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FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 49- Lincoln
Things were busy in the two weeks leading up to the opening of Merlot Masterpieces, but they were busy in the most satisfying way possible. Hannah and I each spent long days pursuing our passions—her building the business she’d dreamed of and me in the vineyards, consulting with Jacques and helping my mother develop the wines she’d dreamed about. The evenings were spent together, building something else entirely.“I’m nervous,” Hannah admitted to me the night before her grand opening.“What is there to be nervous about?” I asked. She had planned every detail, and the buzz around town was promising. The event had been sold out almost since she’d first announced it.“Oh, I don’t know,” Hannah said, snuggling into my chest as we sat on the couch in her cottage. “Failure?”“You won’t fail,” I assured her. “You’ve got too many people on your side to make sure you succeed.”She sighed, and I knew it wasn’t a sigh of frustration, but one of contentment instead. I’d begun to understand this w
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 49.1
“I’m very proud of you, honey,” Mom said, clearly trying to be supportive. “Oh, look how beautiful the shop looks!”We parked across the street from Merlot Masterpieces and got out of the car. The place looked incredible. Hannah had strung dangling lights in arcs beneath the striped awning out front and set up four bistro tables where people could take their projects outside on the sidewalk to work. The huge glass panes of the front were glowing with the warm light inside the shop, and from the street, the place looked inviting and beautiful.“It looks great,” Dalton said, and then rushed off to one side of the big windows and began making faces at his phone, nodding and shaking his head, and putting a finger to his mouth like he was thinking. I’d never understand Tiktok.Hannah stepped out onto the sidewalk and pushed open the door for us. “You made it!” she cried, and Mom rushed in and hugged her.“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”Hannah showed us the craft stations she’d got
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 50- Dalton
“Did I not kill it with Wine Wednesdays over the summer on IG?”Boston sucked in a lungful of air like it physically pained him to admit I did a good job promoting our upper tier wine brands at West Wines. Mom just looked confused. She didn’t bother listening to my chatter about social media after I made fun of her for calling it “The Tweeter.” Granted, I shouldn’t have laughed at her when she was making an effort to stay on top of the ever-evolving world of social media, but come on. You have to admit that was funny.“Did I not get a bazillion followers for Hannah and put Merlot Masterpieces on the map?”Boston pursed his lips so hard I thought he might have sucked on a lemon. “Yeah, I suppose you did, though I think there were other factors involved.”I shook my head slowly, barely restraining myself from rolling my eyes. What would it take for my big brother to realize I did a good job in my position as Social Media Manager for West Wines? Would he ever realize that all my antics o
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 51 - Raeanne
“Yes, Anna! You’re killing it, Beth! You guys slayed today!” It might have been a little more gusto than a four-year old’s hip hop class really called for, but my desperation was morphing me into an over-enthusiastic wild woman.“Rae?” Anna’s mom crossed the wide planked floor to approach as the four little girls spun away to head back home.“Hey!” The brightness would not leave my voice, and I might have accidentally shouted it. “Erm. Hi. Anna’s doing so well.”“She loves your class,” the woman said, looking worried about something. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I mean,” she glanced around the almost empty studio. “Will you be able to keep it going?”I pretended to have no idea what she was talking about. “What? Of course! I’d never let the girls down.”“It’s just, I know Dance, dance, dance is taking a lot of your business across town, aren’t they?”“Those hacks?” I blew out an unconcerned raspberry and waved a hand. I hated those guys at Dance, dance, dance. They were steali
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 51.1
“Numbers still dropping?” Mom asked, reading my face once Dad had left.I sighed and took a healthy sip of gin. “Ned Eclair is killing us with his focus on competition teams and cheerleading. I don’t know what to do, Mom.”It was her turn to sigh, and she rolled her pretty blue eyes. “Ned has always been larger than life. He’s a wonderful man, a fantastic dancer, and a very charismatic person... I understand why people are going over there, I guess. Dance has changed since I was young.”Mom had always held firm that dance was not a competitive sport, but in the last few decades, every other studio seemed to embrace the movement toward competition, even as our studio, On Your Toes, stood firmly in the past, refusing to take part.“Mrs. Sheffield asked me today if we were going to start a competition team,” I told her.She nodded. “Maybe it’s time, Rae.”“Maybe it’s already too late. I don’t even know if I have enough dancers to compete at this point. I need to find a way to grow the bu
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 52- Dalton
Sixty-two thousand and some odd number of views.Cunning Ham Winery gained over three thousand followers just from that one video.And she wanted me to take it down?Forget that crap. I was keeping it up. It was a free internet. Mostly. I think. You know, come to think of it, I didn’t know if Miss Priss—the name I’d given the gorgeous dancer in my head—had a legal leg to stand on with the duet I did of her video. I mean, if she didn’t want people to duet her, why didn’t she turn off the dueting ability before she posted?Being the smart marketer I was, I decided to double down on success. Stumbling out of bed, I made my way to the coffee maker and scrolled through her profile until I came to another video of hers that would be perfect for another duet. This one was slower and—holy crap, how did her leg defy gravity like that?—perfect for highlighting some of our more elegant wines due to the sultry beat of the music. I’d slam some breakfast and head over to the winery before work. The
