Wine Country Girl

Wine Country Girl

A jilted bride seeks solace and redemption amongst the vines.

***

It had come down to this. I'm sitting here alone in my room at a beautiful B&B on what should be my honeymoon -- but instead I'm still in shock at the crazy turn of events in my life. Two weeks ago, the guy who I thought was my happily ever after, suddenly decided that he wasn't ready to settle down and called off our wedding. It's not like he wanted time to think about it. Nope, he flat out decided to just move on and he walked away...from the wedding and from me. Who does that? I just thank God we hadn't moved in together.

Hunter and I had dated since our junior year in college where I was a journalism major. After graduation we moved to the same city in the Midwest and found our dream jobs: him as the beverage manager at an upscale restaurant and me as an on-air meteorologist at the local peacock affiliate.

Both our careers looked promising and aside from our supposed love for each other, we shared a love of the grape. Yes, wine. He was preparing to go for his Level 3 sommelier certification which is the main reason we'd decided to spend our honeymoon in wine country.

When he called off the wedding, my father got screwed out of several large deposits for the venue, the caterers and the flowers. Hunter had pre-paid for the honeymoon and I'd told him, in no uncertain terms, that unless he wanted to become the hunted, it would be wise to let me go ahead and use the reservations. Besides, I had already scheduled the time off and now I desperately needed to just get the hell out of town, decompress and try to put the pieces of my shattered life back together. Hunter was too spineless to put up a fight and he didn't have the balls to ask for his engagement ring back, both of which were a good thing for him considering my state of mind.

We'd taken trips to Napa Valley in the past but this time we wanted to explore the Zinfandel wines of Dry Creek Valley so I'd found a romantic little bed & breakfast to book for us in Healdsburg. When I checked in, the owner was a little perplexed that I was alone since the reservation indicated there would be two of us there for our honeymoon. He probably felt sorry for me which may explain why he sent a nice bottle of wine up to my room.

So, here I am at the ripe old age of twenty-five, on my second glass of Zin and I have absolutely no plan of what I'm going to do for the next week, let alone the rest of my life. I did know that I couldn't just sit in my room and feel sorry for myself the whole time so I decided to walk to a nearby bar and grill the owner had recommended. My tears had ruined my mascara so I touched up my make-up, threw on a sweater and a pair of jeans and walked the short distance to the Creekside Inn.

Even though it was mid-summer, the place was fairly empty since it was a Monday night so I walked in and found a seat at the end of the bar about as far away as I could get from anyone else. The bartender came over quickly and greeted me. She was a pretty brunette and looked to be in her late 30's and I had the first impression that she was someone that had spent a lot of time in the sun over the years.

"Hi hon, welcome to the Creekside."

I mustered a "hello" in return.

"You just here for drinks or would you like to see a dinner menu as well?" she asked as she put a bar napkin down in front of me.

"Can I please just get a Grey Goose martini up and dirty? I'm not really all that hungry," I said in a soft voice, looking down at the bar.

I probably didn't need anything more to drink but screw it, I thought to myself, this was supposed to be my honeymoon after all.

"Olives?"

"Sure."

"Regular or blue cheese-stuffed?"

"Some of each if you don't mind."

She smiled and nodded. "Sure thing. And my name's Maggie in case you need anything," she added as she turned to go make my drink.

I knew I must have looked like hell. My eyes were puffy from crying and I'm sure I had a sullen look on my face. The past few weeks had been a rollercoaster ride of emotions that ranged from downright shock, to denial, to the depths of despair, personal humiliation and then me vowing to castrate the bastard if I ever saw him again. I was drained from it all so tonight's mission was just to get drunk and forget about life for a while.

Maggie snapped me back to reality when she sat the drink down in front of me along with the excess in the martini shaker. "One Dirty Birdie for the cute young lady."

"Thank you Maggie," I said, managing a slight smile.

She paused in front of me for a moment, then she put her hand on mine. "Everything okay hon? I know it's not my business but you look really sad."

I contemplated telling her that I'd rather not talk about it but she was well-meaning enough so I decided to cut her some slack and open up.

"Just the shit-show of my life Maggie. Nothing a little vodka can't cure...or at least numb anyway."

She chuckled as I took a big sip of the martini, the vodka burning slightly as it slid down my throat.

