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Chapter 1
Two Months Earlier
The Depot Café
Napa, California

Ella heard the bell over the door jingle, announcing another new round of customers. Glancing
toward it, she saw a crew of twenty-something guys file in. The diner had been popping since
she had opened at six, and the only table large enough to accommodate them was in her section.
Great, she mumbled. Just what she needed: A huge table to turn at the end of her shift. Glancing
at her phone, Ella saw she had thirty minutes left until 11:00, when she had to leave for her other
job. There was little chance she would get this gang in and out before she had to go.
Ella sighed, mentally stomping her foot. She hated leaving things half done. It went against
her grain. That included having to hand off customers mid-meal. She watched her younger sister
Sophie seat them at her open table. Then, quickly grabbing a fresh pot of coffee, Ella headed
their way, determined to get them in and out as fast as possible. She whirled and weaved her way
around the counter to where the group of five guys had been seated and greeted them. “Welcome
to The Depot. Who wants coffee?”
All five of them looked up at her with bloodshot eyes, sporting the Napa morning-after look.
“For all that is holy, fill this cup and keep it coming,” one of them groaned. The others
nodded in agreement as she began filling mugs. They sucked down the steaming black coffee
like their lives depended on it. At that moment, it probably felt like it did. Hangovers were
commonplace here. After a little grease and a little hair of the dog, these guys would be good to
go for another round of winery roulette.
Giving them a knowing look, Ella asked, “Anybody here need a Bloody Mary? If so, I just
need to see some ID.”
All five nodded yes as they began to fish their wallets from their back pockets. After
checking their licenses, Ella pointed to the plastic menus on the table. “Today’s special is red
chile huevos rancheros. That comes with biscuits, breakfast potatoes, a choice of bacon or
sausage, and fruit. Take a look at the menu. I’ll be right back.”
Walking over to the small bar area at the front of the diner, Ella handed the drink order to her
father. She was not old enough to legally serve alcohol, so her father made the drinks and
delivered them to the table. She headed to the kitchen to pick up another large order that was
ready.
Meanwhile, across the diner, Benjamin Carrington slid into the only empty chair at the large
round table with the guys and tossed a bottle of ibuprofen in the middle of it. As the only one of
the bunch not currently hanging hard, he had run over to the nearest Jefferson Market as an act of
mercy. He chuckled as all five of his best college buddies played snatch and grab with the bottle
and then downed the pills as quickly as possible.
“Wow, slow down, dudes.” Ben teased. “No one is going to die from a hangover.”
Jack, who was resting his head on the table, raised up slightly and gave Ben a look that said
death was definitely a possibility, before dropping his head back down with a groan.
“Have you ordered yet?” Ben could see they had managed to get coffee and the now almost
empty Bloodys.
Davy shook his head. “No, we haven’t. Just ordered drinks. Our waitress will be right back.”

5

Brooksie, who until that moment had looked like he was at death’s door, perked up. “Dude,
you missed it. The babe that seated us was super-hot. Like top shelf, smoking hot.” Pointing a
finger at his friends, he added, “And, FYI, all of you turds back off. She is mine. I call dibs.”
Madison rolled his eyes. “Seriously, bro? You can’t call dibs on a woman. What are you, a
sophomore calling shotgun in his buddy’s car? Have some respect.”
Ben had yet to see the woman his friends were talking about, but he agreed it was
disrespectful to call dibs on a female as if she had no say in the matter. Before he could put in his
two cents on the issue, Jack sat up. With his eyes closed and his head in his hands, Jack croaked,
“Sorry, hate to break it to you, Brooksie, but I saw her first. Why would she want you when she
can have me?”
“Because that woman is the future Mrs. Jefferson Brooks,” Brooksie fired back with such
conviction that if Ben had not known what a player his friend was, he would have believed him.
The whole table roared with laughter. “Your future wife, really? I thought we met her last
night. I distinctly remember you telling us to keep our distance from the blonde at dinner as she
was your future wife,” quipped Liam.
Without missing a beat, Brooksie shrugged and very nonchalantly replied, “That girl is going
to be my first wife. This girl is my forever wife. Major difference.”
All five guys once again erupted in laughter. They each took turns teasing Brooksie and Jack
for their ongoing declarations of love for every woman who crossed their paths.
While Ben and his buddies were joking around, Ella was headed back into the dining room
with a tray full of food for the table next to theirs. Walking past them, she noticed that a sixth
guy had joined the group. Wonderful! Just what she needed, more customers. She felt a wave of
frustration ripple through her. A table of six to turn and still leave on time was next level
impossible.
As Ben’s friends continued to banter back and forth, he casually looked around the diner.
Suddenly his eyes landed on the stunning waitress coming toward him. He was impressed she
could carry such a large tray, which he imagined must be quite heavy for one so small. But his
focus wasn’t really on that. What really grabbed his attention was how beautiful she was. Thin
and petite with nicely tanned legs that peeked out from under her blue jean mini dress, the
waitress had long, dark hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail that swished behind her as
she walked. Ben had always been a leg man, and though this girl was tiny, her legs were
perfection.
Ben watched the waitress maneuver the large, cumbersome tray. With surprising expertise
for one so petite, she whipped out a stand and set down the tray with precision. Ben was
impressed with how quickly she served the table. He was as captivated by her quick, efficient
movements as he was struck by her natural beauty. She was hands down the most gorgeous girl
he had ever seen. He literally could not take his eyes off her. That’s why when she lost her
footing and began to slip backward, he saw a crash coming. Instantly, he sprang out of his seat
and caught her before she hit the ground. Scooping her into his arms, he pulled her close.
It took a minute for Ella to react. Adrenaline, embarrassment, and shock all rolled over her in
one gigantic wave. One minute she was falling backward, and the next she was being swept up in
a stranger’s arms like a ragdoll. Instinctively, she began to struggle to free herself, but the arms
around her tightened.
“Settle. It’s okay. I’ve got you.” The stranger’s voice was smooth and reassuring.
At his words, Ella’s eyes flashed to his face. She had every intention of demanding to be put
down; however, her words died on her tongue when she locked eyes with him. Her entire body

6

short-circuited. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Breathing and reasoning
ceased to function as well. Instead of catapulting herself out of the stranger’s arms like any
normal person would have done, Ella just lay there, staring, lost in his beautiful blue eyes. For
what felt like several seconds but could have only been a nanosecond, Ella tried to force her
brain to reboot. Though words failed her, her arms and legs still worked, and she tried
unsuccessfully to wrench herself free.
Tightening his grip, Ben stilled her movements. “I said settle.” Glancing down at the
nametag on her chest and then back up to her face, he gave her a sexy smile that sent her brain
reeling all over again. “Ella? Right?”
Ella nodded. “Well then, Ella, it’s all good. I’ve got you.” Then, very slowly, Ben lowered
Ella’s leg to the ground. Once he was sure she could stand on her own, he extended his hand in
greeting. “Ben Carrington. Nice to meet you.”
Ella looked at Ben’s outstretched hand, blinked twice, then slowly placed her much smaller
hand in his. “Ella. Ella Santiago.” Her words were back, but her voice was someone else’s. It
was too weak to be hers. First-born girls are not allowed to be weak. They have to be strong and
maintain control at all times—especially older sisters with six younger siblings like Ella. She
was a master at never showing weakness and always maintaining control, though at the moment,
it felt like the only thing Ella had mastered was staring into Ben’s eyes as he continued to hold
her hand long after the shake ended. Becoming aware how awkward the whole situation had
become, Ella abruptly snatched back her hand.
“Please excuse me. I’ll just put this tray away and be back to take your orders,” Ella
mumbled, then spun on her heels, grabbed the empty tray, and disappeared back toward the
kitchen.
Watching Ella walk away, Ben assumed she was the girl his buddies had been talking about
earlier. Though he was ashamed to admit it, he wondered if Brooksie and Jack had been onto
something. If he had seen this girl first, he would have gone all Brooksie on them and called dibs
on her—appropriate or not. Watching Ella disappear into the kitchen, Ben assured himself that if
anyone at this table was going to be with her, it was going to be him.
Ben had never felt such a powerful attraction to a girl before. He did not believe in love at
first sight. To him, that was a silly romantic notion made up to sell sappy movies to teenage girls
and middle-aged women, never mind that he’d heard his mother tell the story of how she had
fallen in love with his father the first time she laid eyes on him. He did, however, believe in lust
at first sight, and at that moment, Ben was knee deep in it. He was under no illusion that he or
any of his buddies would end up with some random girl they met in a diner in Napa forever. But
that was okay. He wasn’t looking for a relationship with anyone, not now or in the foreseeable
future. A little lust though was definitely on the menu. And it looked like they had come to the
right place for it.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Ella poured herself a glass of very cold water and drank it in one
gulp. She had never been so unnerved in her life. Her experience with guys who looked like Ben
was limited. She had spent her teen years studying and working with her uncle Pedro in the
fields. She had such a singular focus on her future that there had been no time for dating. Until
she had gone to college, the only males she had regular contact with were either related to her or
customers who were closer to her grandfather’s age than hers.
Ella was homeschooled through eighth grade. She had tried the school her siblings attended,
but she had been bored. Her mother made the decision to pull her out in first grade. Things might
have been different if she had been able to go to a regular high school as had been the plan. But

