“Eden,” Michelle says, her voice taking on a cold note that I’ve never heard before. “I have a history with Vito, and I thought—”

  “Oh no.” I hold up a finger. “Do not bring Vito into this. He has nothing to do with my performance on this job. If I’ve fucked up, you make this talk we’re having about the work. This has nothing to do with my relationship or your ex.”

  Michelle is quiet, and she runs her tongue over her teeth, seeming to think for a minute. “This is my place of business, and I’d appreciate if you’d let me finish my statement.”

  I can’t help myself. I cross my arms over my chest and lift my brow. “Please,” I say, “finish your thought. What exactly did I do wrong?”

  She sighs and waves her hand toward the computer. “You neglected to assign the contact to me, Eden. That means that Tomlinson is stuck in the system without a contact owner.” Everything else she says is a blur of buzzwords and jargon that I don’t think I could repeat if my life depended on it. What I guess from her gesturing and tone is that I didn’t pass along the message the right way.

  “Wait,” I say. “So, he’s the guy who wanted the call back about the competing rate?”

  Michelle’s tone is condescending as she says, “You do remember. So, what? Is this all an act, then? I’m so flustered, I can’t remember my own password.”

  My mouth falls open. “Are you mocking me?”

  Michelle backpedals immediately. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate. But you have to understand mistakes like this, carelessness about the tiniest details, those are the kinds of things that cost me money, Eden. Clients at this level expect a certain type of professionalism and service. You’re just not meeting the expectations I had for you.”

  I’m not meeting expectations… I don’t need a finance degree to know what that means.

  “I’m not working out here,” I say, not waiting for her to agree. “You took a chance on me, and I’m not good enough. Say no more.”

  “Eden, wait.” Michelle leans her butt against the side of my desk. “I thought I could do something good for you, make up to Vito all the shit I put him through in the past. I still think you can learn this stuff. You just have to try harder. Pay attention. Care more. You have to act as though every client’s business means the difference between making money and losing face.”

  I shake my head. “No,” I say. “Michelle, I don’t know why you thought offering me a job was a good idea. If you have shit to work out with Vito, see a shrink. He’s moved on, and this…” I wave my hand around. “I don’t need these kinds of favors from anyone.” Since I haven’t even put my purse down, I don’t have to do anything but turn and march out of there. I start to, but then I turn back.

  “Michelle,” I say, “I looked up to you. I looked forward to learning from someone whom I thought saw something in me. But you’ve treated me just like you treated Vito. You want me to be better, faster, more than I am. You could have been more patient, but that would have just convinced me I should try harder at something that I already know isn’t right for me.” I clutch my purse and nod at her. “Thank you for the opportunity. I have learned a lot in the time I’ve worked for you, and I sincerely do appreciate that. I wish you all the best.”

  I turn on my heel and don’t wait for her to fire me before I walk out.

  It’s still early. Today, Sassy and Lucia took Juniper and Ethan over to a massive sports complex that Gracie’s husband Ryder manages.

  Before I even realize what’s happening, I’m heading to downtown Star Falls. It’s not even noon yet, but sometimes Gracie goes to her sister-in-law’s bookstore for coffee and peanut butter crisps before she starts work.

  I park my car outside the bookstore and head inside. Chloe is at the front desk, tapping away at something on her iPad.

  “Eden?” She comes around the counter and gives me a huge hug. I haven’t spent a ton of time with Chloe over the last few months. Since she owns the bookstore, she doesn’t come to Lucia’s brunches, but she is a fixture at Sunday night family dinners.

  I’m not as close to her as I am to Gracie, but I hope that can change in time.

  “Hey, Chloe.” I give her a weak hug and then sigh. “Any chance you have a book that can help me decide what to be when I grow up?”

  “Oh God.” She motions toward the back of the shop. “This sounds like a coffee and treat situation. You have time?”

  I nod. “Nothing but time.”

  She runs to the back to grab some coffee, and I stroll through the children’s book aisle and pick up a book for Junie, and then I wander back to the counter and pay for it.