"Amen to that sister. I think I'll join you," she said, grabbing a little tumbler and pouring my remaining drink from the shaker.

"Don't worry, the next one's on me," she said with a wink and then drained the small amount in her glass.

Her moxie made me smile and broke the ice.

I looked around to see if anyone saw her. "Is it okay to drink on the job here?" I whispered.

Maggie laughed and set the glass down loudly on the countertop. "It is when you own the damn place!" she bellowed.

"Well there's that!" I replied, laughing with her.

I watched her as she walked away. Maggie was definitely a little older than me but very fit and trim and she filled her jeans nicely. We should all look so good at her age, I thought to myself. A few minutes later she returned to check on me.

"So, I have some time, tell me about your shit-show and we'll compare notes," she said, resting her elbows on the bar.

When she leaned forward, her shirt parted revealing her slight cleavage held in check by a pretty lacy pink bra. I quickly made a mental note that she and I were probably about the same bust and cup size. My eyes must have lingered a moment too long because when I lifted my eyes, hers were locked on mine.

I felt a warm flash of crimson in my face for a moment as if I had been caught doing something wrong.

"Okay Maggie, but I might need a little more liquid courage first," I gulped, nodding down at my empty glass. "And by the way, my name's Alex," I added, extending my hand to hers.

"Well a pleasure to meet you Miss Alex," she said as we shook, her hand warming mine when they touched.

I gave Maggie a thumbnail sketch about me and what had happened as she made another drink and listened to my tale of woe.

"I am so sorry honey. Men can be such assholes," she said knowingly, shaking her head in disgust.

I told her about the honeymoon we had planned and then fished the engagement ring out of my pocket and held it up to her.

"And he sure as hell isn't getting this back Maggie!" I mused, now emboldened by the liquor.

"Damn, that's a big rock Alex. Hell, I'd keep it too if I were you!"

"So what about you Maggie? What's your story?"

"Well, we definitely don't have time for all that," she started as she wiped down the bar top.

"I've got nowhere to be for, oh, the next week or so."

Maggie looked at me for a moment absorbing my comment, then smiled and said, "Well, okay then."

"The short version is, I was born and raised here in the valley and never left. My dad started planting vines and for years sold the fruit to some of the local wineries. He was so passionate about it that after years of being a grower and watching the wineries grow bigger and more successful, he decided to start his own. It was a struggle at first, but we eventually grew it to a fairly modest production of about six thousand cases a year."

"That's decent output," I offered, with Maggie nodding in reply.

"Just when we were about to scale the business and take it to the next level, Daddy keeled over in the vineyard one day and dropped dead from a massive heart attack."

"God I'm so sorry," I said as I felt my eyes well up.

Maggie smiled slightly. "Oh Alex, don't be. He passed away doing what he loved and he went with his boots on. Can't ask for much more than that in life that can we?"

"No, I guess not."

"Anyway, that kind of took the wind out of our sails so we decided to sell the winery to another family that owns several others around here. We all stayed on during the transition then I took my portion from the sale and opened up the Creekside. And here I am," she said, spreading her arms, gesturing to the nearly empty bar.

"Well, it's a lovely place Maggie," I said as I raised my martini glass.

She had made herself a drink alongside mine so she raised her glass to mine and we clinked glasses and each took a sip.

"I'm so glad I came in here tonight. You made me feel a little bit better Maggie."

"You know Alex, you may not realize it now but the guy probably did you a huge favor in the big scheme of things."

"How so?"

"Well, I can't believe he was stupid enough to walk away from a woman as beautiful as you but you've got to give the shithead a little credit."

I blushed a little from her compliment.

"Better he knows now that he isn't ready to be married than to wake up and realize it ten years down the road when you have a couple of kids. Trust me on that one," she said with a knowing look on her face.

"Uh oh, sounds like there's a backstory in there," I gently prodded.

Maggie snickered. "There's the reporter in you coming out and you're right about that. Let's just say that when the winery changed hands so did my husband. He ended up sleeping with the new owner's daughter, and someone I went to high school with at that!" she said, slapping her hand on the bar as an exclamation point.

"Damn," I said, shaking my head.

