Page 88 of While You Were Trending

“How long has that man had a crush on you?” Olivia murmurs to me.

“Had. He doesn’t anymore.”

“If you say so, hon,” Samantha says.

I need to go take a hike.

Ask the new owner of the pottery studio in town if I can come in after hours.

Pop in my earbuds and rock out and go visit the local fabric store to pick out material for a new dress now that Mabel’s through her last three commissions and has time to squeeze it in for me.

New dresses always make me feel better.

“If he makes you uncomfortable, you let me know,” Olivia says.

“We’ll make this winery into a success with or without his show,” Samantha adds.

I steal another glance at the table where Declan’s working with my friends.

He’s gone back to work.

Though by work, I mean holding a bunch of grapes up over his head, mouth open like he’s going to eat them all, making Cricket and Dori laugh and Mabel give the same amused headshake she regularly gives Pip.

“This will make a good show,” I say to Olivia and Samantha. “People will want to come here when they see the people behindthe winery. When they see the fun. They’ll want to be part of the story.”

I hope.

If not—then at least we’ll know we gave it everything.

Everything except for me on camera.

I shiver again. “I’m gonna take a break.”

“Take as long as you need, hon,” Samantha says.

More hands help, but we have half of Winona’s crew and a few of our other friends from town to sort today too.

This will be okay without me.

17

BROMAGEDDON

Declan

Not goingafter Ginny is hell.

I want to follow her and ask if she’s okay and let her pet Flow until she feels better.

Something’s clearly wrong, but I have a job to do, so I stay at the sorter, pretending everything’s fine.

Everything isn’t fine though.

There’s something wrong with Ginny, and I have even bigger issues if that’s my top worry and not the text from Alex.

So when I take a break from sorting, instead of searching her out, I call him.

“What thehell?” is the first thing he says.