he described each one in great detail, as well as how each item of food was enhanced by the wines.
As they finished up their tasting, Xavier wiped his mouth and sat his napkin down on the plate in front of him. 
"That was amazing. I can't thank you enough again for doing all of this."
"Even though it was meant for you and someone else?" she asked sheepishly.
"If it was meant for me to be here with someone else, I would have been here with someone else," he said with a self-assured tone.
There was something in his voice and the look in his eyes that made Maya's heart race.
She broke their eye contact and stood, gathering up the dishes. "I still feel terrible. Setting up this whole romantic scene must have brought up some strange feelings considering–"
"Maya," Xavier said, gently grabbing her arm, stopping her from her task of cleaning. "The only thing I've feel tonight is joy at spending time with you. In fact..." he removed his hand from her arm and hooked his thumbs into the loops of his jeans. "...I was wondering since the winery is closed tomorrow, do you have any plans tomorrow?"
"Uh, no. I don't have any plans tomorrow. You're not going to visit anymore wineries?"
"I visited all of the ones on my list yesterday and today. This was the final stop for me. I wanted to save the best for last," he said, and she felt like he was referring to more than just the winery.
"I know this may seem fast, and forward. And I'm kind of out of practice with all of this, but...I've enjoyed our time together today and I want to see you again. So I was wondering if you would have lunch with me tomorrow, before I have to head back to Sacramento."
Oh. My. God.
After years of fantasizing about this man she'd never before met, he was better than anything she could have imagined. And for all of those years, there was a road block in her dreams by the name of Darby. Now Darby was out of the picture and Xavier was showing interest in her. It was the stuff romance novels were made of.
She remembered what her sister had said about jumping at the opportunity if it presented itself with Xavier. Well...she'd been a little more cruder, but still...her overall advice was on point. And Maya wasn't going to let a chance she'd secretly been wishing for, for several years now, pass her by.
"Lunch with you tomorrow would be great."


                           

In case you've missed the trailer for the entire Four Seasons of Love Trailer, watch it below!
Also don't forget, Love After War is coming February 13, 2015. I know a lot of you can't wait for Connie and Drew's story and I can't wait to share it with you all!

Happy Reading!

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