"I'm pretty sure that I wasn't the first one he screwed around on and I probably wasn't the last since those two didn't last long together. Anyway, I say good riddance."

"So, no one currently in your life?" I asked nonchalantly.

She sighed heavily. "No, not right now. Besides, with running the Creekside I don't have time for any serious relationships...just the casual ones," she said, winking at me again.

I couldn't put my finger on it but there was some sort of sexual undercurrent happening here and I wondered if she was flirting with me. I felt it in my veins and I felt it in the dampness between my legs.

I raised my glass again. "Well here's to falling in love again somewhere down the road."

"Cheers to that," and we both took a drink.

Maggie quickly raised her glass again and offered her own toast.

"And as the old saying goes, 'I ain't afraid to love a man. I ain't afraid to shoot him either.'"

We clinked our glasses again.

"Annie Oakley," I said reflexively, after taking another drink.

"Who?"

"That quote...that was something Annie Oakley used to say."

"Oh, the sharpshooter gal?"

"Yeah, and one bad-ass wild west chick. I did a feature on her for a class I was taking back in journalism school. For some reason I tend to identify with strong, adventurous and independent women who don't take crap from men," I added, almost as an afterthought.

"Hmm. So how do you plan to spend your next week here in the valley?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Well, I had originally planned a lot of winery visits with my husb- uh, I mean, with shithead," I sputtered, correcting myself. "But I'm not sure that'll be much fun doing it alone."

Maggie placed her hand back on top of mine and looked me in the eye. "C'mon now, you can't come to Dry Creek and not taste some of the awesome wines that come out of this area. There're plenty of friendly folks around here that'll make you feel warm and welcome."

Maggie pulled out a wine country map from behind the bar and spread it out on the bar top.

"Can I make a couple of suggestions for you?"

"That'd be great Maggie."

She circled a half dozen or so wineries on the map and said they were "must-visits" for their wines.

"Now, not all these wineries have tasting rooms where you can just drop in. Some are by appointment only so you'll have to call them first."

"Okay."

"Now this last one, Privatino Winery -- this is a special place. Small family-owned winery that makes awesome Zins. Very nice people. Call and ask for an appointment with Stacey...she's one of the daughters," she said as she wrote the name next to the location on the map and underlined it twice. "I guarantee you'll enjoy your visit," she said with a big smile on her face.

The night was getting long and I was tipsy and exhausted so I decided to head back to the B&B but not before giving Maggie a big hug.

"Thank you so much Maggie. I really appreciate all your kind words. It's so nice to have someone to talk to about all my drama. You're like a best friend or the older sister I never had," I told her with heartfelt emotion as we held each other tightly.

I hadn't bothered to wear a bra so I was pretty sure she could feel by hard nipples through my sweater pressing against her as we hugged. We finally let go of one another and Maggie put her hands on my shoulders and looked at me, her green eyes quickly scanning me up and down. Her eyes deliberately lingered at my chest for a very long moment before coming up to lock on my own as she seemingly pierced my soul in search of something.

"Now promise me you'll have fun and you'll come back and tell me all about your adventures."

"I promise," I said, finally managing a smile. "And thank you again...for everything."

"Any time Alex. And if I can break away from here later this week maybe we can go do some tasting together."

"I'd like that Maggie."

I smiled and said goodnight and as I walked towards the door, I felt her eyes on me as I went out into the warm night.

When I got back to my room, I quickly got undressed, took off my makeup and brushed my teeth. I picked up the sexy babydoll I had bought for our honeymoon and slipped it over my body and quietly admired myself in the mirror, my small upturned breasts visible through the sheer fabric. "You don't know what you're missing," I said out loud as my fingers purposely grazed my nipples.

I ran my finger through my hairless slit and felt my moistness although I couldn't pinpoint exactly why the heightened state. Maybe it was the run-up to the wedding and the anticipation of the new things I planned to try out on Hunter during our honeymoon that had caused my pent-up sexual desire. Or maybe it was Maggie?

As I stood there watching myself in the mirror, I lightly tweaked and rolled my nipples between my fingers as my other hand found my clitoris. I rubbed it in a circular motion a few times and felt my pussy get wetter and my knees start to wobble so I decided I was better off in bed.

