“I don’t like it, either,” I chimed in.

  He lifted his gaze to mine, cracking a quick grin although his eyes were worried. “I’m going to photograph this and forward it to myself.”

  “Sure, go ahead.”

  “Don’t delete it. We may need it if we can sort out who this is,” he added.

  “Did you have any luck when you reached out to the police in Seattle?”

  “As soon as I mentioned the name of your ex, they put me in touch with their drug unit. For what it’s worth, according to them, your ex was trying to untangle himself from the business, if you will.” Mike grimaced when he said that. “They said he never got into dealing the heavy stuff. He stuck to prescription stimulants. Unfortunately, those are popular among high school and college kids. I’m sorry for what happened to him.”

  “Thank you,” I said softly. My heart twinged with pain. “He was a good man. He really was. To this day, I know it surprised him how things turned out. I just wish…”

  My words trailed off because I didn’t even know what to say. I wished Johnny hadn’t felt like he needed to find a way to help his family when he was in high school. I wished he had wised up to the risks of the path he started walking long before it was too late. And I definitely wished he had never accidentally mixed the wrong drugs.

  “I’m only telling you this because they gave me permission to do so.” Mike’s voice broke through my trail of regrets. “Are you aware that your ex’s death is still considered unexplained?”

  At first, the meaning behind Mike’s words didn’t register. “Johnny died of an overdose. It was an accident,” I said slowly.

  Mike cocked his head to the side. “The detective told me there’s some suspicion Johnny’s drink was purposely spiked at the bar. The detective explained he wasn’t known to use anything other than marijuana. If that happened, that could mean murder or manslaughter charges.”

  My mouth fell open as I stared at Mike. My pulse began to race at an unsteady pace. “I’m sorry, what?” I sputtered. My brain felt like it had tripped and stumbled. This didn’t make sense.

  The police chief nodded. “It’s not unusual. From what I understand from the detective, your ex was an anomaly. Many dealers avoid using the heavy stuff, but most of them eventually begin dealing because it can be more profitable. From what the detective shared, Johnny had a well-established network, and people wanted to take advantage of that. He would be a mark. They gave me permission to tell you because they would like to interview you. Between these contacts to you and their suspicions, it’s possible you may have information that can help them.”

  “Oh my God,” I breathed.

  “I thought this might be a shock to you. With you getting this follow-up text, I don’t think we can sit on this. If you’re willing to talk, we can schedule a time, and I’ll be with you during the interview. The team from Seattle will be on a video call.”

  I was still reeling. I took an unsteady breath. “I don’t know how I could help or what I might know. Johnny kept me mostly in the dark about this. I think he did that to protect me, but still.”

  Mike nodded. “You never know what you might know. They would have questions that might guide us.”

  I blinked and mentally gathered myself. “I’m certainly willing to talk with them. Of course, I want to help.” I glanced at my watch. “I have to get to work soon.”

  “We need to schedule it with the detective who’s handling the case, so I wouldn’t worry about it happening today. What’s your work schedule?”

  Before I left, Mike assured me he would text me with some options for the interview once he heard back from the police in Seattle.

  I left the police station with my mind spinning with yet another thing to worry about. As hurt as I had been by Johnny’s choices and the destruction they brought into our lives, I had loved him. He had been good to me before everything skidded sideways. He had broken my heart, not because he hurt me, but because what he did wasn’t safe for our daughter and for us. And now, to think perhaps he’d been targeted?

  It was a shock wave. I’d fought my way through my grief. I didn’t even know what to do with this.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Blake

  Several days later

  I didn’t know what had happened, but I felt the distance Fiona put between us. When we passed by each other at work with nothing more than a glancing interaction, her gaze was carefully polite and her mouth was tight at the corners. I wanted to beat down the doors of her guard and remind her of what we had. I knew if I could get her alone, if I could get her bare naked and tangled up with me, she wouldn’t be able to ignore the intimacy twining like two vines between us, getting stronger and stronger.

  I had promised McKenna I would go to Willow Brook for the opening, and Wyatt and Griffin were going to be there. The event had gone from optional to my sister throwing me a look and insisting I not let her down. Our mother was going, and she loved when all her children were in one place.

  With the recent discovery of her grandson, my nephew, the son of our oldest brother who’d died in college and none of us had known about until recently, my mother’s wish for us all to be close had grown more palpable.

  Jake was gone, and the rest of us tried to make up for it. In all honesty, it mattered to me too. It’s just I wanted to see Fiona. But this event yanked that opportunity out of my hands, at least for this weekend.

  Missing Fiona, I flew to Willow Brook. Our half-brother, Chase, met us at the airport. The whole story around Chase was its own little drama. Our father had a summer fling with Chase’s mother before he met ours. So technically, Chase was our oldest brother. It was more of a drama for Chase than the rest of us. We got a bonus brother, and he got a whole family.

  McKenna smiled up at him as she stepped back after giving Chase an enthusiastic hug. “You didn’t have to come pick us up.” She glanced over her shoulder.

