I Said Yes

I did as I was told and down the stairs we went. Michael ducked into the work shed at the bottom and came out with a small chainsaw and an old-fashioned tree saw. It was then that I realized where we were going. Up the hill to the ridge and back down towards the hot springs. I stood for a minute and surveyed the landscape and then started a jog up another hill.

“Come on…I found it…the perfect one”

I followed him down and then up and came upon him as he was walking around this very large pine or evergreen tree. The thing was about 25 or 30 feet tall and, I had to admit, looked “majestic” with it’s dusting of snow and its full branches. He grabbed the chain saw and got down on one knee and within a minute that tree was down. As it fell the sound of it landing echoed through the canyon and Michael looked like a kid in a candy store. He told me that he had always wanted to put a huge tree up in the tasting room and just never did. Seems they always had some small, artificial tree, that did no justice to the decorations in the room. He trimmed off some of the smaller limbs at the bottom and told me to come help him. I got up on the top end and he grabbed the tree at the base and off we went…up the hill and down a hill and up another hill and down again until we reached the path that would lead us back to the main grounds. We dropped the tree outside the big barn door of the tasting room and he disappeared for a minute and then returned with a bucket and some wood scraps.

Before I knew it he had constructed a tree stand around the bucket and he took it inside. I followed him in and we moved some tables and chairs and wine racks around to make space in the center of the room. By now it was close to 10pm and I noticed he was texting someone on his phone. A few minutes later…after a series of calls…in walked Chris and, shortly thereafter, Nolan. (I didn’t even know Nolan was in town)

Soon after that Dave and Diane came into the room carrying several boxes labeled “decorations” and I quickly realized that our quiet, relaxing evening had now turned into a tree-raising and decorating party. Michael tied four ropes to the tree in various spots and the four of us hoisted it upright. Dave got at the bottom and lifted the trunk and Diane slid the base/stand into place. Down came the tree and with a few minor adjustments it was standing free in the stand. Long story short, we spent the next several hours on ladders stringing lights and decorations that were out of Diane’s reach. At some point bottles of wine were opened and Diane had retrieved a bunch of munchies from the tasting room kitchen. Once decorated we all sat at a table and just stared in silence…as silly as it sounds…the simplicity of cutting a live tree and decorating it…with good people you love…seemed to take all the cares away. Of all the times I have spent with this family and crew…this was my favorite and likely will have been the most memorable.

Morning came quickly and as I stretched and stirred I realized I was in the bed alone but did smell the coffee. Thank god for that I thought but then, just as I was starting to pull back the covers to get up there, in the doorway, was Michael…without…ahem…a stitch of clothing on and cups of coffee in each hand.

“My oh my…you sure do know how to start someone’s day off right”

“Well, it occurred to me that I really have been sort of ignoring you the past few days so I thought I should probably try and make that up to you…”

“Well sir, what did you have in mind?”

“Did you just call me sir…daddy?”

“Whatever!”

I can say that the next couple of hours were amazing. Passion and fever and just, well…pure carnal lust took over. I was whisked away into a place of euphoric ecstasy (hoping that is not to sappy or cheesy) and, once again, something I would not soon forget.

Showered, dressed, packed and dogs ready we both knew it was time and, though neither of us wanted to say goodbye, we did so. He walked me to the car and then gave each pup a peck on the head…me a big hug and a very passionate, toe-curling kiss to send me off. I agreed to call him when I got over the hill and back into Seattle. I told him I was probably going to stop by the restaurant and grab some food on the way home. He told me to tell the guys howdy and to not forget to call him. I nodded…he kissed me on the side of the face and off I went.

It was hard to process the emotions I had. I went from an incredible weekend on the beach to helping him deal with the news his dad had cancer to, then, decorating a Christmas tree and, then, to one of the most intense and passionate interactions I have ever had. Hmm…what to do now?? Me and the pups made pretty good time back to the Seattle area. Only one pit stop and they slept almost all of the way. I, somewhat, enjoyed the peace and quiet but then, again, I sort of wished Michael was with me. The commonsense part of my brain convinced me that a little bit of time apart would do us both well and he had a lot of stuff he was going to need to deal with in the coming days.

