My conscious pricked, but I ignored it. Hopefully, my two biggest secrets, my past and my reckless fling with Blake, would remain secrets.

  I shrugged. “I don’t have much to hide. Here’s hoping it stays that way.”

  Phyllis had started to get my coffee ready when the door opened again. When I glanced back, I saw Haven walking in.

  Another woman was with her. Haven smiled when she stopped beside me. “Hey, Fiona.” She gestured to the woman beside her. “This is Tessa. I’m getting some tea while she has coffee.”

  “That’s what people do here,” Phyllis interjected dryly.

  “Sit with us,” Haven said, nudging me lightly with her elbow.

  I looked hesitantly at Tessa. “Are you —”

  “Please, sit with us,” Tessa interjected.

  I didn’t have many friends. Not that I didn’t want them, but time wasn’t something I had. I had learned to keep to myself after I had my daughter. I was out of sync with most of my peers and swimming fast just to stay afloat in the currents of life. I had promised myself Fireweed Harbor was a fresh start. Making friends here was on the list of goals I had. Nothing I’d ever written down, but I held that wish in my thoughts.

  A few minutes later, we were sitting at a table in the corner. Haven lifted a hand to brush a few strawberry-blond curls out of her eyes. “So I hear nothing but great things about you at the winery.”

  Before I could respond, Tessa chimed in, “I love the menu updates and the new specials. I go to locals’ night on the regular.”

  My cheeks flushed a little as I smiled between them. “Thank you. I was a little nervous with David having handled things for so long.”

  “David’s great, but this is a good change for him. Is he being nice to you? I know he can be cranky,” Haven said, her brow furrowing as she looked over at me.

  “Honestly, David and I get along well. You just have to get used to him. I’ve learned he can come across as crabby, but he’s very supportive of everyone. He’s just not really a warm and fuzzy guy.”

  Tessa snorted. “No, he’s not.”

  “You both seem to know him well,” I observed.

  “Aside from the fact that I’m dating Rhys, Fireweed Winery is a staple in town. My brother used to work there in high school as a bus boy.”

  “And David’s my uncle,” Tessa added.

  “Oh!” I was surprised at that detail.

  Tessa’s lips curled with a smile. “David is private. If you grew up around here, you’d know I was his niece, but even then, he keeps to himself. He claims he doesn’t want to get caught in the gossip machine. He’s my father’s brother—never had kids and dedicated his life to his job. I wish he would fully retire, but he tells me he’s not even close to ready for that.”

  “I like David. I was nervous at first, but he’s been really supportive,” I added.

  I took a sip from my coffee, glancing over when someone approached the table. McKenna stopped beside Haven’s chair, resting her hand on Haven’s shoulder and giving it an affectionate squeeze. “Good morning, ladies.”

  After exchanging greetings, she and Haven chatted briefly about some promotional project before McKenna turned her attention to me. “You know…” She paused, tapping her fingertip against her chin. “We could have Fiona give us the specials in advance and include the menu as part of our promotional materials. What do you think?”

  I smiled politely. “I’m happy to help, as long as it’s okay with David.”

  McKenna shrugged. “I need to clear it with him first. By the way, things seem to be going really well in the kitchen.”

  I was nervous, mostly because McKenna was Blake’s sister. Ever since Kenan had walked into Blake’s office that night, I worried he suspected something and might have talked to someone else in the family. I kept telling myself I was overreacting, but it didn’t soothe me.

  “Thank you,” I said simply, masking my anxiety with another swallow of coffee.

  Tessa caught my eyes while Haven and McKenna continued chatting. “The Cannon family can be a lot.”

  Uncertain of what to say with McKenna standing right there, I simply shrugged. “I suppose so.”

  Just then, a frisson of awareness chased down my spine. I knew Blake had just entered the café. I tried to order my pulse to slow its pace, but it had none of it and went wild, like a horse let loose in the pasture, taking off at a mad dash.

  Because my body was disobedient, I glanced over my shoulder to see him walking to the back of the line. As if he sensed my presence, he turned, and our eyes met. Instantly caught in the beam of his gaze, sparks spun in fiery pinwheels inside.

  I forced myself to look away, relieved the café was busy, and McKenna was still talking to Haven.

  “He’s right over there,” Haven said.

  I almost groaned aloud when she gestured toward Blake. “Blake!” McKenna called over. When he looked her way, he simply arched a brow in question. “Come over here once you get your coffee. I have a question,” she added.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Fiona

  I could barely breathe. I was terrified people would take one look at me and somehow know I had spent the night tangled up bare naked with Blake. I thought about Phyllis’s comment about keeping secrets in this small town. Despite my near panic, I knew I had made the right decision when I told Blake we could only have the one night. I didn’t dare to let myself fall any further for him. I was already in way too deep. As it was, I feared my heart would need to be stitched up after this.

  I took a bite of my muffin, chewing madly, as if I could chew away my anxiety. No one seemed to notice that I was a hot mess with McKenna asking for my opinion on seasonal promotional menus. I managed to answer, if only because I loved to cook and had recipe ideas bouncing around in my brain all the time.