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 53- Raeanne
I wiped angrily at the tears smeared across my cheeks as I stared at my phone. I’d had two students in my beginning ballet class this morning, and three no-shows. Ned Eclair and his dang charisma had undoubtedly stolen more of my students. Even the three-year olds wanted to compete.I sighed and stared at the video that CunningHam had posted that morning. On one side was my adagio set to Moonlight Sonata, a series of combinations I’d been doing for years—one of my favorite pieces. And on the other side was this guy, with his goofy grin and a glass of wine that dribbled over the side of the glass as he swayed. And then at the end, he put the glass down and spun some gorgeous blond girl into his arms. Who was she? Was that his girlfriend? His wife?I squinted at the phone, hating myself a little bit as I watched the video again. Nope. No ring.A frustrated sigh escaped my lips as I put the phone down. What was I going to do? I was already going to be pulling from savings to pay the over
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 53.1
CunningHam: No painting. Just a glass of wine and a conversation. Maybe a dance if it goes well.I thought about that, and did my best to smush down the strange little glow of excitement that lit inside me when I thought about sitting with this stranger and having a glass of wine. I hadn’t been on a date in… well, a long time. Here and there, but I hadn’t given guys much thought since my college boyfriend Mason dumped me for choosing dance over him. Like there was a choice, really.OnYourToes: Okay. I’m free tonight.CunningHam: Perfect! Six?OnYourToes: Fine. But I’m bringing pepper spray.CunningHam: I don’t know what pairs with that, but we’ll figure it out. See you then.That night I showered, put my hair up, and pulled on a pair of black leggings and a flowy tunic that I thought was flattering. After swiping on a bit of blush and mascara, I headed for the door, hoping I wasn’t making a huge mistake.I really did keep pepper spray in my purse. You just never knew.Merlot Madness w
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FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 72- Dalton
Me: Guys, we need your help. Rae is leasing the Chest R. Cheeses next month and I’m going to need some muscles to get it into shape for her studio. Can I count on you to help?Lincoln: Dude. I’m almost finished with Hannah’s cottage. I’m practically a general contractor by now.Dillon: Well, I would, but I don’t live here. Maybe I can squeeze in a weekend?Boston: Of course we’ll help. But first, I need to get everyone together for an announcement before Dillon flies out. Can you make it to the winery at seven tonight?Everyone agreed to meet, but I was more focused on the fact that they agreed to help Rae and me. Now that we were back together and better than ever, I wanted to get her set up in her new space as soon as possible. Her business was exploding, especially after someone posted a snippet of the flash mob on TikTok yesterday. Fans were going berserk about us being together in real life.My phone rang and I picked it up, even though I didn’t recognize the number. Quite frankl
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 71- Raeanne
For two days after the flash mob, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Every time I closed my eyes, Dalton was there, dancing and singing with half of Solano Creek. It was the perfect gesture, and I’d heard there was stiff competition between the Cunningham boys when it came to romantic gestures. And every time I wondered if I’d imagined the whole thing, my hand found the little gold key around my neck.We’d gone to dinner after the flash mob, along with Dalton’s family and mine, and the little Italian place we’d chosen had given us all free appetizers when they learned we were the ones who’d been dancing and singing out on the promenade.And after dinner? I’d gone home with Dalton after picking a few things up at my place. And so far, I hadn’t exactly left. We agreed it was too early to make big decisions, so no one was giving up an apartment or anything. Not yet. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to spend every second I could with the man I knew I was meant to find.“You look ha
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 70- Dalton
I didn’t know how Rae did it. Stepping up on stage for dance performances every few months growing up. I thought for sure I’d puke just getting everything set up for my make-or-break moment at the Promenade. If I thought about actually having to dance in front of everyone at the end of this ill-thought-out shindig, I just might lose my breakfast.“Don’t jack it up now, brother,” Dillon clapped me on the shoulder and gave me a shake. “Dude, you look a little green.”I didn’t like the way he was peering at me, like I’d grown a second head. “You try throwing it all on the line for a girl with everyone you know—and people you don’t know—watching you. You’d be a little green around the gills too.”Dillon flinched back. “Yeah, no. No way would I do that for a girl. Nope. The trend stops with you three.”He had a valid reason for concern. Us Cunningham brothers were notorious for putting on quite the spectacle to get the girl. When I’d hatched the original plan with Lincoln, it had grown leg
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 69- Raeanne
