Wine Not Coffee
Chapter 21
Rick was getting used to working in one place and living in another. He always left Alexis behind and while that might be good for Alexis, he missed her. Then eventually he would go home that wasn't really home but none the less really nice.
He always found a happy Alexis waiting for him. And he also found a happy to see him Kate. She usually met him at his car and wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted up on her toes to kiss him.
Then over dinner he would explain how his remodel was progressing and what was left to be done.
He would take Alexis with him to his room and put her down after he fed her and made sure she was happy. Then one of two different things would happen. He would either find a naked Kate at his door leading to their shared bathroom beckoning him into her room and into her bed. Or he would walk through the bathroom already naked, find her equally naked and sitting on her bed waiting for him.
Today was a little different. Kate kissed him at his car before he left to go to work and when he got there he found a trailer that would be his new office till the contractor was finally done.
Rick spent his day watching the contractor rip his old lobby to pieces and drove away with what was not trash on his trailer only to come back and do it all over again, all day long.
One benefit of the trailer was that he now had a chair to sit on. Everything inside his old lobby was now in his new one. He was sitting in his chair when he got a surprise. "Kate!" He was up out of his chair and taking the case of wine out of her hands. As soon as the case was on the floor next to their display, that was down to just three bottles, he pulled her into him and kissed her.
Kate liked it when he had his arms around her and kept hers around his neck. "You said you were almost out so I brought you more." Kate kissed him again then released him.
"So this is new." Kate looked his trailer over. It was very simple looking.
"I get to keep it for a little over a week then it'll all be done," Rick told her. "So I don't have to be here for long."
"Good. I also came to find out if you wanted to go out on another date," Kate asked him.
"Of course. Have you got something in mind?" He was willing to let Kate lead.
"I have something in mind." Kate bit her bottom lip. "I was thinking maybe a late picnic. I saw a really nice spot down by the lake during one of my trips on my bike that Mom sends me out on. Lots of grass. We'd have to walk to reach it."
"With or without Alexis this time?" So far all of their dates had been just the two of them.
"She can come but we'll have to take the company truck. Neither of our cars will hold three people." That was slowly turning into a problem that they weren't ready to solve just yet.
"You got yourself a date." He would have gone even without Alexis but with was even better. It meant he got to see more of Alexis and maybe watch how Kate interacted with his baby.
"I'll have the food and Alexis ready to go when you get home. We can leave immediately." Kate walked over to him and kissed him. "I need to go. Mom wants to send me out again. At least it gives me an excuse to ride my bike."
"And wear those tight leathers of yours," Rick commented with a gleam in his eye.
Kate grinned at him. "Like my leathers, do you?"
"Maybe I'll get to peel them off you one day." Rick grinned back at her.
"Perhaps. …One day." Kate kissed him again and added some sway to her hips as she left. Life was good. Switzerland was turning out to be a really nice place. She was riding her bike a lot and she had a live-in lover who she was falling for fast. She was even adapting to taking care of Alexis.
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"Okay Katie, I only have three this time." Jo handed over the addresses. "How was Rick?" She had sent her to him with a case of wine as part of their deal.
"The contractor is gutting his old lobby. He's in this little trailer now. He thinks he'll be done in about a week or so," Kate told her.
"I meant how is Rick not his business." She meant personally. She had spotted them kissing more and more of late and they weren't hiding it any.
"He's nice," Kate answered.
"Define nice. I like dating him nice? I like kissing him nice? I want more nice?" Jo needed more than "nice". She had done her best to make sure those two were always close. She could have sent someone else the wine to Rick's place. Instead she sent Katie.
"I don't kiss and tell." She wasn't telling her mother that she and Rick had been having sex nearly every night. In fact she could only think of a few nights that they hadn't and that was only because of her period. Even then she still wanted him but it would have been messy.
"I'm not asking for details, Katie. Just so long as you two are being careful." Jo had no doubt these two were sexually active. "I mean do you like him or just like him?"
Kate felt a blush working its way up her neck and reaching her face. "I really like him, Mom. He's…different. He's handsome, funny, he has a job. Two, actually. Did you know he sits there with his laptop and types most of the day while his guests are out enjoying themselves?." She didn't ever see him type while he was there.
Of course when he was there he spent it with Alexis and her most of the time. Slept in her bed after they had sex and usually even more sex in the morning before he left.
"I'm looking forward to his next book. In a Hail of Bullets I believe he said was the title. Sounds exciting. …Okay go, go." Jo waved her away. It sounded like Katie and Rick were doing fine. But she was there to sell wine any place she could so Katie needed to stay busy.
