“I’m going to kill you!” Julian Moors yelled loud enough to have the indie band stop playing. Letting out a sigh, Max set his pint of Guinness down and faced his best friend.

“Okay?”

“Where is she?”

“Where is who?”

“Orchid!” Julian growled.

Rob’s burst of laughter boomed behind him, and Max couldn’t help but join along. He quickly cleared his throat and composed himself. “Orchid?”

“Yes. Where is she?”

“Your plant?”

Julian nodded, annoyance flared in his light blue eyes. “Where is Orchid the orchid?”

“Maybe she got plant-napped?”

Julian straightened his spine and then shook his head. “I didn’t find a ransom note.”

Max chuckled as he picked up his beer and let out a breath of air. “Maybe you didn’t look hard enough.”

“Seriously, Max, I won’t be able to convince Stephanie that I can take care of a dog if you’ve killed … Did you kill Orchid?”

After a sip from his pint, Max set the glass down and turned to face his best friend. “I didn’t kill your plant child.”

“Then what did you do with her?”

“How do we even know your orchid is a girl?”

“Because I couldn’t tell if it was either. Apparently, orchids can be both or something, so I chose a girl. If Orchid turns out to be a boy, I’ll still be a proud mother,” Julian said.

“Mother?” That was when Max burst out laughing.

“What?”

Rob’s loud sigh caught his attention. “Julian, Max didn’t kidnap your plant.”

“Then who did, Rob? Who did? We need to report this!” Julian pointed at Max. “We need to know what Max did.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Max said, defending himself from his best friend’s accusation.

Max was no longer a lawyer. Instead, he was a suspected plant-napper.

“Stevie, can you please put a stop to this?” Rob pleaded.

Julian set a palm to his chest. “Blondie, no. No. I love you, remember? I was just joking when I said I didn’t love you. Please don’t tell me you did it.”

Stevie pushed past Rob and covered the hand on her fiancé’s chest with hers. “I go to the bathroom for one minute, and you’re accusing Max of murdering your plant. Julian, you overreact so easily. I put Orchid in Clara’s room because there was no decent sunlight on the balcony. It’s on her window seat.”

Max watched as Julian cupped the side of Stevie’s face with his free hand. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You’ve been sleeping all day. You’re terrible with jet lag. Now, apologise to Max for calling him a kidnapper and a murderer.” Stevie pulled away from Julian, turned, and offered Max an apologetic smile.

Julian rubbed the back of his neck with his palm. “Sorry, Max. It’s just when you’re a mother, you—”

“Apology accepted,” Max said, interrupting Julian before he could give Max a speech about maternal instincts.

“Julian, you’re such an idiot,” Rob muttered.

Julian’s lips spread into a large grin. “Ever since you became world champion, you’ve been even more gracious with your compliments, Robbie.”

“Speaking of celebrations,” Ally said, adding herself to the conversation. “Can we celebrate?”

Max peeked over to see the smile on Rob’s face. He had never seen his best friend so happy, so content before. After everything he and Ally went through, and everything they were both about to sacrifice, it had worked out in the end for them.

Rob became the Men’s Single Scull World Champion.

Ally got a new kidney and was no longer a socialite.

They were now happily married.

“Hey, Max,” Ally said.

Max pushed off the bench, leant over, and kissed her cheek. “Hey, Ally. And congratulations on marrying my best friend over here. Now, let me buy you both a drink.”

“Max, you don’t have to—” Ally started.

“No, I insist. So when is this actual wedding?” Max spotted Mitch, the bartender, and waved him over.

When Mitch reached them, he nodded at everyone but smiled at Ally, his former employee. “Hey, Max. Tiff pour your beer all right?”

“She did,” he confirmed. “Can we please get Rob a Guinness and a Sprite for Ally?”

“No worries,” Mitch said as he reached for a glass.

“Say, Mitchy,” Julian said.

Max turned his head to find Julian leaning on the oak counter staring at the bartender. Mitch had been the bartender at PJ’s on Southbank for years, so Mitch was very familiar with Julian’s antics.

“Yes, Julian?” Mitch didn’t even look up as he poured the beer.

“How come Rob is allowed back in this pub? Did you or did you not ban him?”

Mitch set Rob’s Guinness on the bar and grabbed another glass for Ally’s Sprite. “I did ban Rob,” he confirmed as he added ice to the glass and brought the soft drink dispenser nozzle to Ally’s glass.

“So why is he allowed back in? I stood on the counter and wasn’t allowed within two metres of it. I had to shout my orders at you until you got tired of me yelling.”

Once Mitch filled the glass with Sprite and dropped a slice of lemon in it, he handed the glass to Ally with a smile. Not one of the usual smiles Mitch gave to other female patrons. Instead, it was a friendly smile. “I love Ally like a sister. So if she’s happy, I’m happy. As much as Rob pissed me off, he came to his damn senses and married her. But that doesn’t mean I’m not afraid to punch him in the face again if he hurts her. Kidney or not.”

Ally’s kidney transplant was kept from the media. In fact, she only allowed a small few to know. She didn’t want the attention to fall back on her, and she knew Rob didn’t need it either.