7

Covid happened. Although she still switched over to Napa High School in the ninth grade,
thanks to the school being closed due to the pandemic, she spent her two years of high school
studying from home. That was great because it allowed her to graduate high school at sixteen.
She had attended Cal Poly Tech remotely for the past three years.
Ella met lots of young men through her coursework, but none of them were interested in
dating a sixteen-year-old. They were all older and more experienced. A few of the guys in her
classes had befriended her, but none had gone so far as to ask her out. Truthfully, no one she had
ever met had ever sparked her interest the way the guy who saved her from busting it moments
before did with one look. If the guys at school had been anything like him, maybe Ella’s college
experience would not have been so bland and boring.
After downing the water, Ella walked out of the kitchen, pretending to be way more cool,
calm, and collected than she actually was. As she approached the guy’s table, she took a deep
breath and let it out, pasting a fake smile on her face. “Okay, guys, what are we having today?”
Ben looked directly at Ella and flashed her another one of his way-too-sexy grins. Ella had to
remind herself to breathe. Leaning his body over the table in a bid to get closer to her, Ben asked,
“What do you suggest?”
Ella could hear just a smidge of a Southern accent in Ben’s voice. She had become very good
at placing accents because she had been serving tourists from all over the world for years. Her
instinct was to pull back from where Ben was leaning toward her. She forced herself to remain
steady and met his gaze, which was not easy. Just looking at him made her pulse race. She could
literally feel excitement zigzagging through her. For out of whack as she felt inside, she was
proud of how normal her voice sounded when she replied, “If you like spicy food, the special is
good.”
“Is that what you like?” Ben asked. “Do you like it spicy?”
Silence descended over the table as everyone turned and looked at Ben. It was the perfect
opening for one of his buddies to annihilate him. Shockingly, no one ripped an inappropriate
crack regarding Ben’s faux pas. That was significant, given the level of his friends’ ability to
destroy each other. None of them said a word, most likely to keep from embarrassing the cute
waitress who looked like she was about to pass out.
At Ben’s question, Ella’s eyebrows shot up. Before she could respond, Ben rushed to add,
“Sorry. That came out wrong. What I meant to ask was, what do you like best here?”
Ben seemed as flustered and affected by Ella as she was by him. Interesting, she thought.
Then she looked directly at him and replied, “I am a more traditional breakfast girl. Give me
bacon and eggs every time.”
Turning to the group, she added, “I must tell you the best thing on the menu is the cinnamon
rolls. My mom makes them fresh every morning. I highly recommend them. No matter what else
you order, you don’t want to miss those.” Ella was rambling and seemed unable to stop herself,
which was crazy because she never rambled. Not a day in her life. So much for trying to be cool.
Her heart was about to beat out of her chest. Getting a mental hold on herself, Ella gave the table
a small smile and asked, “Who wants to go first?”
It only took a matter of minutes to get everyone’s order. Once the guys started ordering,
Ella’s brain finally switched over to autopilot, and she was able to take it all down without
making a total fool of herself.
All of the guys ordered cinnamon rolls, so Ella promised to bring a plate back for them to
enjoy as they waited for the rest of their food. Over the next twenty minutes, Ella found herself
circling the guys’ table like a hawk. The minute Ben would try to make eye contact though she

8

would look away. It was so weird. She could feel a pull between them. She was almost
convinced that he was feeling it too, but what if she was wrong? Ella worried that she was acting
worse than Lydia, her youngest sister, who was known to spend weeks mooning over a boy who
did not even know she existed. Ella had naively thought she was above such foolishness. Now
she was not so sure. She hoped her brothers and sisters did not notice how silly she was acting. If
they did, she was in for some merciless teasing later.
As the clock edged closer to 11:00, Ella knew she was going to have to hand the guys’ table
off to her sister. Signaling to Sophie she was leaving, Ella quickly collected her things and then
headed toward the exit. As she walked by the guys’ table, she stopped long enough to say, “I
hope you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls. I have to leave now. My little sister Sophie will be taking
care of you.” She was shocked at how normal she sounded when she felt like bubbles were about
to start flowing out of her from the fuzzy feeling inside.
Ben immediately responded, “You’re leaving?” He had a strange look on his face as once
again his eyes bored into hers. “Where are you going?”
Before Ella could answer, Madison blurted out, “Don’t leave us. We need you.”
Not to be outdone, Liam added, “Stay, we promise to give you a really big tip!”
Ella laughed, then shaking her head she said, “Sorry. I got to go. Work calls.”
As Ella turned to leave, Ben reached out and stopped her. “Just curious. Where do you work?
I mean besides here?”
Giving Ben a shy smile, Ella replied softly, “On Saturdays, I help out at the Henley Winery.
Why?”
Giving her a very mischievous smile, Ben replied, “Well, that might be information I might
need.”
Smiling and looking directly at Ben, Ella said, “Well, the Henley is a well-kept Napa secret.
If you are planning to go winery hopping, I am sure you would love it.”
Giving her a thumbs-up, Ben replied, “I am sure we would. Maybe we’ll see you there later.”
Smiling, Ella replied, “Hope so.” While she doubted she would ever see any of them again, a
girl could dream.
As Ella walked away, she heard one of the guys at the table who hadn’t said much ask, “Hey,
did you hear that? We just scored the babe that seated us. Remember I saw her first. She is all
mine.”
Ella was not surprised the guy was fawning over her younger sister. Sophie was only
seventeen, but she looked every bit of twenty-two. What Ella did not know at that moment was
that while Ben’s buddies were jockeying for position to be the dude who snagged a date with the
bombshell hostess Sophie, Ben was singularly focused on Ella. One thing was for sure, he knew
he would be eating at The Depot again sooner rather than later. And if he could talk his buddies
into it, they’d be dropping by the Henley Winery very soon as well.

9
Chapter 2
Later That Day
The Henley Winery
Napa, California

It had been a long day at the Henley Winery. Ella loved working there when she got to spend her
time outside in the fields or giving tours of the vineyards. She was not a fan of being cooped up
all day inside the gift shop, selling tasting tickets and T-shirts like she had been doing for the
past five hours. On Fridays and Saturdays, she was scheduled inside to help with the increased
crowds rather than outside giving tours. Although Ella did not like the work, she did like the
money she made from it.
Plus, Parker Henley needed the help. He had let Ella accompany her uncle Pedro on his
rounds through the vineyard. She had started tagging along with him when she was eight. Parker
also let her do her college research projects in his fields as well. She owed him. So here she was,
standing in one place all day, bored beyond belief with her feet aching like nobody’s business.
Much as Ella hated to admit it, she had spent way too much time watching the front door in
hopes that Ben and his friends would stop by. Every time she heard the door open, she’d look
over in wide-eyed anticipation. It had been the only thing that had made the day bearable. They
were closing soon. Her hope of Ben showing up was dying a slow, painful death inside her heart.
Checking her phone, Ella saw she had about ten minutes left before the last tasting session. Once
that happened, they’d lock the doors, and she would be free to go.
Luckily Ella had to go back to the diner for the closing shift. Yay me, she thought
sarcastically. She did not usually work both opening and closing, but she had promised Sophie
she would cover because Paulo was in town. He and Sophie had been apart for weeks with him
away at basic training. No way could she say no to her little sis. So here she was, counting down
the minutes until she had to go to her third shift of the day. That was her life. Work. School.
Work. School. Work. School. Rinse and repeat.
Preparing to leave, Ella was bent over gathering up her backpack and jacket from under the
counter when she heard the front door open and a loud group enter. Straightening up, she saw
Ben and his crew ambling in. She had never been more happy to be working the gift shop as she
was in that moment.
Almost instantly, Ben’s clear blue eyes found Ella’s. She gave him a huge smile and was
barely able to stop herself from dancing around in a circle yelling, “Yea! You came! You came!
You really, really came!”
Instead, she said nothing but stood staring at him smiling. What was it about this guy that
caused her brain to shut down?
Walking straight over to Ella, Ben leaned on the antique wooden counter she had been
standing behind all day. Giving her his sexiest grin, he simply said, “Hey.”
Hey. That was it. Yet it almost stopped Ella’s heart. Ben did not need to say anything else.
His swagger and flashing blue eyes said more than a Shakespeare monologue. Barely able to stop
herself from groaning, she gave him a goofy smile. Straight laced, no nonsense Ella was giddy at
the sight of him. Her siblings could never know about this. She would never live it down.
Neither spoke for a moment. They just looked at each other like kids in junior high, smiling
at each other, not knowing exactly what to say or do next.
That was when one of Ben’s friends recognized her. The minute he did, he pointed to Ella
and in a very loud voice said, “Guys, look who it is: our runaway waitress.”

