“All done.” Her head flies up, and so does Dozer’s.

  “Already?” She sounds almost disappointed as she rests the e-reader on her lap.

  “Do you want me to come back in thirty minutes, so you have a little longer to read?”

  “I wish, but I need to get back to work.” She smiles as she stands.

  “Do you work around here?”

  “I’m the client coordinator for B&T Builders, so I mostly work from home.” She bends over to pick up her bag and begins to dig through it after putting her e-reader away. “Do you take Apple Pay?”

  “No charge.” Her eyes come to me, and her brows drag together. “I owe Bax, so this is on the house.”

  “You don’t have to do that; how much do I owe you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “No, really, how much?” She opens up her wallet.

  “Seriously.” I hold up my hands. “It’s all good.”

  “Okay, but I don’t feel comfortable with you doing the work on my car for free.”

  “Like I said, I owe Bax.”

  “But you don’t owe me.” She pulls out a hundred-dollar bill, holding it out towards me. “Is this enough?”

  “I’m not taking your money.”

  Instead of looking thankful, she looks agitated, which makes me curious.

  “Alright, if you want to pay me back, how about you bake me cookies or something?”

  “Pardon?”

  “Cookies, you can pay me back with cookies.”

  Glancing down at herself, she then looks around. “I’m sorry, do I look like a baker to you? Did you catch the hint of fresh-baked cookies when I walked in here, or hear me talk about the bakery I own?”

  Shit. Her smart mouth and attitude should not be a turn on but fuck me it is. And it helps that she’s adorable when she’s pissed.

  “It’s just a suggestion, you can come up with your own idea if you can’t bake.”

  “First of all, I can bake. Second of all, I don’t need to come up with another idea. I just want you to tell me how much I owe you so I can give you the money.”

  “I don’t take Apple Pay or have cash to give you back change?”

  “Okay, then I’ll use my credit card.”

  “My card reader is down.”

  “Oh my god, you’re annoying,” she whispers like she’s talking to herself.

  “It’s annoying that I fixed your car for free?”

  “I didn’t ask you to do that,” she snaps, putting the hundred-dollar bill on the edge of the desk. “If there is change left over from that, you can give it to the food pantry in town.”

  With that parting statement, she storms past me to the door, and I grab the cash before I follow her out of the office and down the hall, watching her ass as she goes. When she gets outside, she walks over to the door of her Bronco and opens it up.

  “You’re forgetting something.”

  “Really? What’s that?” She turns to glare at me, and I hold up my hand with her keys. She looks at them, then at me, and walks my way. “Thank you.” She leans up on her tiptoes and snatches them from my grasp while I put the cash back in her bag without her noticing.

  “You’re welcome.” I grin, and her eyes drop to my mouth before she turns around and walks off, muttering something under her breath.

  “What was that about?” Hector asks, walking over to join me as I watch her back out of the drive.

  “Pretty sure I just fell in love.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Oh yeah.” I turn towards the shop smiling after her Bronco disappears around the corner at the end of the block.

  “You always have been a glutton for punishment.” He pats my back, following me back inside as I laugh.

  Three

  NALIA

  “Thank you,” I tell the waitress taking the menu she passes me before I slide into the booth next to my sister, Harmony, and our other sister, Willow, takes a seat across from us.

  “You’re welcome. Do you ladies want some coffee?”

  “Please,” we all say in unison, making her laugh.

  “Alright, I’ll be right back with three coffees and to take your orders.”

  After she walks away, I place my menu down on the table. I don’t need it, I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, and I always get the pancakes because they are the best pancakes I have ever eaten in my life. And since I don’t come here often, they are a treat every time.

  “Is that you or me?” Harmony asks when a phone beeps on the bench seat between us, where both our bags are.

  I dig my cell out and press my lips together when I see a message from Logan. It’s the third message he’s sent me since I saw him three days ago. When the first one came through, I didn’t recognize the number, and all the text said was: Are you available for dinner Saturday. I messaged back and asked who it was, thinking maybe one of my siblings or cousins got a new number, so I was surprised when he told me it was him. I’ve ignored his messages since then, but that hasn’t stopped him from sending me a text with the same question every day.

  “Who is that?” Harmony asks, and I turn my head, finding her eyes on my phone.

  “Just a guy,” I click off the screen and put my phone away.

  “What guy?” she asks, so I tell them about my car and what happened with Logan between our waitress dropping off our coffees and taking our orders.

  “Wow, he sounds like a real dick,” Willow says.

  “Yeah, I agree he sounds like a total asshole,” Harmony mumbles, and I look between the two of them as they try not to smile.

  “You guys are jerks.”

  “Oh, please, it’s hilarious that this guy has obviously gotten under your skin.” Willow mumbles unwrapping her silverwear.

  “He did not get under my skin.”

  “He’s definitely under your skin,” Harmony agrees, and I sigh.

  “You don’t think it was a little sweet that he didn’t make you pay?” Willow asks, and I focus on her.

  “I don’t like owing people anything.”

  “I get that, but he wasn’t telling you that you owe him something.”

  “He was doing it because he owed Bax, but now I feel like I owe him.”

