Cathy glanced over. The moment she saw me, she smirked. Rhys whipped toward the doorway, his eyes narrowing as he caught the look on Cathy’s face. “Haven—” He began.

  I shook my head quickly. My emotions were a jumble inside—anger, jealousy, hurt, and shame that I’d even put myself in this position. “I have to go.”

  I never even walked through the door, racing down the stairs from where I’d come. I just wanted to get out of there. I didn’t have it in me to have a conversation in front of Cathy. Under the best of circumstances, it would be awkward.

  The sound of my footsteps on the stairs was loud. I felt like I couldn’t move fast enough when I heard Rhys call my name again as he followed me. I stopped at the base of the stairs, turning to see him approaching.

  “Haven. Please, let’s talk.”

  I shook my head. “You obviously have other priorities.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Rhys

  “Rhys,” Cathy said from behind me.

  I wanted to catch up with Haven to explain. Not that there was anything to explain. But I knew how it might look. I also knew Cathy was a master of creating an impression and that little moment had given her something to work with.

  Haven was gone, and chasing after her wouldn’t fix this, so I turned back. Without a word, I strode quickly past Cathy and into my office. I resisted the urge to slam the door shut in her face, solely because I had something to say to her.

  She was right behind me, but when she reached to close the door, I caught it with my hand. “No.”

  She took a step, stopping immediately in front of me. I let my gaze coast over her face, dispassionately noting how pretty she was. Yet I felt nothing. I was no longer a young college guy looking for nothing more than a good time with no strings attached.

  Although Matthew wasn’t my son, he was my nephew. My brief entanglement with Cathy in college had resulted in unforeseen consequences. My life would be forever connected to her. I wasn’t worried about ever being attracted to her again, but I was stuck dealing with our connection.

  She lifted her hand, placing it on my upper arm, her touch light and gentle. “Rhys, I don’t know what’s going on with you and Haven—”

  I cut her off. “I love Haven.”

  Cathy arched a manicured brow. “Clearly, things aren’t that great. All she had to do was see me, and it’s obvious she feels threatened. It’s not that I don’t understand. We did have a relationship before.”

  I shook her hand away and took a step back, making it clear that I wanted the physical distance between us. “Cathy, we did not have a relationship. We spent a few nights together. Nothing more. You were also involved with my brother at the same time. I don’t know what you knew about our family then, but clearly, you decided to come calling when you wanted some money.”

  Two bright red spots crested high on her cheeks. Her gaze shifted from calculated flirtation to cool and annoyed. “I can’t believe you’re judging me. You were known for never being serious with anyone in college. How was I to know you and Jake were brothers?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Because we looked so much alike, people sometimes confused us for twins. The only thing I judge you for is withholding a major piece of information. You’ll never admit it, but I doubt you knew about our family situation back then because we were careful not to talk about it. When you found out, you decided to cash in. For what it’s worth, I really don’t care about the money. I understand that not caring about money is a privilege, but it burns to know you couldn’t bother to make sure your son knew his father’s family before now. Don’t you dare try to interfere with Haven and me. If you don’t stay civil and let Matthew maintain a relationship with my mother, we will redo the legal paperwork. Jake is dead. You’re not entitled to anything except survivor’s benefits.”

  Cathy lifted her chin, her jaw tightening as she stared at me. “Think whatever you want. I wish you would give us an opportunity. Maybe it was brief, but we were good together.”

  I shook my head. “Never going to happen.”

  Blessedly, the sound of footsteps approaching in the hallway reached us. Cathy laced her hands together. The only giveaway that she was still angry was her knuckles whitening slightly.

  Blake appeared in the doorway, his gaze bouncing from me to Cathy and back again.

  “There you are,” I said smoothly, knowing I could rely on my brother to follow my lead.

  “Hey, hey,” he said. “Sorry, I’m a few minutes behind.”