  Blake arrived by our table, and I allowed myself nothing more than a quick glance at him. I squeaked out a greeting when he said, “Hello, Fiona.”

  I barely heard McKenna and Haven talking to him. “Well, you’ll have to ask David,” Blake pointed out.

  “He’ll say yes,” Tessa chimed in.

  “I’m sure Fiona will have some ideas. The changes you’ve made to the menu are great,” Blake added. I felt the burn of his gaze, almost as if it were flames on my skin.

  I simply nodded. I would have to get used to this, to learn to live with how much I wanted him. I was relieved when he left and even more relieved when McKenna left with him. I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until the door closed behind them, and I let it out in a quiet sigh.

  A woman stopped by the table, asking Tessa something about the weather. Haven caught my eye, offering, “She’s our local weather reporter.”

  “Oh.” My conversational skills had dwindled in the presence of Blake and McKenna.

  After the woman moved on, Tessa glanced at me with a teasing look in her eyes. “Blake totally has a thing for you.”

  I had just taken a sip of coffee and almost choked on it. Haven helpfully patted me on the back. After I composed myself, I looked over at Tessa. “No way.”

  “No way, what?” Haven prompted.

  “There’s no way Blake has a thing for me. Even if he did, it can’t go anywhere.”

  “Why not?” Tessa asked.

  “Um, he’s sort of my boss,” I pointed out.

  Tessa shrugged, all unconcerned. “Not directly. Fireweed Industries is huge. Blake runs all the production and distribution. David is your boss.”

  “The Cannon family owns the restaurant,” I said, thinking she had lost her damn mind.

  Haven shrugged. “Fireweed Harbor is a small town. Blake’s not your direct boss. It’s not that I don’t understand being a little anxious about it, but…” Her words trailed off as she cocked her head to the side. “Blake is a nice guy. I’m not saying you should do anything about it, but I stand by what Tessa said. He’s got the hots for you.”

  When I arrived at work a short while later, I reminded myself it didn’t matter what Tessa or Haven thought. I had already set the boundary with Blake, and I needed it to stay that way. Of course, even my bossy thoughts couldn’t overpower just how much I wanted things to be different.

  What if it could work?

  Chapter Forty

  Blake

  Walking into my brother’s office, I asked, “What’s up?”

  Rhys had texted me, asking me to stop by his office. He’d said it was important. He wasn’t one for drama, so if he said it was important, it was.

  He held a finger up, saying into his phone, “I’ll be sure to let you know. Thank you for calling.”

  I sat in the chair across from his desk when he ended his call. “What’s going on with you and Fiona?”

  His question took me off guard. I felt my mouth begin to drop open and snapped it shut. Not fast enough. He took a breath. “Ah, so something is going on?”

  “I didn’t say that,” I countered. “And why are you even asking?”

  “Because Kenan mentioned it. The only reason he mentioned it is because he just left my office. We have a situation, and it involves Fiona.”

  I was tempted to play it cool, but I sensed I knew what this might be about, so I waited.

  “Did you know about this?” he prompted.

  “It depends on what you mean. I do know that someone in her past contacted her about her ex. To my knowledge, it had nothing to do with us. She was worried, and I suggested she talk with the police here.”

  Rhys studied me. “It’s more complicated than that now. They threatened her with blackmailing us.”

  “What?” Anger blazed through me. “She would’ve said something to me. Are you sure about this?”

  “Absolutely. I just got off the phone with Mike from the police department here. Everything should be okay. According to him, the police in Seattle are arresting the guy they believe is making the threats. Mike wanted to alert me in case anybody in the family gets contacted.”

  I heard what my brother was saying, but my thoughts were a jumble. I was shocked and hurt Fiona would hide this from me.

  “With that out of the way, just how serious are you with Fiona?”

  “We’re not. She broke it off,” I said curtly.

  He studied me quietly, his gaze uncomfortably perceptive. “You know, you’re not her direct boss, but it’s not a good look for you to be fooling around with anyone who works for us.”

  “It’s not like that,” I ground out.

  I was torn between hurt that Fiona hadn’t kept me up to speed on the situation and a sense of worry and protectiveness for her.

  “If it’s not like that, then what is it like?” my brother pressed.

  “Fuck.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees as I ran my hands through my hair. Lifting my head, I repeated, “Fuck.”

  “Fiona doesn’t strike me as the type to just have a fling with one of the owners of the place she works.” Rhys’s tone was deceptively calm, but I knew he was angry—not with her, with me.

  “She’s not.” I let out a frustrated breath. “It’s not a fling. She means a lot to me.”

  “So much that you didn’t know about the situation?” His tone was pointed now.

  “She told me we had to break it off,” I muttered. “And I promised her I would respect that even though it’s not what I want.”

  Rhys nodded slowly. “Maybe you should at least talk to her about this. If Kenan noticed, I doubt he’s the only one. I don’t care about your reputation, but she doesn’t deserve the blowback from this. If she really means a lot to you, maybe think about what you want to do about that.”

  “I love her,” I burst out, startling myself.

