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Driving along Niagara Falls, I’m dazed by the natural spectacular beauty of the scenery before me. Unable to resist, I roll my window down, absorbing the thundering sound from the falls even though the wind is playing havoc with my hair. Laughing lightly to myself, with a hopeful excitement that this may soon be my new home swirling through me, I continue to follow the road from the popular tourist attraction until it leads me to a quieter area where I see vineyards for miles and miles on my left.
Secretly, I’m glad I left Toronto early to drive along the falls before my interview.
It makes me want this job even more. The lure of the water falls, the vast expanses of vineyard after vineyard strikes a cord deep within me.
And I can already picture myself living here, if only for a few brief years.
"Prepare to keep left," my GPS squawks, distracting me from the scenery. Forcing my eyes back to the road, I do as directed.
"Now keep left onto Queen Street," the GPS voice continues with its instructions.
As I drive along on Queen Street, I’m immediately charmed by the quaint buildings of restaurants and shops. If I manage to land this job, I’m going to love strolling along these streets, getting to know some of these people.
But for now, I continue to listen to the GPS, my excitement mounting as the scenery changes to nothing but the road and rows, upon rows, of vines as I’m guided to where my interview will be taking place.
Pulling into the parking lot of Reid Vineyards, I feel butterflies immediately take wing in my stomach as I turn off the car. Exhaling, pushing back the nervousness, I step out of my car and take in my first full view of the restaurant and inn I hope to be managing soon.
The restaurant sits, sprawling and elegant in its all glass design, overlooking the vines that are the definite main attraction with the rooms to the inn off to the left. The description of the setting from the phone interview I had underwent prior to this face to face interview had enticed me to give this a try, and now that I’m here, I’m not disappointed.
Smoothing my skirt and then re-pinning my hair up that had come undone from my careless decision to enjoy the scenery on the way here with the window rolled down, I reach back into the car to take my purse before locking it.
Taking another deep inhale and then an exhale, knowing without a doubt that I want this opportunity more than any other job opportunity that has come my way, I stride confidently into the lobby of the restaurant where I see an electrical contractor meeting with the construction foreman.
Glancing around, I can’t help but wonder what the final interior layout will be.
A lady, who looks to be about sixty, approaches me with a wide, welcoming smile as she says politely, "Please excuse the mess. We’re still very much in the construction stages on this level. Are you here to meet with Mr. Reid?"
Returning her smile easily, I extend my hand as I respond, "Yes, I have a 2:30 appointment. My name is Emma Ivany."
"Nice to meet you, Emma," she replies warmly as she grasps my hand. "I’m Martha, Mr. Reid's office assistant. His office is right this way," she continues as she turns to lead me up a set of stairs to our left. Reaching the top of the stairs, I am greeted by another large bank of windows, the view of the vineyard stretching out before me, completely breathtaking.
Martha takes a right, leading me down a short hall where she instructs me to wait for a moment outside a closed door. As she disappears inside, I try to temper my excitement, to focus on landing the job first before I let my excitement carry me away.
"Emma, Mr. Reid is ready to see you," Martha says, as she opens the door moments later, signaling for me to enter.
"Thank you, Martha," I reply, my easy, professional - job interview - smile back in place, as I navigate past her through the doorway.
I momentarily lose my composure, almost twisting my ankle in the process, when I turn my attention away from Martha and my eyes immediately connect with the most intense and penetrating blue eyes I have ever seen. I know immediately, this man is the owner and my potential employer.
And he is the most sexually stimulating male I have ever met.
Damn, - I silently curse to myself, as my stomach bottoms out and I quickly drop my eyes from his for a moment, only able to focus on placing one foot in front of the other as I try to give myself time to regain my professional poise. When I feel in control, convincing myself that he surely isn’t as sexy as I had made him out to be, I lift my head again and meet his gaze straight on.
While he doesn’t flinch, my mind admits with silent awe, - He’s beautiful, - as my body flushes, seeming to respond to his sheer male, rugged beauty despite me firmly instructing my body to obey.
With dark, shoulder length hair, a strong and chiseled handsome face with a tall, well-defined muscled body...he is the stuff of dreams. That he is wearing jeans, a white button up shirt with the top four buttons left undone instead of wearing a suit, only makes him even more attractive.
