Could I live here?
She’d been dipping in and out of the thought for most of the day. Melbourne was certainly a beautiful city and huge when compared to Boulder, or even Denver, but would she want that? She’d spent most of her life living in what was essentially a large town. What would it be like to live among five million other people from all over the world? That was the other thing she’d noticed. Melbourne was a truly cosmopolitan city; she could hear several different languages being spoken at that very moment.
Ash looked over Jules’s shoulder and waved. Jules, putting on hold her ruminations about a life in Australia, turned to see who the recipient was. A grinning Matt walked across the restaurant. Jules shot a look at Ash, who seemed particularly interested in the contents of her coffee cup. What was she up to?
“Hey,” Matt said as he leant down to plant a kiss on Ash’s cheek. He did the same with Jules, as though they’d known each other for more than a day, then pulled up a chair. He signalled to a passing waiter and asked for a flat white.
“It’s my new favourite thing,” Jules said to him.
“Oh, yeah, this place is great. I always try to get here when I’m up.”
“Up?”
“Yeah, in Melbourne.”
Jules cocked her head in confusion and Ash added, “Matt lives down on the peninsula.” The furrow between her brows deepened.
“Sorry, just some Aussie shorthand,” said Matt. “I live on the Mornington Peninsula; that’s where the vineyard is.”
“Oh, that’s right, Ash said you made the wine you brought over.”
“I did.”
“We had some last night. It’s really good.”
“You cracked open the Christmas dozen?” Matt raised his eyebrows at Ash who threw her hands up in surrender.
“I would never. It was one of the pinots you brought last time.”
“You’re off the hook then. But you’ll want to get the whites into the fridge by tomorrow night.”
“I’m on it.”
Matt’s coffee arrived and he thanked the waiter with a smile. It was a small thing, but something that Jules noticed. If she was on a date and the guy was rude to the waitstaff—or ignored them entirely, which she considered just as bad—she’d make an excuse and leave early. She’d left a lot of dinners early.
“So, help me get oriented. Right now, I’m facing south?” Two nods. “And where is the vineyard from here?”
“South east.” Matt drew a nearly complete circle on the table with his forefinger. “So, this is Port Philip Bay—it’s not really round, but for argument’s sake, ’kay?” She nodded. “Melbourne’s here, and if you follow the east coast of the bay down here, this area is Mornington.”
“It’s beautiful down there,” injected Ash, “and not too far. You should go check it out while you’re here.” Yep, Ash was definitely up to something.
Jules would have ignored her, but Matt seemed to pick up on Ash’s suggestion. “Hey, yeah, that’s a good idea. I’ll be heading back down on Friday. You two should come for the weekend.” She met his eyes and she could have sworn she saw a hint of flirtation. She hoped she did, in any case. God, he was hot. How was she going to subtly find out if he and Chloe ever dated? That was one line she definitely didn’t want to cross.
The offer to see another part of the state hung in the air and if she was honest with herself, it was just as appealing as the hot winemaker who’d made it. “You know what? That would be amazing, thank you. I also want to do some sightseeing in the city before I go home. Chloe put together a list—” She was cut off by a laugh from Ash.
“Sorry, sorry, just Chloe and her lists. She even has a master list of all her lists.”
“She is very organised.” Jules had travelled enough with Chloe to know what a powerhouse of preparation she was.
“I’m organised. You have to be in event management, but even in the industry, Chloe is kind of a freak. I love her, I do, but before she left, she wrote a list for our Christmas.”
“No way,” said Matt.
“She did!”
Jules could tell Ash’s remarks were said with love and she had a quiet giggle at her friend’s expense. “So, what exactly goes on the list for a Christmas you’re not even having?”
“Actually, it’s mostly about you.”
“Me?” She shared a look with Matt. He seemed intrigued too.
“It’s just all the things we have to do so you’ll have a proper Aussie Christmas, including the menu.”
“Sooo, we’re making fun of her for being a total sweetheart?”
“Yes. Sorry. Sometimes I can be a bit of a bitch.” She waved a self-deprecating hand in the air.
“Don’t say that. You’re not a bitch.” Matt’s voice was firm and Ash met his gaze, then looked into her now-empty coffee cup. Jules sensed there was some sort of story there.
“So,” Jules said brightly to Matt, “when you’re ‘up’, where do you stay?”
“Usually at our friends’ place—Callie and Thea’s. They live in Port Melbourne. Pretty much a straight shot south, right on the coast.”
“Oh, they’re the couple coming for Christmas, right?”
“Yep. They’re awesome.” Ash seemed to pep up at the mention of her friends. “They had the best wedding. So much fun. It was up at Daylesford. Sorry, I keep forgetting that you have no idea what that even means. Anyway, it’s this fab little town about … what do you reckon, Matt, three hours away?”
“Maybe less, but yeah, it’s a bit of a drive.”
“Anyway, we all went up for the weekend—a few of us rented a house and the wedding was at The Boathouse—god that place is divine—the food. That was the Saturday and the girls took off on their honeymoon on the Sunday, but we stayed another night, just hanging out, pretty caz.”
“When was this?”
“Only