“Max, want me to put it on your tab?” Mitch asked him.

He nodded and sculled back the rest of his Guinness. “Thanks, Mitch.” Once Max set the glass down, he spun around and faced the newly married couple. “Congrats again, World Champ.” Then he smiled at Ally. “Mrs World Champ.”

“You’re leaving,” Ally said, sadly. Almost as if she was disappointed.

Max shook his head. “Just gotta step outside for a minute. I’ll be back. Your husband may be the single scull world champion, but I think Julian and I could scull back a beer faster than he can.”

Rob shook his head. “Can’t drink like I used to now, Max.”

He winced. “The kidney?”

Ally’s eyes fell to her drink.

Her husband wrapped an arm around her and brought her to his side. “The kidney,” he confirmed proudly as he pressed a kiss to his wife’s temple.

“Save all the lovely sentiment till I get back.”

“Will do,” Julian said over his shoulder. Then he returned his attention to Mitch. “But seriously, why isn’t he still banned?”

“Julian, stop trying to get your brother banned from PJ’s!” Stevie scolded.

Laughing, Max made his way away from his group of friends. He loved them all like family. They had all grown up together. But Max was the only single one left. It used to be the five of them, but it had dwindled to just him.

Alex Lawrence was engaged to Keira Perkins and had a baby with her in New York.

Noel Parker married Alex’s little sister, Clara Lawrence, and they lived together in Boston.

Julian Moors returned after years of living in Sydney and was reunited with Stevie Appleton. They had spent years apart after their spontaneous romance in Thailand. Now they were engaged and lived together.

And Rob Moors recently eloped with Ally O’Connor in New York when they had visited her specialist before the Rowing World Championships.

Max Sheridan was the last one standing.

He had wanted love more than some of his friends.

But Max knew he didn’t deserve love.

Not after everything he had done to Alex and Noel behind their backs.

Someday soon, he had to tell them.

He should have told them at Noel’s wedding.

Face to face.

But Max was too much of a coward.

Just like right now, he was escaping the Moors brothers and their perfect relationships to go sit outside for fresh air. He wanted what they had too much to stay exposed to it for too long. They both deserved it. They had both faced their darkest fears to keep the ones they loved.

He had to continue to be happy for them rather than envious.

Once Max made it out of PJ’s, he found a free table and sat down at it. The night air was slightly warm for September, but he enjoyed it. The sun had already set, and the city lights reflected off the Yarra River. In all the cities he had visited, Melbourne was still his favourite. It was home. And he had been close to saying goodbye to it when he almost went to Boston to be with Andrea.

Letting out a sigh, Max reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. To his disappointment, out of all the missed calls and messages he had received, none had been from Josie.

“Thought I’d find you here,” he heard behind him. Max set his phone down and glanced over his shoulder to find Ally Moors behind him with two drinks in her hands. She shouldn’t be doing that much work for him. Not after her stint in the hospital. Just as he was about to stand, she shook her head. “If you stand, Max, and try to help me, I will never talk to you again.”

Max laughed at her determination and turned his attention back to the glittering river as Ally sat down. He peeked over to find her smiling up at him.

“You okay there, princess?” he asked, knowing she’d cringe at the nickname she hated.

And tonight was no different as she muttered, “I hate when you call me that.”

“I know,” he said with a laugh and craned his neck to give her his undivided attention. “Shouldn’t you be inside with your husband?”

Ally let out a sigh and leant forward in her seat. He and Ally had things in common. Though they had never really vocalised their struggles with the pressures of a rich, better-off life, they had silently understood each other. “And you should be inside with us, Max.”

“Just needed a minute to myself.”

“You’ve been outside for almost a half-hour. Is everything okay with you?” She sounded worried. The last thing he wanted was for her to worry over his self-pity. Allison Moors had done a lot of worrying in her short lifetime. She was still practically a kid who had too much burden on her shoulders. Max would not add any pressure.

So he smiled.

Long and almost true.

A smile just for Ally.

“Just work, Ally.”

The concern in her hazel eyes didn’t leave her. “Then come inside and celebrate with us. It’d mean a lot if you did.”

Ally was far too sweet to him.

He’d always found her attractive.

But she had always hidden a lot from him and everyone.

It had taken his best friend, a better man, for her to open up.

But something had bugged him since he visited her in the hospital almost four months ago. It had to do with the guilt in her eyes and the burden he was sure she still had resting on her shoulders. “Can I ask you a question?”

She blinked at him as her hand slipped away from her drink. “Umm … okay?”

“Why did Liam leave after you were in the hospital? It was as if he never wanted to be alone with you or anyone.”

Ally flinched. “You noticed that, huh?”

He offered her a reassuring smile. “I didn’t want to bring it up. But seeing how happy you are, that little bit of guilt in your eyes tarnishes it. You deserve to be happy, Ally. So I feel compelled to ask, but are you okay?”

At that moment, Josie’s question that day on the bridge erupted an uncomfortable sensation in his chest. It felt as if flames were searing his heart. The thought of Josie resurrected a form of missing in him he hadn’t known.

It was pointless.

They were friends.

