My smile was fake. I’d perfected that look of a perfectly pleasant exterior as my insides roiled and I wondered how the hell I could escape this guy. Why had I ever agreed to go on a date with him? It had clearly ruined everything.
New rule: don’t date anyone that you work with.
“Oh, that’s nice Evan,” I said, taking a step backward.
Evan moved forward again, swinging his Canon around as if it hadn’t cost him a small fortune. He’d been my second shooter on a dozen wedding all over the country, and it had seemed like a great idea to ask him to shoot the grand opening of Wright Vineyard.
That was before I’d agreed to go on a date with him. The worst date of my entire life.
“Maybe after we’re done, we can head out for a drink,” he suggested.
I bit my lip. I’d decided after our last date that I was going to go cold turkey no guys for ninety days. After a string of horrendous dates, truly horrendous dates, I just couldn’t stomach it. I wanted the summer all to myself.
But saying no was easier said than done when I’d spent my entire life doing what everyone else asked of me. It was time to be more like my best friends, Annie and Sutton. They got what they wanted. I wanted that too.
“I don’t know, Evan,” I hedged.
“Ten o’clock downtown?”
“I…”
“Perfect.”
My eyes were wild with alarm at the stupid word that wouldn’t escape my lips. How hard was it to just say no to a guy? No, I don’t want to date you. No, I don’t want to sit through another dinner where you talk about yourself. No, I don’t want to hear how much better you think you are than me. Just no.
But the word never left my mouth.
“Uh…I don’t know. Maybe…”
Evan furrowed his brow. He opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, but then his eyes darted up and over my shoulder. He took a step back in response.
I whipped around and found none other than Julian Wright. My heart stuttered at the sight of him. He was dressed to impress in his typical preppy attire—sharp khakis, a blue button up, gray blazer, and boat shoes. His dark hair was swept to the side and his dark eyes were fixed right on me. I’d been attracted to him since the day he literally fell into a pool on top of me. That was three years ago. One date and one perfect kiss later and I was a goner.
But that was ancient history. We were just friends now.
“Hey,” I said with a smile.
“Hey, Jen,” he said. “Think I could borrow you and your camera?”
His eyes moved to Evan behind me. His jaw flexed for a moment. The news of our bad date had circulated. He’d probably heard about it. Damn, Annie! I wanted to bury my face in my shirt.
“I can go,” Evan said quickly.
Julian dismissed him without a word. “Jen?”
“Yeah. Sure. What do you need?”
He gestured for me to precede him, which I did. We headed across the main barn and toward a side exit, which would help us avoid the crowds. Because not only was today the grand opening, we’d secured the band, Cosmere, to play a private concert for us right here in the Wright Vineyard barn. It helped that the lead singer, Campbell, was from Lubbock and his brother, Hollin, was a co-owner with Julian.
We exited the barn and I took one fleeting look behind me. It was already busy with early access guests. The high ceilings and ambient lighting made the rustic interior shine. The floors used to be dirt were now a glossy hardwood, and there was a stage set up at the end of the place just big enough for a band or a wedding. It had taken them months to get it the way they wanted and it had all paid off.
“What did you want me to shoot?” I asked Julian.
“Oh, nothing,” he said, running a hand back through his dark hair and shooting me an alluring smile. “You just looked like you wanted to be anywhere but talking to that guy.”
I laughed self-consciously and tucked a strand of my brown bob behind my ear. “That is the truth.”
“Didn’t you recommend him for the job?”
He tilted his head to the side and I fell into step beside him as we took a trail away from the bustle of the barn and toward the cellars. Hundreds of people were already waiting in line before the barn door, waiting to be let in for the Cosmere show. Thankfully, they’d hired security for the event and everything seemed to be in order. I was just glad that we were taking a different route to the cellars rather than past the crowd. My anxiety couldn’t have handled that on a good day. After dealing with Evan, today was not that day.
“I did,” I said with a wince.
“What happened?”
“Oh God, haven’t you heard?”
He shook his head.
I sighed. “Well, we went on a date. He took me to La Sirena.” Which was my favorite restaurant in town. I’d thought it was looking up. “Then he spent the entire dinner talking about himself. He got handsy into the third course of tapas.”
Julian cringed. “Jesus.”
“Yeah. It…uh, dissolved from there.”
“So, why is he still coming around? I’m shocked he’d still take the job.”
“Well, I’m not Annie,” I said with a laugh.
Julian arched an eyebrow in question. “You aren’t going after my brother?”
I laughed, a genuine one at that. “Dear God, I am most certainly not.”
“That’s a relief,” Julian said. His dark eyes met mine and something fluttered in my stomach at the look.