10

At that moment, all of them looked over to where Ella was standing. Turning toward Ben, the
five gave him knowing looks that promised him hours of significant teasing. He’d had his one
pass earlier today with his spicy comment. This time, they would eviscerate him. Later. Not now.
In this moment, they smiled smiles that promised hours of future torture only those who know
you best can extol.
One of the guys yelled, “Hey, can you give me your sister’s number? I know she would want
me to have it.”
Turning to his friends with a very irritated look, Ben screeched, “Scat. All of you!”
Ella laughed and said, “You just told them to scat like they are cats.”
“Well, sometimes when I am with them, I feel like I am herding cats, so scat is the perfect
word.”
Ella noticed the guys immediately scattered. Ben was obviously the leader of the group. His
friends were quietly talking amongst themselves while they picked through some of the shirts
and hats the winery offered.
Once Ben and Ella were alone, she forced herself to act as normal as possible for someone
whose heart was literally about to jump out and beat on the outside of her body. “Are you guys
here for a tasting? Our last group is set to go off in five minutes if you would like to join it.” Ella
was pleased with herself. Her voice was calm and gave nothing away. She had no idea the gleam
in her eyes had already betrayed her raging interest in Ben. The pull between them was magnetic.
Ben liked that she was feeling it too. “Yes, we need a tasting for five. I am the designated
driver, so I am not drinking,” he answered, still smiling like he was auditioning for a toothpaste
commercial.
Nodding like a smiling robot, Ella quickly rang up the sale on the computer. “We charge five
dollars for you to join your friends. That covers the cheese and chocolate we offer along with
water. Is that okay with you?” She was doing her darndest to appear cool and unaffected. Inside,
rockets were exploding in her brain.
Handing Ella his credit card, Ben said, “That sounds perfect. Why don’t you join us?
Working here I bet you know everything there is to know about the wine. I’d love for you to
teach us all you know.”
Did he just say, I’d love, not we’d love? He did, didn’t he? Ella almost crackled at the
realization. The euphoria she had felt at realizing Ben wanted to spend time with her was doused
by the reality that she could not join him. Once again, her age was going to be her downfall. She
had been battling it her whole life.
At three, Ella was reading and adding and subtracting. She begged her mother to let her go to
school with her cousin Julia who was in the second grade. Of course, Ella’s mother said no.
When Ella was ten, she pleaded with her mother to teach her to drive so she could drive herself
to the vineyards and not have to depend on rides. Of course Ella’s mother said no. Even then,
Ella had been waiting on customers and running the cash register at The Depot for the breakfast
and lunch shifts between doing her schoolwork. Right now, she would sell a kidney to be “of age
to drink.” That was a joke because she had been drinking wine since she was a kid. Okay, maybe
not drinking, but taking sips, testing the texture and flavor of the grapes and learning the nuances
of them and how they grew and fermented into various wines. Sighing, Ella thought it was the
same old song, different verse. No matter how old she was, she never seemed to be old enough to
do all the things she longed to do. And what she longed to do was join Ben and his friends. But
that was not to be. This time it would be her saying no, not her mother.

11

Shaking her head, Ella replied dejectedly, “Thank you for asking, but I can’t. I am not
twenty-one. But the wine is excellent. You will enjoy it.”
Ben gave Ella a puzzled look. “Okay. I know it is not polite to ask a lady her age, but how
old are you? Earlier today, you said you were Sophie’s older sister, yet you are not twenty-one.
She looked every bit of twenty-two. How old are y’all?”
Ella’s heart sank. Here it was: the end of her Ben fantasy. Once he realized how young she
was, he would lose interest. Sighing she said, “I am nineteen. I will be twenty in December.
Sophie is seventeen.”
Whistling, Ben chuckled. “Seventeen, huh? I know two dudes who are about to be very
disappointed. They are half a step off of asking your sister to start picking out wedding China.”
Ben’s joke brought light back into Ella’s eyes, and laughing she replied, “Well, I can see why
you all thought Sophie was older. She got all the height and curves. It is the bane of my existence
that I am built just like my tiny Hispanic grandmother. She was five feet tall but scary when
crossed. Sophie’s lucky. She took after our mom’s dad, who is over six feet tall. But it does not
matter how old she is because she has a long-time boyfriend and is very much off the market.”
Oh my word. Ella was rambling. Shut up! Shut up! She silently screamed to herself. He already
knows you are just a kid. Don’t make it worse.
Ben did not seem at all bothered by Ella’s long-winded response. In fact, quite the opposite,
he seemed rather amused by it. “I will be sure to pass that information along.” Then giving her a
look that made her want to squirm, he lowered his voice and asked seductively, “How about
you?”
“What about me?” asked Ella, confused. What was he talking about? Her brain was doing
that short-circuiting thing again.
“Are you off the market?” Then leaning in until he was almost touching her, Ben whispered,
“Are you available?”
Available? Available for what? wondered Ella, looking into Ben’s beautiful twinkling eyes.
Somehow, although Ella was not aware of it, she must have spoken her thoughts aloud
because Ben responded by purring, “Available to spend some time together?”
Mortified that she had spoken her thoughts aloud, Ella wanted to crawl under the counter and
hide until the guys all left. Because that was not an option, she forced herself to carefully
consider how to respond. When she did so, it was in the form of a question of her own. “Do you
mean like a date?”
Nodding, Ben murmured in her ear, “Yea, sure. Like a date.”
Thank goodness, at that moment, the wine-tasting guide appeared and asked that all guests
for the last wine tasting follow him because Ella was two seconds from grabbing Ben and
claiming her first kiss ever. The warm feathery feel of his breath on her ear had almost been her
undoing. Swallowing hard, Ella stared at Ben in shock. She had no idea how she was supposed to
respond or react to any of this.
Pulling back at the guide’s announcement, Ben gave Ella a final smile. Disappointed that she
would not be joining them, he tried to think of a way to prolong his time with her. “Will you be
here when we are done?”
Ella shook her head. “No, I will be leaving as soon as you guys go back. I have to help cover
the evening shift at the diner.”
Ben gave her a quizzical look. “More work? You must be exhausted. What time will you get
off?”

12

“Well, actually, I have to close tonight. Sophie has plans, so I promised I would close for her.
It is no big deal. I am used to it.”
Shaking his head in disbelief, Ben replied, “Wow. I am starting to think you are a
workaholic.” This beautiful tiny creature continued to impress and amaze him. She was too
young to drink but not to work three shifts in one day. Something about that did not seem right.
Not knowing what else to say and seeing that everyone else in his tasting group had already left,
Ben shrugged and asked, “Would it be okay if I come by the diner later tonight?”
Nodding, Ella smiled shyly. “Sure, I would love that. We are open until eight.”
Giving Ella a mock military salute, Ben pushed away from the counter. “Great! It’s a date.
See you later.” Giving her a wink, he disappeared through the door to the tasting room.