He missed having someone to talk to.

He liked talking to Josie.

But all he got was silence from her since he sent that stupid message for her to be his plus one tonight.

“I’m okay, Max, honestly,” she assured. And Max believed her. Then she let out a sigh. “The thing with Liam and four months ago was because of several things. He left Melbourne. I was trying to be a better person for Rob, but I couldn’t escape the family company with Liam stepping down. He wanted to find himself. And I think he did … or almost did. He got a tattoo. And the moment my kidneys failed, he felt guilty about that because he couldn’t give me his kidney.” Tears brimmed her eyes, and Max felt like an asshole for making her cry. “And now I have Rob’s and I am so grateful that I do because it means I get to love him for more days than I should have had, but I never wanted him to give up an organ for me.”

“Hey,” Max said in a soft voice. “He loves you, Ally. You’re his world. His entire world. I’ve never seen him so content with his life.”

Ally wiped her tears away, and that smile of hers returned. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to unload all that on you.”

“Does Rob know how you feel?”

She nodded. “Yeah. He knows all this.”

“Even the Liam stuff?”

Another nod. “Yeah. He isn’t a big fan of Liam’s right now—especially when they had a screaming match in our apartment. It was after Clara went back to Boston, and it was the reason I had to go back to the hospital for a few days as a precaution.”

“I didn’t know you—”

“No one but us did. Nothing serious came out of it, I promise.”

“What happened?”

Her eyes fell to her hands. “Please don’t judge Liam. He made a mistake.”

“What did he do, Ally?”

“He pushed her out of the way, and she fell into the glass coffee table,” Rob said, surprising them.

“Robbie,” Ally breathed.

Then Rob was kneeling by his wife’s side. “I’m sorry about that day, Allison. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have brought up Clara. I shouldn’t …”

“It’s okay, Robbie,” she assured. “You have to understand he’s my brother. And I married someone who reminds him of the man who he lost her to. He wants to move on, and reminders of and seeing Clara isn’t helping him. That’s why I signed the bakery ownership transfer today. The burden of that bakery and what it symbolised for him is no longer his to bear.”

Max flinched in shock. “You own the Little Bakery on Little Collins Street?”

Ally faced him and nodded. “Yeah, I do. I was there today. I saw Josie, too.”

“You did?” he blurted out.

A smile returned to Ally’s lips as Rob stood and sat in the seat next to her. “Josie?” Rob asked, confused. “Max, why are you so interested in Josie?”

“I … uh … I’m not,” he said, instantly hating the fact he had lied. No one had interested him the way Josie had. And he hated himself for denying it. “I mean … It’s…”

Rob squinted at him. “You haven’t stuttered like this since we were teenagers. Max, do you like her?”

Max could see hope in Rob’s eyes—as well as Ally’s.

They wanted him to confirm it.

He knew that Rob would approve of his interest in Josie more than Andrea or Sarah.

But so much had happened while Rob and Ally were in France.

Max had done a whole lot of growing.

He had let go of so much of his past.

So instead of confirming he was interested in Josephine Faulkner and all her mystery, Max stood from his chair and said, “I don’t know.”

He hoped it was enough to satisfy Rob and Ally.

Just as he lifted his chin, he noticed her standing nearby with a small smile on her face. “Josie,” he breathed. “You came.”

She nodded. “Yeah, Ally invited me this morning. I hope that’s okay?”

It was Max’s turn to nod, ignoring the two who sat at the table with him. “It’s okay.”

But his heart and its needy beats.

That was not okay.

 

 

I don’t know.

Josie smiled at Rob and Ally who were staring at her. She had missed much of their conversation except for the part where Robert Moors had asked Maxwell Sheridan if he liked her. And Max’s answer had her heart dropping. It shouldn’t have, it made no sense to, but she felt horrible that he didn’t know.

She didn’t know the context.

If he liked her as more than a friend?

If he liked her as just a friend?

If he liked her just as his tutee?

If he liked her at all?

He doesn’t know.

“Hey, Rob,” Josie said, “Congratulations, World Champion.”

Rob was one of the first of Max’s group of friends she had met. He had been a fan of Clara’s peanut brittle cupcakes. It was one of the first cupcakes she had ever created. It was also the first time she had met Clara’s brother, Alex.

“Thanks, Josie,” Rob said.

Ally got out of her chair, walked over to her, and wrapped her arms around Josie. Then she whispered, “Did you hear everything?” in her ear.

When Ally had ended the hug, Josie shot her a tight smile and shook her head.

“I’ll give you the proper context later,” Ally said in a hushed tone.

“Okay,” Josie said, a little unsure if she even wanted to hear what Max really meant.

She had talked herself in and out of attending tonight. But Ally had asked her as a friend, and she couldn’t disappoint her. Josie had had enough of disappointing the people she cared about. It wasn’t just her desire to see Max again. He was only half the problem.

She felt like she imposed.

Like she wasn’t meant to infiltrate this group of tightknit friends.

She was the outsider.

Just as she was in her father’s life.

Ally stepped back and spun around. “Robbie, can you bring my drink inside? I let it go flat.”