  “So, bake him some cookies,” Willow suggests with a smirk, then adds. “You should make him those oatmeal butterscotch chip ones you made last Christmas.”

  “Yes, those were delicious,” Harmony agrees.

  “I’m not baking him cookies.” Actually I’m still annoyed that he suggested I bake for him.

  “You could always just go out with him.” Harmony shrugs.

  “I’m still dating Cole.”

  “Are you?” Willow asks her chin going back with surprise. “I thought that you two broke up when you moved home.”

  “We didn’t break up, we just agreed to keep things fluid.”

  “What does that mean?” She frowns, and I honestly don’t have an exact definition for her since I didn’t fully understand what Cole meant when he made the suggestion after I told him I was moving back to Tennessee. I just know that we are still together.

  “I think it means that they can see other people,” Harmony tells her, and I frown.

  “I don’t think it means that.”

  “I’ve been out of the dating game a while, but I’m pretty sure it does,” she tells me.

  “We still text every day and talk on the phone a few times a week. The only difference now is that we don’t see each other in person like we did when I was back in Colorado. I think it means that we are now in a long-distance relationship and just taking things one day at a time.”

  “I don’t know,” Harmony mumbles. “I’m pretty sure it means that you are open to seeing other people if someone else you’re interested in comes along.”

  “Maybe you should ask him to clarify,” Willow suggests when she catches me gnawing on my bottom lip. It would be my luck that I agreed to an open relationship without even knowing I was doing it. I just can’t imagine Cole suggesting that we have one.

  We’ve been together for over a year, and he’s the first guy I’ve dated who isn’t a dick or all about himself. He’s sweet and normal, with a good job, too. When I told him I was moving, he was a little disappointed but understood why I would want to be closer to my family, especially since I was now responsible for Zuri twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

  “I’ll ask him tonight.” I look to the edge of the table when our waitress shows with our food.

  “I hope you girls are hungry.”

  “Starving,” I tell her as she places my plate of pancakes in front of me. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, do you need anything else?” She looks between the three of us.

  “I don’t think so,” Harmony says after we all shake our heads no.

  “Alright, I’ll be back around to check on you in a few,” she says before she wanders off.

  “Okay, how is Zuri doing?” Harmony asks as we all start to dig into our food.

  “She’s doing good. She’s made a few friends who have convinced her to join the school play in a few months, which I think could be good for her. She is also signed up for soccer. That starts soon, and she’s excited about it.” I cut off a bite of my pancake. “She loves her teachers and the school.”

  “Are there any boys she likes?”

  “I don’t think she’s reached the stage of liking boys yet, but she has mentioned that there is a boy in her class who’s a jerk.”

  “What kind of jerk?” Harmony asks.

  “I don’t know, I’ve asked her, and she won’t say more than that. I’ve thought about e-mailing her teacher, but I’m not sure if I should.”

  “I would e-mail,” Harmony says, while Willow says.

  “I would wait and see if she says anything else about him.”

  “You guys are so helpful.” I pick up my coffee with a smile and take a sip.

  “As I’m sure you’re starting to notice when it comes to motherhood, you never know what to do, and someone always has a different opinion.” Harmony shrugs. “Just listen to your gut.”

  “How are you doing?” Willow asks. The question is soft, and so is the look on her face.

  “It’s been an adjustment, but honestly, I just worry about Zuri. I want her to be happy. I want her to like it here.”

  “She seems happy to me, but that’s not what I asked.” Her gaze locks on mine. “How are you? Are you okay?”

  “That is a tricky question.” I take another bite of pancake.

  “Why?” Willow asks as I chew and swallow.

  “Because the truth makes me feel guilty.” I pick up my coffee and take a sip.

  “I don’t understand,” Harmony says softly.

  “For so long, I felt like I was living a double life. I had all of you guys, whom I love, here, and then I had Sharon and her kids in Colorado. And although my relationship with Sharon has always been strained, my relationship with my other siblings hasn’t been. I love them and they love me, and with Zuri, our bond is even stronger because I was there from the time she was born. And now, with Sharon locked up, I have Zuri with me, where I know she’s safe. And I’m back here with my family, and I’m happy, but I question if my happiness has come at the cost of Zuri’s. She lost her mom. Maybe not forever, but for the foreseeable future, and I took her from the only home she has ever known, and even if she hasn’t said it, I know that has to hurt.” I bite my lower lip as my sisters both stare at me. I rarely open up about things with Sharon or how I’m feeling, and can tell by the looks on their faces that they are surprised or maybe even caught off guard by my honesty.

  “Can I ask something?” Willow asks after a long moment.

  “Yeah.”

  “I know you told us that Zuri spent a lot of time with you and a little of what life was like for her.” I nod, wondering where she’s going with this. “I don’t want to sound like an asshole, but do you think that maybe Zuri is happy too? I mean, I’m sure she misses her mom, but she doesn’t have to worry about where her mom is or who will be picking her up from school or what tomorrow will hold. She knows that you’ll be at the school to pick her up. She knows that you two will go home and make dinner and do homework or whatever your evening routine is, then she will wake up the next day and do it again. She has stability, which, from what you’ve told us, she didn’t really have before. Or at least not outside of what you gave her when she was with you.” Her eyes search mine. “We’ve only known her a short time, but she is not the same girl who showed up here with you a few months ago. She seems to be blossoming at least from the outside looking in.”