  “So…” Chloe pushes a coffee and a peanut butter crisp toward me.

  “Mmm,” I purr over the yummy treat. “These are amazing. I’d love to learn how to bake if you’re willing to teach me someday,” I tell her. “You don’t have to give away your recipe for these, but I’d love to learn to bake anything. I’m pretty basic in the kitchen.”

  Chloe nods. “Of course. I have some great cookbooks, too, I can loan you if you like to read. I don’t keep a huge stock on hand in the store because so many people now are finding their recipe inspirations online. But I’ll bring some to Sunday dinner for you.”

  When she says that, my throat goes a little bit dry and it’s not from the cookie. She says it—she’ll bring me something when she sees me at the next family dinner, like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

  Since when did having things like family dinners become so normal to me?

  I feel like so much about my life is changing so fast, and instead of being scared or resisting it, I’m just happy. At least, with my home life and family, that is.

  “What’s this about needing help with what you want to be when you grow up?”

  I sigh. “I don’t know. I want to have a job that I love. Work that matters, you know? How did you know you wanted to do this?”

  An elderly lady wearing a pair of bright-red-framed eyeglasses comes in and goes right up to the counter. She greets me in a very loud voice, and her colorful clothes make me think of Lucia’s lady gang. The woman has perfectly styled white hair, and though she’s pretty tiny and bent over, she’s got a lot of spunk.

  “Sorry to barge in.” She sets a hand knotted by age on the counter, her nails painted bright red just like her glasses. “Chloe, I’m on the hunt for a book, doll. What do you get for the man who has everything?”

  “Rita, is this for another boyfriend?” Chloe covers her mouth. “What happened to Mad Max?”

  The older lady, Rita, blows air between her lips. “There’s old and there’s old. And that man was old. I’ve upgraded to a younger model.” She covers her mouth with a hand and stage-whispers, “He’s twenty-two years younger.”

  Chloe cackles and then points to me. “Rita, have you met Eden yet?”

  Rita swivels on her heel and gives me her full attention. Her sharp eyes take me in, and she points a finger at me. “I don’t know you, doll.” She sticks out her hand. “I’d remember a beautiful face like that. And wow, you’re tall.”

  I take her hand in mine and shake it lightly. “Nice to meet you,” I say.

  Chloe explains that I’m dating Vito, and before she can get out another word, Rita gasps. “Well, of course. No wonder I haven’t met you. Vito knows better than to bring a beautiful woman around his brother. Have you met Benito yet?”

  I nod. “I have, many times. I see him when he stops by the Sunday family dinners.”

  Rita looks pissed. “So, you’re telling me Vito has brought you to family dinners but not to Benito’s restaurant.”

  “Rita is the hostess at Benito’s place,” Chloe explains.

  I grin. That explains so much. Every woman over fifty connected to the Bianchis must be cut from the same cloth—colorful, loud, and loving.

  Rita motions for me to bend closer, and I do. “Come see me over lunch service. I’ll make sure you get the best seat in the house.”

  “It’s kid-friendly,” Chloe adds. Then she tells Rita, “Eden has a daughter. She’s about the same age at Ethan.”

  Rita practically crows. “Other people’s children are my favorite kind. Bring the little one,” she says, then she’s back to business. “I’m looking for something maybe romantic. A little naughty would be good, very naughty even better. What do you have?” she asks.

  Chloe winks at me and leads Rita toward the back of the store just as the front door opens, and a very familiar face makes my heart jump.

  “What the heck are you doing here?” I rush through the store to give him a huge hug.

  He kisses me lightly on the lips. “Hey, gorgeous. I think the real question is, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to work today?”

  Crap.

  “Well,” I say. “Yeah. I mean, I was at work. I think we should maybe talk about it at home.”

  Vito’s gorgeous face looks grim. “Something happen? Did Michelle do something?” He motions around the store. “You done here? You want to take a walk?”