Rob’s brows furrowed as he looked at his wife. Then his mouth made an ‘O’ shape, and he got out of his seat.

“You did, too,” Rob said in a very mechanical and fake voice. Robert Moors was certainly a better rower than he was an actor. In a matter of moments, Mr and Mrs Moors had hurried into the pub, leaving behind the bubbling lemonade drink on the table.

“What was that?” she wondered out loud.

Max chuckled. She took her eyes off the pub doors and to the man standing to her left. Maxwell Sheridan was a sight that she was sure took many women’s breaths away. The way he’d styled his brown hair back and the way his brown eyes softened was beautiful.

Yeah, if she wasn’t so sure she was attracted to him before, she was now.

The way he looked at her gave her hope that maybe he could be sure of his feelings towards her someday.

No one had ever been sure of her before.

And she was kidding herself if she thought Max would be that someone who would.

He was her friend.

Her tutor.

And she would not take advantage of him by letting her heart hope.

“That was marriage.”

His joke had her letting out a laugh.

“But they look happy,” she added.

Max nodded. “I think now they can be.”

“That sounds very ominous, Max.”

“I guess it did. You wanna sit for a bit? It’s loud in there.”

Just as she was about to agree, she felt her phone vibrate in the back pocket of her black skinny jeans. As she made her way towards Max’s table, she pulled her phone out to find a message from her absent father. Once she sat down in front of Max, she unlocked her phone and pulled up the message.

 

Ambassador for abandonment: Josephine, I’m sorry about dinner. I couldn’t leave the Chancellor in Canberra. I’ll be back in Australia in a few months. We can have dinner then. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

 

The phone almost slipped out of her hand and onto the table.

“If I need anything,” she mumbled.

She was insulted.

Completely and utterly insulted by her father’s message.

She shouldn’t have expected anything new.

Or anything that resembled a meaningful apology.

Her father had no idea how close she was to crumbling.

For now, until she could tell him what a useless father he was in person, a text message would have to do.

 

Josie: You’re not sorry. And I won’t have dinner with you the next time you decide to come back to Australia. To be honest, Jeff, I have a better relationship with your assistant than my supposed father. Don’t worry about me. I won’t be contacting you for anything. I’ve done all right without you for all these years. I can keep going.

 

“Everything okay?” Max asked.

Josie glanced up from her phone to see the concern on his face. Then she turned the screen over to show him. “It’s just my dad.”

Max had glared at the screen before a smirk plastered his face. “Ambassador for abandonment. Creative.”

Josie brought her phone back to her so she could see if her father would reply to her rather blunt message. “I would much rather a more explicit contact name for him, but from what I remember, the eight years we did have together were amazing.” She peeked up from her phone to offer him her apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I have father issues.”

To her surprise, he laughed. “I knew that from the moment I talked to you. And it’s okay to feel hurt, but you shouldn’t hold onto it forever, Josephine. Trust me, I know this person who did, and they became a horrible, vindictive person.”

Her lips parted, and all that came out of her was air.

She wanted to say more.

But she wasn’t sure what to say.

She was curious to know who this person was.

What they meant to Max.

Her father’s reply quickly squashed her need to ask questions.

 

Ambassador for abandonment: Josephine, that’s not fair. You know how important my job is. Someday you might understand.

 

Tears of anger filled her eyes.

She didn’t want to feel such powerful emotions.

But they had surprised her.

What her father didn’t understand was that her mother’s cancer was not only killing the woman who had loved her unconditionally, but it was also killing Josie inside. No matter how much love her mother gave her, Josie had never felt more alone in her life.

 

Josie: Every day for the past fourteen years, I have tried. You have no idea how much I have tried. But I don’t. I don’t understand. The minute you left for Berlin gave you no right to take your love and affections away from me. And you had no right to make me your third daughter when I was your first. I had a right to know them. To know my half-sisters. But you never gave me the chance.

 

Josie stared at the message.

It was too raw.

Too honest.

Her father wasn’t deserving of it.

So instead, Josie deleted the message and went for a shorter version.

 

Josie: For fourteen years, I have tried to. I will never understand you.

 

Once she had sent the message, she set her phone down and took a deep breath, satisfied that her reply would mean her father wouldn’t go seek out her mother. Her last message would have. And her father would go to extreme lengths to make sure her mother knew how frustrating Josie was. And she had to avoid it. From now on, she would think through her interactions with her father.

To spare her mother.

To protect her from her father knowing that his ex-wife had cancer.

“Josie,” Max said in a low voice.

For a moment, she had forgotten he was sitting across from her. She didn’t force a smile to assure him she was fine. She wasn’t. A lot of factors in her life were against her. And tonight, she thought she’d be able to forget her problems and celebrate with her friends. She had promised herself that she would try to be a better friend to Stevie and Ally. And she was already failing.

“I feel compelled to ask this, but are you okay?” He asked it so sincerely that her chest tightened.

No man had asked about her well-being quite like Maxwell Sheridan.

And it was a shame he was completely out of her league.

She wouldn’t even know how to make someone like him happy.

She couldn’t even make herself happy, let alone him.

But she could be his friend.