  “We’re not all going to fit in one car,” Kenan offered with a chuckle.

  “I’m the other ride!” a female voice called.

  McKenna beamed as she spun around to see Tiffany, Chase’s sister, approaching. Tiffany was our bonus sister. McKenna was thrilled.

  After exchanging hugs, we all piled into vehicles and headed out to Fireweed Industries’ newly renovated location. Although I had grown up in a house full of siblings, many of those years had been fraught with tension, unfortunately. Between our father passing away when we were younger and our grandfather being an abusive asshole, it hadn’t been great.

  These days, even though we were all adults, it often felt like we were a pile of puppies, gamboling around each other with the old tension eased. Several hours later, the official event had come and gone, and we were all relaxing back at our cousin’s house.

  Archer was sitting beside me and glanced over with a grin. “So how are things with production at the brewery and winery?”

  “Very good.”

  “What’s the schedule for the winery and brewery here?” he asked.

  Archer’s wife, Phoebe, leaned around him, her brows arching up as she glanced over expectantly. “I’m dying to know. I’m really impatient.”

  I chuckled. “That’s good to hear. I hope the rest of the town is impatient. Honestly, it slipped off my radar. I’ll follow up with David. He’s the one who manages the restaurant and retail location in Fireweed Harbor.”

  “I know he’s the chef at the restaurant, but does he manage the whole retail end of things there?” Archer prompted.

  Kenan sat down beside me, chiming in, “He always has. There’s a lot to deal with in production and distribution. Blake’s got his hands full.”

  “No kidding,” I agreed. “It’s incredibly helpful to have David run that whole end of things. I just help with the tastings.”

  “And he’s still the chef?” Phoebe prompted.

  “We hired a new one. This way, David has more time to focus on management,” I said.

  Archer’s eyes went wide. “David is kind of a control —”

  “A control freak,” McKenna piped up as she plunked down in a chair nearby.

  Kenan chuckled. “That’s one way to put it. He seems happy with Fiona. She’s the new chef. It’s been a seamless transition. He’s even giving her some control as far as the menu and specials.”

  “Next time we come to town, we’ll have to make sure to eat there,” Phoebe commented.

  “Don’t you always?” McKenna teased lightly.

  “We do.” Archer winked. “So what is the scoop on the winery and brewery here? Rumors are popping up in town.”

  “I’ll check with David. He intended to help plan everything here. We’ve got the location already. We might need some help locally.” I glanced between Phoebe and Archer, adding, “If you know anyone who might want to help on that end, slide me their name. I’ll make sure to put them on David’s radar.”

  “Absolutely,” Archer replied.

  Conversation moved along, and the group began to disperse. Kenan and I were staying above the garage at Archer and Phoebe’s home. There were two bedrooms up there, so it worked out well. When we walked over, his eyes slid to mine. “So what’s going on with you and Fiona?”

  Fuck. I was tempted to lie, but Kenan and I were close. I knew he would know I was lying. “I promised her I would keep it quiet.”

  There. I wasn’t admitting anything, not explicitly. Fuck.

  “Well, I want you to keep that promise. But I’ll say this, it’s obvious you have a thing for her.”

  “Is it?” I prompted, trying to sound casual.

  Kenan rolled his eyes before he began walking up the stairs that led to the small guest area above the garage. As he held the door at the top, he added, “Completely obvious. Maybe not to anyone who doesn’t know you well, but when she’s around, you’re tense. You can’t keep your eyes off her.”

  We walked inside together, and I let out a deep sigh. “Is it that obvious?”

  Kenan kicked off his shoes and turned to face me fully. “Yes. I didn’t think you were this careless.”

  I opened my mouth to protest before snapping it shut. I knew better, and I knew he had a point.

  “It’s going to come back to bite her, not you,” he pointed out.

  I shifted my shoulders, attempting to relieve the tension building there. “What if she really means something to me?”

  Kenan’s brows hitched up as he cocked his head to the side, studying me for a few beats. “If she really means something to you, I’d say be smart about it. Do you love her?”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Fiona

  The following weekend

  * * *

  I reread Blake’s text. I really want to see you. It’s been too long.

  I took a quick breath, staring down at my phone screen. I hadn’t scrambled up the nerve to reply yet. I knew I had to end this reckless, insanely foolish fling with Blake. I never should’ve even let it begin.

  I let out a sigh. I had done my interview with the police in Seattle and was profoundly grateful Mike had been with me. I had to tell my mother that Johnny might’ve been murdered by a spiked drink, all because people who worked with him knew he took stimulants. The drug test they did after he died showed cocaine and heroin in his system. The combination was fatal for him.

  I could only hope they were going to make an arrest soon. They told me I’d given them some helpful information, which puzzled me. They sure had a lot of questions about our high school friends. Contemplating what that might mean made me feel a little sick.

  The main suspect was one of Johnny’s good friends from high school, Hank. They suspected he was the person texting me and using a different name. I thought we had actually been friends once upon a time. Mike reminded me afterward that desperate people often make bad decisions.

