When does a fling become a thing?

I was aware of Jake Cavendish in high school, but he was two years older and destined for great things. So, it's not a surprise when I spot him at a black-tie event in Toronto and he doesn't recognize me. It is a surprise that there's sizzling attraction between us, one we both want to explore. That's an opportunity I'm not going to miss. It would be easy to want more of something so good, but I tell myself that simple is better, since his family and mine are like the Hatfields and McCoys here in our tiny hometown of Empire. One night will have to do.

Then Jake arrives in Empire to settle his father's estate. This time, it burns that he doesn't recognize me, but I soon learn that Jake is very good at keeping his secrets. A second night together is irresistible at this point, even a third, and it's thrilling that we're meeting secretly. There's no future for us together ? I'm married to my job, running the family vineyard, and he's on a climb to the corner office at a big firm in Toronto. I know that we're both making the most of the moment.

The problem is that it's been more than physical from the start. Jake surprises me and he interests me. He's smart and perceptive, and he makes me laugh. The more often we're together ? the more times I sleep with the enemy, as my grandfather would say ? the harder it is to ignore that I'm falling head over heels. Am I the only one wanting more? Am I the one who will have to make the sacrifices to give us a shared future? Or is it possible that Jake is the guy I've been hoping for all along?