A Taste of You : The Next Course

6: Tending to the Vines

*** Ethan's POV ***

It had been awhile since Alise had been that tipsy. While I was glad she was able to relax, I wasn't sure what to make of these folks yet. And while I needed to talk to Alise after the night I had, she wasn't in any state for a serious conversation. She crashed shortly after they left. I stared at the ceiling, Julie's words washing over me until I finally knocked out.

I slept late and half anticipated Alise to still be wrecked next to me, but her side of the bed was vacated. I found her and Max in the breakfast nook, drinking coffee and snacking on fruit.

Alise smiled as I strolled in, getting up to give me a soft kiss while Max yammered on about some class he was in. She whispered to me. "Good morning, sleepy. Sit. I'll get you your coffee."

"Morning, Ethan. Did you stay up with the party animals when you came home?" Max inquired.

"I felt like I crashed the party. Everyone left." I commented, eyeing Alise who shook her head.

"We were at our limits and just wrapping up when Ethan got home. I honestly need to start training to keep up with winery owners." Alise joked and set my perfectly plain black coffee in front of me. "How did your night go?"

"Weird." I superficially told her about John and Julie, keeping the deeper stuff for once we were alone.

"So you get saddled with the wife? Does she actually have experience?" Max asked, finishing up his coffee and standing.

"Some, but not at this level. It'll be fine." I replied.

"Well, just be careful.. I've seen enough movies to know how this works." I swallowed hard, not knowing where his comment was headed. He continues. "The wife always has extravagant ideas and gets her way because she shtoops the boss. You get threatened to appease the wife by the boss. Chaos ensues."

I chuckled nervously. "Right."

"I'm out of here for the day. Study session on sauce basics. Be back for dinner." Max shared and went to leave.

"Mug!" Alise barked.

"Yep." Max swooped back in and put his mug in the dishwasher. "Bye."

Alise shook her head and muttered. "If this is a preview of what it's like to have kids..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked defensively.

Alise reached out and squeezed my arm. "Relax. It's a joke, Ethan. Max is a good kid. A little forgetful, but we'd be blessed to have a kid like him. Are you okay? You came home in a mood."

I sighed. "There's more to the Julie story. She's a little assertive."

Alise's gorgeous emerald eyes narrowed. "As in..."

"She came on to me. And Aron." I added quickly.

"With her husband there?" Alise growled.

"More like in side conversations." I shared. "And she knows we're married. I called her on it. I get the impression John isn't very attentive to her."

"She's lucky Ronnie didn't know this last night. She might have started a brawl at the restaurant or tried to poison her." Alise laughed. For some reason that rubbed me the wrong way.

"Aren't you mad?" I questioned. She gave me a gentle look, maybe realizing my ego was just holding on. She brushed her fingers through my sleep-touseled hair.

"I don't like it, but I trust you. I don't think it will do you any favors if I storm the castle and alienate your boss's wife." She responded in the most level-headed way.