Murder By the Glass Read online

  “Want to try my new cheesecake?” Isabel asked before going over to Susan and Pamela’s table.

  “Yes, but no.”

  “Please. It is delicious and it would make me feel pleased if you would try it.”

  How could she resist a plea like that? “You’re terrible, Isabel. But for you, I’ll do it. But you know, I can’t say that my hips and thighs are going to like you anymore after this.”

  “Oh baby, it is not your body I’m after. I love you for your mind.”

  “Good thing, because my body is going to cellulite city at this rate. First a burger and now cheesecake. You’ll be the end of ever seeing me again in a bikini.”

  “Maybe, but you will never feel denied and that is what is most important.”

  After finishing her cheesecake, which was as delicious as Isabel promised, Nikki noticed that Susan and Pamela appeared to be done with their lunches. She kept her eye on her pal and the enemy as Isabel presented her solution to Susan whose face went taut. “I suppose that’ll be fine. If you’ll excuse me, I have to go to the restroom. Can you just add our lunch check to my reception bill?”

  “Certainly,” Isabel replied.

  Andrés came back out of the kitchen with a slice of cheesecake for himself and sat down across from Nikki. “It looked too delicioso to pass up,” he said, pointing to her now-emptied dessert plate. “You look good, too.”

  “Thanks.” Nikki knew the red was rising in her face, because her ears burned and when they burned it usually meant that her face matched them shade for shade.

  “You do. I like that color of shirt on you. It matches the green in your eyes. Did you lighten your hair or something?”

  “I did.” She’d visited the hairdresser only days earlier to try and return to the “natural” blonde highlights, which had faded as of late. Her once golden hair color had turned a shade too close to caramel, or more accurately, dirty blonde/mousy brown. “I trimmed it up too.” It now skimmed the top of her shoulders and was cut in a wispy fringe around her face to frame it. The stylist’s exact words were flirty and sexy. That sounded good.

  “It looks very pretty. I hear you’re going to the wedding with Derek. Isabel mentioned it.”

  “I am.”

  “Nice. I’ll be there, too, helping out Isabel with the wines and cooking. All of that. She’s going to need it. I’m hoping that all the staff shows up on time. I can’t imagine anyone needing to have so many people at a wedding. I wouldn’t find that special. It is more like a production. I’d rather have something more intimate, a few friends. Romantica . That would be the way I would want it.”

  “I know what you mean.” Nikki crossed and uncrossed her legs underneath the table.

  Susan broke the repartee between Andrés and Nikki, as her heels clicked upon Grape’s adobe tile floor, on her way to the restroom. Nikki turned to see Pamela handing Isabel a handful of cash and overheard her say, “I’ll take care of lunch. There’s no need to add it on to the reception bill. I’m sorry she’s behaving so badly. Pre-wedding jitters, I think.”

  Isabel thanked her. As Pamela and Susan left, Isabel pulled up a third chair at the table and sank into it. “Lunch is over. The real work starts now. I am not opening for dinner tonight. I have so much to do for tomorrow’s preparations.”

  “Do you need help?” Nikki asked.

  “No. I have a large staff arriving in about an hour. I have been doing work all week to get everything ready. I think I will be all right.”

  “If you need me, you know where to find me.”

  Nikki started to stand as Andrés held up his hand, got out of his chair and went around to hers, holding it out for her. He gave her a kiss on each cheek. She turned and hugged Isabel, then waved over her shoulder as she left.

  Getting behind the wheel of her silver Camry, Nikki saw Susan whip out in front of another car in her BMW 760. The driver, in a family wagon with a carload of kids, had to slam on the brakes, skidding as she did, frantically honking her horn at Susan. Nikki gasped and shook her head. Par for the course with this woman. She reflected on the way Susan treated Isabel, and it appeared to be that way with anyone who walked across her path. It did seem increasingly clear that Susan Jennings had a knack for making enemies.

  Jalapeño Burger

  with Ravenswoo d

  Merlot Sangiacomo

  When it comes to making a good turkey burger, it’s all about adding seasonings. There isn’t a better choice than jalapeño to turn up the heat, especially if you have a handsome Spaniard seated across from you. Then again, you probably wouldn’t need any spice—but sans hottie bullfighter, chop up the jalapeño and mix yourself up one tasty lunch. If it’s a middle of the week thing and you find you have to go back to work or take care of some little people, (you know, the kind who don’t think you have a life, other than serving them—that’s right, your children), then imbibing probably isn’t an option. Hell, maybe it is. However, if it’s say, a football Sunday or a rainy Saturday when you might want to pop in a Gipsy Kings’ CD and curl up with a good book, then, by all means open yourself a bottle of Ravenswood Merlot Sangiacomo. This wine is a delicious blend of summer fruits and earth flavors. It has a full, ripe flavor quality, making it a nice balance with dark plum, cherries, blackberries, tobacco, and spice. This wine will be even better with a year of aging. It’s bold enough for the burger and with a hint of sweetness, a delicious blend with the spicy jalapeño flavor.

