“Yes, I walked up to the road and along to their gate. An old guy drove up while I was there. Asked me where I’d come from and invited me in for a meal. He said he owned the place.”

“That would’ve been Theo.”

“He was full of questions. Anyway, they’ve got a menu board at their gate. It’s different food and restaurant prices.”

“We can’t compete with Theo’s facility.” Flynn looked glum again.

“But why try? There must be all kinds of people attending the Divine Wine and Dine weekend. You believe your wines are outstanding; the food is just an extra on the day. Keep it basic and let the wine do the talking. There must be people who would appreciate that.”

Flynn sat up straighter in his chair. Keely had to look away from those searching blue eyes. She fiddled with the pad in front of her.

“I’ve gone for three courses. Like you suggested, something for each of your wines. I don’t know anything about wine so I’ve had to use your books to do some research. I’ve come up with things that are easy to prepare and serve. We won’t need cutlery or plates.”

Flynn came to stand beside her and look over her shoulder. She tensed, imagining the touch of his hand.

He leaned close and picked up the pad. “May I?”

There was a fresh earthy smell about him. “Of course. Take a look. You might not like my ideas.” Keely’s words tumbled over each other. “I know you suggested chicken or fish to accompany the chardonnay but from my research I thought we could pair it with a Margaret River charcuterie board. You said your chardonnay is full-bodied with bigger texture and flavour so I was thinking we could use a selection of local cured meats, cheeses, olives, hummus, and pickled vegetables, that type of thing. That’s easier to prepare and is one course that also caters for vegetarians and people who need to be gluten free. We could follow it with a pulled pork and slaw roll to accompany a glass of your cabernet sauvignon. I got stuck on the dessert. In the end I thought a bite-sized pavlova swirl with unsweetened cream and berries might be okay for the glass of late-harvest semillon and once again that’s suitable for quite a few dietary requirements.”

She stopped. Flynn continued to stare at the paper he held. She rushed on to fill the silence. “It might not be what you wanted but I thought, seeing that Levallier Dell was a mixture of French and Australian, the charcuterie board and the pavlova were a good combination.” Suddenly she wanted him to approve her ideas. She’d enjoyed planning the menu and looked forward to helping with the Divine Wine and Dine weekend.