Murder By the Glass Read online

  “Really?” She smiled. This might be interesting to play out for a minute. “I turned my machine down and didn’t answer it because I was busy.”

  “Obviously.” He looked away from her.

  Okay, she was going to tell him the truth, but it sure made it a helluva lot more fun to take a different path in getting there. “I had a nice wine tonight.”

  “Did you? I suppose it was one of Spaniard’s Crest’s,” he said, mentioning by name the winery Andrés made wines for.

  “Actually, no. It was a Sonoma wine. I know, call me a traitor, but it was damn good.”

  He laughed. “Please. You know me; I think we should drink wines from all over, not just here in Napa or from this vineyard. Although we do make the best.” He grinned at her.

  “Going to be quite a wedding next week in Sonoma over at the Waltman Estate.” Nikki shifted on the log, and fiddled with the silver bangle bracelet decorating her wrist. Another one of Aunt Cara’s gifts from Europe.

  “Apparently so. I’ve been contemplating going. I suppose I have to. I sent in my reply card awhile back.”

  “It should be a good time.” If she didn’t know better she would’ve sworn he mumbled something about how much fun could a wedding be, going alone. “What? Did you say something?”

  “No.” Derek picked up a stick and tossed it out across the pond for Ollie who leaped to his feet and charged for the prize. “How’s Andrés?”

  “I suppose he’s fine. The last time I saw him, he seemed good.”

  “Didn’t you see him tonight?”

  She stifled a smile. “Actually no. Isabel is over. In fact, she’s staying the night. We shared a couple of bottles of wine and she drank a wee bit more than me. She’s had a rough week.”

  “Isn’t that Andrés’ jeep in front of your place?”

  She nodded. “Isabel needed it because her car is in the body shop. Remember? I told you that someone backed into her in the parking lot at Grapes.”

  “That’s right, you did.” He snapped his finger and pointed at her. He sighed. Ollie came bounding back and dropped the stick at his feet. He tossed it again. This time the stick landed in the middle of the pond and Ollie, with all of his enthusiasm, dove into the water. They both laughed, and the tension between them floated out into the air. “You know, I’ve known Kristof Waltman and his family forever, and even though I’m not too keen on weddings, it would be disrespectful of me not to go.”

  “Yes, that’s probably true.”

  “But I don’t really want to go alone.” Ollie flew out of the water and came up to them, shaking pond water all over both of them.

  “Ollie,” Nikki hollered. Not that she was wearing her best outfit, but that cold water sent a chill through her white knit sweater and to her flesh, causing it to prickle. She slapped her arms in front of her, but the look on Derek’s face said that he might have seen just how cold she was.

  “You crazy dog,” Derek said, and took off his sweatshirt, handing it to Nikki. It was hard not to notice that he wore a tight T-shirt underneath that flattered his abs, and pecs, and biceps, all of those areas that could make a woman weak in the knees. “Put this on. I’ll walk you back to your place.”

  They made it to her porch and she started to take off the sweatshirt.

  “Give it back to me tomorrow.”

  “Thanks. I’d invite you in for tea or hot chocolate, but Isabel . . .”

  “I understand. You better get inside and warm up.”

  “Right.” She started to open her front door, when Derek caught her arm.

  “I almost forgot with the dog getting us all wet and everything.” He glanced around. Ollie looked up at him expectantly. “But uh, I don’t really want to go alone to the wedding. Would you like to come with me?”

  Nikki felt her lips move, she was certain her brain registered and the vocal chords worked, but what she said sounded inaudible to her. Like a distant echo and as if it came from someone else’s voice, but she knew she’d said “yes” as she closed the door behind Derek, forgetting what she’d told Isabel earlier that evening about unrequited love.

  Ahi Poke with Kenwood’s Reserve

  Sauvignon Blanc

  When the blues hit, and that man you thought was the man of all men disappoints, call up your best pal, get together, and make up some yummy Ahi Poke. Not only is it tasty, it also treats that waistline gently so that the next time you see the fool, you’ll be five pounds thinner and a helluva lot smarter for hanging with a friend whom you can always count on to drown your sorrows with. Nikki would recommend drowning those sorrows with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. One to try is Kenwood’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc. This delicious white is fruity, with peach, vanilla, and a touch of grass.

  Eat like it’s buffet style and drink the good white. You’ll forget the loser in no time.

  Ahi Poke is a Hawaiian treat. You’ll find it at most Luaus. Everyone has their own version. This one is easy and not as traditional, simply for the ease of it as some of the traditional ingredients can be difficult to come by.

  Serves 2-3 (depending on how big the eaters or

  how brokenhearted those involved are)

  1 lb sashimi-grade yellowfin ahi or aku

  1 tbsp chopped red onion

  1 tbsp chives

  Juice squeezed from one lime

  1 tsp crushed garlic

  Sesame oil to taste (anywhere from 1-2 tbsp)

  1 tsp sesame seeds

  1 tbsp teriyaki or, for less of a sweet flavor, use soy

  sauce

  Cut ahi into small cubes. Blend all the ingredients together and refrigerate. Give it at least an hour. This is a fun recipe to scoop into martini glasses and eat as an appetizer or first course.

