Two days later, I am officially starting my first day of work. I arrive at Old Town Winery five minutes before my shift starts and meet a bright-faced, Tinsley Manning at the hostess desk.

"Are you ready for your first shift?" She asks me with a warm pink-lipped smile. I smile back to her, "Yes, I think so! Show me what to do." The winery doesn't officially open for another half an hour, so the small bar area is quiet. Old Town only holds about fifty people with the back wall being lined with a bar. Small pub tables are placed about the square room with tiny twinkling string lights strung across the ceiling. A local artist painted the room to give it an old Tuscan feel and it's one of the ritzier places in Hollis.

Tinsley pulls me behind the hostess desk to clock in and then excitedly shows me how to organize the wine lists and roll silverware. Her high-pitched voice makes everything she says sound cheery and she's very enthusiastic about the winery. She tells me she's worked here after moving from Oxford a few years ago to follow some boy after graduating college. After doing some math, I realize she's about a year younger than I am. I follow her bouncy blonde hair all the way to the bar where she gives me an overview about all the wines they offer. She hands me a wine glass and asks, "So how familiar are you with wine? Mr. Penderghast said you were an enthusiast?" I nod while she pours me a sample size of a red wine and reply, "Yes, I drink a lot of wine and know the basic pairings but I'm hardly a sommelier." She uses her glass to give me a small toast and we both down the bitter wine. She smiles again and says, "Well after working here, you'll know just about everything you'll ever need to know! We also do a mimosa bar on the weekends that I'll go over with you on Saturday. You are working on Saturday, right?"

I shake my head, "I actually have an event to go to, you've probably heard about it." I reply. "Mr. Penderghast's daughter Poppy, invited me to her fundraiser for the historical society so I'll be attending that. I figured I should probably support the boss's daughter." Tinsley pours me a different kind of red wine carefully as she nods.

"Oh yes, I had heard about that. She asked if I was interested, but my boyfriend didn't feel comfortable having me auctioned off. I told him to just bid on me but he said he would be embarrassed if he was outbid- which is so silly I know." I look to the wine she just poured me and then back to her.

"Auctioned off? What auction?" She stuffs the cork back into the bottle and replies, "For the fundraiser, Poppy didn't tell you? It's going to be Hollis, Oxford and Sommerville coming together and they are auctioning off dates. There will be physical things to bid on too, but mostly it will be dates with the prominent members of the respective towns." She smiles again to me, clearly enjoying the idea but I still look dumbstruck. Poppy didn't tell me I was going to be auctioned off for a date, unless Betty did while I was tipsy and don't remember the details.

"I'm sure it will be a blast! I hear it's the event of the season!" She beams brightly and then grabs my hand to haul me back to the hostess desk. She shows me how to unlock the front door and flip the closed sign over to open. The good thing about the winery is they only offer light bites along with their full list of wines, so they don't open until five o'clock every day. They have live music on Thursdays and they also offer a painting class every other week. I have been here on several occasions with Annabeth, so I already knew their scheduled events.

I watch as two older men with peppered hair walk through the front door, both wearing black Old Town Winery t-shirts. They spot me as soon as they walk inside and hold their hands out to greet me.

"Nice to meet you Sawyer, I'm Wade and this is Chicken." I smile to Chicken and ask, "Nickname I hope?" He lets out a light laugh and nods, "An unfortunate one that stuck." Tinsley looks to me, "These are the sommeliers. If you have any questions regarding any of the wines these are the guys to ask!"

Wade nods, "We are here to help. Glad to have you on our team." They leave the hostess stand and disappear into the back room. I can hear bottles clank about and Tinsley has me roll more silverware while the bar is quiet.

It isn't long before we have our first customers and Tinsley shows me how to greet and seat them around the small bar. I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be and I just try to smile and act as peppy as she is. I can tell she really is the sunshine of this bar and most people that come in, know her fondly. She makes small talk with everyone and occasionally throws in a discounted glass of wine or a free cheese tray to regulars. Most of the people that walk in also know who I am and are surprised to see me working. They send regards to my mother but no one hassles me or gives me a hard time for being new and unfamiliar with the wine.

Towards the end of the evening, I see Poppy walk in with Jackson draped on her arm and I'm not quick enough to duck behind the hostess stand. Jackson instantly spots me and I watch as his eyes bulge out of his head.

"Sawyer? Is that you?" He says as I try and spin away from him but Tinsley outs me.

"Yes! She works here now! Isn't that excitin'!" I give him a small smile and he drops his arm from Poppy as she says, "Oh Sawyer! I was going to call you later, I wanted to speak with you about Saturday."

I nod, "Yeah, Poppy about that, I'm not sure if I can attend. I hadn't realized what kind of fundraiser it was," in a lower voice I add, "I'm not sure about the whole date thing."

She smiles her perfect smile to me and says "Oh but Sawyer, it will be so much fun! And your name being on the program has already sparked an interest with a few dashing bachelors. I know you'll raise a great deal of money. Trust me, you won't regret it."

Still not fully confident I add, "I don't know, I could donate something instead? Something else to auction off."

She shakes her head, "Trust me darlin', nothin' is going to raise money like you will. And Annabeth and Gus are coming too! It will be a ball, I promise! I need you there no later than seven o'clock, okay?" Without letting me say anything else she snaps her head over to Jackson and says, "I need to talk to my dad, I'll be back in a minute!" She disappears toward the backroom while Jackson grabs my arm and pulls me away from the stand.

"What are you doing? You work here now?" I pull my arm out of his grip and nod.

"Yes, Jackson. I wanted something to do with my time so I figured why not come and work with wine? We both know it's my one true love."

He rolls his eyes and replies, "My carriage house has been a crime scene for almost a week now. I hadn't seen you since Simon was caught and I didn't even know if you were officially back in Hollis."

"Well, when would I have told you? You were sucking Poppy's face all night at the opening and it's not like we talk on a regular basis." I snap to him and his lips stay in a pursed line. His blue eyes dart to Tinsley before saying, "So I heard a rumor that Austin blew this pop stand."

I frown, "Who did you hear that from?

"Gussyboy. He said he watched his car blaze on out of Hollis. And that he thinks he saw a certain douchebag in the passenger seat." Jackson smirks and I can't help but be the one to roll their eyes this time.

"Yes, Jackson. Both Austin and Ryan left back to South Carolina. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Still smirking he replies, "Maybe. And I see you're still here. It's also interesting seeing Tate went on back to Philly. So, I'mma go out on a limb here and say you're a single lady again." I scoff and walk back to the hostess stand without replying. I see Poppy's sleek dark hair coming out from the back room and I pretend to be busy as she meets Jackson back up at the front. I turn around right as they are walking out the door and Jackson winks to me, which makes my stomach turn. Tinsley glances toward me after they are out of eyesight and says, "He sure is handsome." She catches my frown and backpedals, "I mean, he might be pretty but he's also a jerk." I smile to her and I now know she is fully aware of our history- like most residents of this town.

I look around the emptying bar and Tinsley quickly shows me where to put the dirty wine glasses and how to store the fruit and cheese. It doesn't take long to close the winery down and as we stand outside the locked front door, she looks to me, "Well, I think your first day went swimmingly! I'm so excited to have you here to help out!" I smile back to her, wondering if I'll ever see this girl in a bad mood and reply, "I had fun. I'll see you again tomorrow!" She waves and I watch as she climbs inside her car. I smile, congratulating myself on a fun and easy first day. I'm glad I decided to find a job and I look forward to coming back tomorrow.