  “Come on in.” I gestured him through the doorway, and he slipped passed Cathy. He dipped his chin in acknowledgment as he turned to face her when he stopped beside me.

  “Good to see you. I heard from my mother you’ll be flying out soon. We appreciate the opportunity to get to know Matthew,” Blake said smoothly.

  Cathy’s nostrils flared when she took a slow breath. “Yes,” she said, her voice level.

  “Thank you all for being so welcoming. My flight leaves next week.” Her eyes shifted to me. “I appreciate your time. I’ll be going now.”

  “Have a good afternoon.” That was all I could bring myself to say.

  As soon as I heard her footsteps going down the stairs, I closed my office door, locking it for good measure. Blake’s brows hitched up. “That seems like it was a pleasant conversation,” he said dryly.

  I walked across my office, plunking down in front of a small round table in the corner by the windows. I let out a ragged sigh. “I already admitted it, but I know you enjoy being right. You were right about Cathy.” I leaned back in my chair.

  “You look like you could use a drink,” he observed as he sat down across from me.

  My chuckle was dry. “I could.” I glanced at my watch. “It’s too early, though.”

  “What the hell just happened?”

  “She sort of hit on me. Cathy is subtle, skilled enough that she could deny it. Unfortunately, Haven showed up. Cathy even smirked at her. After Haven took off, Cathy said she could understand why Haven might feel insecure about her.”

  “Fuuuu-ck,” Blake said slowly.

  I ran a hand through my hair, letting it drop with a thwack against the arm of the chair. “I’ll talk to Haven later.”

  “You don’t think Cathy would keep Matthew from Mom?”

  “I made it clear that if she did, she would lose our financial support. It would be on her to go through the process of trying to get survivor’s benefits.”

  “We’re all glad to know Matthew, but it would really hurt Mom if she couldn’t see him.”

  “I know,” I said simply. “I don’t think Cathy would do that. Anyway, what brings you by?”

  Blake waggled his eyebrows. “Was wondering if maybe you could sit in on a few interviews with me?”

  “For the new chef?”

  “Yeah. David wants some of us there. I was thinking you would be the harsh one. McKenna will be even more of a softy than me.”

  I let out a sharp laugh. “Sounds like a plan. Is he scheduling them now?” As the chef at the restaurant at the winery, David had managed that entirely for over twenty years.

  “He said he was going to wait until next week, but he had a call from someone who’s in town visiting and they have time to meet this afternoon. If you could come over for that”—he glanced at his watch—“around three?”

  “You got it. You already confirmed with McKenna?”

  My brother nodded. “Sure did. Need me to help run interference with Haven?”

  “I have to deal with it myself.”

  Blake stood from his chair. “Understood. I have faith in you.”

  I rolled my eyes as I stood and walked him to the door. “I’ll see you at three.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Rhys

  I finally gave in. I’d sent Haven a few texts, but she hadn’t replied. I couldn’t wait all day to talk to her. I pocketed my keys and walked the block to Spill the Beans Café. When I walked in, it was busy.

  We hadn’t even talked about how she’d bolted after Cathy showed up at my office this morning. That felt like nothing now. The sight of two pregnancy test boxes in her recycling had banished that worry.

  Hazel happened to be working the counter and glanced up with a smile. “Hi, Rhys. Here for your afternoon coffee?”

  “Actually, I need to talk to Haven.”

  Haven approached the counter with a tray stacked with dishes. Hazel glanced from her to me, saying, “Well, she needs to go in the back and —”

  “I’ll talk to her in the back,” I said through slightly gritted teeth, struggling to contain the jumble of emotions bouncing inside me.

  Haven glanced over. Her eyes were wide. “I’m working, Rhys.”

  “I know. Did you get my texts?”

  Her fingers tightened on the edge of the tray she was carrying. Hazel glanced back and forth between us, her gaze worried. “Are you okay?” she asked Haven.

  Haven’s cheeks were flushed as she nodded. She brushed past me to round the counter and go through the door into the back. I moved to follow her, but Hazel reached out, catching me by the elbow. Her grip was strong.

