Page 19 of My Grape Crush
“Flip through the others,” Evelyn encourages me. “The Emperoris my favorite.”
Every label is a mini work of art. And the wine names riff on Nero's closest, most scandalous relationships and rumors. O, Claudia,The Queen’s Cabernet Francis named after his first wife, Claudia. His tutor and my man Seneca is immortalized as Seneca Syrah —Philosophy in a glass.Her sly reference to Nero’s alleged attempt to burn down Rome so he could build a sprawling estate is reimagined as Golden House Chardonnay—Build it and they will come.
I side-eye Dani with a new layer of respect. Hands down, you would gravitate to these labels if you spotted them amongst a sea of regulars. But the bigger factor in my admiration? The realization that we could have an in-depth conversation about Nero. When I brought up the Roman Empire sitting in the hot tub with Myla, the only thing she knew about Rome was how to find the Prada store.
“No offense, Evelyn,” I say, “but these are way better than what you have now.”
She beams like a proud mother. “You’re preaching to the converted. Why do you think I snapped up Dani ASAP?”
Dani leans closer to point out details, and it’s profoundly unbelievable how my focus craters. A mental image of her wrapped only in her deeply sensual perfume invades my brain, all the electric and wild damage we could create.And how much longer does she plan to terrorize my arm, the warm swell of her breast languishing against it like it’s no big deal?
“The first case of rebranded rosé arrived last week,” Dani says. “The bottles will be front and center during the photo shoot on Friday.”
She reaches for a cherry, and with the fruit trapped between her full lips, pops the stem off. I shift in my chair, feeling the effect of that more than I should.
“On that note,” Evelyn says. “Have you heard from Luca? He sent some bizarre text the other day. Half Spanish gibberish. I told him to call you.”
Before Dani can reply, her phone vibrates on the table. She glances at it, her features etching into a frown. “How weird is that? It’s him.”
“Oh, god,” Evelyn mutters. “If he’s calling on a Sunday, it can’t be good news.”
I’ve shot twice with Luca da Silva, the currentenfant terribleof the fashion world. His brand consists of drama dialed up to twenty, flagrant hand gestures, and pushing the creative envelope. And last-minute changes that annoy the hell out of everyone.
Dani picks up with a friendly tone. “Hola, señor. Your ears must be burning. We were just talking about you.”
The smile slowly slides off her face, and we can all hear the impassioned ranting leaking from her phone.
“What?” Dani’s voice ratchets an octave higher. “You’re flying in today? But the shoot isn’t until…”
She’s reduced to listening, eyes flicking up to meet Evelyn’s in a secret discussion. “Hold on, Luca. Hold on. Evelyn’s right here. Let me run this past her.”
With her phone pressing tight against her shoulder, she whispers, “He says his agent double-booked him. Tomorrow is his window."
Evelyn rolls her eyes. “Ask him if he needs more money to make Friday stick.”
Dani slides the phone to her ear. “Hi again. Evelyn wants to know if an increase in compensation will make any difference?”
Dani bears the brunt of another verbal tirade, nodding and repeating, “Okay, okay. And there’s no way to push this? No. You’re fully booked.” She flashes a look of defeat at Evelyn. “Okay. It is what it is. You and Vigo arrive tonight, and we shoot tomorrow at nine a.m.” Her hand tightens around the phone. “Thanks for letting us know. I better jump on this. The hotels. Yes, thanks. Ciao, ciao.”
She hangs up, dumping her phone on the table with a frustrated sigh.
“That didn’t sound good,” I say.
“Is Yvette cool if we shoot at her house tomorrow?” Dani asks Evelyn.
“We had a shamanic practitioner booked for our rose quartz sound bath, but we’ll have to cancel. Unbelievable,” she grouses to no one in particular, “this happens with him all the time. What about the other model?”
Dani rockets to attention in her chair. “Oh, shit! I better email and check her availability.”
“Can I help with anything?” I was secretly hoping to hit the lake with her after brunch. Mostly hoping to see her in a bikini.
“Thanks for the offer, but it’s all logistics.” She stands abruptly, the chair scraping across the concrete. Brain already on the unfolding disaster. “Enjoy brunch. I need to get ahead of this.”
“If Luca’s original model pick isn’t available, you have my authority to choose someone else,” Evelyn lays down the law. “We don’t have time to go back and forth.”
Dani turns to Nicole. “Are you cool if we reschedule you and Rhys for Tuesday?”
“Whatever works for the team,” she says, calmly pouring herself a coffee.