  I nod. “Yeah, I paid for my stuff. Let me grab my book.” Vito takes my coffee cup, while I slip Junie’s book into my purse. “You want the last bite?” I ask, offering him the very tiny bit of peanut butter crisp that’s left.

  “That’s how I know you love me,” he says, pointing to his open mouth.

  I feed him the last bite and toss the paper wrapper into the trash bin behind the counter. “Should we say bye to Chloe?” I ask.

  He cups his mouth and shouts, “Bye, Chloe. We got to run.”

  I laugh and hear a soft, “Bye, guys,” echo from the back of the store.

  Outside, we hold hands, lacing our fingers together. We stroll down Main Street past the storefronts, some open, some closed. The Body Shop, where Gracie works, is dark. She’ll be here in an hour or so to open. It’s wild to me that a place I’d never even visited six months ago is so familiar.

  Star Falls has been close to perfect since the moment I drove into town, and it’s only gotten better.

  Most of it, at least.

  I tighten my grip on Vito’s hand and slow my steps a little. “Maybe we should talk about this at home. I…” I don’t know where to start. I didn’t even think about how Vito would react to what happened today.

  “Babe.” He stops completely in the middle of the sidewalk, stepping aside with a grin to let the people walking behind us pass. Once we’re alone, he cups my face. “We can go home, but you’ve got me worried as fuck. What happened?”

  “It’s nothing bad,” I say.

  He relaxes his hold on my cheeks and nods. “Okay. You want to start talking?”

  I shrug. “I think I got fired today. But I’m not sure because I kind of told Michelle off and left.”

  Vito’s eyes widen, and he’s silent for a second. “Okay,” he finally says. “You want to back up? What the hell happened?” I can see the wheels beginning to move behind his eyes, and he’s starting to look pissed.

  I shake my head. “I don’t like the job. I thought I would. I thought I’d like finance, but running a small office is the worst. I made a mistake, and Michelle got a little shitty with me—”

  He clenches his hands into fists, and I stop him with a hand on his shoulder.

  “She threw some weird shit about you at me, and I just lost it. It was polite enough, but I think it’s clear that job wasn’t going to work out.”

  “What do you need me to do?” he asks, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I don’t know what to feel here, Eden.”

  “Babe.” I touch the scruff on his chin, the beautiful, prickly stubble that sends little ripples of excitement through my body just touching him like this, out on the sidewalk in front of the world. “Can we please go home? I want to think through what to do, and I just…” I check the time on my phone. “Your mom has got Juniper at Ryder’s gym thing with Ethan and Sassy.”

  His expression is grim, and I honestly don’t know whether he’s mad at me or with me. But it’s better I find out now while there may still be time to fix it.

  19

  Vito

  I’m glad I have the drive home to myself to sort out my feelings. The first thing I feel is rage.

  If Michelle made Eden feel any kind of way—bad about herself, bad about me—I’m going to march my ass into that office and tear her a new one. Ex-wife or not, she has no right to talk shit to Eden.

  I trusted that Michelle was more mature than that. I trusted that her intentions toward Eden were honest. Maybe I should be a lot less trusting and a lot more protective.

  I won’t make that mistake again.

  “Tell me everything,” I demand, pointing to the couch for Eden to sit. “Because if I need to go over there, I won’t even take off my shoes.”

  “Vito,” she says. She slips out of her high heels, and together, we walk to sit side by side on the couch. “Are you mad at her or me?”

  I can’t help the look on my face. I’m sure I’m looking at her like she grew horns, but I can’t imagine on what planet she’d think I’m mad at her. “I don’t care if you took a shit on her office floor,” I tell her. “I’d never be mad at you.” I curl the side of my mouth in a grin. “I might offer to rent a carpet cleaner to help with the damage, but be mad at you? Babe, I trust you. I love you. Whatever happened, I’m on your side.”

  She shakes her head. “I fucked up. I missed a step putting in some data and might have cost Michelle a big client.”

