I could have continued to lie to him, but it was pointless. Dane was the only one who knew how I felt about Julia.

“I was just thinking back.”

“So, you were reminiscing,” he said in a know-it-all tone. “What part are we reliving this time?” Sometimes, my best friend was a real asshole. “Ooh, I know.” He raised his hand like he was waiting for me to call on him. “Drunk confessions in the vineyard. You know that’s my favorite.”

My temper started to flare. “Of course the single most humiliating and heartbreaking night of my life would be your favorite. How are we even friends?”

“For the record, I was being sarcastic,” he said the words ridiculously slow like I was some sort of knuckle-dragging caveman who couldn’t comprehend them. “And I only mentioned that particular moment in time because I know it’s the one you enjoy torturing yourself with the most. You’re nothing if not self-deprecating when it comes to that woman.”

He wasn’t wrong. I had been working up to that particular scene before he interrupted me with his presence.

“I just need the reminder sometimes.”

“The reminder that she fake hates you?”

“The reminder that she really does.” I winced.

“You and I both know that’s bullshit. You could put yourself out there and just tell her how you feel,” he offered with a shrug.

“I’m never doing that again,” I said a little too bitterly, but the memory still felt fresh.

“Come on, James. That night was so long ago, and she was drunk. You’re both adults now. Or at least, you pretend to be.”

“It’s not a good idea,” I said around the lump in my throat when all I could really wonder was, What if she rejects me again?

The scene played out in my head without warning.

*  *  *

A door slammed in the distance, and I looked out my window to see Julia stalking off toward her vineyard with multiple bottles of wine in her arms.

What the hell is she doing? I wondered.

I watched her, focusing on her every move, her every step. Before she ducked into a row of lush vines, she turned around and looked directly into my bedroom window. Our eyes locked, and she paused for what felt like an eternity before she turned and disappeared from view.

Was that intentional, or did I surprise her by watching? Was that an invitation of sorts for me to follow her? What did it mean? What did she want?

I had no idea, but I sat in my room, trying to figure it out for too long before I sucked it up and decided to go find her. Tonight would be the night that I finally confessed to Julia La Bella that I had feelings for her, our parents be damned.