He ran his finger down her lips. Way to make this hard, she thought.
“Look, um, it’s been awhile since I’ve dated, so I’m not sure what the protocol is, but….and this is weird to say, so please forget this conversation immediately, but…”
There was an awkward pause and she could hear Isaac tapping the steering wheel.
“I’m not sure that I’m ready to get intimate with you. I’m not sure what you were expecting, but I know we are spending the night there, and I didn’t know what you were…er..wanting…Oooohh this is so embarrassing…” Elly put her hands on her hot cheeks. “Is that okay?”
There was a second of silence, and then Isaac had his hand on her knee.
“Elly” he said, “It’s okay. We will only go as far as you are comfortable. We’ll just let things happen naturally, okay?”
Elly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Was that bothering you?” he asked teasingly.
“Yes. Yes it was. Also, WHERE ARE WE GOING?” Elly slapped his hand off her knee.
“No more touching until we are there.” Isaac laughed and turned up the music. “We’ll be there soon.”
Swaying in the blackness, Elly felt both anxious and excited. After what felt like an eternity, she felt the car screech to a stop. Isaac led her out a couple feet from the car and slowly removed her blindfold.
“Look around” he whispered, his mouth moving the tiny hairs on her ear.
Elly gasped. Somehow, they had left St. Louis and ended up in what seemed to be a New England Village. The car was parked on a ridge overlooking the town and a spectacular view. She grabbed Isaac’s hand and stood speechless. Blowing maple trees covered a picturesque valley lined with purple and yellow flowers. The center of town was bordered by steep river bluffs that cascaded down into rushing muddy water. She could hear tinkling water from a nearby stream, and just past the town, Elly could make out a large bridge gracefully spanning the Missouri River. To her right lay a sea of green vineyards. Lush vines snaked over endless staggered terrain that rose and faded into the horizon in neat tiny rows. Near each vineyard lay small wineries – stone buildings tucked into wooded corners and dirt roads. A gigantic bright red church that resembled a barn towered over the center of town – a bustling village with low laying brick buildings. It took her breath away.
“Where ARE we? This is incredible.”
Isaac pulled her into his arms. “Welcome to Hermann, Missouri, the hidden jewel of the Central Midwest. My parents use to visit the wineries here every year when I was growing up. I hope you’re ready to drink some wine and relax.”
Elly kissed his cheek softly. “This is incredible. I feel like I’m in a different world.” She gazed over the picturesque town. “I can see myself living here one day.”
Isaac grinned. “Good. And while I have you stunned, I have another card up my sleeve”
“You brought cannolis?” asked Elly hopefully.
Isaac laughed. “I can’t promise pastries, but I can promise dessert wines. I arranged a private winery tour for us at Red Cedar Winery, which is the oldest of all the wineries here.”
Elly felt herself sway with the succulent romance of it all.
“Are you ready to go?” Isaac asked. She leaned against him and took it all in: the smell of him, the landscape laid out in front of her and the feel of warm air on her face.
“Okay. I’m ready.”
“Lunch first?” he asked swinging her hand like a little child.
Elly grinned. “Always.”
After lunch at a questionable deli, Elly held tight to her stomach as Isaac wound his zippy car up the bluffs. It had not been Keith’s, not by a long shot. Looking at her little greasy sandwich, with too much mayo and not enough veggies, Elly had greatly missed Keith’s mastery of the bread and meat. She felt her stomach grumble with each minute, compressing more and more uncomfortably inside of her. Isaac, thankfully, had not noticed.
“Red Cedar Winery is the most awarded and famous of the Hermann Wineries. Their Dogwood Red label is all my parents drink. They fly out every year just to taste it fresh, and then ship home about twenty cases.” Isaac ran his fingers through his lush hair. “The taste of that wine reminds me of a good portion of my rebellious adolescence. I remember laying on the couch, drunk out of my mind with a glass of Dogwood Red lying next to me, with my girlfriend playing guitar….good times, those memories.”