  I frown. “That sucks, but so what? That’s a pretty fragile business if some data-entry error can cost Michelle a client.”

  She nods, the long layers of her hair falling around her shoulders. “Michelle is pretty intense,” she says. “She’s great at what she does, but I didn’t like it. It was passwords and lame shit that, honestly, I just didn’t care about.”

  I nod. “Do you think it’s just the newness of everything, or do you think you really don’t like the field?”

  She shrugs. “Both. I don’t know. It wasn’t the right job for me. I’m sure about that. I just have no idea what else I’d want to do.”

  I blow air through my lips. “Put a pin in that. What the hell did Michelle say about me, and do I need to beat anyone’s ass today? I wouldn’t hit Michelle, but if I need to blast some eardrums, I’m ready to start yelling.”

  Eden shakes her head and looks down at her lap. “No, it was fine. It was. She said something about trying to make amends to you by helping me, but I told her I didn’t want her bringing you into my job performance.”

  “Good on you,” I tell her. “Anything else?”

  “No. It wasn’t that big of a deal, it just felt huge. I’ve never walked out on a job before.”

  I pull Eden close to me and smooth the hair back from her face. “That takes balls, baby. Not a lot of people would do that, no matter the circumstances.” I take in the tightness around her lips and the sad way she’s furrowing her brows. “So, you’re unemployed? Are you worried?”

  She sighs. “Yes, I’m unemployed again, I guess. And no, I’m not worried. I’m just bummed. What the hell do I do with my life now?”

  “You try something new, babe. It’s that simple. And if you hate it, you move on to the next. Rinse and repeat.”

  “You make it sound so easy. Like it’s no big deal. Did you ever think about doing anything else with your life? Do you ever think about the what-ifs?”

  “I think about quitting almost every shift,” I admit quietly. “When I see the kind of shit I see, I always wonder if that last call is going to be the one that breaks me. Make it so I can’t go back, even if I want to.”

  She’s stroking my thigh with a hand as I talk, and the effect is incredibly distracting but in the best way.

  “But then I think about why I do it. And I know I’ll never be able to sit back and hear sirens and not respond. It’s just who I am. I’m sorry figuring out a career hasn’t been that straightforward for you, but can I make a suggestion?”

  “Anything,” she says.

  “Maybe steer clear of my exes. I think we can assume that shit won’t end well.”

  She laughs and says, “Exes? What, do I need a list of names or something?”

  “You’ve already worked for the big one, so I think you’re pretty safe. Maybe don’t apply for a job at the high school. Or the middle school…”

  “Vito.”

  “I’m teasing,” I tell her, although I did ghost a middle school teacher last summer and had to block her number, but that’s not something we need to get into today.

  “So, I guess I won’t need to buy any more suits,” she says, looking down at the pencil skirt and tailored blouse.

  “Hmm,” I mumble. “Or you could just buy them for me. I can think of a lot of ways to make sure your wardrobe doesn’t go to waste.”

  “Like what?” she asks. “We’ve got some time before Juniper and your mom are due back here.”

  “Yes,” I hiss and grab her hand. “It’s like surprise date night in the middle of the day.” I tug her up the stairs and close and lock the bedroom door behind us.

  “This is like early Christmas,” she breathes.

  I nod, heat flooding my body. “And you are the sexiest package under the tree.”

  She rests her rear on the edge of the bed and crosses her legs. “So, you like my business attire?”

  “I like it so much, I want to tear it off your body,” I say, licking my lips. “I want to take off those hose with my teeth.”

  Eden giggles and lifts her brows at me. “I’m not sure how easy that’s going to be with this skirt on. Maybe I should take that off first?”

  I shake my head. “Let me do everything.” I stand in front of her and reach for her hands so I can help her up off the bed. “Turn, please,” I say, wrapping my hands around her waist and spinning her around so she’s facing the bed.

  She laughs again, her hair twirling and grazing my face with its luscious, vanilla-coconut scent as she turns. “Now what?”