Pairing a Deception Page 4

  “I have Zin on the brain now,” said Ben as he walked with him. “Zin brain.”

  When the path was clear enough, we stood up. Hudson was already in the back of the room, drinking the remaining glasses of one particular wine at each seat that was empty during the seminar.

  Dean and I walked toward the exit but paused when we reached Hudson.

  “Is that a favorite one then?” I said, not able to resist asking.

  “The best,” he replied. “They’ll just pour them out anyway and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.” Hudson moved to the next seat and picked up another glass. Along with his excellent memory, he clearly had a very high tolerance.

  We moved into the hallway where attendees milled about.

  “I’d like to know his blood alcohol level,” said Dean.

  “It doesn’t even seem to affect him. He’s like a tank.”

  “I hope he’s not driving,” added Dean.

  “I’m pretty sure he’ll be at the festival the whole weekend. There’s no reason for him to leave.”

  Dean picked up a crumpled piece of paper from the floor. “The list from the seminar.”

  “I guess someone didn’t like the wine.”

  “Or just likes to litter,” replied Dean. “Let me throw this away. I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll figure out where we go next.” I took out the schedule, but the seminar was the last event for the day, with activities resuming at ten o’clock the next morning.

  I stepped back to look for Dean and my shoulder bumped into someone. “I’m so sorry,” I said as I turned around. It was the woman who knocked over the glasses in the seminar. She had changed out of her wine-stained white dress into a black cocktail one.

  “It’s okay.” She smiled, but her dark brown eyes didn’t share the emotion. She pulled her hair back and took a deep breath. “Today has not been my day.” She seemed different from when she lingered around Hudson at the opening ceremonies. Like the mishap at the panel had broken her in some way.

  “Are you doing okay? Don’t worry about the wine thing, it’s really nothing. Honest.”

  “Oh.” Her smile faded. “You saw that. It was so embarrassing. I don’t even know what happened. I turned in my seat to look around the room and suddenly all of my glasses were tipped over.” She met my gaze. “It was terrible.”

  “Don’t worry, they had it cleaned up within minutes and the seminar went on as usual. I bet no one even remembers.”

  “I remember. Nothing is going like I planned.” She looked down at her outfit. “I feel so overdressed right now.”

  “Everyone is in a whole range of clothing.” I motioned to the crowd in the hallway. “Jeans to dresses. You fit in fine.”

  “At least this dress is black. No one will be able to tell if I knock over more wine.”

  “Look at it this way, you got it out of the way. Now you can enjoy the rest of the weekend knowing that your spill is already done. We all have to spill at some point.”

  “Thank you. You’re sweet.” She put out her hand. “I’m Jocelyn. Jocelyn Rivers.”

  “Katie Stillwell.”

  “Katie, it’s great to meet you. You’ve already cheered up my day.” She smiled, and it seemed genuine this time. “Now if I can just talk to someone and get a little something cleared up, my weekend will be even better.”

  I figured she was talking about Hudson, but I didn’t want to intrude. “It’s only Thursday. I’m sure there will be other opportunities throughout the weekend.”

  She nodded softly. “I hope you’re right. I really need you to be right.”

  “What did I miss?” asked Dean as he joined us.

  “This is Jocelyn Rivers.”

  “From the Zinfandel panel,” added Dean as he shook her hand.

  “Oh great, see, people do remember.”

  Dean glanced at me with a concerned look on his face, like he had said something wrong.

  “Just Dean here. He has a great memory like that. But honestly, you’re fine. I’m sorry you missed the seminar, but there will be other ones tomorrow. They’re fun and you learn a lot during them.”

  “Thanks.” She sighed. “I guess I just need to shake it off, right? I’m glad I met you. Perhaps I’ll see you later?”

  “If not tonight, then definitely the rest of this weekend.” I paused. “Were you able to get a room at the Lancaster?”

  She put her hand to her head. “Oh, you saw that too? You seem to be catching all of my mishaps today.”