  “Haven doesn’t owe you an explanation,” Hazel said firmly. I opened my mouth to argue the point, but the look in her eyes gave me pause. “She has every right to talk to you when she’s ready. I’m just pointing that out before you go and get angry over something that you don’t have a right to demand.”

  I forced myself to take a slow breath, letting it out in a controlled sigh. Hazel released my elbow. “I understand your point, but I love her.”

  Hazel studied me, and it felt as if she was kicking straight through my bullshit when she spoke. “I believe you love Haven, but I’m not so sure you’re ready for what that means. Go on back.” She gestured me toward the swinging door.

  I pushed through, stopping when I got in the back and glancing around the space. One of the high school girls who worked here—I thought her name was Maggie—glanced over where she stood by the dishwasher, unloading clean dishes and stacking them neatly on shelves. She gestured toward the door at the back of the room. “Haven’s in there.”

  I walked quickly across the room, stopping in front of the door. It was opened just slightly. My heart was beating hard, a drumroll of uncertainty and anxious anticipation echoing through me. I knocked lightly on the door. “Haven?”

  The door swung open swiftly. “You didn’t have to knock,” she said sharply.

  I followed her into the room, glancing around and taking in the space. I could see through another small doorway into what I presumed was the staff bathroom. A small round table sat in the center of the room with chairs around it. A counter containing a sink and a small dish rack was located opposite the bathroom.

  Haven sat down at the table, gesturing across from her. “Sit,” she ordered. She crossed her arms tightly.

  I sat down, wondering where to begin, but she beat me to it. “I was going to talk to you. I’m pregnant. Obviously, I didn’t expect this. I called my doctor this morning, and she said it can happen. She said sometimes the heat can decrease the effectiveness of birth control. I’ve only known since last week. My cycle is regular, so she guesses I’m only six weeks along.” Haven’s words came out rapidly.

  I took it all in and sucked in a quick breath of air, bracing myself against the onslaught of this news. “Why didn’t you talk to me?”

  “Because I’m not sure yet what I want to do. I was panicking. I honestly didn’t even think about getting pregnant. Why didn’t you talk to me about Cathy? She’s obviously interested in you.”

  We stared at each other, the silence between us crowded with emotions and frustration.

  “Nothing is happening with Cathy.” I was offended Haven thought that situation was even remotely in the ballpark of her hiding the fact that she was pregnant. “Clearly, you don’t trust me. Let me know when you want to talk and be more honest.”

  Barely keeping myself in check, I stood and moved toward the door. I wasn’t precisely sure what I felt. Everything felt tangled up inside—anger she hadn’t talked to me to begin with, hurt she was hiding it from me, hurt that she didn’t trust me enough to talk, or trust me enough to let me know what was going on.

  Haven stood, her arms unfolding. “Rhys—”

  “I have to go.”

  I left, bottling that knotty mess of emotions and confusion up inside. Maybe Haven had been right before. We’d let our chemistry get the best of us.

  When I walked outside, I almost collided with Cathy who was walking into the café.

  “Oh!” She stepped back.

  All I could do was brush past her. Her presence was a reminder of everything I hadn’t gotten right yet.

  As I walked toward Fireweed Winery, the one feeling I couldn’t kick completely to the curb was this sneaky sense that maybe I was holding something back. Perhaps I was keeping a part of myself removed from Haven and feeding into her distrust.

  No matter what it felt like, I couldn’t do this. It was a mess, and I didn’t know how to fix it.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Rhys

  Aside from the fact I couldn’t think straight, another problem with this interview was my appetite was nearly nonexistent.

  Blake glanced over, one of his brows hitching up. “Well?”

  “It’s really good,” I said. Maybe I didn’t have an appetite, but I could tell the food was good. David had requested that the applicants create two dishes for the interview.

  She’d created a twist on fried halibut bites, and she’d also made a wild Alaskan raspberry tart.