Josie would respect him and be someone he could depend on when and if he ever needed someone to listen to him.

Her smile was honest and grateful.

She appreciated whoever had her path cross Max’s.

She knew it was a mistake.

But she would never undervalue it or him.

So she would be honest with him.

“My best friend used to tell me that I was self-destructive,” she confessed. “She wasn’t wrong. I punish my father because it’s easier than admitting I’m not the perfect daughter he needs. He has two. And I guess I’ve just held this resentment because he’s this public figure who shares his perfect life with his perfect family, and I’m … I’m not important enough.”

Max reached out, wrapped his fingers around her phone, and set it next to him and away from her. That small distance was all she needed to feel. It was as if she could breathe a little easier. She had no idea how Max did it. He knew what she needed before she did.

Right now, it was just them.

She and Max.

No one else.

Friends.

Just two friends sitting across from each other.

“Why do you think you’re not important enough?” he asked.

The question stung her.

Sliced across her chest for salt to find.

A simple question that made it hard for her to breathe.

A question that exposed her black and blue.

“Because if I was, he would have been there,” she said in a small voice. “All those milestones in my life since I was eight—he should have been there for at least one of them. I thought when I graduated from high school, he’d be there. I thought when I got accepted into Deakin Law, he’d somehow congratulate me and be proud. I give him an inch, and he takes my heart every time. I’ve already saved all this disappointment for when—if—I graduate with my law degree and not find him there. There’s no point in inviting him when he’s only going to let me down.”

Josie watched as Max corrected his posture, back straight and shoulders squared. He took a deep breath and exhaled it seconds later. “Then invite me.”

She flinched. “What?”

“Invite me, Josie.”

“Why?”

“If I’m gonna tutor you, then you gotta let me watch you walk across that stage to get that bachelor,” he explained. His facial expression was all serious and taut.

“Max,” she began.

“No, Josie. You gotta trust that not every man will let you down. Some will, and some won’t. I’ve done a lot of that. I was that guy. I might still be that guy,” he confessed. Then he reached over and grasped her left hand in his. “I just don’t want to disappoint anyone anymore. And if you’d let me be honest for a single moment, you’d know you’re the person I’m scared to let down the most.”

She swallowed hard at his confession.

Is Max drunk?

He had to be. No sober guy had ever expressed his feelings towards her before. To admit he was scared to disappoint her. And she certainly didn’t think Maxwell Sheridan would. Truth be told, she didn’t think she deserved to be thought so highly of.

“Why me?” she asked, completely confused. “What have I done?”

Max squeezed her hand. Then he glanced down at where they joined, and a small smile spread across his lips. “You were the first person to ask me if I was okay in a long time,” he revealed. His focus remained on their hands. “You have no idea what really meeting you has done to my life. You bettered it. You made me look at myself and realise I made poor choices.”

“How did I do that?”

Finally, he lifted his chin so his brown eyes gazed into hers. “You gave me the chance to be your friend.”

Friend.

The ‘F’ word.

For a selfish moment, she was miserable at the word.

At the idea.

At the notion.

But it fled her quickly.

Because she was honoured to be his friend.

She would rather him as a friend and a tutor than as nothing at all.

Stella had been right.

Josie was self-destructive.

And she wouldn’t be if it meant she could be Max’s friend.

No more talk of her father.

Of all her worries.

Not when it hurt her and could hurt her mother.

“I have to go,” she whispered and pulled her hand free from Max’s. Suddenly, she felt hurt all over. She wasn’t sure why, but she did. But she knew she was the reason for this pain. For letting herself believe for one single moment that she could have been Max’s. She had read it so wrong. She let her fickle mind believe in insatiable fantasies. “I have work in the morning, and it’s getting late.”

Max pressed his lips into a fine line and picked up her phone. He held it out to her, and Josie took it from him. “You still want me to stop by tomorrow afternoon?”

To save herself, she should say no.

She didn’t want to let him down.

And she definitely didn’t want him to feel as if he had let her down.

But she knew all she could do to keep him in her life was to agree.

To pretend.

To make someone other than herself happy.

To make Maxwell Sheridan happy because she knew that no woman had treated him fairly. And she would be the first, but she knew the truth her heart hated to acknowledge.

She certainly wasn’t the last.

“Yeah, I still need you and the knowledge you have on contracts if I wanna pass this prerequisite class and finish this degree. I need contracts to be able to get into civil procedure and dispute resolution next semester.”

“Message me after you’ve finished work?” he asked, and the hope and excitement that twinkled in his eyes could have killed her.

So Josie nodded. “I’ll message you. Could you tell the others goodbye for me? I don’t want to disrupt the celebrations inside.”

“Sure thing, Josephine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I was Josephine.

Just not his Josephine.

He’s not my Napoléon.

And Max won’t be gifting me forever in his lifetime.

Opening the bakery on a Saturday morning wasn’t the same as it used to be. Clara Parker made Saturday tolerable. Josie would even come to work hungover and still managed to get through the shift, but now that Clara had moved to Boston, Josie was in charge of prepping the bakery and putting in the first batches of cupcakes.