  Rhys’s brows hitched up. “Maybe you should tell her. If this isn’t just a fling, the gossip will blow over. You know how rumors are in this town. Even if none of us says a word, the likelihood that somebody knows something about you two is near one hundred percent.”

  Over the next few days, with Rhys’s observation ringing in my mind, every time I saw Fiona at work, I was caught up in conflicted feelings. I understood his point about how she would face the consequences of any rumors and not me. I’d known that all along. Yet I had wanted her too much and ignored the potential pitfalls for her. I didn’t like thinking I’d been selfish, but I had.

  I skipped tracks from that train of thought to the stinging betrayal I felt that Fiona hadn’t told me all that was going on.

  It’s not like she owes you anything, my better self pointed out. What would you have done if she had told you?

  The protectiveness I felt for her was fierce.

  I told myself over and over I wasn’t going to push her again. I wasn’t going to ask for more than she was willing to give. I would respect the boundaries she had set. I was learning what it meant to love someone. Before, my desperation for Fiona had ridden roughshod over my ability to think rationally about the situation and the potential consequences for her. Now, I would sacrifice for her because I loved her. I would let her go because I loved her.

  It would hurt like fucking hell, but I would do it. We needed to have one last conversation, just one.

  Late one evening when I knew she was closing, I sent her a text.

  Me: I’m going to be here late tonight. I’m hoping we can talk. I promise I’m not asking for anything more.

  After I set my phone down, impatience churned inside me, rising like a restless tide. I kept trying to brush away the betrayal I felt. I was deeply hurt. I suppose I realized that maybe Fiona didn’t feel what I felt. Maybe it was all a mirage in my mind.

  Even though I knew she was busy, I kept expecting her to respond to my text quickly. She didn’t. It was a solid two hours before she replied.

  Fiona: OK. I’ll stop by your office.

  I had to take a deep breath and talk myself down. I wasn’t usually an irrational guy. But when it came to Fiona, reason and rational thought jumped out the window and fled into the darkness.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Blake

  There was a light knock on my office door, so soft it was barely audible. My senses were on hyper-alert, so attuned to Fiona that when the air circulation system came on, the sound caused me to nearly jump out of my chair.

  Maybe that was why I was so keyed up. Perhaps that was why I ended up overreacting.

  I didn’t realize I had stopped breathing when I opened the door until she prompted, “Blake?”

  I sucked in a startled breath of air as I stepped back. “Come in.” My voice was strained, sharp.

  Fiona looked like she usually did—buttoned up and tidy. Her hair was pulled back tightly. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes wide. She laced her fingers together in front of her waist. “You wanted to talk with me?”

  I’d planned out what I meant to say. I would tell her that I understood why she ended things. I would tell her that I had let my emotions and need get the best of me. I would tell her it hurt me that she hadn’t shared the full extent of what she was dealing with.

  That wasn’t how it went.

  “Why didn’t you tell me what was going on? I had to hear the whole story from Rhys. That this guy threatened to blackmail us to get you to do what he needed. I thought you trusted me.”

  Her nostrils flared, and her eyes narrowed. “This isn’t about trust. I was trying to protect my life. I have a daughter. I did exactly what you said and talked to the police. I’m more sorry than you know.”

  After she stopped talking, she held my gaze for a moment. Without another word, she spun and reached for the door handle. I caught her by the elbow, dropping my hand when she turned back. “Fiona—”

  She shook her head sharply. “It doesn’t matter, Blake. All of this was a mistake. I’m sorry.”

  A second later, she was gone. I felt the aching beat of my heart almost painfully. I walked to my desk, resting my hands on it with my head hanging down as I tried to collect my thoughts. I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t fix this. Fiona had every right to keep her distance from me and wish this had never happened. Yet that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted her. I wanted it to be okay. I wanted us. More than anything, I wanted to be the one she turned to when she needed someone.

  Yet I wasn’t.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Fiona

  Three weeks later

  * * *

  I was closing one evening. Notebook in hand, I began walking down the hallway toward the dry storage. My heart started beating faster, and I tried to tell my body to get a grip, to remember that it was over with Blake. Completely over.

  Blessedly, the other thing that was over was the situation related to Johnny’s death. They had arrested and charged his old friend with manslaughter and obstruction of justice. Apparently, he had done some things to interfere with the original investigation when Johnny died.

  Johnny and his old friend had a falling out a few weeks before Johnny died because Johnny had been trying to end his involvement in the business. My heart felt broken all over again to realize Johnny had been trying to do what he could to extract himself from the mess he’d gotten tangled up in.

  As painful as this news was, I could breathe a little easier now. No one would be threatening the life I was trying to build for my daughter.

  I still didn’t know how to ever tell our little girl what happened to her father. I knew I could try to keep it a secret, but eventually, she would find out. Because that was how things went. My mother suggested we plan to tell her when she was old enough to understand, but no sooner.

  How old was old enough for someone to understand that their father had made some bad decisions? That he ended up dying because of those decisions? But that he had also been a good man who didn’t know better when he was too young? Those questions tumbled around in my thoughts on repeat. I’d have to figure them out when the time came. Maybe I didn’t know when old enough to understand was yet, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t first grade.