The next day, Chloe was at the local H-E-B grocery store picking up a few items for her lunch when she felt her phone buzz in the pocket of her jeans.
She answered immediately, “Hey, Chase.” Most of the guys her age loved to text, but she liked the fact that Chase preferred talking over the phone or in person.
“How’s your day? Whatcha doin?” he asked in an easy manner.
Chloe was eyeing the sushi rolls in the large prepared food section. “Just trying to decide on whether to get a Dragon roll or California.”
“Dude, get both. Hey, you wanna meet up for lunch?” he asked.
Chloe thought for a second. “How about you meet me here at H-E-B? We can grab a seat outside at the picnic table.”
“Sweet. Grab me whatever you get, and I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He hung up. She loved how easy he was with everything. No drama, just good vibes. Chloe picked up a combo roll, and then grabbed them two waters before heading to the checkout.
It was bright and already warm outside when she made her way to the red table. She saw his tall lanky frame and waved. He smiled big, his hair was even brighter in the sun.
She stood up, and he gave her a big solid hug before pulling away. Chloe tingled a bit and looked around her to see if anyone was watching. Part of her wanted the world to see this cute guy hanging out with her. But the other part was wary of them being caught, so she slid down into her seat and tried to be inconspicuous.
“This is awesome. What do I owe you?” He made a move for his pants pocket while Chloe shook her head grinning.
“Nothing. It’s on me today.”
They poured soy sauce over their rolls and dug in, savoring the first few bites of salty fresh goodness.
“Anything new?” Chloe asked after swallowing a big bite.
Chase nodded. “My dad said he heard someone tampered with the equipment at the production facility.”
Chloe’s eyes grew wide. “What?”
“Yeah, they were running the machine to put the labels on their bottles and it stopped working.” Chase raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know how any of this works, but like, dude, they have to wait until it’s fixed before they can get those bottles ready to sell.”
Chloe was thoughtful for a moment. “So, you mean the bottles of wine your dad imported from outside of Texas?”
Chase nodded, “Yeah, he ships them here and then runs them through the machine to put our tasting room labels on.”
Chloe wondered if it was a coincidence, or possibly something more. She took another bite as Chase continued. “Can you believe it’s almost the end of summer and I haven’t even gotten to see any of the vineyards for real,” he said, running his hand through his thick hair.
Chloe had an idea. “Hey! Dennis is in Lubbock right now, so we could totally go to his vineyard and I can show you around.” She realized with Dennis being away, her secret would still be safe. “Besides, I’m staying over with my dad so I can get more photography done. I’d love to get some great sunset shots of the merlot grapes before harvest.”
“That would be awesome!” Chase perked up.
“How about we meet back here an hour before sunset, like 7:30? I’ll drive us out there.” She grinned as she finished up her lunch and started to gather up her trash.
He helped her put the rest in the trashcan and gave her a quick hug before heading to his car. “See ya later!”
She put on her sunglasses and waved as she made her way to hers. Chloe was excited about getting some great shots of the vineyard, and get to spend more time with Chase. It was almost perfect.