She knew Katie was leaving when she heard her start her bike and ride away. That bike of hers was finally good for something. And thankfully around here she was less likely to get herself killed on that thing. There weren't hundreds of yellow taxis running around trying to run you down.
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"Just one, Mom. The other two already had deals with a different winery and you can have two of your bottles back. They didn't want them." Kate put one piece of paper down and her two bottles. "Sorry."
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Have you decided what you want to do yet? Go back to Stanford? Your father and I will still pay your tuition. I know it means you'll be behind. Or find a university that's closer and study law here? Orr, you could follow your father around and learn all about wine. One day he and I will no longer be able to run this place. If you and your family don't take over it will leave the Becketts forever." Jo wasn't trying to push her.
It was just all she did was wait for baseball to start so she could be glued to the TV when at least her team played or maybe anyone's team. Occasionally go out on a date with Rick. Otherwise these little wine errands were just about it.
"I haven't really decided yet." Kate picked up some papers off of her mother's spare chair. Her office was a mess. She had no idea how she found anything.
"I really don't know. I know my dream isn't officially over, yet it feels like it is." She felt lost.
Suddenly someone was crying over the baby monitor that Jim had gotten along with a few other things. "I'll get her. Don't move, just sit right there." Jo got up, changed a diaper, and picked up a happy Alexis. She took her back to her office.
"Give me those." Jo took the papers in one hand. "Here, take Alexis." And lost Alexis to her daughter.
"Hi, remember me?" Kate put her on her knee and bounced her. "Is she getting bigger?" It felt like she was.
"New onesie. Have you discussed this with Rick at all?" Jo inquired.
"No, I mean, not really. It's just I know less about wine than anyone here. I don't even drink wine, I drink coffee. Rick even taught me how to use that fancy thing." She still felt lost.
"So I'll take the espresso machine away and force you to start drinking wine. Maybe…" Jo stopped because of the look Katie was giving her about taking her beloved coffee machine away. "It's still up to you, Katie. We're here because family means a lot to me and your father.
"We both gave up our careers for this place. The fact that it's in Switzerland, is a world Heritage site, and is actually really nice here doesn't hurt." Jo wasn't sorry she had talked her husband into coming here. Not that it took much persuasion on her part to talk him into it. Mostly just Katie.
"No, it's nice. Really nice." Suddenly a picture of a naked Rick walking into her bedroom entered her mind and she couldn't help but smile. "I need her toy or pacifier or something. She's chomping on her own fingers." Kate got up and went to Rick's bedroom to find one or both.
She was soon back and Alexis had her pacifier in her mouth and a toy that moved and made noise in the other as Kate sat back down in her mother's little office.
"What?" Her mother was grinning at her.
"Nothing." Her daughter who didn't do babies was taking care of Alexis and it warmed her heart. "You should try getting her to say mama or something. She's going to try talking pretty soon here. Not long after that and she'll be crawling."
"Easy there." Kate stopped Alexis from using her toy to hit Kate with while making it move. Kate bounced her again. It was then that she noticed that Alexis only had eyes for her. "She is kinda cute."
"I knew you would come around eventually. She's pretty irresistible," Jo smiled.
"I still don't do poopy diapers," Kate informed her.
"When's your next date with Rick?" Jo asked her.
"Today, right after he gets off work and takes a shower. Alexis is going with us. I just have to put the picnic basket together," Kate responded and kept trying to get Alexis to smile with her pacifier in her mouth.
"So ask Rick what he thinks you should do. I'm pretty sure he isn't going to like the idea of you going back to Stanford. He likes you a lot, you know. I'm not blind." She wasn't deaf either but she wasn't going to say anything about that.
"I know. I like him, too. I guess I could ask him. The closest university is in Lausanne, I think. After that it's either Geneva or Zurich. Bern might have one but getting to either of those every day is going to be a pain." She still didn't know what to do.
"Take Alexis, go change clothes, and maybe take a quick shower. You could take Alexis with you into the shower. Just be very careful. She's likely to be very scared. Baths in a little water is one thing. A lot of water is another. And not too hot and neither of you are really going to get clean. But the two of you might find it fun once you both get the hang of it." It was something new for her to try.
Jo was hoping it would be a bonding experience for both of them. A lot of skin to skin with water in Katie's arms might be a good thing.
"You can think while you two are having fun," Jo offered and watched those two leave. "Poopy diapers. Honestly Katie, there are a lot worse things. Like listening to her screaming while crying because she's fallen down and there's blood," Jo muttered to herself.