***
Later that Evening
Napa, California

The tasting at the Henley had been fantastic. The only thing that would have made it better
would have been if Ella could have joined them. Ben could not get over the fact she was only
nineteen. She carried herself with the grace of a woman much older. As much as he hated to
admit even to himself, she had dominated far too many of his thoughts all day. It was as
unnerving as it was exciting.
After they left the winery, Brooksie demanded they all go out to eat at some fancy restaurant
he’d been raving about for days. Ben had known going to dinner was seriously going to jack with
any chance he would have of seeing Ella before the diner closed. But he had felt obligated to go.
Evidently getting reservations at La Tosque was nearly impossible. Brooksie had called in a
favor to make it happen. So Ben joined his friends at the swanky restaurant but had not enjoyed a
single minute of the dinner. It wasn’t that the food and service weren’t impeccable. They were. If
Ben had been there any other time, he would have seriously loved it. Tonight, however, all he
could do was watch the clock and see his chances of spending more time with Ella fading. It was
almost 8:00. He knew he had only about ten minutes to get his butt across town before he would
miss his window to see her.
All through dinner, thoughts of Ella danced through Ben’s mind—her long black hair,
flawless brown skin, brilliant sparkling dark eyes, and absolutely perfect body. Enough, he
thought. I’m out of here. Dropping a couple of hundred dollar bills on the table, Ben stood and
announced, “Gents, this has been great fun, but I’m taking off.”
Madison had noticed Ben’s lack of interest in any of the little honeys who had joined them
for dinner. And what sweet bites of honey they were. The guys had met the group of four girls
the night before at the Karma Lounge. Upon meeting them, Ben has been flirty and fun, giving
all four of the girls plenty of attention. Tonight, they did not even register on his radar. Unable to
resist giving his friend a little ribbing, Madison called out, “Your need to ditch us wouldn’t have
anything to do with a certain black-haired pixie, would it?”
Ben shrugged and smirked as he flipped his buddy off. The guys all erupted in laughter.
Never one to miss a great opportunity, Liam hooted, “Hot darn! The monk has been bitten by
the love bug!”
Not to be outdone, Jack quipped, “More like the lust bug!” Everyone laughed, and he added,
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
“Impossible,” retorted Ben. “There’s nothing you wouldn’t do.”

13

Barking with laughter, Jack gave Ben a thumbs-up and said, “Can’t argue with the truth,
brother.” Standing, he extended his hand. He and Ben shook hands and half hugged. “See ya
later, dude.”
Davy also stood and shook Ben’s hand. “We are all going back to the house after this.”
At that, Brooksie yelled, “Yeah! Bring her over so she can meet some real men.”
Again, laughter rippled across the table. Flipping his friends off a second time, Ben said,
“We’ll see. Wouldn’t want any of you Neanderthals to scare her off.” Giving them all a mock
salute, he turned and hurried out of the restaurant.
Twenty minutes later, Ben found himself peeking through the door of The Depot, trying to
see around the CLOSED sign. He tried the door handle, but it was locked. The lights were still
on, and he could plainly see Ella with her back to him at the counter. Ben knocked on the glass to
get her attention.
Ella was so tired she could barely hold up her head, and she tuned out the knocking. It was
common for tourists to try and get them to open after closing. Usually, if she ignored them, they
went away. Ella gave a deep sigh. She was disappointed that Ben had not come by after he had
said he would. For the past few hours, she had watched the front door like a hawk, smiling
brightly every time the bell over the door rang only to be let down. She scolded herself for being
disappointed by Ben’s no-show status and for wasting so much mental energy all day watching
doors.
Ella wondered why Ben had changed his mind about their “date.” She supposed it was
because of her age. He probably preferred girls who were old enough and experienced enough to
feel at home in bars and fancy restaurants. She could not blame him. Even if she had been old
enough, she freely admitted she would have had no idea what to do in those places. The truth
was, even if he had shown up, she was not sure she would have had the courage to go or do
anything with him. That admission frustrated and irritated her. Just thinking about it freaked her
out. For heaven sakes, her little brother and sister were both in long-term relationships. The least
she could do was figure out how to go on a date. But of course to do that, she would need the guy
to actually show up.
Ella had just started refilling the salt shakers when the knocking grew louder. Wow, she
thought irritatedly. It plainly says CLOSED on the door. Go away, people! When she turned
around, ready to yell, “We’re closed,” Ella realized it was not just some tourist knocking. It was
her favorite tourist. She saw Ben peek in through the glass door and wave.
It was stupid, but Ella’s heart gave a little leap. Walking over to the door, Ella quickly turned
the lock, and Ben rushed in.
Running his hand up the back of his neck, Ben gave her a sheepish smile. “I am sorry to be
so late. I got caught up at dinner with my buddies. It ran later than I expected. Would you like to
go to a party with me? My buddies and I are having a little get-together at the place we are
staying. Any chance you would join us?”
Before Ella could process what Ben had asked, her brother Jorge, who was 6'2" and 230
pounds, came lumbering out of the kitchen. Looking at Ella, he frowned. “Everything okay out
here?” Before Ella could answer, Jorge turned to Ben and said, “Sorry, dude. We are closed. You
will have to come back tomorrow.” Jorge moved toward the door, opened it, and waited for Ben
to leave.
Looking from Jorge to Ella, Ben put his hands in the air as if to surrender. He was a muscular
guy, but he was no match for Ella’s brother. Add to that, he was not looking for a fight. With his
hands still in the air, he said, “Look, dude. I came to see Ella. I hope that is not a problem.”

14

Ella jumped in before Jorge could respond. “It is fine. I got this. Ben is a friend of mine. We
are going to talk for a minute. I will lock up when he leaves.”
Jorge gave his sister a hard look. But at the end of the day, Ella was still the big sister. If she
said she had it, he had to believe her. After a few seconds, he nodded and closed the door.
Heading back to the kitchen, he called over his shoulder, “I am right here if you need me.”
Once Jorge was gone, Ella gave Ben a shy smile. “Sorry about that. Brothers are very
protective of their sisters. Even older ones.”
“He is your younger brother? How is that possible?” Ben asked incredulously. “The dude is
massive. For a moment there, I was worried he was going to literally throw me out the front
door.”
“He and Sophie are twins. He, like Sophie, got his height from our white grandfather, the one
I told you was so tall.”
“Oh, yeah, I remember that. Twins huh? Do they run in your family?” Ben was fumbling
around, trying to keep the conversation going. There were so many things he wanted to ask her,
but the fact that he was standing around asking about twins showed how much she affected him.
He was so off his game.
“Yes, my mom had two sets of twins. Jorge and Sophie and Eli and Lydia. They are
fourteen.”
“You have four younger brothers and sisters?” Ben’s tone showed he was shocked. He had
two little sisters who had shown up when he was in high school. He had only had to deal with
them for a couple of years. He loved them, but they were a lot of work.
“Actually,” replied Ella, “I have six younger brothers and sisters. Josie is fifteen, and Ollie is
eleven.”
“Six? You have six brothers and sisters? That is craziness. I bet family dinners are a
madhouse.”
Laughing, Ella said, “You have no idea.”
Looking around the diner and still scrambling for something to talk about, Ben asked, “Does
all your family work here? Or just the older three of you?”
“This is a true family diner. We all pitch in and help in some way—even Ollie, though he has
just started helping on a regular basis.”
“That is so cool,” replied Ben. At that moment, a lull in the conversation felt like a giant hole
between them.
After a beat, Ella cleared her throat. “I am enjoying talking to you, but is there something you
wanted? I really need to finish prepping for tomorrow.”
Snapping out of whatever trance Ben seemed to have fallen into that sapped his ability to flirt
with this gorgeous girl, Ben pulled it together. “Like I said earlier, I came by to invite you to the
house to hang out. We’ll have some music and wine. It should be fun.”
Shaking her head, Ella said, “I am not sure. I am not much of a party girl, and I have a lot of
prep for tomorrow that I need to do here.”
Thinking the only reason she had declined was she had so much work to do, Ben quickly
added, “How about I help? Together we can knock this out in no time.”
Ben looked so gorgeous Ella could not believe what he was offering. As much as she knew
she should say no, she just couldn’t. She wanted every second she could get with him, even if it
was just standing side by side filling salt shakers. Nodding her head, she softly said, “Okay.”
“Great! What do you want me to do?” Looking around and seeing the salt-and-pepper
shakers in front of her, Ben asked, “Want me to take that over while you do something else?”

