I sprinted toward my still-standing house, thankful that the fire hadn’t gotten out of control and burned it all to the ground, as I mentally planned to make sure that Julia not only enjoyed herself, but also never wanted the night to end.

There would be no more denying what had always existed between us. The mutual charade would end on our date. I’d make sure of it, our parents be damned.

IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME

Julia

I only pretended to walk back to my place to encourage James to leave and deal with his dad, but in reality, I stayed outside to talk to the firemen. They told me that if it hadn’t been for James, the fire definitely would have spread, most likely reaching both of our wine barns and homes, and it might have become an unstoppable force. They also told me that they had practically had to physically remove him from the cliff because he wouldn’t stop battling the flames on his own.

I listened to their every word in shock. James really had been some kind of hero, and I still couldn’t understand why. Fighting for his own vineyard was one thing, but he had fought for mine and left his unattended. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. It was hard to reconcile the kind of guy I had always assumed James was with the one I’d witnessed last night. All that cocky, arrogant facade had shifted into something that seemed actually human and caring. It threw me for a loop. Not that I didn’t enjoy seeing James that way—because I did—but it made my heart do funny things inside my chest. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

My parents had heard about the fire from someone in town, but I had no idea who. They called me at four in the morning and insisted that they get on the next flight and come home. I calmed them down and convinced them to stay in Italy for the remainder of their trip, but I knew the worst was yet to come. Once my dad found out about what James had done, he was going to lose his ever-loving mind. If it was up to him, he would rather our vines burn to the ground than have a Russo save them. It was beyond ridiculous—I knew that much—but it was no use, trying to get him to be reasonable when it came to that family.