Chapter 29
COLE
We walked into the brewery, an entirely different atmosphere from the tasting room we’d just left. The siblings were doing one hell of a job carrying on their parents’ tradition. The brewery was a fantastic addition to the vineyard.
Unlike the peace and calm of the deck, this was a lively space. The taps were flowing, Jack played guitar in the corner, and I made a mental note to tell the guys we had to come back here more often.
At the moment, though, I wasn’t with the guys. That fact became abundantly clear the second we walked in.
Jules was someone people noticed. And they did. She attracted attention everywhere she went. She was the kind of person you wanted to settle up to and take a little of her sunshine.
“Do you notice them?” I asked.
We slid into an empty two-top between Jack and the bar that had just cleared. Of course, Jules was the kind of woman who spotted it, snagged the table, and waved me over before I even had a chance to scan the room.
“Notice who?” she asked innocently.
“That every single guy in this place—and probably a few who aren’t single—are noticing you.”
She dismissed me immediately. “If they’re looking at either of us, it’s you.”
“So now that we’ve established we’re a pair of good-looking singles attracting attention, what do you want to drink?”
She studied the chalkboard menu that covered the entire wall behind the bar. “I like light beer. Sliders. Definitely a tasting. I like to have a little bit of everything.”
I could say something to that, but it wouldn’t be appropriate.
“Got it.”
I headed to the bar and chatted with Marco for a bit. Taking Jules’s cue, I ordered a tasting for her—and one for myself, though our beers couldn’t have been more different.
“You getting hungry?” I asked when I returned. “Limited menu, but I hear the food’s good.”
We ordered, drank, and talked about everything and nothing. We avoided heavy topics, and it felt like Italy—conversation that flowed more naturally than it should have.
“What’s your apartment in New York like?” she asked.
“Small, but comfortable. A few blocks from where I teach. Good bar on the corner. You should come into the city sometime and check it out.”
If I sounded casual, it had nothing to do with the turmoil inside me—a constant tug-of-war between what was right and what I wanted.
“Would you want me to?” she asked.
I didn’t bother hiding my reaction. “Do you have plans to come in anytime soon?”
It took her a second to catch my meaning. “You mean Rocco.”
I held back a comment on his name. Being jealous was one thing. Acting on it was another.
“Yeah.”
Jack finished his set and took a short break. Without the music, the table felt more intimate, even surrounded by people.
“I won’t be seeing him again.”
I hid my surprise—or at least I thought I did.
“Oh? No?”
“I’ve thought about it since the trip. He was safe. He wants something serious, but I don’t…” She paused, her gaze intense. “I don’t have the feelings you should if you’re considering that.”
That was easy enough to decipher.
“I don’t know,” I said carefully. “Those feelings between us—they don’t always last.”
The second the words left my mouth, I wanted to take them back. Not because they weren’t true, but because they were incomplete.
The truth was, I wasn’t afraid of feelings fading. I was afraid of what happened when they didn’t. When someone started planning around you. Expecting you. Needing a version of you that didn’t disappear when things got complicated.
“Beck and Mae are new,” she said. “But Mason and Parker? Those feelings are still very much intact.”
She was right. I didn’t argue.
Juliette stood. “I’m going to the ladies’ room. Want me to grab another pint?”
“Sure. The lager.”
I watched her cross the room, turning heads like she always did—including mine.
When she returned, a guy at the bar didn’t even bother hiding his appreciation.
Not happening.
I stood, slipped an arm around her shoulders. “You order yet?”
She stared at me. “Yes?”
“I’ll grab them. Need to ask Marco something.”
She played along as I angled her away from the bar.
Back at the table, she crossed her arms. “That guy was staring at your ass.”
“And?” she said. “I happen to love my ass.”
“We have that in common.”
“What are your plans tonight?” she asked.
I glanced around. “You’re looking at them.”
She disappeared behind the bar to talk to Marco. When she returned and started talking immediately on another topic, it wasn’t until an hour later, as the brewery began to clear, I asked, “What was that about earlier? With Marco?”
“Well,” she said casually, “since neither of us had plans… I pulled some strings. There’s a cabin. Furthest one down on the left. Code’s already set.”
She wasn’t joking.