  The interviewee, Fiona Blake, walked back into the room with David. Shockingly, he seemed to like her. We loved David, and he’d worked for the family for years, but he could be standoffish and was definitely not easy to impress.

  He looked over at Blake, announcing, “We’re hiring her.”

  Fiona had dark hair pulled back into a tight bun and was tidy and petite. She glanced from David to me to Blake. “Is this a group decision?” she asked carefully.

  When Blake glanced her way, it was impossible to miss the way his eyes lingered on her mouth. He set down his plate. He seemed uncharacteristically guarded.

  “If I don’t want you, we won’t hire you,” David said firmly when she cast him an uncertain look.

  I couldn’t help but chuckle, relieved for something to snap through the cloud hanging over me since my discovery at the recycling center hours earlier.

  I glanced at Fiona, shrugging lightly. “We’re here for the interviews, but David runs the restaurant, so you answer to him.”

  David patted her lightly on the shoulder. “I have to get to work. You can let them handle the technicalities and pretend they’re in charge.”

  Glancing at Blake, I asked, “What do we need to do? And where’s McKenna?”

  As if conjured by my question, McKenna appeared in the doorway. “Sorry I’m late!”

  She hurried in, within minutes claiming that Fiona’s samples were the best thing she’d ever tasted. After Fiona left, McKenna glanced at Blake. “Why don’t you like her?”

  “I like her just fine,” he protested. “Even if I didn’t, it doesn’t matter. David runs the restaurant. The decision’s already made.” He glanced at me. “And what the hell is wrong with you? I thought you weren’t in the best mood earlier, but now you’re even worse.”

  “Haven is pregnant and didn’t tell me about it.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Haven

  “Okay, so what do you want to do?” Tessa asked. We were meeting for an emergency dinner at her house.

  “Have you already decided? You’re not having wine,” Rosie said as she pointed at my glass of water before taking a healthy swallow of wine.

  “I know.” I leaned my elbows on the table, letting my head fall into my hands. My breath filtered through my fingers when I sighed. Straightening, I let my hands fall to the table with a thwack. “I think I want to keep the baby, and I can’t even believe I’m saying that.”

  Tessa took a gulp of her wine before announcing, “I need to drink. This is stressful. Look, after what Rhys just went through with a possible son he didn’t know was his, and now this? It’s a little much.”

  Rosie shrugged. “Sure, but that’s life. Also, what did your doctor say that might’ve affected your birth control?”

  “When I asked her about it on the phone, she said sometimes the temperature in storage can decrease the effectiveness for birth control pills. Not that I’ll ever know for sure, but I left my pills in the car one day when I picked them up on the way to work. It wasn’t that hot outside, but my car was parked in the sun, so it was hot in the car, and they were in there all day. I just didn’t even think about it.” I took a gulp of my water.

  “Most people wouldn’t,” Tessa pointed out. “Also, Hazel’s right. You don’t have to tell him anything. Women all over the world wait weeks before they decide to share this bit of news. I get why Rhys would be upset, but he has to deal.”

  “I just wasn’t ready to talk about it, not until I knew what I wanted to do.”

  “That’s fair,” Rosie chimed in. “So what now?”

  “Well, this threw me off. After he texted me, I went to Rhys’s office and found Cathy with her hand on his chest. I’m pretty sure she was making a move. Between that and those texts…”

  Tessa groaned. “I told you it was a bad idea to look through his phone. Everything’s out of context. Hell, even people I’ve known a long time where there’s nothing to even worry about, you can’t capture the tone. That’s why trying to interpret text messages is a terrible idea.”

  “I know. It’s just the text showed up on the screen, and then I was freaking out—”

  Tessa circled her hand in the air, adding, “Blah, blah, blah. You and the universe looking at each other’s phones. Just talk to him. Plus, I’ve seen Cathy.” She tsk-tsked. “She’s that kind of woman.”