A Lot Like Love Read Online Free Page B

certified level III sommelier, and thus had a certain view on things, while she, on the other hand, was the owner of the store and thus believed in making wine as approachable as possible to the customer. Sure, she loved the romance of wine—that was one of the main reasons she had opened her store, DeVine Cellars. But for her, it was also a business.
    “I take it you cook,” she said to the man with the great smile. Great hair, too , she noted approvingly. Nicely styled, on the longer side. He wore a gray scarf wrapped loosely around his neck that gave him an air of casual sophistication. Not too fussy, but a man who appreciated the finer things in life.
    He shrugged. “I know my way around food. It comes with the job.”
    “Let me guess—you’re a chef,” Jordan said.
    “Food critic. With the Tribune .”
    Jordan cocked her head, suddenly realizing. “You’re Cal Kittredge.”
    He seemed pleased by her recognition. “You read my reviews.”
    Yes, she did, along with many others in Chicago. “Religiously. With so many restaurants in this city to choose from, it’s nice to have an expert’s opinion.”
    Cal relaxed against the counter. “An expert, huh . . . I’m flattered, Jordan.”
    So. He knew her name.
    Unfortunately, a lot of people knew her name. Between her father’s wealth and her brother’s recent infamy, rare was the person, at least in Chicago, who wasn’t familiar with the Rhodes family.
    Letting this sit for a moment, Jordan moved behind the counter and opened the laptop she kept there. “A case of the Excelsior it is.” She pulled up her distributor’s delivery schedule. “I can have it in the store next week.”
    “That’s plenty of time. Do I pay for it now or when I pick it up?” Cal asked.
    “Either one. I figure you’re good for it. And now I know where to find you if you try to skip out.”
    Yes, she may have been flirting a little. Maybe more than a little. For the last few months, her family had been living under an intense spotlight because of the mess with her brother, and, frankly, dating had been the last thing on her mind. But things were finally starting to settle down—as much as things could ever settle down when one’s twin brother was locked up in prison—and it felt good to be flirting. And if the object of said flirtation just so happened to have polished, refined good looks and was a first-class connoisseur of cuisine, well, all the better.
    “Maybe I should skip out, just to make you come look for me,” Cal teased.
    And maybe she wasn’t the only one flirting a little.
    He stood opposite her with the counter between them. “Since you read my reviews, I take it you trust my opinions on restaurants?”
    Jordan shot Cal a look over the top of her computer as she finished entering his wine order. “As much as I’d trust a complete stranger about anything, I suppose.”
    “Good. Because there’s this Thai restaurant that just opened on Clark that’s fantastic.”
    “Glad to hear it. I’ll have to check it out sometime.”
    For the first time since entering her wine shop, Cal looked uncertain. “Oh. I meant that I thought you might want to go there with me .”
    Jordan smiled. Yes, she’d caught that. But a little warning alarm had gone off in her head as she wondered how many other women Cal Kittredge had used his “Do you trust my opinions on restaurants?” line on. There was no doubt he was charming and smooth. The question was whether he was too smooth.
    She straightened up from her computer and leaned one hip against the bar. “Let’s say this—when you come back to pick up the Excelsior, you can tell me more about this new restaurant then.”
    Cal seemed surprised by her nonacceptance, but not necessarily put off. “Okay. It’s a date.”
    “I’d call it more . . . a continuation.”
    “Are you always this tough on your customers?” he asked.
    “Only the ones who want to take me to new Thai restaurants.”
    “Next time, then, I’ll