  I finally lifted my phone again to reply to Blake’s text.

  Me: I’m sorry, but I can’t see you again. I’m sorry for everything.

  I returned my phone to my purse in my locker and dove into work. Blessedly, it was really busy. It felt as if my body was tuned solely to Blake. I sensed his presence every time he passed by the doorway into the kitchen. Aside from that, I was too busy to think about anything other than work.

  Tonight was my late night. I went through my usual routines. Trepidation slipped through me as I walked down the hallway to the storage area. I hoped Blake didn’t know my schedule.

  I let out a sigh of relief when I pushed through the swinging doors into the front area again. Blake hadn’t appeared, so maybe he’d accepted my response. As much as I missed him and as much as I wanted to see him, I didn’t want to put his family in danger. As it was, they were at risk of being blackmailed. All because of me. I hoped he understood it was my reputation on the line, not his. That alone was reason enough for me to break things off.

  A solid hour after I finished lining everything out for the morning, I went into the staff bathroom off the break room. I removed my hairnet and tossed it in the trash. After washing my hands and splashing water on my face, I stared in the mirror as I dabbed my face dry with one of the clean dish towels we kept in here.

  I took a shaky breath and let it out with a sigh. A corner of my heart, soft and vulnerable, had fallen for Blake. Even though we hadn’t spent much time together, I felt so good when I was with him. I felt safe and protected, a feeling I craved on a bone-deep level.

  I couldn’t just stand in the bathroom forever. I finished drying my face, took a deep breath, and slipped quietly out of the bathroom. Just as I shrugged into my jacket and closed my locker, footsteps entered the break room.

  I knew without even looking that it was Blake. Instantly, my pulse skyrocketed. I took a slow, quiet breath and turned. He stopped a few feet away from me, his eyes searching mine.

  “Can we talk? Please.”

  “Blake…” I began before pausing, trying and failing to gather my thoughts.

  I didn’t feel like I needed to explain. My role here in relation to his put me on shaky ground if we stayed involved. More than that, I absolutely did not want to talk with him about the situation with Johnny. That would mean being honest that whoever had hurt Johnny somehow knew my connection to the Cannon family and the potential mess that could create.

  Blake took another step closer. “Just come to my office for a few minutes. At least, give me that,” he pressed.

  I nodded before I could think to stop myself. He held my eyes for a long moment before nodding. “I’ll be there in five minutes. Meet me there.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Blake

  Do you love her?

  Kenan’s question had feathered through my thoughts again and again and again since he’d asked it. I hadn’t answered him. But I knew the answer.

  I told Fiona to meet me in my office in five minutes. Less than a minute had passed since I walked in here. Anticipation thrummed through my body in a subtle vibration.

  I stood from my chair and paced back and forth in front of my desk. I craved her on a visceral level. I needed her. Yet it was far more than a physical need and craving. My emotions were twined within it.

  I didn’t know how it was possible, but I’d fallen in love with Fiona. I hadn’t even had a full night with her, not one, not yet. Yet I understood her. Her deep loyalty for her daughter, her innate kindness, her quiet strength, and her fierce passion. Witnessing her when her guard fell felt like a gift, only for me. And even then, I knew she gave that gift reluctantly.

  After what felt like far longer than five minutes, I heard the sound of the doorknob turning. I stopped pacing, turning to face Fiona when she padded into my office.

  Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes worried with a tiny furrow between her brows as she looked up at me. She’d taken off her coat. I presumed that if anybody happened to come into this office, it would seem strange she was ready to leave.

  So as to prevent a repeat of when Kenan interrupted us, I stepped around her and locked the door. She practically leaped back away from me, creating distance between us.

  When I faced her again, she began speaking immediately, her words tumbling out in a rush. “Blake, what do I need to explain? I think you already know this”—she gestured back and forth between us—“arrangement is a potential disaster for me. I need this job. Having the people I work with respect me is important to me personally. There’s no risk for you, none at all. After Kenan came in the other night, I realized I had to stop this.”

  Her hands fell, and she laced her fingers tightly together. I stepped closer, reaching for her and sliding my hand down her forearm. Her hands fell apart, and I reached for both of them. They were cold and clammy.

  “I understand,” I said honestly. I didn’t want what she said to be true, but I knew it. “I’d like to ask for one thing.”

  She looked up at me. At the sheen of tears visible in her eyes, my heart felt as if it cracked open, painfully.

  “I want one night with you, just one whole night.”

  Her throat worked with her swallow, and the sound of her breath drawing in was loud in the quiet office. “Blake, what good would one night do for us?”

  I released one of her hands, stepping closer and lifting my hand to trail my knuckles along the side of her cheek. “Maybe this is crazy, but I know it’s not just sex, not for me. If I have to let you go, I want a night to remember.”

  She stared at me, starting to shake her head. I took another step, sliding my hand into her hair and wrapping my other arm around her waist to bring her flush against my body. I could feel the subtle tremors racing through her as she tried to hold back her tears. My own eyes stung from the emotion welling inside.