“Darren! What the hell—?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
With another nudge, she sent an empty barrel rolling across the alley between the fermentation house and the parking lot.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Are we having an earthquake?”
Megan walked directly to her car, grabbing the keys from her purse and opening it. She made a show of tossing her cross-body bag and clipboard in the back of the vehicle before she started it and drove away. The overwhelmed man was still standing on the edge of the parking lot, watching her as she drove away; three other employees surrounded him, shouting questions.
As soon as she got to the road, she phoned Katherine. “Hey. So I had to ditch you after someone started following me. I’m going to call Nico to come pick you up.”
“Okay?” Katherine sounded confused. “We’re having a good time here. The wine is delightful and the tour is very interesting. Toni stayed back in the tasting room. She’s enjoying a fruit plate and some of their fruit cider. They have a nonalcoholic variety.”
“Good to know. I’m calling Nico now.”
She hung up and used her voice command to make the call.
“Calling Nico Dusi,” her car said.
After a few rings, he picked up. “Yeah?” Nico’s voice sounded like he’d just woken from a nap or hadn’t spoken for a few hours.
“Nico?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, it’s me. What’s up?”
“It’s Megan.”
“That explains why Atlanta popped up on my phone just now.”
His voice was low and growly, and Megan really, really wished that it didn’t do things to her, but it really, really did.
“Nice.” She forced herself to keep it cool. “Can you or Henry pick Katherine and Toni up at Baur Cellars and bring them back to the winery?”
“Can I ask why?”
“I was snooping around behind the winery and someone was following me. I managed to confuse him, but then I had to take off. Katherine and Toni are still there.”
“Right.” He took a deep breath, and Megan was halfway sure the man had been taking an afternoon nap.
She pictured him stretched out on the couch in his office, his face relaxed and his gorgeous lips parted just a little as he breathed deeply.
Calm down, Sugar!
“I’ll go pick them up in a minute,” he said. “Meet me at Toni’s house, okay? She probably needs to get home. Henry’s breathing down my neck about her not working too hard.”
“Sounds good, partner. I’ll meet you there.”
Chapter 9
Megan was waiting on the front porch when Nico’s pickup truck pulled into the shaded gravel drive at Toni’s cottage. Katherine’s head popped up from the back seat, and Toni’s head was barely over the dashboard.
As Nico came to a stop, Megan walked over and opened Toni’s door. “Do you need a step stool?”
“Ha ha.” Toni raised an eyebrow. “Thanks for ditching us.”
“I had to make a quick escape.” Megan helped Toni down from the truck and held the door for Katherine as she climbed out. “Did you want some intern at Baur to figure out what we were doing?”
She looked at Nico. It was the first time she’d been in the same place with him since he’d kissed her, and they were far from alone. Nico glanced at her, then quickly looked away.
Good. That was good. They should just pretend that it hadn’t happened. It had just been a slip after all.
“I don’t think anything is going on at Baur,” Megan said. “I didn’t see any facilities that look anything like a greenhouse. Unless they have ranch offices on another site, I think the Baurs are out of the running as vine thieves.”
“That’s a relief.” Nico shoved his hands in his pockets. “Beth would hate my guts if I had to accuse her boyfriend’s family of something like that.”
Toni turned to him. “So does this mean she can finally bring the kid to family dinner?”
“Yeah, no. I still do not approve of this bullshit, so don’t act like it’s cute. She’s going to Berkeley next year. She doesn’t need a boyfriend mucking her life up.”
“Berkeley?” Katherine said. “That’s impressive. Does she know what she wants to study?”
“Prelaw,” Nico said. “She’s been wearing Notorious RBG shirts since she was thirteen. It’s a thing.” He walked up the porch to Toni’s front door. “Henry here?”
“Not yet,” Toni said. “He’s on his way home.” She lowered herself onto a chair and kicked her feet up on the low railing that circled the porch. “Ahhhh, that feels so good. Nico, can you get me a beer?”
He frowned for a second, then nodded. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”
“You can’t have a beer!” Megan said. “How many times do we have to go over this?”
“I feel like I’ve been pregnant for twenty-five years, so I think the baby is actually legal at this point!” Toni leaned back and groaned. “Fine. Ginger ale will do.”
“You got it.” Nico looked relieved. “I mean, I’d get you a beer, but I don’t want to hear a lecture.”
They waited on the porch for Henry to arrive home. All four of them had drinks and were gathered around Toni, whose eyes were drooping in the afternoon sun.
“So where are we?” Nico asked. “Baur is a no. What about Sullivan?”
“They’re tomorrow,” Katherine said. “Today we only got to Fairfield and Baur. Sullivan and Coral Ranch are tomorrow.”
“And what about Fairfield?” Henry asked. “Any leads there?”
“I didn’t get the feeling that they were hiding anything,” Toni said. “But then again, I didn’t spend much time talking with anyone who might be involved.”
“That’s the problem with visiting wineries.” Megan sipped the glass of pinot grigio Katherine had poured for her. “Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against wine tasting, but we can only visit as guests. So unless I sneak back to the offices like I did with Baur today, we’re not going to find any secret stashes of grapevines.”
Toni said, “And I haven’t been able to question anyone who would really know something. All we’re really meeting are tasting-room employees, and they don’t know much. If I’d been able to question the owner—”
“I don’t think she’s involved,” Megan said. “Do you?”
Nico asked, “Fairfield’s fiancée was there?”
The conversation stopped as Henry pulled up in his truck and got out, all in one fluid movement. “Frost is officially over.” He walked over and kissed Toni. “Hey, sexy.”
“Hey yourself.” She brushed a hand over his cheek. “How was work?”
Nico was frowning. “What did you say about frost?”
“I was looking at the forecast and they’re saying last frost is officially past.” Henry straightened and ran a hand through his hair. “Which means that whoever stole our vines can plant them anytime they want. And once they get into a vineyard…”