Page 30 of Once Yours (Love & Wine)

Chapter Eleven

Dylan

It’s been a couple of days since Tessa and I hung out and had lunch and what I guess was technically our third date together. We got slammed at the winery yesterday and as much as I would have loved to have hung out with her last night, I got caught up at work until almost midnight.

And today, I already have a date, one I intend on keeping because for starters, it’s been a regular fixture in my life for as long as I can remember, but also because I think I need some advice. Especially as I’m pretty sure dates four and five are going to happen, after which I’ll have some explaining to do.

Hitting redial on my phone, I listen to it start to ring as I drive through the hills of Napa.

“Seriously, I’m on my way!”

Laughing, I shake my head, even though she can’t see me. “You sure about that?”

I can practically hear Hannah’s eye roll through the phone as she responds with a sarcastic, “How the fuck are you always on time? You’re a boy, you aren’t supposed to be this good at shit.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I scoff, as I indicate to turn off into Sonoma, the place Hannah and I have shared Sunday breakfast together for as long as I can remember. Given she’s always worked in San Francisco and since returning from college, I’ve pretty much worked around Napa, it’s the perfect halfway point for us.

“Ugh,” she groans, sounding flustered. “You’re just always so…so punctual. It’s irritating!”

Laughing, I head toward the café we meet at, pulling into a parking space right out front. “Whatever, clearly you’re just jealous of my skills. In any case, I’m here, where are—”

“Just go inside and get the damn table!” she shouts, cutting me off.

Turning off the ignition, I grab my phone from the center console and get out of the car. “Meet you out front, as always,” I say, hanging up before she has a chance to respond.

Ten minutes later, Hannah turns onto the street, driving past me at a snail’s pace as she searches for a parking spot. I’m still leaning against the hood of my car waiting for her, arms crossed over my chest as I watch her with a smile on my face.

“Don’t!” she shouts from her open window, extending a hand to flip me off as I shake my head with laughter, pointing to a car that’s about to pull out a couple of spaces down.

A few minutes later, Hannah is walking toward me, a wry smile on her face as she half shouts, “It’s seriously not my fault, okay. I have a job that’s basically all late nights and a dick of a boss who doesn’t believe in work-life balance, or essentially treating his staff with any form of respect whatsoever.”

Laughing, I pull her into a hug. “For the record, you know I was at work until midnight last night too.”

Hannah pulls back, slapping my arm as she turns and grabs the door to the café. “Whatever, let’s eat. I’m starving.”

After we’ve been seated and placed our order, Hannah crosses her arms on the table and leans forward, a smirk on her face as she says, “Sooooo, how’s it going with Tessa?”

I lean back in my chair, a grin on my face as I reply, “It’s going good.”

“You hooked up with her?”

“What?”

She lifts a shoulder in a shrug. “You guys hooking up again? I mean you used to, right?”

“Yeah,” I reply.

“And?” she says, waving a hand between us.

“And this time it’s different,” I say, exhaling.

“Different?” she scoffs as though she doesn’t get what I’m saying.

“Yes, different,” I repeat, fiddling with the cutlery on the table, weirdly nervous all of a sudden. Even though Han and I share everything, my everything doesn’t usually involve a sudden desire to have a relationship with someone I used to just hook up with.

“Because you want more?” she prompts.

“Yes,” I say with a nod, still not looking at her. “I do.”

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