Page 2 of Flirting Lessons

“We wanted to wait until we got the all clear from the doctor,” Sam said.

Erica squeezed Taylor hard before she stepped back.

“Which, full disclosure, we got last week, but I wanted to tellyou in person, and you’ve been so busy lately that this was the first opportunity, so we had to take it.” Erica waggled her eyebrows at Taylor. “I assume you’ve been making the most of your newly single state?”

Taylor shrugged.

“I guess so.” Taylor had broken up with her most recent ex-girlfriend just a few weeks ago. “I mean, sort of. Not that I regret the breakup,” she said quickly, after seeing the hopeful look on Erica’s face. Erica had always liked Gemma. Taylor had, too, just…not enough. “But I don’t know, I’m just tired of the drama. While I like theideaof dating someone new, actually dating doesn’t sound fun anymore. Maybe I just need a break.”

Erica shook her head.

“I can’t believe Taylor Cameron, the hottest catch in Northern California, is already bored of being single. Here’s something to make it fun: Pick a hot girl at this party. Any one of them. I bet you that you can get her into bed.”

Taylor thought about Avery, just for a second, but shook her head.

“Okay, Icoulddo that, but I’m not going to bet against myself like that. Plus, I said I wanted less drama, not more. But also, that’s kind of mean to do to someone—I don’t want her to find out that I slept with her because of a bet!”

“She has a point there, you know,” Sam said.

Erica sighed. She and Taylor constantly bet each other about random stuff, mostly ridiculous things like this.

“Good point. Okay, then, here’s a bet that’s mean only to you. If you’re bored with being single already, let’s make it a little more challenging: I bet you that you can’t make it through the summer without sleeping with someone.”

Taylor’s eyes widened involuntarily.

“The whole summer?”

Erica nodded with a very smug look on her face.

“Until Labor Day. You said you wanted less drama; that’s a good way to accomplish it.”

Taylor had never turned down a bet from Erica and vice versa (which had caused the two of them to spend one very memorable overnight in an IKEA after they’d bet each other to do it), and unfortunately her pride wouldn’t let her turn down this bet. She held out a hand to Erica.

“Done,” she said as she and Erica shook hands. “Margot is swamped, so I need to run back to the bar, but you’d better come up with a good prize for me for when I win this bet.”

She heard Erica’s laughter behind her as she raced back to the bar.

Avery took a sip ofwine as she looked around the winery from her slightly out-of-the-way corner. It was nice to not have to work this party like she usually did—when you were an event planner, most parties that you went to were work. Instead, she could just relax and observe. People watching at parties was so much fun: she got to see who was checking each other out, who was flirting with whom, the couples who had clearly had a fight right before they’d gotten out of the car but were pretending they were so happy together, the person everyone was trying to go home with, that person who just really needed to break up with her boyfriend.

She let out a long, relieved sigh. She had been that last person, just a few months ago. Thank God, she’d finally done it. Everything would be different today if they were still together, if he were here with her. It had always been so stressful to be at partieswith him. If it was a party with her friends, he always wanted to leave early; if it was a party with his friends, he never introduced her to anyone, and she was bored the whole time. But most of all, he never seemed particularly happy to be with her, no matter what she did. Until she’d broken up with him, she hadn’t realized how much happier she’d be without him.

Even though it seemed like everyone else in her life had.

She shook those thoughts off. Today, she was going to just enjoy this party. Free wine, good snacks, beautiful weather, and a day off. And not only free wine, freegoodwine; free wine was easy to come by when you lived and worked in Napa Valley, but free good wine was a different story.

She glanced over at the makeshift bar, where the Noble staff was pouring wine for the growing crowd. Speaking of the person everyone at the party wanted to go home with, there she was: Taylor Cameron, pouring wine, laughing, gently flirting with the guest in front of her. Everyone walked away from her with a smile on their face, and most of them looked back at her to see if she was still looking at them. Avery had met Taylor a few times but mostly knew her by reputation. Her best friend Luke had talked about her, of course, when he’d worked with her here at the winery, but that wasn’t just it. Taylor had dated at least half of the eligible women in Napa Valley—okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but only a bit of one. People were always falling for Taylor, and most of them got their hearts broken—that, she did know.

Avery watched her, trying not to be obvious about it. She was short, in a black tank top that showed off the tattoos on her upper arm as well as her significant curves, and jeans that clung to her wide hips and round butt. She had short curly hair and light brown skin. Avery hoped she was wearing sunscreen; too many peoplethought just because you were Black you didn’t have to. That was a good reminder; she should reapply some soon.

Taylor grinned at the person she was talking to, and Avery smiled at her. Oh my God, what was she doing, Taylor wasn’t even looking at her! Was Taylor just so magnetic that Avery was smiling at her from across the party? Apparently, yes! No wonder she had that reputation, goodness. Avery turned away.

“Avery! It’s so lovely to see you!”

Avery hoped her face didn’t show her surprise at being accosted by her old English teacher.

“Hi, Ms. Cunningham, it’s so nice to see you,” she said.

Her teacher laughed.

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