15

Ella considered Ben’s offer for a second and said, “Okay, you do the salt-and-pepper shakers.
Then, move on to all of the condiment bottles. Under the counter, you will find large boxes of
each. You just take off the top and turn the spout. They all need to be completely full. I will start
wiping down tables.”
After Ben finished refilling the multitude of glass containers and condiment bottles, he asked,
“Now what?”
“Could you put one of each on every table? All I have left is to unload the last load of clean
dishes, and I will be done.”
Ben and Ella finished the last of their tasks just as Jorge came out of the back. “Everything is
done in the kitchen. What do you need me to do up here?” he asked. He was shocked to see that
Ben was still there.
Ella responded, “Nothing.” Giving Ben a smile, she said, “Thanks to Ben, we are all done.”
Jorge gave Ben a look but said nothing. If he was surprised that the guy had been helping, he
did not show it. Rather, he smiled and seemed relieved they were done a little earlier than usual.
“Good. Let’s get out of here. I have a date.”
It took them only a few minutes to gather up their things, turn off the lights, and exit the
building. After locking the door, Jorge looked from his sister to Ben and asked, “You about to
head home?”
Ben was trying to think of something to say to persuade Ella to come back to his house with
him when she shocked him.
In response to Jorge’s question, she said, “No. Ben has invited me to a party. I think I will go
for a little while. See you later at home.”
Giving Ella one of his mega-watt smiles that showed how happy her decision to come back
to the house with him made him, Ben reached over and took Ella’s hand in his.
Ella only jumped slightly at Ben’s touch. Knowing her brother was watching them intently,
she tried to school her reaction. She did not need to give Jorge any more reasons to dislike Ben
or to try and keep her from going with him.
Looking down at where Ben and Ella’s hands were joined and then back up at their faces,
Jorge sighed deeply. Giving his sister a hard look, he said, “Okay. Call me if you need me.” He
followed up his words by giving Ben a death stare, then walking away.
Ella and Ben watched Jorge disappear around the corner. Letting out a long, low breath, Ben
said, “Wow, he is one scary dude. I bet all your dates are terrified of him.”
Ella laughed, “The fact that I am going to a party with you probably threw him a bit.”
Holding Ella’s hand tightly as they walked, Ben said, “So tell me all about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?” asked Ella. Despite her Mensa IQ, she always felt ill-equipped
for small talk.
“Everything,” replied Ben. “What you like. What you don’t like. What you want to be when
you grow up. What it is like to grow up in Napa. What it is like to have six younger siblings. All
of it. Absolutely everything you are willing to tell me. I want to know it all.”
“That is a lot. How about we trade off? I will tell you something about me, then you tell me
something about you.” Ella figured that way she would not have to do all the talking. Her cousin
Julia had once told her that guys preferred talking about themselves to actually listening. She was
about to find out if that was the truth.
“That sounds fair,” said Ben, lifting Ella’s hand to his lips. Turning her wrist over carefully,
he placed a soft kiss on the inside of it.

16

Ella was so startled by the gesture, she almost jerked her hand away, but Ben held it firmly.
Tingles rippled through her body. She was almost positive that if she opened her mouth, the tiny
effervescent bubbles that she felt flowing up and down her spine whenever Ben was near would
surely come floating out.
They walked the short distance from the diner to the guys’ rental house. Ella could hear
music coming from inside. Keeping a tight grip on her hand, Ben said, “Stay close to me. I don’t
want you getting lost or one of my crazy friends trying to swoop in and take your attention.
Tonight, you are all mine.”
On some level, Ella knew she should probably resent Ben’s possessiveness toward her, but
all she felt was excitement that he wanted her attention as much as she wanted his. She almost
laughed at his assumption that anyone else could even stand a chance at getting her attention
when he was anywhere near.
As the pair walked into the foyer of the house, then through the great room to the kitchen,
Ben spoke to his buddies as they passed. Ella recognized all five of the guys she had seen earlier
in the day. She saw that two of them were snuggled up on the couch with gorgeous girls. Two
others appeared to be totally absorbed in an intense video game battle. The other guy from this
morning along with several people Ella had never seen before were dancing in the living room.
The music was too loud for Ella.
Ben kept a tight grip on Ella’s hand as he guided her through to the kitchen. There, he
dropped her hand long enough to grab a bottle of wine, two glasses, and some cheese. Handing it
to her, he motioned for her to head out the kitchen door to the patio. He grabbed a blanket from a
recliner as they went out.
Once outside, Ella saw the backyard was beautifully landscaped, complete with a pool and
hot tub. Both were currently empty, but she had no doubt they would be full before the night was
over. Ella was impressed with the size of the backyard, which was huge for Napa. Land came at
a premium here.
Ben guided Ella across the yard to a small gazebo at the back of the property. Once inside,
Ben spread out the blanket and gestured for Ella to sit.
“The house was nice, but this backyard is unbelievable,” said Ella. “I have never seen one so
large in Napa before.”
Nodding Ben replied, “Yeah, inside there is a brochure about the property. I guess another
house was back here, but the current owners bought it and tore it down to have this massive
outdoor space. Brooksie’s parents know the owners and use this house a lot. I hope you don’t
mind that I brought you out here. I wanted the chance to talk to you privately without all that
noise. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” replied Ella quietly. “I am not going to lie. That was a lot back there. I am not a party
girl. In fact, this is the first party I have ever been to. The loud music and all the people were a
bit much for me. How does anyone talk above all the blaring music?”
Ben laughed. “I get it. My buddies eat it up. I can hang with them for a little while, but it gets
old. That is why I am always the designated driver. I am not a big drinker. Too much of a good
thing is too much for me whether that is food, alcohol, or partying.”
“From the looks of it, that is not the case for your friends.”
“Yep, you are right. They can go hard all night. But enough about them. Let’s open this
bottle of wine and get to know each other better.”
Ben had a moment in the house when he hesitated offering her alcohol. She was technically
underage. But everyone he knew had been drinking since sixteen. Plus, she lived in Napa and

17

worked at a winery. Surely a glass or two would be no big deal for her. He hoped not anyway. In
the end, he had gone with his gut and grabbed the best bottle of wine they had, which happened
to be one of the bottles he had bought that day at Henley Winery. She worked there, so surely
she liked their wines. Ben held up the bottle for Ella to see, then set about opening it.
“A Henley red wine from 2013. I’m impressed. You paid a pretty penny for that one. Are you
sure you want to waste it on me?” Ella asked, eyeing the bottle.
“I realize I have only known you for like ten hours, but I don’t think anything of value would
ever be wasted on you. I tried it today and liked it. Since you were the one who suggested we go
there, I thought you might like their wine. You do drink wine, right? I am not corrupting you, am
I?”
Ella laughed. “Of course you aren’t corrupting me. This is Napa. They all but put wine in our
baby bottles. Not really, but we are taught to appreciate wine here at an early age and not to
drink to excess. Wine here is an art. I remember sampling wines with my uncle Pedro about the
same time I learned to ride a bike. He only gave me small sips, but he wanted me to develop a
distinguished palate.”
“Learning to drink wine while learning to ride a bike,” said Ben as he opened the bottle of
wine. “So much for me thinking I was cool drinking my first beer at sixteen. Of course it was
with my dad, and I only managed about two sips, but I thought I was grown up. If I had known
kids in wine country had our time beat by a country mile, I wouldn’t have been so proud.”
“Y’all? Country mile? You say the strangest things.” Ella said, smiling.
“I guess that is my Southern upbringing coming out in me.” Ben laughed as he handed Ella a
glass of wine. He clicked his glass against hers and said, “Cheers to the most beautiful girl I have
ever had the pleasure of catching!”
Ella blushed as a giggle escaped before she could stop it. After swirling the wine around the
glass for a moment, Ella took a deep sniff and inhaled its essence. Notes of blackberry, pepper,
and cherry flooded her nostrils. “This smells divine.” Then she took a long sip. Swallowing, she
said, “Wow. That tastes as good as it smells. Good choice.”
“Thank you,” replied Ben. “I’m pleased. Would you like some cheese?”
Shaking her head, Ella said, “No, thank you. I am full from dinner.”
Settling back on his elbows, Ben looked at Ella. “Well, I have to tell you. I have been looking
forward to this moment all day.”
“You have?” Ella asked, shocked and deeply thrilled. It made all the times she had anxiously
checked the door of the diner worth it.
“From the moment you fell into my arms and then disappeared earlier today, I have thought
of nothing else. Why do you think I dragged my buddies to your winery?”
“I don’t know? You wanted to taste some really good wine?” Ella said this questioningly.
“Yea, but Napa is full of great wineries. Only one had you. All day, I have done nothing but
finagle a way to spend more time with you.” After taking a sip of his wine, Ben sighed. “Now,
tell me something about yourself that no one else knows.”
“Hmm?” Ella hesitated. “I messed up so many dinner orders watching for you to come
through the door tonight, my dad almost sent me home.” Embarrassed by her own honesty, she
used her wine glass to cover her eyes.
“Sweet,” replied Ben as he sat his and Ella’s wine glasses off to the side. Then he leaned over
and grazed his lips with hers. “Now that we have established our mutual attraction, let’s spend
some time getting to know each other. I will go first. I am from Arkansas. I graduate in May with
my master’s in political science. I plan to go home after graduation and start law school. I had an