  2 lbs ground beef or turkey

  Salt and pepper

  Bleu or feta cheese

  4 hamburger buns

  Tomato slices, onion slices, and lettuce as

  accompaniment

  1 clove garlic

  1⁄4 cup olive oil

  1⁄2 cup chopped jalapeño peppers

  1⁄2 cup yellow onion

  1⁄2 cup chopped cilantro

  1⁄2 cup balsamic vinegar

  2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

  11⁄2 cups sugar. You can supplement Splenda for a

  lower cal dish; however, read the sugar versus

  Splenda sweetness conversion on the label for

  accurate amounts

  21⁄2 cups water

  Salt

  Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan to medium-high. Sauté the peppers, onion and garlic until soft. Add the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and water, and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat until the mixture is thick and syrupy, about 30 minutes. Season with salt. Let cool, then transfer to a bowl, add the cilantro, and refrigerate until ready to use.

  Season the meat with salt and pepper and shape into 4 patties. Cook on the grill or pan. During the last minute or so of cooking, top the meat with the cheese to allow it to melt.

  To serve, place each patty on the bottom halves of the buns and spoon over pepper mixture, then top with accompaniments. Serve immediately.

  Gorgonzola and Fresh Greens Salad

  with Strawberry Balsamic

  Dressing served with Gloria Ferrer

  Blanc de Noi rs

  Now if you’re into the Gucci and Prada scene and all about making a statement with your best gal pal, then forget the burger dish and mix yourself up a chichi salad. The Gorgonzola cheese with endive lettuce and strawberry balsamic vinaigrette is an excellent fit with Gloria Ferrer’s Blanc de Noirs. This champagne is a full-flavored berry delight. It showcases a mouthwatering blend of black cherry, strawberry, and raspberry flavors. The pretty pink color of the champagne makes it perfect to serve at bridal showers or a ladies’ lunch. The color comes from a special pressing technique that extracts an extra measure of color from the grapes harvested by hand. This wine also has a touch of spice that enhances the flavors of the Gorgonzola in the salad. This is totally an all-girls lunch dish, no guys allowed, because it wouldn’t fill them up and they’d think it too pretentious anyway. It’s perfect for a gossipy good time. Annie Lennox would be the diva to have crooning in the background for this get-together.

  1 head romain
e or any type of lettuce you prefer. Or, to make it easy, pick up one of those salad bags of mixed greens.

  1⁄2 cup walnuts (you can candy these if you prefer by using 1 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp brown sugar. Melt butter in a pan, toss in chopped nuts and brown sugar, cook until sugar bubbles and caramelizes, take nuts out, let them cool and then break them apart to toss into salad.

  1⁄2 cup of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.

  1⁄2 cup of strawberries (optional), also—any berry will do as well as a blend—blackberry & raspberry, etc., be as creative as you like.

  Dressing

  1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar

  2 tbsp strawberry preserves (you can use sugar free

  if you like)

  Black pepper to taste

  Blend dressing ingredients in a Cuisinart or blender. Mix salad ingredients together, drizzle with dressing. Serves 4.

  Chapter 3

  Nikki combined a yawn with a groan while waking on Saturday morning. Anxiety-filled dreams had kept her tossing and turning through the night. She couldn’t help the combined sense of dread and anticipation planting itself squarely in her gut. Maybe today would be a tell-all day. She was actually going to a wedding with Derek. Couldn’t that be considered a date? At least a borderline one? He hadn’t made it sound like a real date with his excuse of “not wanting to go alone,” but a girl could dream.

  She clambered out of bed and pulled on her morning attire of exercise pants and T-shirt. Time to put fantasies aside. She headed out on her daily run down to Yountville where she could grab a cup of coffee and check up on Isabel.

  Something about stepping out onto fertile ground bright and early always livened her senses. She couldn’t help but appreciate where life had taken her in recent months. A long way from the glitz of Hollywood and even farther from the back hills of Tennessee.

  Her feet pounded against the dirt road that led down to Highway 29, as she took in the imagery of rolling green hills surrounding her, mixed in with various golden hues of sienna, burnt oranges, and rich browns.

  She reached Yountville and deviated from her usual routine of grabbing her cup of joe at the Bouchon Bakery with its scrumptious flaky croissants and gourmet coffees, because she knew Isabel would be at Grapes preparing for the reception, and could probably use a helping hand. Sure enough, a line of delivery trucks, their metal doors rolled up, were filling up with tray upon tray of food. A steady stream of workers Isabel had hired for the event continued bringing it on.

  Nikki rounded the front door and came face to face with a harried Isabel shouting orders, her fingers pointing in all directions.

  She grabbed Isabel gently by the shoulders. “Hey, hey. Slow down for a minute, Izzy B,” she said. “They all look like they’re doing the best they can. You don’t want to get a reputation for being difficult. I know this thing is tough on you, but let’s look at it as an opportunity. You pull this off and do the job I know you will, everyone in the wine country and beyond will know you and want you for their events.”

