“Waiting,” he said, diagnosing me like some sort of love expert.

I raised my brows and cocked my head. “I’m not waiting. I’ve had two serious relationships in the last two years. I’m just taking a break from women right now until the right one comes along. Women are exhausting.”

He lowered the bottle of wine he was holding to the table before clasping his hands together in prayer pose. “Okay. I’m going there. Neither one of those relationships was ‘serious.’” His hands unclasped as he did finger quotes in the air.

“How was Rebecca not serious? We were together for a year,” I argued.

“Seattle Rebecca was a joke. You never saw her. It only lasted that long because she kept thinking you’d change. Once she realized you never would, she bowed out. And, ever since her, you’ve been burying yourself in the winery, pretending to be overworked, but I know it’s because you’re waiting for her. Waiting for what exactly, I have no idea. But you’re still waiting. And it’s painful to watch, man.”

When had my idiot best friend become so observant?

I exhaled as all of my thoughts and emotions warred against each other. “I think a part of me has always assumed she’ll stop with the hate and admit what we’ve always known.”

“Which is what exactly?”

“That there’s something between us. I know it. She knows it. It’s undeniable.”

I held my breath as I waited for that day to come. I was clearly still holding it.

“It is. Everyone can see it. But you should really tell her how you feel,” he urged. “Before someone else goes after her and you lose your chance.” He gave a nod toward Todd Lestare, current marketing director of Lestare Winery and my former basketball teammate in high school.

Jealousy reared her ugly head with a vengeance. I never trusted Todd when it came to Julia and for good reason. He always lingered around her booth a little too long, always staring at her a little too hard. Not to mention the fact that he’d wanted Julia since high school, and I’d made him walk away from her then. There was no way that I had that kind of control now that we were grown men. I hated watching him with her—the way he made her laugh, the way he touched her arm like he had every right to it. If I lost Julia to him, of all people, I’d never forgive myself.

Sucking in a long breath, I nodded to myself before focusing on Dane, a newfound confidence coursing through my veins. “I think you might be right.”

Dane’s body language suddenly changed, and his face turned completely animated. “Really? You’ll tell her? You’ll actually tell her?”