She used to whine about how early she’d have to get up and be at the bakery. Making sure cupcakes were in the ovens by six a.m. used to be so dismal. But now, Josie had found herself in a routine. It kept her mind off all the other issues and hardships she faced. It meant three hours of being alone and busy before the rest of the Saturday crew began work. Josie was glad to walk into the store to find that she didn’t have to make a single batch for the morning’s service. Nadia and Taylor had spent last night making each mix for Josie to put into the ovens.

Just as the morning radio presenter told her that Melbourne would have a sunny day, the bell rang, and she glanced over at the door to find her new boss walking in with her sister-in-law or soon-to-be sister-in-law.

“Morning, Josie,” Ally greeted as she began to pull off her orange woollen coat. Though it was now spring, it was still chilly in the morning.

“Morning,” she said, confused as to why they were both at the store so early. Josie picked up the next chair, flipped it, and then set it on the ground. “You both realise that it’s not even six in the morning, and you both have really hot significant others you could be with rather than here”—she raised her brow at them—“with me?”

Stevie Appleton covered her mouth with her hand and yawned. “Trust me, I know,” she mumbled. “The six o’clock thing, not the hot significant other thing. I love Julian, but after our trip to France and him meeting my mother, I need a day away from him.”

Josie laughed as she made her way to the next table and began to flip the chairs over. “So you decided to come here?”

“Ally, the new owner is … will be … who cares about technicalities at almost six in the morning? Anyway, my sister-in-law asked if I could help out. And since I haven’t seen you in forever, I thought why not?”

“Seriously?” Josie asked, relieved because Taylor had messaged her last night saying she wouldn’t be in.

Ally nodded. “Of course. My dad isn’t letting me do a whole lot of O’Connor Investments stuff since he wants me to sort out this new wedding. So my focus is on making sure this bakery is well looked after.”

“And …” Stevie added.

“OH! That’s right,” Ally said as she pulled an iPad from her bag. Then she held it up so Josie could see the device. “Clara wants to FaceTime if that’s okay with you.”

Josie smiled. “You’re my boss now. I do what you say.”

Ally grinned. “I say Stevie can make us some hot beverages. We’ll FaceTime with Clara while the cupcakes are in the oven. And when we’re done, we can all ice them together.”

There was a groan from Stevie. “I hate that coffee machine.”

“Fine,” Ally said as she handed her best friend the iPad. “You clear these chairs from the tables and get Clara on. I’ll get Josie to show me how to use it.”

“I agree to this plan.” Stevie then pulled her straight blonde hair into a ponytail and fastened it with the hair tie she had around her wrist. Then she frowned and pulled her phone from her jeans pocket. She sighed as she answered it. “Julian, go back to bed. No, I don’t care what I said about getting your jet lag under control. You’re undoubtedly and extremely hungover from last night.”

Josie laughed as she watched Stevie put the phone on speaker, warned her fiancé that everyone could hear him, and made her way towards the rest of the tables.

“Josie, wanna teach me how to use it?” Ally asked as she pointed at the Gaggia Deco D espresso machine.

“Sure,” Josie said and then led Ally behind the counter to the red and silver machine. She watched as Ally pressed her fingers to the machine, and her eyes widened in astonishment.

“How much does one of these cost?”

Josie knew at that moment that Ally would be a more hands-on boss than her brother had been. She wanted to learn, and Josie was proud to see that determination and wonder in her eyes. “I think this one cost Danny almost fifteen thousand dollars.”

“Wow,” her boss breathed. “And how does one get a new one if it breaks?”

“Don’t worry. I can ask Danny for you.”

Ally turned and smiled. “Thanks, Josie. I know you’re a lot closer to Clara than you are with me and Stevie, but we consider you our friend, too. And as my friend, I have to ask you about Max.”

Josie winced.

Max.

It was too early in the morning to mention him.

When she had left him outside PJ’s, she had taken a taxi home to find that Stella and West were already out for the night, and she had no one to unload to. So Josie had gone to her room, slipped off her heels, and crawled into bed. Then she lay on her back and stared at the ceiling, replaying Max’s words over and over again. It had taken some time until she finally fell asleep in the outfit she’d worn to see him.

When Josie woke this morning, her chest felt heavy, and she knew that no matter what she felt, Max mattered more than her heart. He needed a friend, and she would be that friend. She wasn’t going to let him down.

It was time someone looked after him.

“We’re friends, Ally,” Josie assured, and that smile on her boss’ face faded.

“Julian, seriously, I don’t care if you’re awake. I’m busy,” Stevie said in the distance.

“But, Blondie, I like this dog.” Julian’s voice echoed from Stevie’s phone.

Josie glanced over to find Stevie sitting in one of the booths with her hands by the side of her face; her irritated expression had Josie chuckling.

“Fine,” she breathed, sounding exhausted. “Send me a link, and I’ll think about this dog. You said you liked a Dalmatian after we saw one in Paris. Once you’re done with that, get some sleep, and then go get some greasy food and catch up on some of the paperwork you’ve neglected that Rogers wants by Monday. Je t’aime.”

