Page 58 of While You Were Trending

I help set up the lights while he positions the cameras.

Cricket and Dori disappear, then return with the most god-awful fruit -shaped ottomans so that we all have somewhere to sit.

I’m assigned a pear.

Dori takes the cluster of grapes.

Mabel leans on the desk, and Cricket sits on her knees, resting her elbows on an orange.

We have an emergency meeting about what it means that we’re trying to film a secret documentary when the world’s attention is suddenly on Makepeace Cellars because of a celebrity wedding that was hosted here last weekend.

Cricket’s charming and funny.

Dori’s dry and funny.

Mabel’s the straitlaced glue.

I’m the guy learning the ropes.

The guy who asks all of the questions that sound stupid—why not just tell people I’m here?—and doesn’t ask the question I want to ask.

How much more will I get to see Ginny if I’m living on the property?

Flow knows it too.

She knows I’m getting worked up at the idea of getting to see Ginny multiple times every day.

Excited.

Nervous.

Hopeful.

Everything. All with my heart hammering harder than it should be.

My dog’s whimper-whines at me get so loud they’re near howls, making us stop for me to take her out before we finish the staged meeting.

And I hate every minute of it.

I want to see for myself that Ginny’s okay.

I’m worried Mabel will tell her that I like her, which means I need to do it first.

I’m curious what kind ofmalicious complianceplans Mabel will have for me if I fuck anything up.

How Ginny will react to Shade and me moving onto the property for the duration of filming.

Because we’re doing it.

Stupid not to be right here for everything, regardless of why we got the invitation. And it’ll be easier than bringing in trailers.

Better on the budget too.

“I didn’t tell you this,” Cricket whispers while she loves all over Flow just outside the secret room when we’re done filming, “but there are a few boxes of wine in the tasting room and gift shop. All of us have been known to sneak over and get one or two after a hard day.”

I have a few bottles of my own that I’ll be bringing over from the rental house, which won’t take long for me to pack up tonight. “You sell box wine here?”

“Cases. Not boxes. Cases of bottles.”