  Now if you do not like raw fish, you can still use this recipe. Instead of eating it raw, sautée it as your main dish. Let the marinade sit for an hour and then heat pan with olive oil, toss in the ahi mixture when hot, and while continuously mixing, cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on how you like your fish. Ahi is meant to be at least pink inside. If you make the recipe this way, you will not need to purchase sashimi-grade ahi. Grill grade will do just fine.

  Chapter 2

  Nikki grabbed Isabel’s arm from across the bar counter as Kristof Waltman’s bride-to-be’s cackling turned heads inside the restaurant. The very thin, very long-legged Susan Jennings sauntered into the quaint but swanky new place in town. Her wavy pale blonde locks swung with her every step. The friend at her side worked the room with her. Both of the women possessed ivory skin of perfection. However, the future bride was the light pale one with ice-green eyes, while her friend sported dark brunette waves and brown eyes.

  “It’s almost as good as watching Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie slinking on in,” Nikki said. “That is, if they were still slinking together.”

  The patrons eating lunch at Grapes, located in Yountville, couldn’t take their eyes off what could only be classified as the spectacle of Susan Jennings, soon to be Susan Waltman, and her counterpart, Pamela Leiland, a one-time Victoria’s Secret model.

  Nikki had come by to eat lunch and more important, to check on Isabel, knowing that she’d be doing last-minute preparations for tomorrow’s big event. It looked like she’d made a wise decision. Isabel needed as much moral support as she could get because, as Nikki suspected, her friend was a wreck. Moments before the boobsy twins arrived, Isabel had gone into the kitchen to order a turkey burger with sweet and spicy jalapeño sauce for Nikki. To add to the support system, Nikki took it upon herself to call Andrés and insist he come down to the restaurant and comfort his younger sibling. He still hadn’t arrived when Susan and Pamela showed up.

  The hostess seated the two women at a table on the patio. It didn’t take long before Susan Jennings was requesting to speak with Isabel.

  Nikki winked at her. “Don’t let it or her get to you. Kristof Waltman doesn’t deserve someone as sweet as you. Keep your guard up out there with her. She’s a barracuda.
”

  Isabel nodded, pulled her petite frame to its full stature of five feet, two inches and headed to the patio. Nikki spotted an open table close by, between the open glass partition and the patio. She could easily move and probably overhear their conversation without them knowing. A protective urge for her friend took over. If Isabel needed some assistance, then she’d have to jump in. Maybe scratch Susan’s eyes out. This could get dangerous.

  Nikki took her Diet Coke and moved to the table. Sure enough, as she expected, Susan’s perfectly lined and painted lips were moving a mile a minute before Nikki even sat down.

  “Here’s the problem that you’re not understanding, Isabel. Marty, Kristof ’s father, doesn’t care for mushrooms. So, although I know the mushroom dumplings I sampled are absolutely divine, like all of your food, we just can’t have them.” Susan shook her head vehemently. “Can not, can not have them. Okay? Let’s get on the same page here.”

  “Ms. Jennings, they are only one of several selections of appetizers. Not everyone care for the mushrooms, so that is why I suggest to you, the sampler plate you choose.”

  Nikki knew that when Isabel grew nervous she had a more difficult time than normal with the English language, and she could tell her friend was struggling.

  “I understand that, but you see, my future father-in-law has generously put in quite a bit of money for this event, and it’s important we do the right thing by him.”

  Nikki shifted in her chair. She’d met Marty Waltman and he didn’t strike her as the pompous, finicky type. Did Susan know about Isabel and Kristof? Was this a power trip for her? Or was it simply her way, to be mean and abusive to people she obviously considered beneath her? Nikki cringed, because she knew exactly how it felt to be Isabel at that moment.

  Susan carried on as the waiter set down Nikki’s burger. “I’d like oysters of some type. I think they would be such a nice addition, considering it is a wedding, and you know oysters are supposed to be an aphrodisiac.”

  Nikki choked on her burger, and took a swig of her soda.

  Isabel visibly shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Ms. Jennings, it would be impossible to find that many oysters for a wedding reception of five hundred people at a late hour such as this.” She smiled sweetly at her.

  Nikki felt for her, but she was doing a good job dealing with the bitch.

  “We have no more than a day,” Isabel continued. “I do not think that if I called all of my contacts in San Francisco they could do this. You must understand. Someone would have to package them and drive them the sixty miles out here, and then I would still have to make preparations for them. It would be quite a difficult task.” Isabel crossed her arms in front of her.

  “Susan, she’s right. Try to be reasonable here,” Pamela interrupted.

  “Fine. Fine. So no oysters. But no mushrooms either.” She wagged a finger at her. “Isabel, you need to come up with an alternative. Charge more, or whatever you need to do. Why don’t you work something up for me and give me the price difference while we eat our lunches. Present it to me before we leave. And, we are in a bit of a hurry. I have to check with the florist still, and then get my nails and hair done for the rehearsal dinner and festivities. It’s good that you’re only doing the reception, and not tonight’s dinner. I’m not sure you could handle them both.”

