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“Oh, well, let’s just get that bucket over there,”

Maddy’s mom jumped in. “We can turn it upside down and—”

“I’ll sit on it,” David interrupted. “Brian, take my seat.” Brian looked suspicious for a minute and then moved toward the foot of the table. David vacated his seat and settled down on the upturned metal bucket across from the birthday girl.

“Thanks.”

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David shrugged. “Sure.”

Fred leaned over to Maddy’s mother. “Debbie, I wanted to tell you that I did some pricing on a new mower—they’re really exorbitant.”

“I completely forgot, Fred, I talked to a guy from the seed place and he has a mower he might be selling,” her father said.

David rolled his eyes at Maddy. “Business again?”

She smiled. “Why are they so boring?”

Then, with an i

“David,” Maddy kicked him under the table. He widened his eyes and gave her a “Who, me?” look. Brian looked up from his fish.

“What happened at the furniture store?” he asked Maddy.

“Nothing,” she said.

“Something happened. Unless you’re into reminiscing about sofa-shopping now,” Brian insisted. Maddy sighed and aimed another invisible kick at David’s shin. “It was just a fu

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and David said, ‘Oh, yeah, we hardly have any furniture,’

and the guy asked if we were newlyweds and I had to explain that I was keeping my maiden name and it was all just totally ridiculous.” David’s laughter erupted like he’d been holding his breath until now. His laugh was infectious and Maddy giggled also, remembering how earnest the salesman had been. She couldn’t help it. But Brian just sat there silently, his eyebrows knit together. Suddenly, Maddy’s gaze locked onto David’s across the table. He smiled right into her eyes, his face open and engaging. Before Maddy could stop herself, she smiled right back at him, despite Brian sitting right next to her. Her heart started beating faster and her palms felt clammy. What was going on? Why was she having this kind of reaction? You know why, a little voice in her head piped up. You’ve known for a while now. Be quiet! she insisted. Oh, just face it, the voice went on. You want David. Oh. My. God. No! She glanced at Brian as if he could read her mind. But she didn’t need to worry—he wasn’t even looking at her. He was staring off into space, gazing over the tops of the vines.

Maddy stared down at her lap, trying to calm her racing thoughts. Her boyfriend was sitting two feet away. This is David, she reminded herself. David. Remember?

Work buddy? Platonic friend? Don’t panic, she told herself. Stay calm. Brian is your boyfriend. Just focus on him and everything will be fine.

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Chapter Twenty-one

!

On Sunday night, Maddy wandered out to the orchard after Brian was ensconced safely in his car, probably doing ninety down the highway on his way back to San Francisco. Her parents had gone into town for groceries and ice cream, but Maddy had begged off, saying she needed to decompress a little. And she did. Her nerves had been rubbed raw by the tension of the weekend. Between Brian, David, and her confusion, she had felt like she was being pulled tight enough to pluck like a guitar string. She needed some time just to think and sort out her mass of tangled emotions.

Maddy took a deep breath, gazing at the hills colored red, gold, and pink. She could feel some of the stress slipping away with the setting sun. The vineyard 186

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looked beautiful with the flowers in full bloom and light on the trees. But despite all of it, she knew the weekend hadn’t gone right at all—not like she’d expected. Brian had been so distant. And then there’d been the craziness of her birthday di

“Hey,” David’s familiar voice said softly. Maddy spun around; she hadn’t heard him approach. “I was going to get my iPod out of the shed. . . .”

His curly hair was still wet from a shower. His skin glowed from the water and the fading sunlight. Maddy nodded. Without saying anything else, he fell in beside her. They strolled silently around the edges of the orchard, David occasionally reaching out to slap a tree trunk under the deep, spreading branches. The setting sun pierced the leaves, painting their faces as they passed beneath. It could have been sort of awkward, walking like this, but Maddy felt comforted by David’s presence.

“So, are you okay?” David finally asked. Maddy was quiet for a long moment. David shook his head. “Sorry. It’s none of my business.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m just so confused. This weekend didn’t turn out anything like I thought.”

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He looked at her. “How come?”

They had almost reached the end of the orchard. In front of them, the grapevines stretched in curving rows. She hesitated. “Brian.” She felt a little weird saying this, but she really just needed to talk to someone.

“It just seemed so different with us this time than it usually is.”

“Usually? You mean like down in the city?”

“Yeah. He just seemed awkward out here. We were kind of having trouble finding things to talk about.”

David nodded. “That’s hard.”

“I know,” Maddy went on. “I don’t even know if we’re still meant to be together.” She stole a glance sideways at David. He had stopped walking and was gazing out over the hills, his hands in his pockets. His face was serious.

“That must be rough. But, you know, I don’t think he’s good enough for someone like you.” He turned toward her and put his hands on her shoulders. Maddy inhaled sharply. He was looking into her eyes, his gaze direct and clear. Gently, he slid one hand under her hair at the back of her neck and drew her a little closer. Maddy’s heart was pounding. “I wasn’t impressed by him,” he said softly. His face was so near that his breath tickled her cheek. “He just seems like a rich jerk.” He leaned down. Maddy pulled back abruptly. For an instant, they stared at each other, eyes wide. 188

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“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I . . .” He looked totally taken aback.

“Are you coming on to me? Because in case you hadn’t noticed, I have a boyfriend.” At the back of her mind, she knew she was being unfair. They both felt a co

“But you just said it wasn’t working out,” he reminded her.

“All I said was that I was thinking about things! I didn’t say we were breaking up or anything.”

“Well, you could’ve fooled me.” David took a step backward and narrowed his eyes. “You really want to be with that guy?” His voice was scornful.

“You don’t even know him!” Maddy shot back. “And the last thing I need right now is you jumping all over me! Thanks a lot—I guess that’s what I get for confiding in you.”

“Fine. Then I guess I was wrong about Brian being too good for you. I take it back—it looks like you two are perfect for each other.”

“Maybe we are!” Maddy shouted at him. “He should be perfect for a spoiled suburban brat like me!” She emphasized the last words and watched his face harden.