 A quick stop at the restaurant to order some food found me in a whirlwind of activity and managed chaos. For this time of day…on a Tuesday…found an unusually amount of business. The bar was packed with happy hour participants, Corey was running around like a mad man and the servers all seemed stretched to their limits. I jumped back behind the bar and let the bartender concentrate on the bar tables while I dealt with pouring beer and making drinks for the servers and the folks seated at the bar top. Before I knew it two hours plus had passed and things were manageable and thinning out. I realized I had not gotten food ordered yet so I told Corey to let Chef know I was going to eat and, in the meantime, I snuck outside to walk the pups and have a quick smoke. I went back in and was sitting at the bar when a wedge salad and some pasta showed up. Corey poured me a glass of wine and sat down next to me. He appeared to be tired but talked about how excited he was to have three days in a row off while he was munching on some garlic bread. It was closing time so I told him to get himself a glass of wine or cocktail and relax for a minute. I asked him what his plans were for the next few days. I knew that come Saturday we were going to be full on crazy busy with parties for 6 days in a row before Christmas and then the open house style evening for regulars on Christmas eve. He told me that Chris was going to be in town tonite and tomorrow and he said they would probably hang out. I kind of snickered and told him that he really needed to conserve his energy and get some rest…

“What is that supposed to mean?...I am sure we will just go have some drinks and hang for a bit…”

“Uh-huh…yep…that’s what you will be doing”

“What are you talking about??” He was clearly perplexed and unsure as to what I was, in fact, talking about. I was a little worried that I had let the cat out of the bag in terms of us having seen them at the bar that night…but I decided to let it go…

“It’s nothing…I am just giving you shit”

“er…ok…well fuck off then”

I laughed and went back to my food. Corey finished his half glass of wine and bread and he got up and started working on shutting the restaurant down. It had occurred to me that, with all the madness I walked into I had not let Michael know I was back…so I sent him a text…

“Hey Bud…got back into town a few hours ago and walked into a shit-show at the restaurant. Sorry for the delay in letting you know I was back. Just finishing up a bite to eat and then me and pups are gonna head home”

It took no time at all for him to text back and tell me…

“It’s about time…ha…glad you made it ok…things a little weird around the winery today but everyone is talking about the tree…so we done good! Miss you…call me later”

I had figured that the tree would be a topic of conversation and I am glad we did it. If nothing else, it brought a little holiday spirit to the folks working in the tasting room and maybe also to Dave and Diane. I said goodnight to everyone and the restaurant and told Corey to enjoy his time off and that I would see him Saturday and then the pups and I headed home.

That night, when I got home, I talked with Michael for a few minutes but it was clear we were both really tired so we said our good nights and I went to bed. The next few days were kind of a blur as business at the restaurant was brisk. Had a few holiday lunch groups and one event Thursday evening in the private dining room. The staff all stepped up and things ran smooth albeit chaotic. I was fairly productive over the few days as I got payroll completed, did the inventory and ordering for the coming week and even managed to show the private dining room to several prospective clients/guests. I sent a text to Michael each morning and he would generally respond within the next few hours. I found myself thinking about him regularly and about Dave and Diane and what was going on up there. Saturday rolled around and, in the midst of a busy lunch shift, Corey arrived just in time to help me set up for the big event scheduled for the private dining room that evening. Christmas was just a few days away and everyone, guests and staff, all were in good moods and full of holiday cheer. The event went off without a hitch and everyone was thrilled with the result.

I decided to get off the clock and sit down and eat. I found myself thinking a lot about Michael and where things were with us. I wasn’t sure that I could really process all the things he had said to me that night up on the mountain. He was clearly emotional and angry, and I had to wonder what that conversation would have been like had he not gotten the news about his dad. I figured that I couldn’t really focus on that too much because I would probably never know. I was scheduled to take Sunday off and had planned on working the afternoon on Monday to help with the large group in the banquet room. I stopped at the Admiral to get a night cap on the way home and my friend, Steve, was bartending. We did a couple of shots and I had a cocktail and then decided to head home. Steve appeared disappointed I wasn’t going to hang out as business was pretty slow but I told him I had been traveling and really needed to just get home and relax. He shook my hand and told me not to be a stranger.