“Those cookies?” He paused and stuck his hands in his front pockets.

“Yeah?”

He took a deep breath. “Well, they’re sort of a bribe.”

“What are you talking about?” She narrowed her eyes.

“I’m trying to bribe you to forgive me for last night.”

His voice was steady and calm, but his eyes looked anxious as he waited for her reaction. “I don’t know what was wrong with me. I acted like a total jerk.”

Maddy’s face grew warm, but standing in the clear morning light, with David’s sincere eyes looking straight into hers, it was hard to summon up the righteous anger that had coursed through her the night before. David dropped his chin, pouted his mouth, and looked at her with pleading, puppy-dog eyes. He looked so ridiculous and adorable that Maddy couldn’t help cracking a smile.

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“Whatever. Let’s just forget it.” She turned away, but it was too late.

“I saw that!” he said. “Come here.” Before she could react, he had pulled her against his chest in a quick hug. She jumped and pulled back. “Um—like I said, just forget it. It’s no big deal,” Maddy mumbled, completely thrown off balance by the sensation of his strong, wiry arms wrapped around her. She brushed uselessly at her hair. Her hands felt like big, awkward paws. She crossed and uncrossed her arms on her chest. Get a grip! she instructed herself. You’re acting like a sixth grader.

“So!” she said, backing up and trying for a breezy tone. “What’s the plan for today?” She perched on a barrel and crossed her legs. David shrugged and sat down on a barrel opposite her. He tilted back, balancing it on its edge. “Honestly?

I have no idea. I’ve only seen a couple tasting rooms before. What are they supposed to look like?”

“You think I know? I saw my first grapevine two days ago. It’s a room where people drink wine, right? So, like, tables, chairs, pictures on the walls . . .”

David nodded in agreement. “Maybe something to hold the wine bottles, like a rack or some shelves. . . . Hey, wait! I have an awesome idea!” He jumped up. “There are tons of vineyards around here. We should go check some of them out—like a scouting trip. You know, see what the competition is doing with their tasting rooms.”

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Maddy considered this. It was kind of a good idea. She had no idea how to begin, and anyway, it would be better than staying inside all day. She shrugged and rose from her barrel. “Okay. At least we’ll get some ideas.”

She headed toward the door. “The truck was gone this morning. I can get the keys to the Lexus though if—

what?”

David’s face lit up. “I have a better idea.”

! ! !

“You are insane!” Maddy shrieked as she pelted down the hill, David and his bicycle rapidly receding in front of her. The wind whipped her hair back from her face. She gripped her handlebars tightly and lifted her feet from the pedals, letting them spin madly on their own as the wheels hummed faster and faster. The black asphalt of the road seemed to rise up in front of her. “I’m going to diiieeee!” she yelled into the wind.

In front of her, she could see David reach the bottom of the hill and stop, resting one foot on the ground as he turned to watch her. “Ohmygod!” she panted, coasting up next to him. “That was so amazing!” She couldn’t keep her face from splitting into a huge grin.

“Bikes are the absolute best way to get around Napa,” he said. “My buddies and I once rode from San Francisco all the way up here—that’ll be our next trip.”

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Maddy leaned over the handlebars and tried to catch her breath. “Okay, sure. Just as soon as my heart attack’s over.”

David snorted laughter and their eyes met. Silence filled the moment, and then Maddy tore her gaze away. She could feel herself blushing a little.

“Look!” She pointed to a sign across the street. “Isn’t that the one we were going to look at?”

“Oh, yeah. I’ve always wanted to see this vineyard. It’s supposed to be really fancy.”

After pedaling up a long, winding driveway, bordered on both sides by manicured lawns, they left their bikes next to a huge wrought-iron arch and followed the signs to the tasting room. It was in a massive stone building that resembled a medieval castle.

“This is where the knights of California lived in the Middle Ages,” David stage-whispered as they entered. Maddy stifled a giggle and pushed open the tasting room door. A few sunburned tourists in shorts looked around as they entered but after a cursory glance quickly buried their noses in their glasses of wine.

“What do you think?” Maddy asked David in a low voice. He swept the room with his gaze, taking in the high, dark wood bar that stood at one end, the brass railing and fixtures, the stained-glass windows, and the thick, dark red rugs that covered the stone floor. He grimaced. 78

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“I feel like I should be asking forgiveness for something,” he muttered back. She nodded. “It does feel like a church—not like California at all.”

“Yeah, it actually makes me want to fall asleep, not buy wine.” He pointed to a huge leather couch. “That’s my nap spot right there.”

“All right, let’s go,” Maddy said, pushing open the door again. “I think they’d kick us out if you curled up on their couch.”

Back in the bright sunshine, they mounted their bikes again. “Okay, the next one’s about two miles up the road,” David said, standing up on the pedals. He glanced at Maddy, who was fiddling with her gear lever.

“You think you can make it, little girl?”

Maddy looked up sharply, her eyes flashing with momentary anger. Then she saw his laughing face and grinned. “No, can you cawwy me, big, strong man?” she asked in a little-girl whine. Without waiting for a response, she leaned low over the handlebars and pushed off, pedaling as fast as she could. She didn’t look back for the first mile, expecting at any moment to hear the hum of David’s bike approaching behind her. But she didn’t, and when she stopped for a breather after a mile and a half, she saw that he was still a couple hundred yards back, pedaling hard. He rode up next to her, panting.

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bottom of his T-shirt and briefly revealing a flat, chiseled stomach, “I wish you wouldn’t hold me back like this. It’s really going to be a problem.”

Maddy tried to ignore his abs and concentrated on redoing her ponytail. “Sorry,” she replied airily. “I’ll try to speed up next time.”

They rode slowly, side by side for the last half mile. The wind was still and the road was deserted. A lone black-and-white cow stared at them balefully from behind a rail fence.

A trickle of sweat coursed down the side of Maddy’s face. “Whew!” she breathed when they finally reached the hand-drawn sign of their next vineyard. She eyed the white squeeze bottle strapped to the crossbar of David’s bike. “Can I have some of that?”

“Sure.” He pulled the bottle from its holder and handed it to her. She tilted her head back and squirted a long stream of water into her open mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see David watching her. She took quick aim and squeezed the bottle hard, catching him right in the face.

“Hey!” he sputtered, laughing a little and wiping his face with his forearm. “What was that for?”

Maddy smiled with satisfaction. “For calling me a snob. Now we’re even.” She leaned over and stuck the water bottle back on his bike. “Shall we?”

The tasting room was just inside the vineyard 80

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entrance. “This reminds me of a Marriott,” Maddy murmured as they stared inside. The room was tiled in beige and white, with a light wood bar and some long, modern tables. The walls were partially glass, which flooded the space with light, but it hardly felt cozy.