You Had Me at Merlot [ Chaennie ]

Chapter 1: I Have a Very Good Memory

Roseanne Park arrived at her desk on the fourteenth floor of Livingston's corporate office in Midtown just before eight a.m. She had a cup of coffee in hand, but it wasn't nearly as good as the latte she'd enjoyed from Bordeauxnuts in Chelsea, which definitely stood out from the coffee pack. She'd be back there soon enough. For now, she'd have to just remember it fondly and deal with the less than perfect latte she had instead.

"Little something for you on your desk," her assistant, Ashley, told her in an overly sweet voice when she arrived. Roseanne set Ashley's toffee nut mocha on her desk and frowned. "And I'm sorry."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes."

Sitting smack in the middle of her desk was an oversized bouquet of red roses in a box the shape of a giant R. The thing took up most of her desk. With trepidation, she read the card. She really hated rejecting anyone, but she and Harris Carter from accounting were not meant to be. He just wasn't getting the message, no matter how politely she dodged his texts, visits, and detailed emails about his day. Their lone date was over a month ago. Love is in the air this week, and I wanted to beat everyone to the punch. Want to go on a date with me? How 'bout we go to a Valentine's lunch? Love, Harris. She turned slowly to Ashley and stared. Hard.

"It rhymes," Ashley said conservatively. "We can say that for him. Bless the second grade and Harris Carter. He doesn't give up, does he?"

"What am I going to do?"

"We've been through this. You have to be straightforward. He usually swings by midmorning to see if you're in. You tell him that there can't be anything romantic between you and that you'll see him in the break room on the fourth floor."

Roseanne was confident in every aspect of her life, except when it came to hurting people's feelings. That part, she simply couldn't face.

After she'd agreed to go out with him, Harris had pursued her with a vigor she wasn't quite sure what to do with. The fact of the matter was, there was no chemistry. Harris was enthusiastic about, well, everything, which made telling him this was never going to work out feel like stepping on a happy little butterfly.

"Incoming," Ashley said, glancing behind her.

Roseanne straightened, preparing for the honesty battle she was determined to win against herself.

"Well, hello, hello," Harris said, stepping past Ashley and into her office, beaming. He wore a lot of brown, which was standard for him. Today, it was in the form of a dark beige suit jacket, white and brown tie, and pointy brown shoes. Even the tufts of hair on his head were brown. "What do we have here?" he asked in an overexaggerated tone reminiscent of a surprised kindergarten teacher. There was no way she could make out with a person who spoke that way half the time, even if he was incredibly nice.

"Well, someone sent me flowers," Roseanne said, holding up the card. "It was sweet of you, but you shouldn't have gone to the trouble."

"I thought a pre-Valentine's surprise would be even more of a shocker."

She tapped the card against her hand. "And it was." A pause. "I'm going to decline lunch, though, because as much as I like you, I don't want to give you the wrong impression."

"Well, we both have to eat," he said, clearly dodging the implication.

"Harris. You're great. So is your poetry. But I don't think we have a romantic connection." There. She'd done it. Honest and up-front.

He seemed to take this in. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I like you very much, but our connection is friendship based."

He slid his hands into his pockets and rocked forward. "You don't think about us when you fall asleep? I imagine our vacations. We seem like beach people."

"I've always kind of been a city girl. But no. I don't."

He looked like a kicked puppy. Why was honesty, when it came to matters of the heart, so difficult? "I suppose you can keep the flowers."

"Are you sure?"

"Hmm." He touched his chin, thoughtful. "Well, I suppose Valentine's Day isn't until tomorrow."

She saw where he was going. "They're yours if you want them."

His eyes lit up. "Rhea who manages the cafeteria is really pretty."

"And starts with R. There you go," Roseanne said, bypassing the thought of Rhea receiving recycled flowers, and trying to act as Harris's cheerleader. Maybe they would make Rhea's entire day.

"Do you think we could maybe not..."

"My lips are sealed," Roseanne told him, turning the lock in front of them. She made eye contact with Ashley just outside the door who did the same.

"I hope you have a great Valentine's, Roseanne, and find the love of your life."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I'll be flying solo tomorrow. Best wishes with Rhea."

"I hope she's not allergic to roses. I am."

"Okay, maybe not so close then," she said, pulling the large box away from his chest.

Once Harris floated away to the cafeteria, Roseanne turned to Ashley. "I'm not good at that."

"You battle toe-to-toe with executives on a daily basis, yet Harris tugs at your sentimental side."

"They're entirely different. Updates?"

"Yes." Ashley picked up her tablet and scrolled. "Bryce upped your project meeting to three. Apparently, they want to move faster on permits in Chelsea, so they want your reports expedited."

"I'll try. I visited the coffee-wine bar briefly. Bordeauxnuts. Cute name. But, as you know, I want to spend more time inside to get a true feel for the space and its potential."

"I let him know."

"I will say this. The interior looked to have a reusable design, especially if we're holding to the café on the back wall of the store as originally planned."

"Bryce will love it. So will your cousin."

"Courtney's good at the grand scheme. That's for sure." Her first cousin, Courtney Livingston, was the CEO and face of Livingston's Department Stores. A good egg. As the cousin with a different last name, Roseanne preferred to fly under the radar, keep her head down, and do her job. Only half the people who worked alongside her had put together her family connection, and that was just fine with her. She didn't feel the need to advertise.

"So if you're not going out with dear Harris, what are your Valentine's plans?"

"A glass of good wine alone at a bar before I head home and bury myself in work. Sounds ideal, no?"

"Sounds very Roseanne. I was just hoping for a new sexy leaf. Time to get you out from behind your desk and into the heart and sheets of someone special."

"Well, I am dating."

"Not enough. We need more. My boring married self is not getting enough vicarious action. Please work harder."

"Well, there's no one special enough for a Valentine's outing. Those kinds of dates are special."

"I'm gonna give you a pass. I love that you're secretly a romantic."