So sensually alluring.
I swallow thickly as the butterflies pick up in the intensity of their flapping, making me I feel as if I have lost my calm confidence that I always ensure I exude in interviews.
You’ve got this, - I finally - silently - remind myself to repeat, as I usually do in an interview.
"Ms. Ivany," he murmurs, his eyes assessing me, dissecting me, as he stands extending his arm to shake my hand, "I'm Lucas."
The confidence in this man exudes from his pores and I can feel myself responding to it.
Stepping forward to grasp his hand, I silently tell myself that I’m strong and confident, that I’m back in control of my scattered thoughts, but as soon as I touch his calloused hand, my mind wanders - without warning - as I silently contemplate what it would feel like cupping my breast.
Shocked and surprised at my thoughts, I inhale quickly, release his hand, and immediately drop my eyes from his.
I feel off-kilter. Floundering...
"Won't you have a seat, Ms. Ivany?" Lucas continues in his murmured, professional tone.
I gratefully, but cumbersomely, sink into the chair.
So much for first impressions, - I scathingly chastise myself silently.
Swallowing thickly, I raise my eyes back to his to watch unabashedly as he lowers those beautiful blue eyes to the top of his desk, watching his strong hands, silently coveting them – wanting them to touch me to satisfy my curiosity about how they would feel against my skin, as he picks up my resume. I watch, unable to speak, as he scans it quickly.
"You have quite an impressive resume, Ms. Ivany," he says quietly, before bringing his eyes back up to mine.
His eyes probe into mine, interrogating me again, like he is trying to figure me out, to see into my brain so he can figure out my thoughts. I feel a mental wall slip firmly into place as I resolutely push him away. I feel my confidence return as I hold his gaze.
Sitting straighter in my chair, finally feeling my professional backbone back in place, I begin the professional blurb about myself that landed me a job in every place I had wanted to work before.
"I started working in the food service and hospitality business at a young age as my parents owned a small inn and restaurant from the time I was born. I was fortunate enough to grow up working in the family business, and at the age of fourteen, I started as a dishwasher. Once I started, I was hooked and I took it upon myself to learn the ropes of my family’s business, from the dish pit to the day to day operations. When I graduated from high school, I knew what I wanted and I immediately left my home town to attend college to obtain my Hospitality Management and Co-op Diploma. My work term took me to The Autumn Hotel in Toronto. They liked my work ethic and offered me a job as soon as I completed my diploma. I worked hard and I quickly moved up the ladder."
He is silent for a moment as his eyes continue to scan my face.
Searching...
Probing...
"Why would you leave the prestige of a five-star hotel and restaurant in Toronto to come here to work in my small, by comparison, operation?" he asks, his voice still at a murmur, his eyes taking in every shift of my body, assessing me.
Forcing a smile, I respond with the vague truth, "I need a change. I love Toronto, love my job but having the experience of helping to start a business, a restaurant and inn such as yours from the ground up, will help me to grow my career." I leave out any mention of my future past Reid Vineyards. Unless he asked, I know it’s in my best interest to keep that bit of information to myself.
"And you think this is the area for you?" he continues with his probing, his gaze dissecting.
Nodding, I admit, "I took the scenic route to come here today. The more I saw, the more I wanted to live here."
His eyes scan me one more time before he says, "As we are nearing the end of construction, I would need you to start within the next month or two. When would you be available?"
I swallow thickly.
Is he offering me the job, here and now? - I wonder to myself, my mind whirling.
"Out of respect for my current employer, I will have to give at least a month notice and then I can be here within a day after I finish," I respond.
Nodding, he drops his eyes back to his desk, and I breathe a sigh of relief. His eyes absorb me, making me feel open...exposed.
"We would need you here to oversee the rest of the build, to help with the layout of the kitchen," he says, his eyes thankfully remaining on my resume.
I nod, feeling stupid as I know he can't see me.
Raising his eyes back to mine, he continues, "The restaurant and inn is a new venture for me. I only know what being a winemaker entails. I will need to learn a lot from you to run this place but in return I’m sure you can learn a lot from me about the winemaking process, if you are interested."