“Je t’aime, Stephanie,” Julian said in a low voice, and Josie could hear the love. She didn’t have to be fluent in French to know that they had just said ‘I love you’ to each other.

“Josie,” Ally said, getting her attention.

She returned her gaze to find her boss with that concerned expression on her face. “Yes, Ally?”

“Do you want to know the context of what you heard last night?”

Do I?

Knowing would only complicate it.

And she couldn’t have any more complications in her life.

She needed a friend.

Max was there for her.

And she had to be there for him, too.

To be fair to her heart, she shook her head. “No, thank you, Ally. I don’t want context. I just want to be the friend he deserves. Want me to show you how to use the espresso machine?”

Ally let out an exhale and nodded. “Sure. Show me how this works.”

“And a chai latte for Stevie,” Josie said as she set down Stevie’s usual order.

She had taught Ally how to use the espresso machine, but the former socialite found it difficult. Josie had told her it was okay and it would take some time before she knew how to use it expertly. And the only way Josie could remove that helplessness on Ally’s face was to tell her Danny’s secret. And that was that Danny had broken the expensive espresso machine twenty minutes after it had been delivered to the bakery. He had to trade a year’s supply of cupcakes to have one of his connections come in and fix the faulty machine. The problem was that Danny did not read the instructions and left the safety cap on one of the nozzles. It had been a very embarrassing day for her former boss.

“Thanks, Josie,” Stevie said as she reached over and brought the glass closer to her. Then she patted the table. “I just messaged Clara, and it’s like four thirty, and she’s home from her classes. She wants to see you, too, since you didn’t get to see her when she was last in Melbourne.”

Guilt ravished her.

Besides Stella Weller, Clara Parker was one of the closest friends she had ever had. Clara had listened to all her whining when it came to her previous ex-boyfriends and her father. And Josie had almost thrown a party in the bakery when she found out Clara had left her cheating ex-boyfriend, Darren Porters. What Josie loved most about Clara was that she was always there for her. And when she had moved to Boston to live her happily ever after, it was hard not to miss her being in Josie’s life every day.

“Here are your sugars,” Ally said as she handed the packets over and climbed into the booth next to Stevie. Ally set down her cup of tea and peeked over at her. “Josie, do I have to play the boss card? I really don’t want to. But we haven’t hung out together since before Clara got married. You just checked on the cupcakes, and the shop floor looks good. You need a break.”

No way would Josie win against Ally. The almost twenty-year-old had found a backbone, and it was inspiring to see. Since her transplant, she was living the life she had always dreamed of, and Josie was honoured to be part of it. She had always liked Ally. She had always liked all of Clara’s friends. And when Clara had asked her to be a bridesmaid, it surprised Josie to see how accepting her friends were of her. They had made her feel as if she was their friend, too.

Without another word, Josie slid into the booth and sat next to Ally as Stevie picked up the iPad and swiped at the screen to unlock it. Then she typed in the code and pressed on Clara’s name. It took a few minutes for Clara to accept the video chat and her face to appear on the screen.

Before she had even said hello, Josie watched Clara flinch in surprise, and a beautiful smile appeared on the screen. In all the years she had known Clara Parker, she had no idea just how beautiful she was and how envious Josie was that she didn’t have her golden brown eyes.

“Josie!”

She smiled. “Hey, Clara.”

“How are you?” her ex-co-worker asked.

“Good. Just opening the store. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to see you while you were here.”

Clara shook her head. “Don’t even apologise. I see those two managed to get to the store early.”

Stevie groaned. “Ally practically stormed the apartment and pulled me out of bed.”

“I’m just glad Julian wasn’t naked,” Ally mumbled next to Josie, causing her to laugh. A naked Julian Moors wouldn’t be a horrible way to start the day. With his boyish charms and those light blues, she wasn’t surprised tough Stevie Appleton had fallen in love with him.

“Trust me, Ally, he would have loved it because then he would’ve used it against you. Like, ‘my sister-in-law is a big perve, Robbie. She saw my—insert some sort of euphemism for his penis.’”

Ally shivered. “I don’t think I could handle that for the rest of my life.”

“Too bad you married his brother,” Clara commented from the iPad.

“Mrs P!” shouted from Clara’s end.

“Mrs P?” Josie asked, eyebrow raised.

“Sorry, give me a sec. I’ll be right back. Kyle left his baseball bat in my car.” Clara had raised her index finger to indicate she would be a second and disappeared out of the camera’s focus.

Josie then got a view of Clara’s huge kitchen. It was an absolute dream. Josie wasn’t one for interior decorating or features of a house, but when you worked with Clara Parker, who dreamed of being a dessert chef, you were bound to hear about her dream kitchen. And that was what Josie saw. She could see the white marble tops and the large white cabinets with glass panels. The huge stainless-steel stove that almost took up half of one side of the kitchen and all the counter space. It appeared as if Clara’s husband had chosen well and fulfilled her kitchen dreams.

“Have you both been to Clara’s house?” Josie asked as she turned her attention to Stevie and Ally.

They shook their heads.

“We’re headed out there in a few months. We’re gonna go see Keira, too. The boys want to meet Will,” Ally said.