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Her bedroom door was closed. She was now naked and worked at getting Alexis naked. "Shower, huh? You want to shower with me? I promise not to let the water hit you. I have a nice big shower. We won't even bother using soap. It'll be nice and fast. Or really long if you like it."
Kate picked her up and held her to her chest. They went into the bathroom and Kate reached in to turn on the water and waited to get the water maybe a little cooler than she wanted but not cold. "At least two towels. One for you and one for me."
Kate tested the temperature much like she did testing a bottle. "Okay, here we go."
"See? Nothing to worry about. It's just a lot of water hitting my back." Except Alexis instantly started crying so Kate looked down at her. "And your face. SHIT!"
Kate moved so Alexis was now under the shower head and almost all the water was going over even her head. "There, no more water. Shh, shh. You're fine. I promise." Kate forced her face into her chest and between her breasts. "It's just water, sweetie." Kate began bouncing her. "See, it's nothing. Just a lot of water. You've had baths before." Kate tried to comfort her.
All Alexis knew was that she was getting wet. It had gotten onto her face and she hated that. Then suddenly the water was mostly gone and now she felt something new and she could hear something she had been listening to off and on for a while now. The feel and sound was soothing. But there was a sound she didn't like.
"Okay you win. Enough shower. We can try again another time." Kate turned off the water and just like that Alexis stopped. That had her looking down at Alexis and up at the shower head. "It can't be the water so is it the noise it makes?" Kate still held her close and saw her hands were searching for something. Kate lifted her up so she could look at her. "No more water. It's just me." Kate pressed her face into Alexis and blew.
Now she had a happy Alexis again. "We need a towel since our shower is over." Kate stepped out and grabbed a towel. She laid it out on the counter and put Alexis down to get her dry. Except that got her to start crying.
"What now?" Kate picked her back up and held her to her chest and bounced her. Just like that Alexis was quiet again.
"You want to be held. Can't I hold you after we are both dry?" Kate asked her. "I'll make this fast." Kate put her down but before she could get Alexis dry she tears ran down her face. Then Kate quickly dried herself and picked her back up and held her tight to her chest and bounced her.
"Better? You aren't this difficult during bath time. What's so difficult about a shower?" Kate walked into her bedroom and looked around. Then turned around and walked into Rick's room since that was where her diapers, onesies, and everything else was.
Shortly after she put Alexis down she started crying. "I'm not letting you pee or poop all over me so you get a diaper first," Kate informed her and proceeded to do just that. Kate picked her up and carried her to her room so she could find something to wear. Since she was going on a picnic soon she chose clothes for that she could wear for that.
"Now my hair is all wet." Kate took Alexis with her back into the bathroom and sure enough her hair was wet. "I have to put you down and you're apparently not going to like it." Kate went into Rick's room and put her in her crib. After that she rushed into the bathroom so she could work on her hair and the hair dryer drowned out Alexis crying.
Kate got dressed really fast. "I'm back." Kate picked her up. "I wasn't gone that long."
Kate carried her back into her room, bouncing her all the way but she wouldn't stop crying. "I thought you liked me." She was still crying. "NO! Really? Lucky you I put a diaper on you. If you did that while I was still naked and holding you I might stop liking you."
Kate turned around and went back into Rick's room. "This better be a wet diaper."
"MOM!"
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Kate parked the truck, got out, and chased down the picnic basket that she had put together out of the bed of the truck. She really hoped everything had survived the trip.
Rick got out with Alexis and followed Kate to where she had selected to have a picnic. Rick found a lone concrete picnic table. "I actually thought we would be sitting on grass and looking out at the lake."
"Well no, but we can. I brought a cloth to put on the picnic table. I'm not eating on that thing without a cloth cover." Kate left the table and went out into the grass then she fished out her cloth and spread it out.
Soon they had Alexis between them on the cloth as they sat there. "I heard Alexis had another poopy diaper," Rick said and raised an eyebrow. He sat there and smiled at her.
"My mother has a big mouth. Yes, she had a poopy diaper while I was watching her. Have you smelled her poopy diapers? Have you seen her poopy diapers?" Kate shuddered and watched him keep looking at her. "Okay you have, obviously. But they're poopy. I've done everything else! ...And she's pretty cute. I've gotten past that the guy I'm falling in love with has a baby and that I'm feeding her and changing diapers and… What?" Rick was grinning from ear to ear at her.
Now he was leaning across Alexis and she saw a kiss coming so she met him half way. "Something I said?" So far they had only talked about Alexis. Not that she minded.
"For the record. I'm falling in love with you, too. You're amazing and extraordinary," Rick murmured and leaned across to kiss her again.
Alexis proceeded to inform them that she was being ignored with all that kissing.