Nodding, excitement bubbling up despite my over-reaction to him, I respond with a wide, falsely confident smile, "I’m sure we will work well together."
With his eyes running over my face one more time in speculation, he says quietly, "I’m sure we will."
His quiet words instinctively cause my nipples to swell.
I feel a blush start and I silently will it away.
What is it about this man that makes every word he murmurs seem sexual? - I silently berate myself.
"Ms. Ivany, I would like to propose for you to start in four and a half weeks’ time. I believe the salary was already discussed in the phone interview?" he inquires, his tone moving from the quiet, observant and speculative tone from only a few moments ago to purely business.
Nodding, with his business tone putting me at ease, I allow the excitement to secretly flow through me, as I respond in an equally professional tone, "Yes, the salary was discussed and I’m certainly available to start then."
"If you need help in finding somewhere to stay, Martha can help you out. She seems to know everyone in the area," he says as he stands, effectively ending the interview.
Shooting to my feet, I nod enthusiastically, and reach forward to grasp his hand. As his hand envelopes mine once again, we lock eyes across his desk.
I feel a pull to him unlike any I have ever experienced.
It's indescribable.
It’s startling.
It’s forbidden – I silently warn myself.
Slowly withdrawing my hand from his, I mentally scold myself to maintain a distance between us. As of only a few short minutes ago, he's now my new employer, meaning hands off. I have never become romantically involved with anyone in the workplace and I wasn’t about to start now.
Especially with my boss.
No matter how sexually sensual he was.
Clearing my throat, I reply, "I will be looking forward to returning in four and a half weeks."
He nods, his eyes back to scanning me yet again, once again speculative but this time I see something that I can’t describe in his gaze.
Turning quickly, wanting to break away from his speculative gaze, I say over my shoulder as I open the door, "Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Reid. You won't be disappointed."
"I'm pretty sure I won't be," is his quiet reply, causing heat to flood between my legs.
As I shut the door behind me, I whisper a quick, "Thank you," to the higher being as relief flows through me that the interview is over. I don't know how much more I could have handled of Mr. Reid and his sexy, probing eyes.
Just how are you going to handle working with him? - my mind silently teases me. Giving my head a gentle shake, chalking up my response as normal to such a beautiful man, I descend the stairs to where Martha greets me.
“I’m thinking from the smile on your face that it went well?” she asks, her gaze one of genuine happiness for me even though I’m a stranger. It’s one of the things that I like about small towns. The people are always so open, friendly and welcoming.
Smiling widely in response, I reply excitedly, "He hired me!"
The smile spreads wider across her friendly face as she says, "Wow. Congratulations Emma! Lucas always knows right away what he is looking for so consider that a compliment that he hired you so quickly."
Beaming, I say, "Thank you! I really can't wait to get started. He told me to ask you for suggestions on finding a place to stay."
Excitement fills her eyes as she replies, "I think I may have the perfect spot for you. It’s a cottage, so it’s small, but clean. Lucas used to stay there before he built his new home. I can take you there now if you want to have a look before you head back."
Nodding excitedly, but not wanting to take her away from her work, I ask, "Are you sure you have time now?"
Without hesitation, Martha nods. She follows me to my car and the short drive is filled with her chatter about the area, interrupted at times with directions to the cottage.
As I turn down a dirt road, Martha says, "This is the road to Lucas's house as well. The cottage is just before his.”
Nodding, full of excitement, I ask, "I have a small dog. Is it okay that she stays here?"
"Oh! We love animals! Your dog is more than welcome!" she responds excitedly.
I want to pinch myself. Things are working out so smoothly, like this is meant to be the next step in my life.
The next step before I fulfill my life-long dream of living and opening my own restaurant in LA, - I silently reassure myself. I have been saving and working steadily towards that goal since the day I knew what I wanted to do at the tender age of sixteen.
Owning and operating a restaurant is in my blood. Doing that in sunny LA where the sun shines most days, meeting international celebrities has always appealed to me. This job here at Reid Vineyards, gaining the knowledge and experience of building something from the ground up, is just what I need before the next step.
"Turn here," Martha interrupts my musing.