  My nose stings, and tears fill my eyes.

  She’s right, Zuri is not the same girl she was a few months ago; she’s come out of her shell, and I haven’t seen that anxious look in her eyes that she would get every single Sunday when I’d tell her that it was time for her to go home to her mom after spending the weekend with me. The same look she’d give me when I’d be there to pick her up after school and she’d realize that meant her mom was not home, which also meant it was anyone’s guess where Sharon was or when she’d be back. Something that was a regular occurrence before Sharon was arrested.

  “I guess my point is, it’s okay for both of you to be happy right now. And sure, things will probably come up, and you’ll need to find someone for Zuri to talk to because even if you two are close, she might not want to share with you how she really feels about certain things since she might not want to hurt your feelings. But that’s all to be expected, and at the end of the day, it’s okay to just be in this moment and happy about where you are.” She passes me a couple of napkins from the holder on the table, and I use them to soak up the tears under my eyes.

  “You’re doing an amazing job.” Harmony wraps her arm around me and rests her head on my shoulder. “And you know that we’re here. Mom and Dad are here, and everyone else is here, even if you don’t want them to be.”

  “Thanks.” I laugh through my tears. “I love you guys.”

  “We love you too.” Willow reaches across the table for my hand. “And we are so fucking happy you’re home and that you have Zuri with you.” Tears fill her eyes, too, while I see Harmony reach for the napkin holder and pass a few to Willow while keeping some for herself. It takes the three of us a few minutes to get the tears under control, but eventually we pull ourselves together enough to continue eating. And thankfully, we change the topic to their lives and their kids and husbands and just catch up, something we don’t get to do often with just the three of us because we have such a huge family.

  By the time we’re finished, it’s past time for me to be back at my desk at home, so we pay our check and say goodbye outside the diner. After hugging the two of them, they both get into Willow’s SUV since they drove together from our parents’ house, where they left their little ones. Giving them a break and our mom some time with her grandbabies. Something she never passes up.

  As I’m driving back to my house to go back to work, I swear I’m seeing things when I notice what looks like a white mist coming from under the hood of my Bronco, but as I make a left turn onto Main Street, it becomes very apparent that I’m not imagining things, and my engine is, in fact, smoking. And it’s smoking a lot more than it was just seconds ago.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I look around for a safe place to pull over while I silently curse under my breath.

  I got my Bronco five years ago from an older woman who had recently lost her husband and had no kids or grandkids to pass it down to. Over the years they were married, he had put in lots of time and money updating the interior and exterior himself, and it was his pride and joy. She probably could have gotten four times what I paid her at auction, but she wanted the vehicle to go to someone who would love it and use it as much as he did. She didn’t want it sitting in a garage just to be shown off on occasion. I have had zero regrets since the moment I gave her the money.

  Not only is my Bronco pretty to look at, but she was perfect for the Colorado winters. But ever since I drove her across the country, she has been struggling. I get it she’s old and tired and probably needs a full engine replacement, but no one has the money for that, at least not right now. My dad has been telling me for a while that I need to sell her and buy something new, but I love my girl, just not when she is making noises or possibly catching on fire.

  Once I’m pulled over on the side of the road in front of a small nursery that sells everything from flowers to trees and greenhouses, according to the sign out front, I shut down the engine. Popping the hood, I get out with my cell phone in hand and walk around to the hood opening it up without thinking. A plume of steam hits me in the face that smells like oil, but thankfully, there is no fire. At least not one I can see.

  As I stand there with the hood open, looking at the engine, I’m hit with the reality that I know nothing about cars. The only thing I’m capable of doing when it comes to any vehicle is changing a tire because my dad insisted me and my sisters learn that skill when we were in the process of getting our driver’s licenses. And I’m not actually sure I’m even capable of doing that since I have never had to actually do it outside of the one time I did it under my dad’s watchful gaze.

  With a deep breath, I drop my eyes to my phone and unlock it, then stare at the screen with my fingers hovering over my contact list. If I call my dad, I know he will drop whatever he’s doing and come to my rescue, the same way I know that if I call Talon or Bax, the same will happen. I also know the three of them are busy. It’s a weekday, not a weekend, and if I interrupt whatever they are doing now at work, they will have to go back to it when they are done taking care of my problem. And they will likely have to stay later this evening to make up for the time they missed, and that will cut into time with their families.

  As I’m debating what I’m going to do, the sound of a motorcycle meets my ears, and I lift my eyes off my phone. My brothers, my dad, my cousins, and a few of my cousins’ husbands ride, so I’m always on the lookout for them when I hear the familiar sound. As the sound gets louder, and the rider of the motorcycle comes into view, my heart drops into my stomach the same way it did when I called the number Bax gave me for his friend Lo and was met with the reality that it was Logan Rafe.