I slipped under the comforter and intended to orgasm my way into oblivion with the vibrator I had brought with me, but the last thing I remember was passing out into a deep sleep. The next morning the sound of birds chirping stirred me from my vodka-induced coma. When I managed to open one of my eyes, I was immediately blinded by the bright sunlight streaming through the window.

My first waking thought was that I was immediately confused as to where I was or what had happened last night. As I looked around the room, the fuzziness in my head started to fade away and everything started coming back to me. My next thought was that I hadn't even bothered to turn off the lights or close the curtains before I climbed into bed last night.

As I lay there slowly coming to life, I couldn't help but think I was supposed to be waking up next to my husband, tenderly making love to him then embarking on the day's activities...we had so much planned for this trip, for our life together...and here I was, alone. Then I literally slapped myself in the face, threw the covers off and jumped out of bed.

"Snap out of it Alex!" I admonished myself, now fully aware I was embarking on another self-destructive trip to my own little pity party.

I decided a good long run to sweat out the alcohol from last night was the best thing for me given it was now almost 9 o'clock in the morning. I pulled my running gear from my suitcase and quickly dropped the nighty to the floor. I pulled my purple leggings up over my smooth legs and bare butt cheeks. Looking at myself in the mirror, I ran my hands up my backside, proud of the months of workouts I had put in so that I'd look good in my wedding dress.

My nipples jutted out, erect from the cool morning air. While my breasts are only a 32B, I like the perkiness of them and the way my nipples always seem to quickly stiffen, whether it be from a slight breeze or some random dirty thought. People watching me on the nightly news seem to like them as well, based on feedback from some of my followers on social media.

I pulled a matching sports bra on and laced up my running shoes. With my blond hair tied back in a ponytail, I stuffed it up under my ballcap, appropriately emblazoned with the words 'Carpe diem' on the front. I was ready to go grab the day by the balls, or by the pussy as our president once allegedly proclaimed.

I had one last thing to do before heading out on my run. I unfolded the map Maggie had given me and punched the phone number for Privatino into my phone. A friendly voice answered the phone on the other end.

"Hello, Privitino Winery, this is Darla."

"Good morning Darla, my name is Alex and I'd like to set up an appointment to come in for a wine tasting, today if possible."

"Of course. Are you calling for yourself or for someone else?"

"For myself please. You were recommended by Maggie at the Creekside, she raved about your Zins."

"Oh, she's such a sweetheart," the person on the phone said.

"Yes, she's a really nice lady," I agreed.

"And how many people in your party?"

"Just me."

"Okay, then we can take you at 1 o'clock today if that works for you."

"Yes, that'll work just fine."

"And you said your name is Alex?"

"Yes, Alex...Alex O'Neil," I replied.

"Thank you Alex. When you arrive, the code to the gate is 8 -- 3 -- 9 -- 1 and then press #. And please plan to get here a couple of minutes before 1pm and just ask for me."

"Great, got it," I said, jotting down the numbers onto the map next to Stacey's name. "Oh, I almost forgot, Maggie said I should request Stacey for the tasting?"

"Oh, okay. Um, in that case can you come at four instead? She normally doesn't do tastings but when she does she prefers to make them the last appointment of the day."

"That works too Darla. I'll see you all later today. Bye!"

With the tasting arranged, I set out on a long run on the two-lane roads through the rolling hills of Dry Creek Valley. It was dry and already getting hot as I ran past acres of vineyards full of gnarled old grape vines, clusters of plump purple fruit ripening on their arms. I spotted the occasional worker amongst the vines, pruning and maintaining the trellises. So while the area was growing ever popular for wine-tasting tourists, it was primarily just an agricultural region with growers and wine makers.

As the sweat poured off my body and the alcohol leached from my pores, I began to feel the exhilaration of the runner's high as I ran along the dusty roads. Every now and again a carload of people out for early wine tasting would careen around a corner on the narrow lanes causing me to get off the road quickly. I was thankful it was early in the day when they were just starting out as opposed to later when they might have had a few wineries behind them.

As I cooled down and walked the last mile back to the B&B, I felt like a completely different woman. I had been allowing the bitterness of the breakup to eat away at me like a cancer for the last couple of weeks and had been on an out of control downward emotional spiral. No more. I decided right then and there that it was time to start acting more like the heroines I admired and take back control of my life.