You Had Me at Merlot [ Chaennie ]

Chapter 16: You're Holding A Grudge.

"I want to put little Santa hats on the doughnuts."

Roseanne paused from her spot on the top rung of the ladder, a string of holiday lights in hand. Jennie had invited her to help decorate Bordeauxnuts Too and dangled free merlot like a carrot on a wine bottle. "That sentence is hard to decode. Do you mean literally? That sounds intense. You'd need small hands."

Jennie placed one of hers on her hip, looking adorable in her Santa hat. Christmas was exactly one month away, and she'd been actively bouncing all her holiday ideas off Roseanne via text. In fact, they talked most of the day lately. Every time she had a break in the course of her workday, she checked her phone for Jennie, getting a little hit of dopamine when there was a message waiting.

The week before she'd glanced at her phone to find, Marlene told me that Edward might be moving in.

Roseanne typed back, smile on her face, Oh, so that means...

I need to invest in an industrial sized box of ear plugs or go to Sexyland with them on nights beyond just Thursday.

Roseanne laughed loudly, and Ashley appeared in the doorway of her office. "Someone's got your attention. It's Jennie, isn't it? You don't even have to say. No one makes you laugh like that."

"It's a whole thing with her neighbor."

"It's a whole thing, all right," Ashley had said with confidence.

She'd gone back to work that day, but lighter. Each moment of connection with Jennie seemed to do that for her, and she was wildly aware of how lucky she was to have Jennie back in her life.

"A little to the right on those lights," Jennie said, hands on hips at the base of the ladder.

"Like this?" Roseanne pulled the lights a tad tighter.

"You might have to stretch onto your tippy toes. Use that height of yours."

"Bossy down there. Where's that wine I was promised? I might have to strike."

Jennie laughed quietly. "Coming right up. I actually set this bottle aside because I thought you'd like it."

"In that case, I take back the bossy comment."

"Wise."

"More like opportunistic." Roseanne enjoyed the give-and-take, their lighthearted quips. They'd developed a them over the past few months. Guards were coming down, and they'd found a comfortable, safe rhythm.

Roseanne finished the lights and descended the ladder to an oversized wineglass, filled with Jennie's wine pick. "What are we toasting to?"

"The new season." It had a double meaning, and they both knew it.

Roseanne lifted her glass. "To the new season." She swirled, inhaled, and tasted. "First of all, I love the new oversized glasses."

"Yeah? The customers seem to, as well. Marjorie is jealous. No idea how she heard about them. I'm convinced she has underground channels."

"Never underestimate a retired schoolteacher. They've developed resources we can only dream about." She held up the glass. "This is really good. It's got legs, too."

Jennie grinned. "Told you it was up your alley. Fruity on the front, dry finish."

"My jam." She cradled her glass. "You can one hundred percent say no, but I have an extra ticket to The Nutcrackerat Lincoln Center next week. I have no clue if it's your thing at all, but I wouldn't mind the company." For the first time, she didn't feel the need to explain that the invitation was platonic in nature. They'd seen enough of each other lately that the understanding coated everything. "I think the tickets are for next Tuesday at—"

"I'm in. I love the ballet. I've been a handful of times and can't wrap my mind around how those dancers manage to make me feel what they do."

Roseanne's heart went soft. "Yeah. That's the perfect way to describe it." She should have known Jennie would appreciate the art form. "I'm always so moved by the artistry, and The Nutcracker has become a holiday tradition for me. I took Courtney last year, but she's not in town this go-round. I was hoping to not go alone."

"You're not, but only on the condition that you let me buy dinner. I'm sure you know more uptown haunts."

"Wait. Not a single reference to money or snobbery?"

Jennie touched her chest in offense. "Me? I would never. Not to the person who just offered me a ticket."

"Wise."

She flashed a dazzling smile that made Roseanne's heart sing. "Or just opportunistic."

Roseanne hired Robin that next Tuesday night and pulled up to Jennie's building just as she exited in a beautiful turquoise sweater dress and heels. Her hair was up, showing off the column of her neck and the diamond studded hoop earrings she wore. She touched them as she slid into the car. "My entire inheritance from my grandmother."

"They look fantastic."

"You do, too," Jennie said, beaming. "We're fancy people tonight." A pause. "You're fancy all the time, but tonight, me too."

"Stick with me, kid." She offered a wink to convey the lightheartedness of her comment, and they were off. An hour later, with champagne flutes in hand, they watched as the New York City Ballet transported them to a magical world of nutcrackers, sugarplum fairies, mouse kings, all seen through the eyes of a child. Midway through the performance, Jennie snuggled up to Roseanne's arm and passed her a smile. It was a moment between them that she would treasure.

Roseanne had been able to snag them reservations after the show at Bad Roman, and from the corner of the restaurant, they excitedly talked over their impressions of the show.

Jennie rested her chin in her hand. "What's interesting to me is that you're in tune to all the little details. The set, the costumes, the choreography, and I lose myself in the emotion, the story."

"I love that, though, because I get to hear about the experience from your perspective and enjoy the show in this whole new sense."

"We might just be compatible theatre goers." Jennie glanced behind her. "I don't mean to interrupt our flow, but there's a woman who keeps shooting glances your way, and she's on her way over."

"What does she look like?"

"Tall. Dark curly hair. Black. Gorgeous. Wow."

"Helen," Roseanne said, following Jennie's gaze to see Helen Sloane approaching. Two dates, a few follow-up texts, and then they'd kind of drifted. Helen was nice enough, though. Roseanne just hadn't been in a place to take it any farther. She smiled as Helen got close, stood, and offered her a hug. "Helen. Good to see you."

"I thought that was you, but I didn't want to interrupt. It looked like a fantastic conversation." Helen smiled at Jennie. "Helen Sloane. Roseanne's a friend." It was kind of Helen to not announce they'd dated, given she didn't know Jennie or their status. She got points for that.

"Jennie Kim. Hi. We were tossing around our impressions of The Nutcracker. We just came from the show."

"Jennie just opened a coffee and wine bar in Hell's Kitchen, and I invested in her talent and know-how."

Helen nodded enthusiastically. "Sold. I love both."

"My kind of customer."

"Anyway. I was happy to see you and wanted to say hello. Glad you enjoyed the show. I remember those days all too well. Stiff ankles to show for it. Enjoy your night."

"And who is she exactly?" Jennie asked, as they settled back into their chairs just as dessert menus were delivered.

"Helen and I met through a mutual friend. Coincidentally, she used to dance with the New York City Ballet."

"Impressive."