Foodie Friday: Excerpt and Sneak Peek at Que Será, Syrah

 So...here's another excerpt from my upcoming release, Que Será, Syrah, which is the third book in the multi-author series, POUR DECISIONS.

My main character, Allegra (AKA Legs) is the youngest and flakiest of the sisters. Actually, the other sisters aren't flaky at all. Legs is something of a foodie, and a bit of a snob about it. She's back in the States after having spent the last seven years in Europe. Here's a food-related scene set shortly after her return. 

I should point out that, since I'm no longer living in the Napa area, I researched current menus to create the cousins' feast. Sounds yummy though, doesn't it? 

 

The minute I walk through the door of the Golden Cougar I’m greeted by a chorus of familiar voices. 

“Hey, look who’s back!” 

“Allegra?”  

“Legs! Over here!” 

It’s Saturday night. My sisters and their plus-ones had all gone off to attend a wedding earlier in the day, leaving me with nothing to do but rattle around the empty house feeling very Kevin McAllister-esque. 

Unlike Kevin, however, I’m an adult with access to both money and a car so there was no reason for me to stay home alone if I didn’t want to, which I very much did not.  So, I’d dressed up as much as I could—putting on a light, summer dress that’s probably too thin for October, and some rando jacket I’d found hanging in the hall closet—and headed downtown in search of food, companionship, maybe a little adult entertainment, and also to take a break from all the family tension I’d been feeling. 

So of course I end up running straight into my cousins. Great. Just perfect.

“Hey, fam,” I say, feeling a little wary as I approach their table. “What’s up? It’s been a minute.” I’m honestly not sure what to expect. I haven’t seen them in years and, as I recall it, we hadn’t exactly parted as friends. Not that I ever thought of them as friends, exactly, anyway. They’re all older than me—enough so that it made a difference. Gianni’s the youngest and he’s the same age as Rosa…or, I dunno, maybe a little younger? Still. He’s definitely older than Bianca though, so… 

Not that any of it matters anymore. Apparently. It’s all water under a bridge or something like it, at least if the hugs and smiles I’m greeted with are anything to go by. 

I join them at their table where they’ve apparently ordered “one of everything” off the happy hour bar menu. I mean, seriously? Why not just order a meal? 

They’ve got crab cakes and hot wings, short rib tacos, mac and cheese arancini, grilled artichokes, roasted Mexican street corn riblets, barbecued oysters, caprese salad, shishito peppers, and an entire charcuterie platter including cold cuts, baked brie and an assortment of olives… I’m honestly not sure where they’re planning on putting it all. And in a way, I’m doing them a favor by joining their party and taking some of that food off their hands. 

I accept a glass of wine from one of the several bottles they’re working their way through (it’s a decent enough Meritage from a winery whose name I don’t immediately recognize) and we catch up. By which I mean that I give them a heavily redacted version of what I’ve been up to in Europe (Vito is particularly interested in hearing about my work aboard the cruise ship) and they fill me in on what’s been happening since I’ve been gone, and all the local gossip.  

I’m surprised by how much I’m enjoying myself. They’re charming and funny and seem genuinely happy to see me. The Cougar is loud and crowded—but not in a rowdy sort of way. Servers bustle about the space, taking orders and delivering delicious looking food. Everything smells amazing; and it tastes even better. 

If I’d stayed at home instead of spending the last few years in Europe, this would probably have been my hang-out. Or maybe not. Granted, I can’t see all of the room, but from where I’m sitting, I only see a few familiar faces—and most of those are gathered around the table with me.

“So, level with me,” I say at last—finally addressing the elephant in the room. “What exactly went on here this summer? I mean, the real story. Because some of the stuff I’ve heard…” I trail off, leaving the sentence unfinished because I don’t know how to finish it. 

If you must know, I don’t really want to believe half of what I’ve heard. I’m hoping to learn that my sisters have been exaggerating how bad it’s been. Except…I don’t really want to think that either. I mean, would you want to learn that your sisters—and business partners—are paranoid and delusional? No, I think not.

pour-decisions

Meet the Martinelli sisters: Rosa, Bianca and Allegra. These partners in wine have just inherited a once-storied winery in the heart of Napa Valley. They’re living the dream, right?

 

Not so fast! Because, as it turns out, not everybody is happy for them. And that includes their Uncle Geno who’d assumed the property would come to him.

 

There are hoops to jump through, barrels to get over, and a mountain of regulations they'll have to scale. But these sisters are crushing it—and we don’t just mean the grapes. They’re making wine, falling in love, and working together to restore their inheritance to its former glory, one pour decision at a time.