“What?” In a matter of minutes, the trees began to thin and Julia could see the bright shingles of the resort’s roof shining in the late morning sun. Yep, the trail made a loop through the forest. Between the thick line of trees and the way the path curved, it had been impossible to tell. She supposed it served her right for throwing a temper tantrum. She sighed. “Why didn’t you say something before?”

“I started to.” He shrugged. “But you seemed pretty determined you knew where you were going.”

Julia bit her lip. She did tend to think she was right and everyone else was wrong.

“The thing is,” he began, “I apologized for running into you on the beach, but I won’t apologize for not telling you about the trail.” Luke stepped closer, chest rising as he took a deep breath. “I don’t regret where this change in direction ended up.” He smiled at her, mouth curving with wicked unrepentance.

“I’m sorry for knocking you off the log.” Julia returned his smile. “But you’re right.” She acknowledged the truth in his words. “I don’t mind where we ended up, either.”

She’d been wrong about the path, and maybe she’d been wrong about Luke, too. That’s what Andie and Kat had been trying to tell her, and they were right. Why shouldn’t she have fun while she was here? Like her friends said, that’s what this whole experience was supposed to be about.

“No regrets?” he asked, entwining his fingers with hers.

“No regrets,” she agreed, enjoying the feel of her hand in his entirely too much.

Not yet, anyway.

Julia couldn’t stop that thought from entering her brain.

She’d been willing to admit her friends might be right about embracing her time here, allowing herself to have fun with Luke and truly experience the place she was supposed to be reviewing … but she still wasn’t sure about the rest of it.

How could she be? It all seemed too good to be real.

CHAPTER 14

LUKE

After his escapade in the rain, Luke needed a hot shower. Or maybe a cold one, since he couldn’t seem to stop replaying what he’d been doing in the rain. A smile crept across his face. Despite muscles cramping from his race through the woods and a bruised backside from the tumble off the log, Luke would relive those few minutes alone in the woods with Julia in a heartbeat.