“Yeah. And I don’t want to start something that’s more than a fling. Especially ’cause this time next week, I won’t even be here. That’s not fair on Matt.”
“But how fair is it not to see?” Jules’s head popped up. “On you or Matt?” Ash leant forward and stared at her intently. “What if he’s your person, you know?”
Jules did know, yes. She’d had that once—her person—and it had all imploded. She’d fudged the truth about her last relationship. He had cheated. She’d been devastated about her family breaking in two, and instead of being there for her, he’d fricking cheated.
The knot in her stomach twisted tighter.
“One of us has to be brave,” Ash whispered.
Jules met her eyes. They were shining again, and Jules didn’t need to ask why. She reached over and squeezed Ash’s hand. Right here was the perfect example of what happened when you let fear rule your heart.
“Oh, to hell with it. I’m going!”
Ash sprung off the bed and clapped. Maybe living vicariously through her was as close as Ash wanted to get to love, Jules thought.
*
“He likes you.”
Dexter, Matt’s border collie, was covering Jules’s face with dog kisses, then running between them and leaping into the air. Her throaty laugh quickly turned to squeals of delight. Had a dog ever been this excited to meet her?
“Dex, off!” Matt reached down and offered her a hand, then pulled her to her feet. Dexter did exactly as he was told and lay at Matt’s feet panting from the excitement. “Sorry ’bout that.”
“No, no I love it.” She reached down and scratched under Dexter’s chin. “You love it too, don’t you, you beautiful boy?” Dexter smiled at her and she laughed again. “See? We’re already the best of friends.”
Matt chuckled. “You’ve gotta know that he’s not like this with everyone. One of our distribution guys, Wayne—well, Dex isn’t a fan of his. Oh, hey, did you see that? Watch.” They both watched Dexter’s face and Matt said, “Wayne,” again. Dexter stood and gave a sharp bark, and Matt threw his head back and laughed.
Jules grinned at the pair of them. “So, I guess you have to spell his name out now, huh?”
“I dunno, he’s pretty clever.”
“Who, Dexter or Wayne? Oops.” She clamped a hand over her mouth right as Dexter barked again. “Sorry.” She giggled through her fingers.
Matt petted his dog on the head. “Actually, he’s bang on. I’m not much of a fan of W-A-Y-N-E either. C’mon, let me show you around.”
He retrieved Jules’s carry-on and his duffel bag from the car and led the way inside.
“Oh, my god, I love this!”
“It’s home—a little rustic, but we like it, right Dex?” Matt set the bags down and Dexter responded to his question by curling up on a dog mat next to the couch.
The main room—a combined kitchen, living, and dining room—was light and airy with wooden floors, off-white walls and a high apex ceiling. A wall of windows looked out over gently rolling hills covered in neat rows of vines.
The modular couch invited lounging and a long, low, wooden coffee table offered a variety of activities—coffee-table books, a stack of novels, a chessboard, and a backgammon set.
The long wooden dining table looked like the perfect place to spend an evening with friends having dinner and playing board games, and the large kitchen had polished stone countertops and, not surprisingly, a built-in wine fridge.
And even though the room was spacious, it felt cosy, inviting. It was also super tidy.
“No, really, Matt, this place is awesome.” She walked over to the windows and looked out at the vines. “And this view … I bet you never get tired of this.”
He stood beside her, draping an arm around her shoulders and, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, she leant against him and breathed in his scent—woodsy and masculine. His fingertips gently stroked her arm. “I’m really glad you’re here,” he said quietly.
Her breath caught in her throat. “Me too,” she whispered. She felt his head rest against hers and steadied her breath, a defiant move against her racing heart.
She wasn’t sure who moved first, or if perhaps they turned together, but his arm slid to her waist and she tipped her face to his as their mouths came together. His other hand found the nape of her neck, the touch of his fingers sending tingles down her spine as he pulled her closer. Their tongues flicked, tips touching, and she sank into the kiss.
Oh, yeah. This. Exactly this.
It was hard to know how much time passed, but eventually they broke apart. “Roawwrr.” They looked down as Dex raised his paw to Matt’s thigh.
They shared a look and grinned, then Matt bent over until he was face to face with Dexter, his hands ruffling Dexter’s fur. “I know, I like her too, bud.”
Oh, yeah, I’m a goner.
*
“That was delicious. You’re a good cook.” Jules put her cutlery down, then sat back against the wooden patio chair and regarded the beautiful vista of Matt’s vineyard. Rows of vines, all pruned, rolled over the shallow hills as far as she could see, and the property was bordered with eucalyptus trees. When Matt had taken her out on the quad bike earlier for a tour, Jules had kept an eye out for koalas, but no luck; apparently, they were rare in this part of the country.
Still, she’d snapped dozens of photos of the property and had posted a selection on Instagram tagging them with #Aussielife, #Aussiewinery, #naturebreak, #vineyard, and #justbreathe. She’d also sent a message to the girls on their chat thread:
Down at Matt’s place for the weekend. It’s so beautiful here. I feel like I can breathe for the first time in forever. My heart has been stolen by … Dexter the dog! He’s such a sweetheart. Matt is a sweetheart too—will fill you in when we talk. Horse riding tomorrow! J xx
She’d attached a couple of her photos, including one of Dexter looking out over the
