Dinner in the Trenches
Dan stopped recording and sat down—thinking about the next angle he could take—just as he decided to leave it to his scriptwriters, his doorbell rang. He looked up in surprise then frowned, feeling he had been interrupted. When he saw that it was Amber, his mood instantly changed. His heart pounded in his chest, and he made sure his appearance was acceptable with every mirror he passed.
He opened the door with a wide smile. Amber returned the smile with similar enthusiasm—Dan was taken aback for a moment and almost missed what Amber said.
"I really do appreciate you, Dan, and I know how hard you work, so I decided to repay you with dinner." She smiled again, her eyes sparkling, and then she pushed into the house to allow a train of people carrying food, a table, and place settings in.
She pressed against him to move him further back and allow all to enter. His heart raced—it seemed like she never wanted to be too close to him these days, and this seemed like sensory overload.
A host and hostess approached them. "Where would you like everything set up?"
Amber looked to Dan. "What do you think about the downstairs deck over the water? I always thought that was a beautiful touch."
Dan nodded blankly—his mind buzzing from the compliment. The host went off to oversee the setup and the hostess stepped forward.
"Please have a seat while everything is being arranged, it won't take our team long to have everything ready." Even as she spoke, the aroma of rich tomato, fresh herbs, and fine cheeses began to fill the air. "Can I prepare either of you a drink?"
Amber sat down gracefully in the sunroom facing the deep old forest. "I will have some of our peach wine." The hostess nodded with a smile.
Dan's eyes opened wide. "You have house wines?"
Amber nodded with a smile. "Yes, but only our fruit wines are actually ready. We will have two reds, a white, and a sparkling rosé, but they will not be ready until next year."
Dan sat down across from her. "A year?"
Amber's smile did not waver as she responded. "Yes. I really want to give the flavors time to develop. Our next batch of fruit wine will not be available for 3 months and then they will be staggered out every six months, I believe. This batch is delicious, but I can sense the potential behind a longer ferment."
Dan looked at her—completely impressed—the hostess brought her a glass of beautiful liquid with a slight tan-peachy hue and stood and looked at Dan.
Amber's smile deepened. "You're not going to drink?" She took a small sip of her wine and Dan could not help but lick his lips. She was so beautiful—her full soft lips seemed to caress the glass, and her long slender neck seemed to elongate even more as she swallowed.
Dan looked to the hostess. "What do you have?"
She smiled broadly. "Actually, I follow you on social media, so I have seen some of the drinks you prefer. I can make you an espresso martini, a Negroni, and I have Hibiki." She smiled broadly, calmly waiting for his choice.
Dan smiled softly; he felt a sense of pride to have followers know him so well. He thought about Amber's drink and froze a moment.
"Why don't you try something new?" Dan looked to Amber with a smile.
"What do you suggest?"
"I prefer a White Negroni myself, the flavor profile is more interesting to me."
She took another sip of wine, a sly smile on her face. Dan cocked his head. Is my wife flirting with me?
He looked to the hostess. "I think I will need to try a White Negroni, please."
The hostess nodded with a smile and quickly prepared his drink. After handing his drink to him, she topped Amber's glass off. Just as Dan took a sip of his drink, he raised an eyebrow. He looked over to Amber who was smiling coyly over her wine glass. She lowered her glass.
"You like it?"
Before Dan could answer, the host and hostess came to tell them that everything was ready.
They walked out to the deck and both had their breath taken away. Strings of large globed lights lined the deck, and wrapped around medium height topiary evenly spaced along the deck. There was an arch leading to the table and one at the other end of the deck; both were wrapped in lights and beautiful blooms.
Amber looked to him with that twinkle in her eye. Her hand fell lightly onto his chest. "I have always wanted to do a video with you."
There was a question left in the air and Dan smiled. He took her hand from his chest and kissed it softly, like it was something overly precious.
"Please, not this time. I want to be selfish and have you all to myself. We can do one tomorrow."
Amber cocked her head in confusion and then she blushed. Dan smiled, as she bit her lip, but she didn't pull her hand away. He kissed it once more and led her to her seat.
They sat down and dinner began. It was delicious and unique—soup and salad, seafood for the main dish with exotic vegetables, and a light soufflé for dessert. Neither Amber nor Dan fully focused on the food, and if someone asked them about it, they would not have been able to tell anyone what was served.
Amber was feeling odd. She had always loved Dan but she never felt free with him—but now, on this beautiful lake, she felt free and one hundred percent herself, no reservations at all. Her heart warmed even as she became confused. Did she still want to divorce this man?
Dan was elated. He had never felt genuine emotion; he only felt what he was supposed to. No one was ever truly important. Nothing was ever spontaneous or natural; everything was planned—choreographed. But now—now was like sunshine on his face, a luxury resort to explore, or even travel to an unknown exotic destination. This was everything he could hope for and exactly what he desired. And he did not want it to end.
Even as Dan and Amber were finding their way back to each other again, one of their problems was stirring.
Anthony Shaw sat in a coupe in Carson City. He had just watched a few clips of the news reporting on the council corruption. He was fuming that they focused so much on Jessica and that Lance Ind refused to comment—i.e., support Amber—and he noticed how Jessica protectively held her belly.
Anthony Shaw wanted to protect Jessica. It was time to take her from this—whether she wanted to go or not—and if he found out Dan Trace was the father of her baby and refusing her, he would make sure Amber Ann found his body in her precious bakery.