Page 111 of Screwed
“Would you like a drink, Cash?” She moved to a small bar in the corner. “I’m having a nice Pinot Noir, if you’d like some of that.”
“That sounds great, thanks.”
She poured wine into a glass and crossed back to hand it to him.
“Thanks.” He took a sip and nodded. “This is nice. Satiny. Full-bodied.”
She tilted her head, then nodded. “Yes, this is a more complex, savory Pinot Noir. I’m impressed that you picked up on that.”
He was totally bullshitting. He’d gone to some hipster wine-tasting classes and remembered a few basic things, but he couldn’t tell the difference between Pinot Noir and his ass. If she hadn’t said what it was, he wouldn’t have remembered how to describe it. But he smiled. “Thanks.”
“Have a seat, please.” Audrey took a seat on a leather couch and gestured to him. She might be dying of curiosity about why he was there, but her manners were impeccable.
He sat on an adjacent love seat. “This is a nice room.”
“Thank you. I spend a lot of time in this room. This house is so huge for the two of us, now that the kids are gone.”
“Yeah. Callie was saying the same thing about her house…how it’s so big for one person.”
Audrey’s lips twitched. “I guess it is.”
Callie and her father entered the room, and Cash rose to his feet. “Daddy, you remember Cash.”
“Of course.” Joshua Sutherland extended a hand, and Cash shook it while the older man gave him a piercing stare from beneath thick, low eyebrows. Joshua’s dark hair held only a hint of gray at the temples, and his neatly trimmed beard and mustache were still black.
Cash gave him a firm grip, one pump, and a smile. “Good to see you again, sir.”
“You too, Cash. I see you have a drink. Callie, what would you like?”
Cash met Callie’s eyes and knew she wanted to ask for the whole bottle of wine. A moment of wordless, shared humor passed between them.
“Some of that red wine is fine,” she answered.
Joshua poured two more glasses and handed one to his daughter, and they all sat again, Callie beside Cash on the love seat.
“Cash was impressing me with his wine knowledge,” Audrey said.
Callie shot him a startled glance. He smiled modestly.
“How’s business, Cash? I hear from Beau you have a bid in for the refinery substation project.”
His body tensed, but he answered casually. “That’s right, sir. We’re really hopeful about working with Sutherland Industries.”
Joshua nodded, his expression stern.
“That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about, Daddy,” Callie said.
Cash swallowed.
Joshua gave his daughter a puzzled look. “What?”
He felt Callie inhale slowly. “Beau said you’ve been putting pressure on him to get back together with me. And you hinted that you could influence whether they get that job.”
Cash had to give Joshua credit—he kept his face neutral.
“That’s ridiculous,” Joshua said.
“You deny it?” Callie straightened, glancing at Cash, and he knew they were both thinking the same thing—had Beau lied about that, too?