Pulling into a small driveway, I see a small structure that looks to be a cottage. The vines completely surround it and I know it's perfect before I even look inside.
Turning to Martha excitedly, I joke, "If it’s clean on the inside, I’m already up for taking it. "
She chuckles in pleasure before she gets out of the car. Grabbing my black Sketchers from the back seat, I slip off my high heels and replace them. Spreading my toes, enjoying the space in the comfortable shoes, I explore the surrounding grounds and cottage.
My instinct was right. The cottage is perfect for me. With one bedroom, one bathroom with a soaker tub, fully furnished in modern furniture that I love upon first sight, along with an open concept kitchen and living room that has been updated with all the modern amenities and conveniences, it will be easy to keep clean.
"What's the rent?" I ask, hopeful I can afford this little piece of heaven.
"We just listed it for $1000 per month but since you are now staff, your rate is $600," she offers, beaming.
My eyes widen at the rate. I’m used to the inflated rental rates of Toronto.
"Are you sure?" I ask.
Nodding her head, Martha replies reassuringly, "Lucas doesn't want to deal with renters. He stipulated that if an employee wanted to rent it, to let it go for $600."
"Then I'll definitely take it!" I state again enthusiastically.
Martha laughs and I ask her if I can take some pictures.
Once done, we head back to my car to drop her back to the restaurant.
"Would you like to have a tour of the restaurant and inn before you go?" she asks, as I pull into the parking lot.
"I would love to!" I respond eagerly.
As Martha shows me around the building for the restaurant, I relax and start to feel in my element. Running a restaurant is like breathing to me.
It's deep in my blood.
And I can already envision the layout of the kitchen, the tables set and ready for service.
After the restaurant tour, she shows me each of the twelve rooms at the inn. Each room takes advantage of the view of the vineyard with a patio door off each, leading to small decks which overlook the vineyard. It's spectacular and my head immediately fills again with images for the décor.
"Mr. Reid has a beautiful property. I read that his family is from New Zealand. They moved here before he was born?" I ask, wanting to know more about the enigmatic man behind the desk.
Nodding, with a smile of fondness crossing her face, Martha replies, "Yes, his family originated from New Zealand. His grandparents had a winery there but Mr. and Mrs. Reid wanted to start their own so they decided to move here after vacationing here and falling in love with the area. It wasn’t easy for them. They struggled and almost lost the winery when Lucas was eighteen. He had been prepared to go to business school but decided last minute to stay here and take over. It was a good decision for everyone. Everything you now see, other than these first thirty rows of vines, Lucas planted and built. His determination and hard work is paying off. Last year he built his parents a home not too far from here along with his own. I think tearing down that drafty old home where he grew up gave him a new zest for life. That's when he decided to branch out into building a restaurant and inn. He has accomplished much in the past ten years."
I can see the admiration and proudness for Lucas written clearly on her face.
"He has accomplished a lot," I reply in agreement.
"You will be a great addition, Emma. I can already tell," she replies quietly.
I flush and say, "Thank you."
With my mind running rampant with ideas of how to promote this place, dinners to be planned, ways to make people feel special when they stay with us, I climb in my car after saying goodbye to Martha.
The ideas and the excitement continue throughout my ride home.
Meeting with my current employer the next day to give my written, as well as verbal notice, they offer a pay raise to try to keep me but what they don't seem to understand is that they can't offer me what I need at this point in my life. After viewing Reid Vineyards, I’m looking forward to the sun, the open space and the call of a new challenge. To help build something from the ground up was exciting to me and something I needed to add to my resume.
I made the decision to leave my home and my parents several years ago to pursue my dreams of opening a restaurant in LA. Helping Reid Vineyards to establish a new restaurant and inn would go a long way in adding on to my knowledge and experience, putting me one step closer to it.
And as the time passes in my current position back in Toronto, I feel my excitement mount even higher.
On the day that I’m leaving my apartment for the last time after having loaded my car with my few possessions, I lift my pug, Quinella, into my arms and squeeze her tight as I whisper, "We’re off to a new adventure." Placing a kiss on the top of her head, I shut the door to my rented apartment behind me for the last time, never once doubting my decision.
Chapter 2