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FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 7- Boston
Despite having lost a favorite shirt over the course of the evening, I went to bed feeling oddly happy. It had been a rollercoaster of a day. I’d resigned myself to saying goodbye to El—not that she would actually want me (or allow me) to actually say goodbye to her when she left West Wines. But in my mind, I’d begun to try to get used to the idea of not having her around.It was strange. Up until the wine festival, I’d seen her at work now and then. I’d always thought she was attractive. But it was the texting, I decided, that had pushed that moderate attraction over the edge into something new, something different. The texts she sent me—well, okay, the texts she sent Chad—were honest and open, and I felt like I got an insight into the real El. The Isabel Watson she kept hidden most of the time, or covered up with too many words and a moderate amount of flailing around. They let me see the real her, and even though she didn’t know it was me, the ones I sent back allowed me the freedo
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 7.1
Me: I’m confident this time things will work out.Beautiful Accountant: I hope so. I’m really just not qualified to sell wine. I realized that late last night. I had to eat some ice cream to calm down.Me: All you need for sales is a great personality. You have that. And then some.Beautiful Accountant: If that were true, my boss would suck at sales.Ouch.Me: Being stunningly good looking helps too.Beautiful Accountant: I guess he’s got that one covered. Me: So do you.Beautiful Accountant: Thanks.A warm comfort filled my chest at having made El feel good about herself. She deserved that. Probably as much as I deserved the dig on my personality. It was just that most of the time, I was too busy to think much about being kind. Or having fun. Or anything, really. I didn’t want to let my family down, and they were all depending on me now.It was shaping into a good day, despite the quilter’s paradise I’d found myself in this morning. Until El’s next text arrived.Beautiful Accountant:
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 8- Isabel
“She said she’s on the corner of Sutter and Vine.”This day just kept getting weirder and weirder. Boston—which was how I now referred to him in my head, not Mr. Cunningham—was currently driving me to meet my mom where she had a flat tire. A week ago I would have said something like this would happen over my dead body, but based on the way my heartbeat wildly fluttered in my neck, I was very much alive. It was seeing him without a shirt yesterday. That was it. The sheer number of muscles had confused my brain into thinking Boston was some kind of available specimen for obsessing over.“There she is!” I pointed to my beat-up blue Camry on the side of the road. Mom was currently rolling the spare tire toward the front of the car where the tire was indeed flat, making a grab for it with her splinted wrists when it looked like it would roll straight down the sloping road.Boston made an illegal U-turn and parked behind my car with his flashers going. We both hopped out and went to rescue
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 9- Boston
“I think she’s ready,” I told my mother as I swapped the Cunning Ham polo for my work shirt in the back on Thursday evening after El had left for the night. “She might be the most overpaid tasting room host in all of Napa, but at least she’s well trained.”Mom turned from where she was finishing up some paperwork on the standing desk in the corner of the back office. “She’s not overpaid,” she said, her chin lifting. “As soon as we have enough inventory, she’s going to be out selling. And you know she’ll be great at that. This gives her time to get to know the wine first, and the family behind it.”I crossed to where Mom stood and dropped a hand on her shoulder. “I’m not arguing. I’m glad we’re paying her well.” And Mom was right, llllqwe were investing in the winery’s future. Though this year we had only small inventories of each wine, made from grapes we’d sourced from nearby vineyards with surplus, Lincoln—who had studied viticulture—said the vines were in better shape than we’d tho
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 9.1
“I’ve been telling you that for years.” An amused male voice floated through what I’d thought was the empty tasting room. I looked up to find my brother Lincoln grinning at me. “What the heck, bro?”For a moment, I considered telling him my actual problem. But I wasn’t really close with my brothers that way. I handled things. Just like Dad had. I didn’t bother them with the details.“Everything is fine,” I said, tidying the counter and preparing to leave.“Looks like it,” he said, shaking his head. It occurred to me then that Lincoln, at twenty-six, probably knew as well as I did the roles we’d each taken on since Dad died. I carried the burdens of the business, he checked in on Mom. The streams didn’t often cross. “Well, I just came to say hi to Mom, brought her some dinner. I didn’t know you’d be here.”“I’m on my way out,” I told him.“See you later,” he called, pushing through the door to the back rooms, carrying takeout bags.***El texted me as I was sliding into bed that night.
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 10- Isabel
Me: OMG, please tell me you have five seconds to talk me off the ledge! Ashley: What’s going on? And yes, I have exactly ten minutes before I have a meeting with a bridezilla who wants a river running down the aisle like she’s in “Crazy Rich Asians.” And of course, I’d have to have a camera floating down in a little raft to catch the angle from down below because of course she’d want that. I don’t get paid enough for this crap.Ashley was a wedding photographer, which meant she was a professional at talking women down when they were hysterical or asking for the moon. Exactly who I needed right about now as I got dressed for the grand opening at the winery this afternoon.Me: No cameras or rivers, I promise. Last night I had a moment, like a moment-moment, with my boss and now I’m freaking out.Ashley: Wait. With Mr. Cunningham? The one who’s training you at the winery? What happened to Chad?Me: Yes, Boston. I really wish this wasn’t your busy season. I have so much to fill you in on!
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 10.1
I climbed out and smoothed my polo shirt, smiling back. Pam had given me a new one in a size up. No customers would be in danger of a button attack today. Goodness, the man smelled good. The woodsy fragrance he always had on made my legs feel like butter. “Morning. I’m so excited!”Boston shut my car door and walked me in, his hand coming out to touch my elbow and then reversing course. He jammed his hands in his pants pockets, then withdrew them again to open the back door for me. He was acting weird. And that was saying something coming from me, the queen of acting weird.“Mom’s talking to the caterer right now.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the tiny office tucked in the back corner of the winery. “How about I get the new napkins that just arrived this morning and we can make sure the bar is stocked?”“Sounds good. I just have to send a quick text and then I’ll be good to go.” I pushed through the saloon doors to put my purse behind the bar. I peeked over
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 11- Boston
I wasn’t sure how it had happened, but somehow, I’d put my arms around El and pulled her close to me, both of us laughing hysterically at my mother’s ridiculous pig mascot costume.It had been as natural as rolling over in my sleep, to reach for her. Holding her as we shared a moment of laughter borne out of the intimacy we’d built over the last week together, and the last night especially, felt so right that everything inside me was pushing me to hold her there forever. Where she belonged—close to me.But Mom’s timing was good, because it wouldn’t have been the right thing for me to lean in and kiss El furiously right there behind the tasting counter, no matter how much I wanted to. My desire for her, my intense admiration for the strong, silly girl in my arms, didn’t change the fact I was still lying to her about something. And as long as I was misleading her, it was pretty clear I didn’t deserve her.I held her gaze a second longer, which turned out to be a mistake, because Mom saw
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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’