  Isabel nodded, her eyes watering. “I know. I am being stupid. I have been stupid all along. I thought I loved Kristof though, you know? Crazy. It is not like he ever told me that he loved me. We did not spend much time together as my mind thinks about it. I understand why now. I thought he was busy with the vineyard and winery, but he was spending time with his bride-to-be. I was what you call here in America, an extracurricular activity. A fling.”

  “Forget Kristof Waltman. He’s a jerk. Once the day is done, you can move on. I’m gonna grab a cup of coffee and then you’re going to put me to work. Deal?”

  “No. You have a busy day yourself. You are going with Derek tonight.”

  “What does that mean?” Nikki took a step back.

  “It is exactly that. If you want to make me tell you what I mean . . .” She shrugged. “I will say that he is handsome, he is nice, and you have a sweetness for him.”

  “I do not. I’m too old for crushes. He’s my boss and friend. He needs a date he can go with and not feel pressured by. This isn’t a real date.”

  “Nikki, you do not convince me. I do not think you convince yourself.” Isabel winked at her. “The cafe is in the kitchen and if you want to help, I suppose I will not turn you down. And because you made the point yourself—it is not a real date with your employer.”

  They both giggled and Isabel went back to giving orders, only this time she brought her barking down a notch.

  Nikki knew that if she admitted it she did have feelings for her boss. And, she hoped that his invitation to this wedding was an indicator that he reciprocated those same feelings. They’d forged a connection right after she’d decided to come to work for him and she’d saved his life from a murderer who had killed his friend, and the Malveaux Estate’s winemaker, Gabriel Asanti. And, even though they flirted and she thought there was something between them, neither one had pursued it. Maybe that would all change tonight with the two of them going to the wedding together.

  Thankfully, the day passed by in fast motion. Before long mid-afternoon was upon them, and Isabel wanted to grab a quick shower before heading over to the Waltman Estate to oversee the event.

  Andrés showed up during the preparations and helped out through the day, too. Nikki hadn’t gotten a chance to really talk to him much because they’d all been so busy.

  The work done at Grapes, and the food on its way to the Estate, Andrés came over to Nikki and draped an arm around her shoulder. “I’ll give you a ride home, since it’s getting late. I know you have to get ready for tonight.”

  “Yeah, I suppose showing up in a T-shirt and jogging pants wouldn’t work, huh?”

  “If anyone could pull it off, it’s you. Come on, let’s go.”

  “You are good for my ego.”

  A strange silence sat between them once in the car. Andrés turned on the radio. Stephen Stills was singing “Love the One You’re With.” Nikki crossed her legs and rolled her head from side to side, hearing her neck crack. Why the tension? She was with one of her best friends, and there had never been anything awkward between them before. Andrés hummed along with Stills. Nikki cracked her window.

  Andrés never brought anyone with him to the various parties they’d attended. Neither had she, for that matter. He’d never mentioned a woman, but a man like Andrés must’ve had many loves. She’d never asked, but maybe there was a woman back in his native Spain or in Argentina where he’d gone to the university to study viticulture. Although she was curious and wanted to ask him about it, a larger part of her didn’t.

  Neither of them said anything during the five-minute ride back to the Malveaux Estate other than it had already been a long day and they both felt for Isabel and the night ahead she’d have to endure. Andrés pulled up in front of Nikki’s place. “Have fun tonight.”

  “Thanks, and thanks again for the ride. I’m sure I’ll see you at some point in the evening. You’re still going to help Isabel, aren’t you?” she asked.

  “Of course. I’ll probably see you.” He leaned across the seat and gave her an awkward kiss on the cheek.

  She shut the door of his truck and turned to wave upon reaching her porch. He waved back. When had things gotten tense between them? Was there something more going on there than she’d recognized? Sure, they flirted and he was a wonderful man, but her sights were always really on Derek. Maybe they shouldn’t be. Why was she thinking like this? She’d never thought about marriage or family too much before. Since leaving Los Angeles where it was cool to be single and carefree and coming to Napa, it had become increasingly difficult not to notice the families that lived here and the ties that bound them. A white picket fence, Prince Charming, and two children might not be such a bad thing.

  An hour and a half later she remembered exactly why her sights were set on Derek as he looked ridiculously too good to be true, his eyes matching a medium-blue silk shirt and navy pinstriped suit. His blond hair, naturally
highlighted from all the time he spent in the sun on his land, emphasized his golden tan. He stood in her entry and for a moment she couldn’t speak.

  “Wow,” he said. “You look . . . Wow.”

  “Thanks. It’s a little something I picked up at one of the boutiques.” What a lie that one was—a little something. Right, a little something that cost a quarter of her two-week paycheck. The sea-green silk dress made her look big busted. And she kind of liked the look. Hey, there was no fooling around on this not real date. She was going vavavoom all the way.

  They took off in Derek’s Range Rover and made the windy pass to Sonoma. After half an hour of driving, they pulled into the wrought-iron gates at the Waltman Castle, which looked like a true gothic blast from the past. What a setting. There wasn’t a car on the lot that had cost less than $80,000. The valets were dressed in velvet knickers, white tights and top hats.