  Isabel remained cool and patient, keeping a smile on her face the entire time. Nikki knew her friend had to be boiling inside, because she was about to get up herself and go all prizefighter on Susan Jennings.

  Isabel turned to walk into the interior of the restaurant, and as if on cue, Susan called after her. “By the way, Isabel, in case you would like to take our order, I need you to bring us a bottle of your best champagne. This is all about celebrating, isn’t it? We’ll start with the Gorgonzola and endive salad. The one with the strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. Leave out any garlic though. I don’t want any bad breath. I do have a groom to kiss.”

  Isabel turned back toward the table and nodded. “I will be right back.”

  Nikki saw Isabel bite the corner of her lip as she walked back into the restaurant and headed to the kitchen without even glancing her way. Lo and behold, with impeccable timing, Nikki also noticed a disheveled but gorgeous Andrés enter the restaurant at that moment. His gray T-shirt with a dirt smudge across the front of it made him that much more endearing. By the looks of him, she’d reached him while he was out in the vineyard. He spotted Nikki first and came over to her table, and sitting down across from her, he asked, “What’s the problem?” She nodded her head in Susan’s direction. “Oh, no. Has that woman been bothering my sister again?”

  “You could say that,” Nikki replied.

  “I don’t understand her. Isabel has worked hard to pull this wedding off for her and she keeps coming back for more and more changes. She’s a bitch.”

  “I’ll second that.”

  “What I really don’t understand, is why Isabel allows her to get to her so. That’s not her usual way. My sister has never been one to let anyone boss her around, not even our mother.” Andrés made the sign of the cross against his chest. “My baby sister is a fighter. You’ve seen her pull this restaurant off and make a name for her business in a short time, even though she’s an outsider. Why Isabel would let that nasty woman get to her is beyond me. It’s not at all like her.”

  Andrés didn’t know about Isabel and Kristof ’s fling. Nikki read it in his eyes and could tell by his words. Had he known about Kristof and Isabel, he would’ve understood completely why his sister reacted the way she did to Susan. Furthermore, Nikki found herself convinced that Susan Jennings did indeed know about what had occurred between her fiancé and Isabel.

  “I don’t know either, Andrés.” It wasn’t her place to tell Isabel’s brother about his sister’s relationships. “What I do know is that Susan Jennings does get to your sister, or at least her unrealistic expectations and harassments do, and she needs your support right now.”

  “Where is she?”

  “In the back, retrieving a bottle of champagne for them.”

  He stood. “Thank you.” He took Nikki’s hand and kissed it.

  Soft, powerful lips. Wow. Nice. Very, very nice. Nikki did like the romance and affectations that came along with Andrés Fernandez. It was his way. She’d known when he sat down across from her moments before that at some point he would make the exact gesture he’d just made. She’d anticipated it because every time they met it was the same. He was indeed a lady’s man, although completely unintentionally. It came naturally to Andrés. She watched him walk back to the kitchen and then bring out the champagne for the ladies on the patio.

  “Ladies,” he said in his Spanish accent. “I believe this is for you. I’m Andrés Fernandez, and I’ve heard all about your pending nuptials, Ms. Jennings. I wanted to come over and congratulate you myself.”

  Both women’s eyes rested on the man before them. Nikki laughed, because she knew that even with the dirt smudged across his shirt that he’d shut down Susan Jennings with his charm and good looks. Pamela Leiland batted her long lashes at him and Nikki thought she might lose her lunch for the second time that afternoon.

  Isabel came out and sat down across from Nikki. “You did not have to call my brother. I am a big girl, you know.”

  “I’m sorry. I thought some big-brother support was what you needed.”

  Isabel smiled. “Thank you. I suppose he is what I need right now, as you are, too. You are a good friend.”

  “Looks like he’s tamed her for the moment. What are you going to do about the change she wants?”

  “You heard all of that?” Nikki nodded. “I am crossing my fingers she will be willing to do a simple prosciutto wrap with balsamic dipping oil. It does nicely to pair it with the champagne like the other appetizers and it is easy. And, as a Spaniard, I have to ask you how many people dislike thin ham slices wrapped around green beans and Parmesan? If this country is like my own, then the ham will be
a good choice. Every street corner in Madrid has a tienda de jamón. A ham store.”

  “Sounds like a winner. Ham does notoriously well here, too, especially at feasts, which it sounds like this event will be.”

  “Indeed.” Isabel stood up as Andrés walked back inside. “I am going to get this over with.”

  “I took their order. I’ll deal with it,” he told her, walking on past them.

  Isabel watched her brother take the order back to the kitchen. “He is too good to me. I know he has much work to do at the winery, but he is right here helping me.” Her eyes brimmed with tears.

  “That’s what family is for,” Nikki replied. She thought about her own family back in the hills of Tennessee. None of them would ever be there for her, not in the way that Isabel and Andrés were for each other. The only way any of her numerous siblings or her mother might even show up is if they found out that Nikki was doing pretty well for herself. The only one of her family who was ever there for her was her aunt, and she was now thousands of miles away. She sighed heavily and wiped any remnants of lunch from the corners of her lips with her napkin.