The days felt like they were dragging by. Like the kind of dragging weighed down by heartbreak and disappointment, by uncertainty and a little bit of self-loathing thrown in for good measure. The glass on the front of the studio hadn’t been fixed. I’d spoken to three glass shops and the landlord of the building, and evidently there was some kind of glass shortage in Solano Creek.“All those wine bottles we make here,” the landlord surmised.“I doubt that’s it,” I told him, pacing my apartment again. I could see a faint track worn into the brown rug where I’d been pacing regularly for days. Soon I’d probably go right through the floor. I needed to dance. I needed my life back.And I didn’t know if I needed him, but I really wanted Dalton. But my pride was still up and every time I picked up the phone I ended up talking myself back into anger. He didn’t understand me. And if this had been bad, it would only get worse if we dragged this thing out.Or that’s what I’d been telling myself r
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 68- Dalton
Twinkle Toes: I think so.I shut the screen off and tossed the phone on my nightstand. I couldn’t look at it any longer. I’d stared at our last text exchange so many times over the last few days I had the whole conversation memorized. Staring at it didn’t make the pain go away, nor did it provide answers as to what had gone so epically wrong. I mean, that had to be some kind of relationship crash and burn record right there. From I love you’s to broken up in twenty-four hours. Maybe Rae was right. I should probably stick to the light and funny stuff. Leave the grown up, complicated adult things for everybody else who could clearly handle them better.I was late for work, but who would really care? Boston was still on his honeymoon and Leslie was probably organizing his tackle box for the inevitable fishing trip right after his retirement party. My phone vibrated and my heart decided to gallop out of my chest, thinking it was Rae. But it wasn’t. Probably would never be again.Dillon Th
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 67- Raeanne
Inside my apartment I sank heavily onto the little couch I’d inherited from my grandmother. The cheery floral pattern was completely at odds with my mood. I leaned back into the dusty embrace of the yellow roses, my spine releasing some of the indignant tension I’d been holding there.What had Dalton been thinking? Was my studio a complete joke to him? How could he expect me to just pick up the whole thing and drop it down into the center of a Chest R. Cheeses? The place had been a total circus. I could still hear the shrieks of kids screaming over the maniacal music they’d piped in to float above the roar of the arcade machines.I was a classically trained ballerina. And while I didn’t expect Dalton to understand all the various implications of that and what it meant to me—about me—I did think he had respect for what I did. For the fact that I was running an actual business, and doing it increasingly well.But maybe I’d been wrong. Both Dalton and my dad had decided I couldn’t contin
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 66- Dalton
The rollercoaster of emotions over the last twenty-four hours had me up at dawn, energy crackling in my veins when I should have been sleeping in and enjoying my weekend. After we got Rae’s studio cleaned up last night, she’d gone home to her place, stating she was incredibly tired and needed rest. She’d been so busy with teaching and hiring, and now the added stress of a break-in, I didn’t push her to stay at my place. Plus, her parents were standing right there and I didn’t think that would make the best first impression. But her parents were on my mind now.I’d had an epiphany somewhere around three in the morning as I lay in bed trying to sleep. I’d gotten Rae into this mess by choosing her videos to duet to win my bet. I needed to get her out of this mess. The guilt of being the impetus for all of this would eat me alive if I didn’t make things right. I couldn’t undo what had been done. I couldn’t make her suddenly less TikTok famous. The only thing I could do was protect her goi
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 65- Raeanne
I’d never been the sappy type, not really. Sure, I could get a little choked up listening to music or when the corner bakery got the devil’s food exactly right. But this was different. As the Cunningham brothers proceeded down the center aisle with El’s bridesmaids on their arms, a little knot of emotion formed in my throat.Lincoln and Hannah went first, then Dillon and El’s friend Ashley. Dalton appeared next at the end of that long aisle, and my heart expanded inside my chest. He walked El’s friend Gigi down the aisle, but his eyes found mine in the crowd, and held fast nearly the entire time. When he took his place at the front, near the arch of white flowers, I realized I’d been holding my breath, and I let it go just in time to turn back to see El stepping out from the back and to the head of the aisle, her mother Robin at her side. El looked gorgeous—glowing and bright, her hair curled and shiny, and her dress was a satin sheath clearly made just for her. She gazed around, but
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 64 - Dalton
I adjusted the fancy tie around my neck for maybe the hundredth time that morning, unsure if my nerves were for Boston and El, the best man’s speech I’d need to give at the reception, or because I intended to man up and tell Rae exactly how I felt about her today. So many times over the last week, it had been right there on the tip of my tongue. The three little words that seemed so inadequate for what was going on inside my chest whenever I was around her, or thought of her, or caught a sweet jasmine scent that reminded me of her body lotion I was obsessed with. I hadn’t been looking for her, but she’d danced her way into my heart nonetheless.Was it too early to tell her I loved her? I mean, we’d only been dating for just shy of a month, but it wasn’t so much the time, it was the depth of what we’d shared. We were working on a shared goal, each of us supporting the other. To her, I wasn’t just the funny guy. Everything about us together was just plain nice. Maybe the word nice wasn’