18

interesting childhood to say the least, but I am lucky. I have great parents and two little sisters,
Lizzy and Lola. They are seven and eight. My dad is a lawyer, and my mom is an artist.”
“Seven and eight? Wow, they are a lot younger than you.”
“Yes, and before you ask, there is a long story behind that, but I would rather not get into it.
Now it’s your turn.”
“Okay, well let’s see. I am about to graduate from Cal Poly Tech with a degree in geology,
with a concentration in hydrology. I have been accepted into the University of Michigan School
for Environment and Sustainability master’s of science program. I am set to begin in the fall.”
Ella said all of this matter of factly, as if graduating college at nineteen in hydrology was no big
deal.
Ben’s eyebrows shot up and his head jerked back at her words as if he had been shocked. If
Ella had told him she was an alien from a faraway planet, he would not have been more
surprised. For a moment, he looked at her, trying to figure out if she was yanking his chain. Of
all the things he thought she might share about her life, the fact that she was about to finish
college at nineteen was not one of them. Deciding that she was being straight with him, he
shrugged. “Wow! I never saw that coming. A geology major with a concentration in? What was
that again?”
“Hydrology,” said Ella.
“Hydrology,” replied Ben. “Holy crap. You must be some kind of genius. How old were you
when you graduated from high school?”
“Sixteen,” answered Ella. “It was during Covid. Everything was online. I was able to
graduate early.” Ella did not expound on her educational background or giftedness. Time and
experience had taught her it came off as bragging. It was a subject that the less she said about it,
the better.
“Holy crap,” Ben said again. He was not used to being intimidated by other people’s
intelligence. He was one smart cookie himself, but this girl was off-the-charts brilliant. He
should not have been surprised because he had seen the intelligence and humor in her eyes
earlier, but he was blown away. He realized he had underestimated her. Blinded by her looks, he
had almost missed her most attractive quality, her brain. He wondered how many other men had
made the same mistake. Taking a deep breath, he gave her a look that reflected how impressed
he was by her and asked, “So Ella-with-the-huge-brain, what are you going to do with all that
education once you finish your master’s program? What was it in again?”
Without missing a beat, Ella replied, “Environment and sustainability. And I am going to
come back here and work for one of the certified gold-level wineries, which are using cutting-
edge technology to improve the quality and quantity of the grapes grown here in Napa Valley
while being kinder to the environment.” The way Ella spouted out her response, Ben knew it was
not the first time she had told someone her life plan.
“Impressive,” replied Ben as he reached over and tucked a strand of Ella’s long dark hair that
had escaped out of her low ponytail behind her ear. “And very ambitious for one so tiny. I am
starting to think the biggest thing about you is your brain.”
Ella did not have any idea what to say to that, so she said nothing.
Ben ran his hand casually up Ella’s back as he asked, “Do you live on campus at Cal Poly
Tech? Are you just home for the weekend?”
Shaking her head, Ella replied, “No. Actually, I have done all of my coursework that I could
online. I go to San Luis Obispo two weekends a month for classes and labs.”

19

“Holy crap, you did college mostly online too?” Ben had heard of people taking a few online
classes, but most of the time the grades were awful. Most college kids did not have the self-
discipline to get the work done on time and correctly. He was even more impressed with her.
And he did not think that was possible.
“I had to,” Ella replied. “My folks needed help with the diner. We are a family business. Like
I said earlier, we all pitch in. That is the only way small-town, locally owned businesses make it
here. And you know, you say ‘holy crap’ a lot.”
“Holy crap, I do?” asked Ben. Both of them laughed at his response. “I am sorry if it bothers
you. I will not do it again.”
“No, it is fine. I just have never been around anyone who used profanity. Of course I have
never been to a party before with a guy, so tonight is a night of firsts.”
Ben almost said holy crap again but caught himself. “This really is your first party. You
mentioned earlier that you rarely date. Is there a reason you don’t do those things?”
“Well, my folks are really strict. The girls in our family can’t date until they are sixteen.
Covid hit a few months after my sixteenth birthday. Like I said, I was so focused on school that
boys and dating took a major backseat. And honestly, I have never met anyone I was all that
interested in dating before now.”
At her words, Ben’s eyes lit up. “And now you have? Am I to hope you might be interested
in dating me? I am more than interested in getting to know the beautiful, big-brained Ella some
more.”
Ella scrunched up her nose and said, “Please don’t call me that. It feels like you are making
fun of me.”
“Which one? Beautiful or big brain?”
“Both,” Ella replied so quietly that Ben almost did not hear her. Grimacing, she looked as if
she were about to cry.
Ben had meant it as a joke, but seeing Ella’s face fall, he regretted his words. Sitting up
quickly, he took her face in his hands and said, “Oh, I am so sorry. I am so spectacularly
impressed with you. You are the smartest person I have ever met. And as far as being beautiful,
you have to know you are. Absolutely, holy crap, beautiful. Oops! Sorry! I won’t do that again.”
At that, both of them laughed just before Ben closed the distance between them and kissed
her. Ben wanted to take the kiss deeper but restrained himself. He did not want to scare her. He
wanted to spend many more hours over the next few days kissing her so he figured it would be
best to pace himself.
After a few more minutes of soft kissing, Ella could not stop herself from yawning loudly.
Again, they both laughed. Realizing that she must be exhausted after having worked literally all
day, Ben stood and reached to help her up. Telling her to leave the blanket and glasses, he stole
one more quick kiss before guiding her back toward the house.
As they came around the side of the yard, Ella saw her earlier prediction that the pool and hot
tub would soon be full had been correct. Several of Ben’s buddies and the girls they had invited
back to the house were in various states of undress as the party had moved outside. Ella was
shocked that she had not heard them because they were very loud. She had been so caught up in
kissing Ben, everything else faded into the background.
Waving as they sailed past, Ben called out a goodnight. He guided Ella through the house
and out the front door before anyone could waylay them.
The Depot and Ella’s family home were side by side. It only took a few minutes for Ben to
walk her to her front door. Just as before, he held her hand as they walked. Instead of going up

20

the front walk, Ella said it would be better if she went in the back way, so as not to disturb
anyone already asleep.
Unable to resist, Ben put his arms around Ella’s waist and pulled her in close. Dropping soft
kisses on her face and lips, he whispered, “Say you will spend the day with me tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” parroted Ella. When she was kissing Ben, thinking was too much. It took her a
moment to process what he was asking. She had not even allowed herself to think past this
moment. But instantly she knew she wanted to spend every minute with Ben that she could.
School, work, everything else could wait. “Well,” she replied. “As luck would have it, I am off
most of the day tomorrow. Of course, I have to help with the morning breakfast rush, but that
will be over by ten. Could we meet up then?”
Giving her a sexy smile, Ben replied, “Ten it is. Is it okay if I come early and eat breakfast
there?”
“Of course,” replied Ella. “Just make sure whoever seats you puts you in my section.”
“I will,” promised Ben. Then as if unable to contain himself, Ben kissed her as passionately
as he had been dying to do all night. He felt her stiffen as his tongue broke through the seam of
lips and touched hers for the first time. But she did not pull back. After a moment, Ella relaxed
into him and allowed her tongue to join the sensual dance. They continued for several minutes
until a light went on inside Ella’s house. It startled Ella, and she jerked herself back.
Running the back of her hand over her lips, Ella said softly, “I need to go. I have an early day
tomorrow. Thank you for tonight. I had a wonderful time.”
Nodding, Ben said, “Yea, me too. Sleep well. See you tomorrow.”
Ella nodded, then turned and quietly entered the back door of her house.
Looking down at his watch, Ben saw that it was just a little after 11:00. He had almost ten
hours to kill before he could see her again. Heading back to the rental house, he knew he would
spend almost all of it thinking about her.