Josie had received many pictures from Keira, Clara’s future sister-in-law, who Josie had spent time with while she was in Melbourne. Keira and Alex’s son, William Archibald Lawrence, was by far the cutest kid Josie had ever seen.

Just as Josie was about to comment on how adorable Clara’s nephew was, a suit-clad Noel Parker appeared on the screen as he entered the kitchen and set his briefcase down on the counter.

“Wow,” Josie said appreciatively as she watched Noel loosen his grey tie. “I feel like such a pervert right now.”

Stevie laughed. “She’s traded up since Darren, huh?”

Nodding, Josie watched as Noel began to peel off his jacket and then set it on the bench. “Oh, she definitely did.”

When his fingers reached for the top button of his business shirt, it was as if all three of them had held their breaths.

Suddenly, they heard, “Noel, wait!”

Noel stilled as he turned in the direction of Clara’s voice, who was still out of frame. “Kyle’s gone, right? God, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I’ve wanted to—”

“I’m FaceTiming,” Clara quickly interrupted.

Josie watched as Noel turned in their direction, and she could just see the blush on Noel’s face as he lowered his hands from his shirt button. “Hey, everyone,” he said, slightly embarrassed.

“Hi, Noel,” Ally greeted with a hint of humour in her voice.

Clara’s husband waved and then cleared his throat. “Baby, I’m gonna go change in the bedroom. It was good to see you, Stevie, Ally, and Josie.”

“Not as good as it was to see almost all of you,” Stevie teased. After Noel had kissed his wife, he left the kitchen. Stevie peered over Ally and smirked at Josie. “It was so nice living with him for a while.”

Josie laughed, knowing exactly what she meant. “You saw?”

“Sadly, no, but I saw that chest a few times. And I heard them at it. He definitely knows how to please Clara—”

“Stevie!” Clara gasped. “Really?”

Josie had been expecting to see a pissed-off Clara Parker on the screen. Instead, Clara had an amused expression on her face.

“As much as you wanna see my husband naked, it’s not gonna happen, Stevie. Now, I feel like I talk to you both every day, so I wanna talk to Josie for a minute.” Clara’s eyes darted over to Josie, and she felt as if she was about to be interrogated. “How are you, Josie?”

“Good,” was all Josie could reply with without actually lying to Clara.

“Anything new?”

“Nope.”

“No new DJs?”

That had Josie laughing. “None at all.”

“Any new guy you’re seeing?”

From the corner of her eye, she could see Ally staring at her, which made her uncomfortable. So Josie’s lips made a fine line as she shook her head. “No. No new guy, Parker.” The oven bell ringing came to her rescue as Josie slipped out of the booth. “I’ve gotta check on the cupcakes. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be right here,” Clara said, and then Josie made her way behind the counter and into the kitchen.

Once inside, she breathed out a sigh of relief and stood still for a moment to get her bearings. Since the bakery was quiet, she could hear the girls out on the shop floor talking as Josie made her way towards the oven.

“Is Josie okay?” Clara asked.

“She’s okay,” Ally answered.

Josie was thankful that Ally quickly changed the subject and spoke about Clara attending Boston University. With a heavy exhale, Josie wrapped her hand around the oven handle and pulled it open. She stepped back as the heat escaped and reached for an oven mitt. Once it was on, she pulled out the first tray to see that the raspberry and lemon cupcakes still needed another five minutes to get that golden colour to them. It was one of Clara’s recipes that was still beloved by so many customers.

Josie pushed the tray back inside and closed the oven door. She reset the timer for another five minutes and made her way to the bench. She would have to start prepping the icing bags for the lemon curd icing. Deciding to let Stevie and Ally speak to Clara for a little while longer, she headed towards the large pantry for the lemons. Just as she reached the door, she felt her phone vibrate in her jeans pocket. Once she opened the pantry door, she pulled out her phone and then flicked the light on.

When she unlocked her phone, a message from Max greeted her. She hated that she felt butterflies at just the sight of his name. But everything he had said last night, and the way he had said it, only added to her confusion. No man had treated her so sincerely. It was a nice change, but she knew he only valued her as a friend.

She had to value him just the same.

And that meant not ignoring his message like she had the last.

 

Max: Morning, Josephine. I’ve got a few cases my dad wants my help on. We still on for this afternoon?

 

Josie: If you need to help your dad, Max, seriously, help your dad. We can reschedule.

 

Max: Josephine, I don’t think you realise it, but you’re my first and only priority. Trust me; he doesn’t need me around for the whole day. What time do you finish work?

 

The thought of her as his priority had her smiling. She knew it had to do with his promise of not letting her down. That was the thing about priorities—they would always change, and she knew that her being his would, too. But for now, she’d revel in it and believe it meant more than she knew it should.

 

Josie: I have a few things to do after work, and my books are at my place.

 

Max: You need a hand?

 

Those ‘things’ she had to do was visit her mother in the hospital.

There was no way she’d let Max into that part of her life, no matter how friendly they were.

 

Josie: I’m good, thanks. I’ll text you my address later if you wanna meet at my place?

 

Max: Sounds good to me. I’ll see you later.