Their banter had the easy, affectionate teasing of two people who had known and loved each other a long time. Would Julia ever have that? Ever have that kind of relationship? Her parents didn’t. Part of it was probably due to the fact that although they’d been married almost thirty years, thanks to all the work travel, her mom and dad had rarely been together in the same place long enough to develop such a bond.

But that was an excuse. Julia sighed. Ever since she could remember, she’d known her parents had both been faking it. Faking love. Faking happiness. Faking marriage.

She refused to do the same. If she was going to be with someone, Julia promised herself, what she had would be real.

CHAPTER 16

LUKE

After eating dinner alone in his room, Luke spent another restless night, thoughts fluctuating between anticipation of seeing Julia again and dread that he may have somehow screwed things up. His impulsive behavior continued to risk making a mess of things with her, with the sim, possibly with both. He was wide awake and irritable as hell when the corgi alarm system scampered by, and he uncharitably imagined drop-kicking one or two of the fluff balls.

What if, after their kiss in the woods yesterday, she’d been upset when he didn’t show last night? They hadn’t discussed dinner. Hadn’t made plans of any kind. But if Julia had been thinking about him even half as much as his thoughts had been focused on her, she’d have noticed his absence. Would she be mad at him? Or, as Zach had predicted, even more interested in seeing him again?

He wasn’t going to get any answers lying in bed. And he certainly wasn’t going to get any sleep. Luke got dressed, pulling on one of his old shirts. He was so out of sorts right now; he needed something that felt normal. Besides, they were playing paintball today, not the best time to try out a fancy new wardrobe.

Thinking about the day ahead, Luke bypassed breakfast, grabbing a coffee and heading outside. He needed to gather his thoughts, get some fresh air. But taking his usual walk on the beach wasn’t an option. Simply considering it was enough to stir up thoughts of Julia. He needed to clear his mind, not cloud it.

He decided to head out to the paintball field and see how the final setup was coming along. Luke reached the edge of the south lawn and finished his coffee, looking over the capture-the-flag-style obstacle course. Towering stacks of hay bales created a variety of strategic hiding places for players to ambush each other. Twin wooden observation decks faced off from opposite sides of the field; a brightly colored flag, one red, one blue, waved tauntingly from each. Glancing at the flags, Luke felt a rush of anticipation.

“You’re excited about getting to play today, aren’t you?”