21
Chapter 3
The Depot Café
Napa, California

Once Ben dropped Ella off at her house, he went back to the guys’ rental and played Ping-Pong
for a couple of hours with Davy. The others wasted away the night in the pool. It was the last
night of Davy’s bachelor party. The next morning, Davy’s fiancée, Mia; her parents; and the rest
of the bridal party would be arriving for their wedding, which would be on Sunday afternoon at a
winery just outside of town.
Ben and the other groomsmen had come to Napa on Wednesday for his bachelor party. After
three full days of drinking and celebrating, Ben was ready to move onto the wedding portion of
the program. Luckily for him, there was not much for him to do on the day before the wedding.
Davy had to meet with Mia and her mom, but Ben and the other groomsmen were on their own
until Saturday night’s rehearsal dinner. Ben planned to spend as much of that time with Ella as
possible.
Because Davy did not have to be anywhere until the early afternoon, he decided to join Ben
for breakfast. They arrived at the café a few minutes past 8:00, leaving their hung-over buddies
to sleep off another night of too much wine, women, and song.
Ben asked to be seated in Ella’s section. Once seated, he spotted her immediately. Seeing
him, she offered him a sweet smile as she fluttered around the café, refilling coffee cups and
taking orders.
As quickly as Ella could, she made her way to their table. “Hey,” she said, giving Ben a shy
smile. Looking at him, all she could think about was the kisses they had shared the night before.
A subtle blush tinted her cheeks at the memory. She felt embarrassed and excited at the same
time. She could feel those effervescent bubbles fizzing through her veins. Ella tried to act
normal, or at least as normal as she could with Ben so close. “Can I get you started with some
coffee?” she asked.
“Coffee sounds great,” replied Davy.
Ben also nodded yes as he looked Ella up and down, then reached out and softly caressed her
hand. “You look lovely this morning.”
Ben’s touch sent a tingle ricocheting through Ella’s entire body. It was all she could do to
hold on to the coffeepot with her other hand. “Thanks,” she replied. Trying to regain her
composure, she asked, “Do you know what you want today?”
“I would love to have what I had yesterday minus the Bloody Mary. I am good with just
coffee today. Let me see what that was,” Davy said, looking at the menu.
“Me too,” replied Ben as he too began to scan the plastic menu in front of him.
Before Ben and Davy could find what they had ordered the previous day, Ella recited what
each had ordered the day before as if they were everyday regulars.
Davy’s eyebrows shot up, clearly surprised and impressed. “Wow! That was incredible. How
in the world did you remember that?”
Smiling, Ben said, “Ella here is a genius. I think she may be the smartest person I have ever
met.”
“No doubt,” replied Davy. “You are very impressive, Ella.”
“Remembering that you each got the special yesterday is really not that hard.” Ella was
slightly embarrassed and pleased at the same time. “I will put this in and check back with you in
a little while.” Giving Ben a smile, she walked back to the kitchen.

22

After Ella left the table, Ben said, “See what I mean? That girl is something else—smart and
beautiful. Did I tell you she graduated from high school at sixteen and will finish college in
December at nineteen?”
“Yes,” replied Davy with a laugh. “You did, like four times. You are so into her. Are you
going to invite her to dinner tonight or to the wedding tomorrow?”
Ben shrugged. “I have thought about it. Would you mind? I know you have just met her. I
would not want to impose.”
“Are you kidding me? Those dopes back at the house are going to bring several women I
have never met. I guess that’s what a plus one on the invite means. You get to invite someone
neither Mia nor I have met. At least with Ella it will be someone I know who is awesome. There
is no telling what kind of girls Jack and Brooksie will bring.”
Ben laughed as he said, “Truth, my brother, truth.”
For the next hour, Ben watched Ella’s every move as he and Davy talked and enjoyed their
breakfast. Around 9:00, Davy took off, claiming he had several things to do before he was to
meet with Mia and her mom. Promising to see Ben later, Davy once again encouraged him to
bring Ella to the wedding events.
Ben moved to one of the chairs at the counter so as not to tie up a table. He was no longer in
Ella’s section, but he could still see her as she came and went around the diner. He hung out,
playing on his phone, reading, and pretending not to track every one of Ella’s movements. He
loved just watching her.
At 10:00 on the dot, Ella’s shift was over. As they left the diner, Ben resisted the urge to grab
her hand and haul her in for a kiss. Instead, he asked, “Are you up for a little adventure today?”
“Adventure? What kind of adventure?” Ella asked, intrigued.
“Hot air ballooning,” replied Ben, his eyes sparkling. “I know you are a native, but I wanted
to think of something that maybe you had never done. Have you ever ridden over the valley in a
hot air balloon before?”
Shaking her head, Ella laughed. “Heavens no! Never even considered it. Have you?”
“No, but I have always wanted to. You aren’t afraid of heights are you?” asked Ben. He
motioned her over to where he had parked Brooksie’s BMW, which he had borrowed for the day.
“No,” replied Ella. “I thought all the balloon rides were at dawn. Can we go on one this
late?”
Ben held the door for Ella as she got into the car.
“Is this yours?” asked Ella.
“No, I borrowed it from Brooksie. Do you like it?”
“Yes, it is very nice.”
“Yeah, Brooksie’s folks spoil him rotten, but he is a good egg. Anyway, I reserved a private
tour. We have about a fifteen-minute drive to our pick-up spot.”
Once in the car, Ben took Ella’s hand in his. He drove to the balloon loading spot, quickly
parked, then the hot air balloon people helped them climb aboard. It was a beautiful September
day without a cloud in the sky. In no time, they were loaded and off. It took about twenty
minutes for them to climb to cruising altitude of 1,000 feet. Once there, they could literally see
for miles in every direction. Ella was so petite that her head barely cleared the tall basket. Ben
stood behind her, and unable to stop himself, he laced his arms around her middle and held onto
her. Ella found herself leaning back into him.
Ella was astonished that the view was so beautiful. She had lived in Napa Valley her whole
life, yet she had never seen this view of her community. She had worried it would be cold, but

23

the heat from the hot air balloon made it quite comfortable. The trip lasted a little over an hour,
then the balloon touched down in the middle of a vineyard. Ella could see a picnic table had been
set up with lunch for them. The pilot and the ground crew, who had helped them land, loaded the
balloon back onto a large truck and drove it back to the original loading spot. Ben’s friend’s car
had been brought to them.
Ella was shocked that Ben had organized such a fabulous trip so quickly. “How were you
able to get this whole deal put together this morning? I would have thought these trips booked
weeks out.”
Rubbing his hand up the back of his neck, a gesture Ella was coming to realize meant he was
nervous, Ben said, “You are smart, aren’t you. So you got me. This was actually organized for
me and all the guys. However, after last night, I had such a good time with you, I asked them if I
could buy them out of their parts of the day. I wanted it to be just us. I hope that is okay.”
“Oh. That was so nice. Thank you so much. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I loved
every minute of it. Thank your friends for helping me. I appreciate them bowing out. That was
really sweet of them, And thank you again. It was amazing,” replied Ella.
Ben gave Ella a sheepish look. “You are very welcome. And as far the guys go, all but Davy
were too hungover to have really enjoyed it. I think they were kind of relieved to get out of it.
This was really more my thing. So it worked out for the best. I’m really glad you enjoyed it. I did
too.”
Ben gestured to the picnic that had been set up for them. “As you can see, we have a lunch all
laid out for us. I hope you like chicken salad and fruit. I think there is also some cheese and
chocolate. I hope you are hungry because we have food for six.”
As Ella moved toward the table, Ben could resist no more. He wrapped her in his arms and
kissed her. This time, he did not restrain himself from deepening the kiss for several seconds.
When Ben finally pulled back for a breath, he said, “I have been dying to do that since about
eight this morning.”
Laughing, Ella replied, “Well, what were you waiting for?” For a girl with almost no kissing
experience, she was fast becoming an expert in what she liked.
Shrugging Ben said, “Well, I did not feel comfortable kissing you in front of your parents.
Then, there was the crew and the pilot. This is the first minute we have been truly alone all day.”
“True,” replied Ella, not sure exactly what to say next.
Motioning for Ella to have a seat next to him on the picnic table, Ben poured them each a
glass of wine. For the next two hours, they ate, drank, kissed, and wiled away a lazy afternoon.
Ella shared with Ben what it had been like growing up in Napa. She told him about how her
white, very Protestant mother had fallen in love with her Hispanic, very Catholic dad at
seventeen and had given up a scholarship to Paris to become a pastry chef to stay in Napa and
help her father with the diner. She told him about her uncle Pedro, who was a head vineyard
manager for the winery. He had taught her all about the soil and grapes and the need for soil
conservation. She told him about being homeschooled and working in the diner from an early
age.
Ben told Ella about being raised in New York by artistic parents. He told her about his
childhood and how his life had abruptly changed when he was eleven. That was when he found
out that the man he thought was his dad wasn’t. Instead, his biological father was Bennett
Carrington, a former Senator from Arkansas. He told her about moving with his mom to
Arkansas.

