The Merlot Promise

Stella

My cheeks flush a deep shade of scarlet as Vance’s question hangs in the air, an unspoken tension filling the room.

I suddenly feel very aware of every minute detail: the way the soft glow from the desk lamp casts a shadow on his face, the almost-empty wine glasses on the edge of my cluttered desk, the nervous drumming of my own fingers against my thigh.

“Um… Wow,” I stammer with a wry chu