  “We were checking in at the same time.”

  She nodded but looked embarrassed. “They were supposed to have a room for me, but they didn’t. As I said, everything has turned into a mess. I was able to get one here, though.”

  “Good, I’m glad,” I added. I must have misjudged her scene at the front desk earlier. Everyone has bad moments.

  “Thanks again,” she said. “I’ll see you both soon.” Jocelyn gave a small wave and walked away.

  “I really hope her weekend gets better,” I said to Dean. “She was devastated at the whole spilling thing.”

  Dean nodded. “I think anyone would be. You would be.”

  “True,” I replied.

  He smiled. “What’s next on the schedule?”

  “There aren’t any events until ten o’clock in the morning. I mean, not for us. They do some special winemaker dinners you can pay extra to attend, but we’re not going to those.”

  “Are you hungry?” asked Dean. “Downtown Santa Barbara is only forty-five minutes away. We could have dinner there since we won’t get a chance to see the city the rest of the weekend.”

  I thought about the Spanish-style buildings, the red tiles with the white stucco below, as the ocean shimmered in the distance. “That would be great.” I paused as I remembered our earlier conversation. “Wait, is this part of your surprise?”

  “No, that’s planned for Saturday afternoon.”

  “Can I have a hint?”

  Dean held the door open and we walked across the lawn. “Not yet. I want it to stay a surprise.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Great.” Dean brought his hands together in a single clap.

  “Oh!” said a lady in a black-and-white pantsuit and long cascading brown curls pulled halfway on top of her head by a clip. “You scared me there.”

  “Sorry.” But as Dean said it, I could tell her exclamation shocked him. It had sent a burst of nerves up my arms, too.

  “I thought I was out here alone. I didn’t expect to see people near me. It gave me quite a fright.” She was in her late forties with a nearly chiseled face, as if she didn’t smile a lot, and brown eyes that darted around nervously.

  “I’m sure people will be going back and forth between the two hotels all weekend. Are you okay?”

  “Fine. It will all be fine.” She shook her head, her curls moving around. “I just need to watch where I’m walking. I don’t even know why I’m out here.” She put her hand to her lips and started biting her nails, glancing around as she headed toward the New Sierra.

  The back of her outfit had a red wine stain across the white section. She must have been one of the people sitting next to Jocelyn at the Zin panel. Her movements were rapid and full of energy, and part of me wondered if she accidentally knocked over the glasses instead of Jocelyn. It was like blind tasting a wine when you had recently used a fragrant soap on your hands. It hid the aroma of the wine and you only smelled the soap.

  five

  pairing suggestion: crémant de limoux —languedoc, france

  This sparkling wine comes with a lot of history, as records show it’s been made since the 1500s.

  Dean and I had a nice dinner in downtown Santa Barbara and I even studied my flash cards in the car on the way back. The weekend was off to a grea
t start.

  When we returned to the Lancaster, I thought about Hudson’s comment of meeting for drinks later. My hopes weren’t up for joining him, but at least sitting in the bar would be a nice way to round off the evening. “Do you want to get a drink? It’s still pretty early.”

  “I’m following your lead.”

  We headed into the bar, the pale yellow glow behind the liquor cabinets contrasting with the dark mahogany wood that lined the room. People were scattered around but there were still empty tables.

  “How about here?” I motioned to a small table with two round leather chairs.

  “What about joining Hudson’s group?” Dean nodded toward the cluster of chairs near the fireplace. Hudson sat with a glass of wine in his hand next to Walt, Ben, and three empty chairs.

  “I didn’t think you were a fan.”

  “Well, it would help your career to spend time with a Master Sommelier, correct?”

  “I guess.” Though I knew it would. Not from a network standpoint, but from speaking with him and learning. Every bit of information would help. “Even though he mentioned it earlier, I would feel weird going over there. Like I was imposing. I’m happy to sit here with just the two of us.”

  “I like that. The two of us.” Dean took a seat. “Actually, you have another friend here.”