24

To Ella, Ben’s childhood sounded troubling. By comparison, hers had been something out of
a movie. Her parents had been high school sweethearts, who have been married for more than
twenty years. She lived in the same town as both sets of her grandparents and many aunts,
uncles, and cousins. From the sound of it, Ben only had a few family members: his parents,
sisters, one aunt, and one cousin. Ella was not sure she could even name all of her relatives.
Their childhoods had been completely different.
Ben also told Ella all about his future law and political plans. The way he talked about
Arkansas made it sound wonderful. It was obvious he really loved the small town of Searcy
where he had grown up. The way he talked about all the political incentives that he was
passionate about, Ella could see what a terrific leader he would be one day.
Around 3:00, Ben looked at his watch and said, “We need to head back.”
As they drove back to town, Ben gave Ella a wry look before asking, “You know how I told
you I was here for my friend’s wedding earlier?”
“Yes,” replied Ella.
“Well, tonight is the rehearsal dinner. I need a plus one. Any chance you are up for it? It is at
some French place.”
“The French Laundry?” asked Ella.
“Yeah, that is it. Have you ever been there? Is it any good?”
“I have heard it is wonderful. It is a little pricey for the Santiago family, so no I have never
eaten there, but I would love to join you if you are sure your friends won’t mind.”
Dropping his hand to her thigh, Ben ran one finger up her leg as he said, “Davy mentioned it
this morning. He and Mia would love to have you. Can you be ready by six-thirty?”
Suddenly, Ella was worried. She was not sure she had anything appropriate to wear to such a
dinner. Before she could refuse though, she decided to text her cousin Julia who worked in
fashion. Surely, Julia would have something she could borrow. Almost immediately, Julia texted
back as she had the perfect dress and promised to drop it off at Ella’s house. Having dealt with
the issue of what to wear, Ella said almost giddily, “Yes, I can be ready at six-thirty.”
Reaching across the car to give her a quick kiss, Ben said, “Awesome.”
By 10:30 that night, the rehearsal dinner was winding down. Most of the guests had left the
restaurant. Ella was still sitting next to Ben, listening to him and his friends talking and making
final plans for the next day’s wedding. Ben’s fingers were interlaced with Ella’s, as they had
been almost all night.
The bride and groom had decided to do all of the speeches during the rehearsal dinner instead
of the during the wedding reception. Ben had given a wonderful speech highlighting his
friendship with Davy, beginning with meeting him on the first day of college orientation and
sharing that the two had lived together and gotten into quite a bit of fun over the years. Ella was
a little envious of Ben’s college experiences. Her college days had been about work and study.
Over the evening, Ella had met Ben’s friends and their dates. Of course she knew the bride’s
name was Mia and had committed Liam’s girl, Delaney, to memory. Ben had assured her the rest
of the women were very new to the group. Ella took that to mean they were girls the guys had
met since arriving in Napa and thus did not warrant as much as a second thought.
Because Ella was also “a new addition to the group” she wondered if that was how the others
saw her—a placeholder for the weekend. That was a sobering thought for a girl who was already
getting in way too deep with a guy she had just met. Reassuring herself that it was because she
had never really dated and that Ben was so attentive, she could not be faulted for letting her

25

feelings run deep. Ella made a mental note to take an emotional step back from Ben to protect
herself from heartbreak. After all, he was only in town for one more day.
That was the exact advice Ella would have given Sophie if the roles were reversed. However,
Sophie would not need it. She had been in a committed relationship with the same boy since
seventh grade. She and Paulo had already talked about getting married this summer. Ella could
not imagine either one of them without the other.
Nope, Sophie was never going to find herself at a Michelin star restaurant with some tourist
she had met over a long weekend. Of course, Ella would never have thought she would either for
that matter. Sometimes, things happen that surprise you and completely undo all of your best-laid
plans. They just usually did not happen to her.
Ella wondered if this dinner was a preview of what her life would be like once she moved to
Michigan in the fall. Would she be meeting new people and attending all kinds of events that
seemed completely out of her realm now? She could hardly wait. She had worked so hard, and
she had only eight weekend sets of classes left in her final practicum. Basically, it was a class in
which all the geology students had to complete a group and independent study project and then
present them both to the class. Ella was so close that she could almost feel that college diploma
in her hands. Tonight though, she did not want to think about school, what she had left to do, or
even her future. She wanted to enjoy being in the moment with Ben.
That evening, Ella’s parents and siblings were all either at the diner or out, so she had
allowed Ben to pick her up. If they had been home, she wouldn’t have wanted Ben to come to
her house because she would have had to come up with a good reason why she was so dressed
up. Her folks knew she was going out with a new friend, but they did not know much else.
When Ella had opened the door to see Ben standing in front of her in his suit, he nearly took
her breath away. Even now, looking over at him, she was obsessed with how his broad shoulders
filled out his jacket. The way his eyes followed her everywhere made her spine tingle. Just
watching him watching her made her mouth water.
Ella was so caught up in looking at Ben that she did not realize the group had finalized their
plans for the next day until everyone stood, said their goodbyes, and began making their way to
the door.
Before they left, Davy gave everyone marching orders. “The wedding is at eleven, but we
can’t set up until tomorrow morning. Be at the winery by seven tomorrow morning to help with
the tables and chairs.” Ella thought it all sounded like a lot of work.
On the drive back to Ella’s, Ben took the scenic route. Then to eke out a few more minutes
with her, he drove to the rental house and parked the car there. That way he could have a few
extra minutes alone with her as he walked her home.
As they walked to Ella’s house, Ben draped his arm around her shoulders. A block from her
house, he gently pulled her into a cropping of trees and devoured her lips. When they finally
came up for air, he murmured, “You taste better than any dessert at that fancy French restaurant
tonight.” Ella just smiled, unsure what to say.
Still nibbling on her lips, Ben added, “I know this is last minute, but any chance you can get
off tomorrow and go with me to the wedding?”
Ella did not even have to think about it. She would promise her sisters the world for more
time off to be with Ben. “I think so. I don’t have to work at the winery tomorrow. They are
closed on Sunday. I usually pick up a shift at the diner, but maybe I can get Sophie or Maria to
cover for me.”

26

“Wonderful,” said Ben. “Text me as soon as you know. I will need to pick you up at nine-
thirty, or I might have the girl Madison is bringing swing by and pick you up. Would that be
okay?”
Ella’s unsure look gave Ben pause, so he added, “I am not sure I will be able to get away to
come back this way. I have to be there by seven to help set up.”
Swallowing, after a moment Ella replied, “No, it is fine. I just can’t exactly remember what
Madison’s girl’s name is. Can you?”
Shaking his head no, Ben replied, “No, but if you can come, I will ask him and let you
know.”
Nodding, Ella let out a worried sigh before saying, “Okay. I will be ready by nine-thirty. Just
text me her name.” She was apprehensive about riding with someone she didn’t know. However,
her need to spend more time with Ben was greater than her worry about hitching a ride with a
stranger.
They kissed for another few minutes, and then Ben pulled back. “As much as I would love to
spend the rest of the night exploring every crevice of your incredible mouth, I need to get back.
Seven will come early tomorrow. I want to spend some time with Davy before the wedding. I
hope you understand.”
“Of course,” replied Ella. “I totally understand. I can see why you two are such great friends.
Based on your speech, you two were quite the pair back in college.”
Laughing, Ben nodded. “You have no idea. But the two of us are really the most calm. Jack
and Brooksie are completely crazy. Liam and Madison are somewhere in between. I love all of
them like brothers. Thanks again for going with me tonight.”
“You are welcome. I had a great time.”
Ben pulled Ella in for one final kiss before guiding her back onto the street, then he walked
her the rest of the way home.

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