I looked away. “I just mean that I’m not as extroverted.”
“No one is as extroverted as Annie,” Julian said with a laugh.
“You are.”
“Psh,” he said. “Not even me.”
“Well, I’m definitely not. So I think maybe I just didn’t make it clear enough to him that I wasn’t interested. I honestly think that he thought the date went well.”
Julian wrinkled his nose. “Fucker.”
I snorted and then immediately covered my mouth. “Oh my God, don’t make me laugh that like.”
His eyes found mine and his own smile was wide and unassuming. “Why not? That snort is the best part of your laugh.”
I giggled, tucking my hair behind my ear again. “You’re ridiculous.”
He was flirting with me. Oh my God, was he flirting with me? I didn’t know. Julian Wright was as charming as they came. I’d never met anyone who could woo someone so thoroughly. And I wasn’t just saying that because I’d been into him for so long. I knew it wasn’t going anywhere and that he couldn’t control the charm. But I also couldn’t help hoping that this was more than just his normal charm…and actual flirting.
It seemed unlikely. Just as much as I wasn’t dating because of my string of bad dates coupled with my inability to tell people how I really felt, Julian hadn’t been dating the last couple months either. He’d been dating Ashleigh Sinclair for two years when he found out that she was trying to sabotage the winery to get Julian to work for her father, a real estate mogul here in Lubbock. Their break up had been swift and brutal, and he hadn’t dated since.
“Come on. Let me show you the cellars while we’re down here,” Julian said, opening the cellar door.
I’d already had a full tour. Ever since Julian and Hollin had offered me a spot as the company wedding photographer, I’d been all in on the Wright Vineyard. For the last three years, I’d been working weddings and elopements as a travel photographer. I’d been all over the country and the Caribbean. I’d even shot a wedding Bali. Bali. But it was hard being gone every weekend and most weekdays from April to October especially since I found it impossible to say no to clients. And not every wedding was as much of a dream as the trip to Bali. They were a lot of hard work, and I liked the idea of having a full time job here in town. Then I got to pick and choose which elopements to photograph. It was an easy way for me to say no to potential brides without saying no.
But I couldn’t say no to Julian either.
Nor did I want to.
So, I stepped into the cellars and breathed in the wine fermentation. It was a particular smell that I was coming to enjoy. Especially with the added benefits of free wine on the job.
Julian was regaling me with stories about the different vintages. I only half-listened. From the moment he’d decided to purchase the winery, he’d been full deep dive into winemaking and running the business. This was his life and even if I only understood half of it, it was interesting to hear his excitement.
The cellars, at least, were relatively deserted and we made it all the way down and around the corner uninterrupted. Julian stopped in front of his office.
“Well, that completes the tour. Show should be starting soon,” Julian said. “Probably should get you backstage.”
I nodded. “Probably.”
Despite the fact that I said no guys for ninety days and I wanted the entire summer to myself, I didn’t want to walk away from Julian. It was impossible anyway. Probably stupid to even consider.
Then his eyes rounded in circles as he looked over my shoulder.
I whipped around and found none other than Ashleigh Sinclair on the property.
“What is she doing here?” I whispered. As far as I knew, all Sinclairs were banned from the premises.
“I have no idea.” Julian reached out and grabbed my hand. I looked back at him in surprise. “I really don’t want to find out.”
“What?”
But he put a finger to his lips and then tipped his head back. Without a word, he pulled me into his office, shutting the door decisively behind him. The lights were off and I could hear our breathing in the space as we waited to see if Ashleigh had seen us.
“What are you doing?” I barely breathed. He hadn’t dropped my hand and he just squeezed it.
“It’s opening day. I just…I don’t want to deal with her.”
“I thought she wasn’t allowed on the property.”
His sigh was audible. “She isn’t.”
“Do you think she saw you?” I whispered.
He didn’t respond. We just lingered in the silence of that dark space. The heat between us potent. An energy crackling that I’d never felt before. It started at the tips of my toes and ran all the way to the top of my head. I could have leaned in and our bodies would have touched. I wanted to. Even knowing it was stupid.
We were hiding from his ex. This wasn’t…anything.
“I think she’s gone,” he breathed softly.
I felt him begin to pull away, and then against all odds, the door to the office began to open. I saw a flash of bleached blonde hair and creamy white skin. Ashleigh had seen us.
I heard Julian’s quick intake of breath and the two simple words that turned my life upside down, “Forgive me.”
Then his lips crashed down on mine and there was no longer air left in the world. There was simply this moment as I drowned in him and forgot what it meant to breathe.
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