Texting With the Enemy (Digital Dating #1) - Marika Ray Page 0,29

Not that there was anything to do. Boston hadn’t actually kissed me. And Chad and I hadn’t even gone on a date yet. Ashley was right. I needed to calm down and just focus on the opening.

Boston had asked me to show up at the winery early to go over everything one more time before we opened the doors and welcomed our first guests. Today had to go perfectly. No crazy El screwups. I found myself jiggling the door handle on my way out of my duplex to get the deadbolt to engage properly. Yet another thing I needed to get fixed. You know. When I had extra time and money.

“Good luck today, El!” Frank called from next door, startling me.

“Thanks, Frank.” I smiled as I walked to my car. I really should be friendlier with him. He was weird, but he was also usually kind.

He lifted his coffee mug in the air, a fur hat sitting on top of his head despite the moderate summer temperatures lately. “I’ll be swinging by the winery with one of my girls tonight to support ya’.”

One of his “girls” stared blindly at me from the chair where she was perched behind him. Scratch that. No more being friendly with Frank. “We only let in one person at a time. Sorry. Maybe come alone?”

He winced and scratched his belly through the threadbare T-shirt. “Oh. Not sure how the girls will take that, but I’ll see what I can do.”

“Okay, Frank. Have a good one.” I climbed in my car and shut the door, wondering how he even knew about the winery opening and coming to one terrifying conclusion. The walls of our duplex were thinner than I’d thought. I’d have to watch what I said when I talked on the phone with Mom every night. I didn’t need Frank or his “girls” knowing my personal business.

When I pulled up to the winery, I parked in back, not wanting a beat-up car to be the first thing customers saw. Not at the grand opening. I hadn’t even gotten out of the car when Boston came out the back door of the winery.

He smiled, the edges looking a bit tense. “Good morning. Thanks for coming in before noon.”

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 my shoulder to watch Boston walk the other away. Even in casual clothes, the man was a sight to see. Why couldn’t he have been way older? Maybe with a snaggle tooth. Or a hunchback. Or a really horrible personality like I’d thought when I first met him? Why’d he have to go and be so attractive?

I pulled out my phone and replied to the text that had come in when I was driving to the winery.

Mom: The water drip torture has stopped! Tell Chad his plumber friend is a genius. He didn’t even have plumber’s crack. I checked.

Me: That’s good, Mom! Not about checking for plumber’s crack. That’s rude. I’ll let Chad know he did a good job.

I rolled my eyes at Mom, wondering just how much she must have harassed that poor man while he worked. Hopefully he didn’t charge me hazard pay. I pulled up the text string with Chad.

Me: Hey, handsome! Thank you for sending the plumber out to my mom’s. He fixed the faucet right up. Coming home soon?

I heard a ding right behind me and turned to see Boston at the other