  I followed his gaze to Jocelyn walking across the lobby. “That’s strange. She said she had a room at the New Sierra.”

  “It’s a festival. I’m sure people wander all over.”

  “But there weren’t any events here.”

  Jocelyn halted and stood awkwardly at the edge of the lobby near the elevator.

  “She probably wants to talk to Hudson. She’ll find him in the bar soon enough.” I looked over at Hudson. His wineglass was nearly empty and he motioned for the waiter. He met my eyes and pointed to the empty chairs near him. “He’s waving us over.”

  “Told you so,” whispered Dean.

  “Shut it,” I replied with a smile. “Mind if we join him?”

  “You know I don’t.”

  We walked over to the group.

  “This is Katie and John,” said Hudson as we sat down, proving that his memory was not just a rumor.

  “Actually, I go by Dean.”

  “Dean,” said Hudson. “Meet Walt and Ben.”

  “We’ve met, actually.” I smiled at the two of them. “Rick Roll.”

  Walt cackled at the reference and slapped his knee.

  “So he did that to you, too, huh?” said Hudson.

  “Yep. At the Zin panel.”

  “You know what I love about Zin,” said Ben as he sat forward and made sure that he had everyone’s attention. “That sometimes it’s peppery and sometimes it’s jammy, and”—he paused as he looked at each of us—“sometimes it’s both.” He sat back in his chair and nodded as if clearly pleased with his comment.

  “Thank you for that, Ben,” said Hudson. “Another brilliant deduction.”

  “Is this seat available?” said a voice next to me. It was Jocelyn.

  I glanced at Hudson, not sure what to say. I knew there was some tension between them and I didn’t want to overstep my bounds by inviting her to sit down.

  “It is,” said Hudson, his game face clearly on. “Join us.”

  “Thank you.” She sat down and smiled politely as she put her large bag on the floor. “Jocelyn,” she said to Walt and Ben. I expected them to reply with their Rick Roll joke, but they both just nodded.

  Hudson stood up from his seat. “I’ll be back. I have to make a call.”

  Dean motioned to the glass in Walt’s hand. “Is this one of the same wines from the seminar? A Zin?”

  “No, it’s a Syrah,” replied Walt. “But how about those Zins today?”

  As their conversation continued, Jocelyn sighed and turned to me. “I don’t think he likes me.”

  “Dean? No, I think he’s fine. He’s trying to learn more about wine.” I looked at Dean. He was embroiled in the conversation with Walt about the seminar while Ben was about to fall asleep.

  “No, not Dean. Hudson. I think it’s that I come on too strong. I don’t mean to, I just thought that was the way to get him to talk to me.” She shook her head. “But at least now we’re chatting. I mean, if he ever comes back.” She smiled at me. “As you said earlier, we have all weekend.”

  I glanced at the festival pass still hanging from her neck. It had a gold bar around the edges, noting that she had purchased the highest level with early entrance to the tastings. “We do. Besides the earlier mishap, are you enjoying the festival?”

  “Sure.” She picked up the pass and looked at it. “I put nearly every penny I had into getting this. I thought it would be a fun weekend away, but it hasn’t been fun yet. But there’s still time.” She looked over at Dean. “You guys make a cute couple. How long have you been together?”

  “Not too long.” I leaned closer to her. “Actually, it’s our first weekend away.”

  “I love that you chose a wine and food festival. Is it going okay?” Her eyes were soft and she looked concerned.

  “Why, does it look like it’s not?” I glanced at Dean. He seemed happy, talking to Walt.

  “No, it’s great. I just find that things out of routine can be awkward, know what I mean? I see a lot of people like that where I work. It’s their first time doing something together and they’re not sure how to act, that’s all.” She took a deep breath. “I’d love to have a boyfriend here with me. Or a man-friend.” She smiled at her joke, but her attention was distracted as Hudson returned to the group.

  “What did I miss?” he said as he sat down. “Any more moments of genius from Ben?”

