“No, nothing like that.” Claire smile was steady but Jason saw her eyes flashed with annoyance. “They’ve heard good things about me and asked if I would join a few of the panels and do a workshop.”
Max’s mouth opened and closed. “Why didn’t you do it? It’s an honor.”
Jason glanced at Claire and wondered how she would respond. He knew why she’d chosen not to give the workshop without her having to tell him. The old Claire had declined because it meant getting up in front of people and being in the spotlight. It meant showing what and how much she knew about a topic. And it meant taking a risk of living out her worst nightmare. What if she had a heckling or aggressive audience member? What if a participant unintentionally stumped her with a question?
He was beginning to understand how she had anticipated the worst-case scenarios. But Claire had changed over the past week. She had been able to handle all the public events he’d taken her to with grace and poise. Did she regret letting her fears hold her back?
“I couldn’t spare the time to accept the honor,” Claire answered. “The hours I would have had to spend on preparing for the workshop would have meant hours away from my clients.”
“Claire, why didn’t you tell me?” Jason asked. “You should have gone for it. You would have been great.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You know, I think so, too.”
“I have to disagree.” Max puffed out his chest. “You two don’t know the social media crowd like I do. You think the comment section online is bad? Wait until you’re in a room with these people.”
Jason cast a glance at Max. “I can imagine.”
Claire gave him a jab with her elbow. “Jason, I notice that Meghan is getting ready to leave. She’s been complaining to the rest of the wine club about how you invited everyone on such short notice. The rest of the group wasn’t listening at first but I think the mood is shifting now.”
He sighed. Jason had to keep his customers happy, but he was more interested in keeping Claire away from Max. But he knew Claire wouldn’t let him shirk his duties. “Claire, why don’t you see if there are any appetizers left for Max? I’m sure he’ll enjoy the smoked duck tostada.”
“You offer that here?” Max asked. “Isn’t that too sophisticated for such a...rural town?”
Jason chose to ignore Max’s surprise. The man had seen only farmland and evergreen forests on the way into town and hadn’t noticed the luxurious way many of the residents lived. “I’ll be right back.”
“Max, forget the duck,” Jason heard Claire say. “You have to try the bacon brownie.”
Jason grinned. He held back a chuckle when he heard Max’s haughty reply.
Claire wouldn’t be deterred. “You simply have to. It was named after me. Inspired by me, really.”
“Why would anyone create a brownie in your honor?” the other man asked.
“Because I made my mark this week as a wild party girl. In case you haven’t noticed, Max, I’m kind of a legend around here.”
12
IT WAS CLOSE to midnight when Claire got out of her car in the Mountain Creek Wine Cellar parking lot. She wasn’t sure what had prompted her to come back here after the party. Jason hadn’t invited her back. Instead he’d given her an intense look when she had left with Max.
Claire walked to the door as a couple of employees were leaving. “Is Jason in there?” she asked.
“Yes,” one of the waiters said as he held the door open for her. “He’s always the last one to leave. We just saw him in the tasting room.”
“Thanks.” She stepped into the bar and paused as the door closed behind her. She hadn’t been here when it was empty, and most of the lights were turned off. The bar’s typical casual ambiance was now replaced with a dark, mysterious mood.
Claire quietly went up the metal stairs and headed to the tasting room. She stopped in the doorway when she saw Jason. His white shirt almost glowed in the shadows. He was in the far corner, sitting in one of the dark wooden chairs and looking out the windows that faced the evergreen trees. His shoulders were slumped, his head bent and his legs sprawled out in front of him. A full wineglass dangled precariously from his fingertips.
It was as if all of the energy and optimism had been drained from him. She couldn’t remember seeing him like this before. His defeated stance pulled at her. She had the urgent need to take care of him and restore his easy smile.