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17. Boston
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FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 17.1
“Yes. So you’ll go?” “Fine. Yes.”“Can you paint me a little flowerpot to put out front, please? And don’t just smear it with paint like you did with that one in third grade. Put a little effort into it.”I picked up the case of wine I’d come back here to get. “You said you loved that pot.”“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. You were only eight. But you really phoned that one in.”“Nice, Mom.”She smiled and batted her eyes at me, and I spun, ready to push back out to face the ever-ebullient El as she studiously ignored me some more. “Be there at noon.”I sighed and spent the rest of the night trying not to stare wistfully at the beautiful girl who hated me as she laughed and talked like she didn’t have a care in the world. My week had been horrible without her, but I was having trouble believing hers had been anything but great. The only bright point was when Chad called to tell me she was all mine.“She’s a fun girl,” he’d said. “Just not my type.”“Why’s that?”“Mostly because s
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 18- Isabel
I didn’t see anything. Couldn’t hear anything. I was walking out the door like a scared little chicken, too overwhelmed by what Boston had just shared to function properly. And let’s face it, I was Isabel Watson, the bumbling blonde with coordination issues and a surprisingly long streak of bad luck. That was my only explanation for what happened next.My shoulder hit the side of the doorframe and the impact jarred my teeth loose. It also jarred loose the teeth on my zip up sports bra. I spun in a full circle due to the impact, during which time my girls felt their restraints fall away and headed for a hasty escape as the zipper gave. My arms came up to cross over the front of my chest and I ran into another wall. This time the wall was Boston. His eyes peered down at me, looking so concerned it further melted that wall of ice I’d been trying to build around my heart. I wanted to look down to assess the situation, but I didn’t dare. It was bad. I could feel the sides of the bra poking
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 19- Boston
“This pot is not exactly what I had in mind,” Mom complained as I heaved the gigantic thing out of the back of my car outside the winery the next day. “You’re kidding, right? The painting place girl told me you picked it out yourself.” I stared at my mother, trying to decide if I was more aggravated about the pot or about the meddling attempt to push El back into my armswhen she clearly wasn’t ready.“I did. I just, I really thought you’d put a bit more effort into paintingit.”“What was your goal in sending me there, Mom? To get a painted pot,or to get El and I to talk?”Mom frowned. “Both. But the pot would have been nice to have when people show up for the festival this weekend.”“The festival is about wine and food, not gargantuan pots. What are you going to put in this thing, anyway?”Mom shrugged. “I don’t know. I just thought something grand, something to really make a statement might be required. No one knows usyet, and I want them to see that we
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 19.1
“It’s just . . . I mean, it’s not very you.”I set down a folding chair and stood up to look my brother in the eye. “Right. And I think that’s the answer. I’ve been too me this whole time.”“Uh, sure.”“No, you’re right. I’m the problem. I’m uptight and hard driving. I never just stop and enjoy the view, because I’m always worried about letting something fall, letting someone down. I think it’s time to be less me. I’m going to let it all go and take a chance.”Lincoln looked skeptical, but he didn’t say anything else.El arrived just after nine, looking adorable with her hair pulled into a ponytail and her polo shirt tucked into a short khaki skirt. Ashley was at her side, and as they walked past me in the parking lot, El gave me a soft smile and Ashley leaned behind her and offered me a dramatic wink.I smiled at El and tried not to encourage Ashley, who’d been so enthusiastic on the phone when I’d called to ask for her help, that I was still concerned I might have a burst eardrum.I
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 20- Isabel
The sunshine, my bestie, and the taco I’d just inhaled were giving me new life. Sure, it was awkward and painful seeing Boston every time I turned around, but I was starting to feel less sad and more frustrated with myself. Why couldn’t I just forgive him already? He said he was sorry, he’d begged me to forgive him, and I was still holding on to a grudge.“I think I might be a grudge holder, Ash,” I announced as I swallowed another bite of taco.She snorted. “Are you just now figuring that out?”“Hey! You’re supposed to be my best friend.” If the shredded beef taco hadn’t been so good, I might have thrown the last bite at her.“I am your best friend, dummy, that’s why I’m agreeing with your assessment. Remember when Samantha passed you a note to pass to Thomas Sax in third grade and you got in trouble for it?”“Ugh. Don’t remind me. I had to do an extra book report all because that little twerp wanted attention from a boy who ate glue.” I got worked upjust thinking about it. I hated
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 20.1
A flicker of recognition sprang to life in me, and my stomach clenched. “Oh no,” I muttered. I had a bad feeling about things. This was sounding a lot like what happened with me and Chad at the wine festival. To everyone else, this was just a rag-tag theater production, but I could sense something bigger happening up on that stage.The pig took the mannequin’s hand and her arm fell off. The audience gasped and Boston scrambled to pop it back on. From behind me, poor Frank bellowed something I couldn’t quite make out. Boston successfully got the arm back on and cleared his throat, clearly determined to continue this truly horrific play.“Allow me to woo you, lovely maiden?”Well, there was a blast from the past. I hadn’t heard the word “woo” in a while. But there was no time to consider it because the play marched on.“I am willing to be wooed,” the mannequin said.Mom, Dalton, and Lincoln all reached below their chairs and picked up signs that had been lying face down on the stage. Mo
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 21-Boston
Holding El in my arms, I could almost forget that we were on a stage in front of an entire crowd of people. She held my gaze with her beautiful blue eyes and my entire world felt right when I pulled her close, ghosting my lips across hers.El let out a tiny whimper, and it pulled at every nerve in my body, sending lightning through my veins as I pressed my lips to hers. The kiss was a claim, a decision, and a promise, and it was equal parts tender and desperate. I wanted her, but not just in my arms and hopefully one day in my bed. I wanted her at my side, in my life.“I love you, El,” I told her, breaking the kiss. “So much I’m not sure what to do about it.”“Just kiss me some more,” she suggested, “and we’ll go from there.”The crowd around us had broken into wild applause, and I began to be conscious of the fact that we were still in the midst of a very public spectacle. I thought I’d had just about enough of being the center ofattention, but when I finally got to my feet, keeping
FALLING IN LOVE WHEN YOU'RE TEXTING 22- Isabel
And I had to admit, the tasting room had never looked better.The clock hit two and I spun around, taking it all in. “It looks fantastic, Pam! That bride is going to be over the moon.” I glanced at the front door. “If she ever gets here.”Right on cue, the door opened and Ashley walked in. “Hey—oh! Wow. You’ve outdone yourself, Pam.” She gazed around at the décor and then grabbed me in an iron grip. “You’re coming with me. We gotta discuss some wine stuff.”I frowned, but hustled after her, lest she rip my arm out of the socket as she towed me to the back room. “What is your deal? The bride will be here any second and I promise you we have the wines sorted.”Ashley spun and held my hands in hers. “Are you sure? I think we should have an extra sparkling wine. I think this bride might be a drinker.”I tilted my head. Something was off about Ashley. “You okay, Ash? You seem jumpy. Odd, somehow.”She looked away and I knew something was up. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.Where’s the sparkling win
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