Later on, after the day's classes and meetings were over and she was relaxing on her couch, her toes snuggled under Dragon's warm stomach, she shot off a quick text to Tobias. Deed is done. Any fallout?

Yep. He texted back right away. Aiden told me he really likes Evergreen and isn't sure if he should leave.

That's great news! She added a few celebratory emojis. Does he seem upset? I didn't get that impression when he left.

Nope. He seems just fine. Thoughtful. He told me that it takes time to really know someone. Said he'd gotten spoiled with his high school girlfriend because they've known each other so long.

Well, that certainly seemed like a good lesson to walk away with. My work is done, then. Now to get the smoke out of my hair.

He fired back quickly. I make a great shampoo boy. You might need help with the fake tattoo too.

She laughed out loud, even though shivers ran up and down her spine at the thought of Tobias washing her hair with those big hands of his. Oh. My. Better deflect before she got weak and invited him over.

Dragon gets most of the props. I really think that was the final blow, me complaining about the dog hair and the slobber. If he only knew how much time I spent wiping up drool.

I guess now he'll never know.

A strange sadness passed through her. Never. It seemed like such a final word. Aiden would never know that she actually loved dogs—because their association would be finished after this. She'd go back to teaching at Jupiter Point, Aiden would stay at Evergreen, and Tobias would have no reason to have anything to do with her anymore.

I guess your mission is accomplished then? What's next, back to Jupiter Point?

Yup, Ben's getting antsy. I need to get back to work. Next time you're in Jupiter Point, I'd love to take you up for a ride.

That's a nice offer. But what about Aiden?

What about him?

Are you planning to tell him about it? Will I have to pretend to smoke if he's around?

After a short pause, her phone rang. Texting only went so far, apparently. His deep voice caressed her nerve endings as soon as she answered. "I guess we didn't think this through."

"It's okay. The most important thing is that Aiden's not leaving Evergreen. That was your goal, right?"

"Yes. Originally."

Again, shivers went up and down her spine. "Tobias—"

"I know. I know what you're going to say. And you're right. I can't do that to Aiden. As much as it fucking kills me, I need to keep my distance. But I—" He hesitated, and she got the feeling he wasn't used to speaking so openly about his inner feelings. "I'm glad I met you. I hope we meet again."

Her throat closed up. So this was goodbye. Of course it was. It had to be. "You never know," she managed. God, how silly. She'd just met the guy a couple days ago. How could he possibly have such a powerful effect on her? It didn't make sense. "Thanks for painting my door, and rescuing Dragon and everything else you've done."

"Take care of yourself."

"You too, Tobias. And that means you, not just your brothers. You deserve some taking-care-of too."

An odd silence made her wonder if she'd gone too far. "What do you mean by that?"

She drew in a long breath. If she wasn't going to see Tobias again, she might as well express the observation that had been running through her mind. "It's just an impression I've gotten, that you seem to put your brothers before anything else. Like Knight and Day. That was Ben's baby, right? You left the army to help him. Not that I don't respect that. I do, but what about you and your wishes and dreams?"

A stiff silence followed that question. She wondered if he'd hung up, or was mouthing curse words at his phone. "I'm fine. If my brothers are fine, I'm good. That's all I wish for."

Which seemed to prove her point, quite honestly. "Hey, forget I said anything. I'm probably way off base. I just met you, after all."

"That's right. You don't know me. Or my brothers."

She expelled a long breath. "Okay, then. I guess I'll…see you around. Goodbye, Tobias."

And she hung up before things could get even more uncomfortable. Dragon lifted an eyelid and surveyed her with one weepy eye. "Well. So much for that, Dragon. I really know how to drive them away, don't I?"

He closed his eye again and let loose a long, snuffly sigh.

"You said it, boy."

She hauled herself off the couch and went to run herself a bath. If anything called for bubbles, it was stale cigarette smoke, a fake tattoo, and the sense that she'd missed out on something spectacular.

It was only later, when she'd finished her bath and was grading papers in bed, that she remembered to check her phone again.

Tobias had texted one last time. Sorry I was rude. You may have a point. I hope we can keep texting and/or talking. After that he'd added a broken heart emoji.

Which struck her as so poignant it brought tears to her eyes. That was the thing about Tobias…he had a broken heart—whether he knew it or not.