  Ben put his hand up like he was about to say something. “No. Still thinking.”

  “Good, you keep thinking then. In fact, there aren’t enough drinks here. You want wine?” He motioned to me and Dean, and the gesture seemed to include Jocelyn, but I wasn’t sure.

  Hudson waved to the waiter, who approached and stood to Hudson’s side. “Ready for another round?”

  “We are,” said Hudson. “Let’s do another one of these.” He motioned to his glass. “The Rioja.” He turned to Jocelyn. “What would you like?”

  Jocelyn’s face lit up. “Um, something red?”

  “Cab okay?” asked Hudson.

  “Whatever you suggest.”

  Hudson looked at the waiter. “She’ll have the Napa Cab. What about you, Katie? Dean?”

  “A glass of Pinot Gris,” I replied.

  “Same,” said Dean.

  “Great,” replied Hudson. “New buddies, Rick and Roll? Any drinks for you?”

  “This is the last one,” said Walt as he motioned to the half-empty glass of wine in front of him. “Then we’re gonna Rick Roll right outta here.”

  Ben pointed to his glass, but it was already empty and it puzzled him for a moment but then he shifted his focus to his pointing hand.

  “That’s right, you’re not staying here.” Hudson looked back at the waiter. “That’ll be all.”

  “I’ll be right back with those,” said the waiter.

  Jocelyn leaned over to me. “You were right. It’s getting better already,” she said in a relaxed tone.

  “Actually,” said Walt as he downed the rest of his wine and put some cash on the table. “We’ll go now. I hear a couple of cigars calling our name.” He put his hand to the side of his mouth. “Walt … Ben … Can you hear them?”

  “I can hear them,” said Ben as he sat up.

  “Are you driving?” asked Dean, his professional instincts kicking in.

  “Cabbing it the whole weekend,” replied Walt.

  “Good, I’m glad,” added Dean. “See you gentlemen tomorrow.”

  “You most definitely will.” Walt saluted and Ben did a smal
ler wave.

  “Drink lots of water tonight,” I said as they walked away. “Maybe a B vitamin, too.” But they were already out of earshot.

  “Why a B vitamin?” asked Jocelyn.

  “I find that it helps keep away hangovers.”

  “Ooh, I’ll have to try that,” she replied, as her eyes grew wide with excitement.

  “Two down, but those seats won’t be empty for long,” said Hudson. “This is a festival after all. But hey, we have the four of us and wine is on the way.”

  The waiter arrived with the drinks and placed them on the table in front of each of us. Hudson picked up his glass of Rioja and lifted it toward us. “Cheers. Here’s to the festival.”

  “To four days of fun,” I added.

  “To new friends,” said Jocelyn.

  Dean glanced at the three of us, a level of uncertainty on his face as he thought about what to say. “To learning more about wine.”

  We all clinked glasses and I took a sip of my Pinot Gris. It had flavors of apple and lemon but high heat, which clued me in that it was from California. “Is this from Santa Barbara?”

  “Santa Rita Hills,” replied Hudson, citing the nearby wine region.

  Jocelyn’s drink was still in her hand, untouched, as she waved at a lady who passed the bar area. She noticed me watching. “Just an old friend,” she added.

  “I didn’t know you had friends here,” I replied, not meaning to say it out loud. She had seemed so alone and almost lonely before. “We have empty chairs. Have her join us,” I added, in an effort to recover from the statement.

  Jocelyn shook her head. “It’s not like that. But if you’ll give me just a moment.” She picked up her bag and left the bar.

  Hudson leaned back in his chair as soon as she was gone. He took another drink of his glass of Rioja. “Who’s up for some blind tasting?” he said. “Dean, want to give it a go?”

  “No, thank you. I’ll stick with this Pinot Gris.” Dean had barely tasted it. I had never seen him drunk or even tipsy and I had a feeling I never would. In fact, it was almost weird to see him drink. He was similar to my father in a lot of ways, but my father sometimes had a glass of Scotch after a hard day.