She couldn’t blame her attitude on the weather. Or not eating enough at breakfast. Or even the frustrating interruption this morning. No, she knew much of her reaction was driven by the desire to prove to them that she was right and they were wrong.

Lurking beneath that urge was fear. Fear that her friends were the ones who were right. That it wasn’t just Andie and Kat who held the outlandish belief that it might be possible to find true love at this rom-com fantasyland. That maybe she did, too.

Deeper still was hope. Hope that not only could true love happen in a place like this but that it could happen anywhere. That it was real. Julia twisted the map in her hands. That was the scariest part of all of this. To discover that despite everything she thought she knew about herself, this hope existed when she thought it never could.

“Hey,” Luke called. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she growled.

“If nothing is wrong, then why are you ditching your friends?” he asked, reaching an arm out to stop her as she was about to pass him on the trail. “Did something happen? Are you not having fun?”

“I didn’t ditch my friends,” she argued, tugging her arm out of his grip. She stuttered to a halt. “Well, I did. But nothing’s wrong. They’re fine.”

“Are you fine?” he asked gently, eyes searching hers.

Julia shook her head. The way he was looking at her turned her thoughts fuzzy, made it hard to think. “I’m a little tired, that’s all. I’m going back to the hotel.”

“But—” he began, glancing up ahead toward the others.

“You too?” she snapped. “What is up with everyone and their buts?”

“Um…”

“Sorry,” she groaned. “That didn’t come out right.”

He chuckled. “Mind if I join you?”

“Do you mind walking with a harpy who might shred your face if you say the wrong thing?” Julia countered.

He blinked.

Julia shoved her notepad in her pocket. The urge to be alone and stew in her little pot of grumpy angst was strong. It was a safe shadow she could go hide in. But the thought of spending time with Luke was like a candle in that shadow. A welcome, cozy light that she wanted to cuddle up with.

“What if I promise not to say anything?” he asked. “Is my face safe?”

“I suppose.” A reluctant smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. The candle burned brighter.

They continued down the path in comfortable silence, the quiet broken only by occasional birdsong and the crunch of their shoes on the gravel trail. Again, she noted how his long, lean legs stretched lazily; his pace could at best be described as a causal stroll. Julia shook her head. “How does someone so tall walk so slowly?”

“Am I allowed to answer?”

“Shut up.” She smacked his arm.