You Had Me at Merlot [ Chaennie ]

Chapter 12: I Don't Hate You

I own part of a small business.

Roseanne blinked at the fresh ink on the paperwork in front of her. After Jennie had accepted her offer to move forward with a partnership, Roseanne could hardly believe it. She woke up the next morning energized about the news, imagining the new Bordeauxnuts, this cozy oasis from the hustle and bustle of the city. Something she helped establish.

They'd worked out the details with their attorneys, giving Jennie creative control and controlling ownership. Roseanne would finance the lion's share of the project and serve as a consultant on an as-needed basis. They were in this together but, at the same time, not, which was why they had decided to meet the week before the signing.

"I just want to make sure we're both on the same page," Jennie had said at their meeting, looking entirely professional. They'd chosen a hotel restaurant halfway between Roseanne's office and Bordeauxnuts to have a serious conversation and go over Jennie's estimates. She'd done her homework and presented her business plan with a few adjustments for the retail space she had her eye on in Hell's Kitchen. Her smile was gone, and her eyebrows were drawn down, making her look like a more serious version of the Jennie she'd known previously.

"We are. You're in charge. I take a back seat."

"I understand that you want to protect your investment. Who wouldn't?" Jennie offered a hint of a smile. "I need to know that you trust me in the grand scheme."

Jennie wasn't taking the meeting or the investment lightly, to her credit. Out of respect, Roseanne tried not to notice how pretty she looked or the way she smelled of cotton candy. Yet she'd taken in both details. Jennie had changed out of her work clothes and wore gray slacks and a white dress shirt, looking crisp and sophisticated. That was the thing about Jennie. Just when Roseanne thought she had her figured out, Jennie would show off another side of herself, another look, another brand of smile, and completely hook Roseanne all over again. And the most surprising part? Jennie didn't even seem to know she was doing it.

"I know you're good at what you do," Roseanne said. "That's why I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity when I saw it. I have money to invest, and I'd like to see it go to work on something...that makes life a little brighter." She shrugged, feeling a tad self-conscious. "That's what Bordeauxnuts did for me once upon a time."

That seemed to give Jennie pause. She opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again as if she couldn't resist. "Did it really? To this day, I don't know how much from back then was real and how much was part of the act." She looked down at the table. The flash of vulnerability slashed Roseanne like a cool blade.

She sighed because she'd been the one to inspire doubt, and it was up to her to undo the damage one section of debris at a time. "Any affection I showed for the bar was one hundred percent genuine. In fact, the research I did for Livingston's made me love it all the more." She added a shaky laugh. "I liked it so much, I'm buying a slice."

Jennie raised her gaze along with a soft smile. "Good point. So, you must like the place." A beat. "Or me." They stared at each other, and Jennie's cheeks slowly shaded red. "I meant as a manager. Of the store." She cleared her throat. "And wine selection. We haven't talked about that. I've always gone where the water is warm. I have a distributor who visits, and we taste. You could always swing by on those days."

"I never turn down a wine tasting."

"Smart woman."

"I like your business plan. I actually spent a lot of time with it last night. You know what you're doing."

"I very much do." Okay, the rock-solid business confidence and the way Jennie eased a strand of hair behind her ear shortly after the statement were both sexy.

She ignored the thought. "Shall I have my attorneys draw up an agreement?"

"Yours are probably better equipped," Jennie said. "But I'd like Hank, my guy, to look it over when they're finished."

"That can be arranged." They'd ordered coffees on arrival, but this felt like an important moment. "Shall we have a drink and celebrate?"

Jennie held up a finger. "No. Drinking with you isn't the best idea."

Oh, now that was a stone Roseanne could not leave unturned. "Because..."

"Nothing's changed between us personally."

"Oh." A pause. "Understood."

"And I need to make it clear that just because we have found a way to work well together doesn't mean I've forgiven you." She placed a hand over her heart and the implication was clear.

"Your heart hasn't." She searched Jennie's face. "Do you think it might someday?" It was a bold question, and the state of her own heart hung in the balance.

"No. Roseanne, not in the way you're asking. You lied to my face moments after we..."