Dealing with a not quite one-year-old baby is a great way to get your mind off your troubles. Rosie was adorable, with sleek black hair and a rosebud mouth. She was also sweet and cuddly, and an evil little demon when she wanted to be.

As I tried to coax her into opening her mouth for a spoonful of mashed peas, I reflected that nothing turned my angelic little charge into a devil faster than vegetables. She was eyeing the jar of peaches at my elbow, her chubby little arm reaching out. I knew what she was saying.

I don't want these peas, but if you open those peaches, I'll eat every bite, promise.

Scout, Maggie’s little boxer/corgi mix, paced back and forth beneath Rosie’s high-chair, hoping Rosie would toss him a snack. He’d prefer a cracker, but he’d take a piece of banana. Rosie adored Scout and would happily feed him from her tray the second my back was turned. When she moved up to real food, Scout was going to gain fifty pounds.

Rosie babbled, “Lala. Lala,” pointing at the peaches with a plaintive expression. I love the way she said my name, Lala, but I wasn’t budging on the peas.

Most meals, Rosie switched between soft baby food and chomping on solids. I wasn't surprised when she turned her attention to the sliced banana I'd set out in case she wasn't in the mood for peaches. She'd eat fruit for me all day, but the second I showed her anything green, those rosebud lips slammed shut.

I made another approach with the spoon, making choo-choo noises as I aimed for her mouth. A chubby arm came up, batting the spoon out of the way. Used to Rosie's antics, I evaded her, saving myself from a face full of mashed peas.

"Is she giving you trouble?" Maggie asked as she walked in, shrugging out of her jacket and setting her purse on the kitchen island.

"Who, Rosie?" I asked, winking at Maggie. "Never. You know how much she loves her veggies."

Maggie made a sound in the back of her throat that was somewhere between a snort and a laugh. "Check this out," she said, pulling her phone from her purse and flicking through images on the screen. She turned it to show me Vance, scowling, his blonde hair pulled back, his handsome face speckled with orange.

"When did that happen?" I asked. Vance knew his daughter well, and he was usually fast enough to avoid her tricks. Maggie laughed, smiling affectionately at the image of her husband bathed in mashed vegetables.

"Last night. She was hungry, and he decided he should encourage her to eat carrots. I don't know why. He hates carrots. I did get her to eat some green beans, but he got it in his mind that she just needed to try the carrots again."

"I guess she showed him," I said.

Rosie reached out a chubby fist toward the bananas and said, "Na-na! Na-na!"

"Little dictator," I said with a laugh as I got an idea. I picked up a circle of sliced banana, dipped it in the peas, and held it out. Rosie gave me a suspicious look but obediently opened her mouth. She accepted the banana and began to chew.

"Will you look at that?" Maggie said in wonder.

We both smiled at Rosie, smug smiles of adult satisfaction at bending a child to our will. Our smiles faded as Rosie began to scowl. She swallowed the banana/pea combination I'd coaxed her to eat, but when I offered her another, she pressed her lips together and glared at me.

Maggie shrugged. "It was a good idea," she said.

"Is everything set for Vance's show?" I asked. "Did you get lunch?"

Maggie sighed and rolled her eyes. "If she didn't do such a good job, it would be impossible to tolerate that woman."

I knew exactly who she was talking about. Sloan Stevens managed all of Vance's shows, and while she was excellent at selling art, she was a raging bitch, and she hated Maggie.

Sloan had put the moves on Vance more than once, and she'd never forgiven Maggie for not only stealing his heart but taking his name.

Vance’s voice cut in, coming from the office down the hall. I couldn't make out each individual word, but he sounded pissed off. Maggie shot a concerned glance in his direction. "I'm going to make us some lunch," she said. "Do you want anything?"

I shook my head. I hadn't been hungry all day. The way Noah and I parted had left me with a sick feeling in my stomach that I couldn't shake.

It got worse when we clearly heard Vance say, "This does not look good, Endicott. You realize that, right? We’re in the middle of a negotiation. This is not the time to leave town."

Vance's voice had gradually increased in volume, and I realized why when he stepped into the doorway of the kitchen. His angry blue eyes softened when they saw Maggie, then narrowed in concern when they landed on me.

He saw Maggie organizing sandwich ingredients, winked at her, and disappeared back down the hall, but not before leaning down to drop a kiss on his daughter's head. The kiss brought his phone in earshot, and I heard Noah's voice on the other end, talking fast, stress bleeding from every word.

I scooped another spoonful of peas and tried to distract Rosie into eating them. My heart heavy, tears pricking my eyelids, I wasn't fast enough to evade her when she smacked the spoon. Wet clumps of peas splashed onto my face.

A tear leaked out of the corner of my eye. He was leaving? He'd just promised he wasn't going to run out, and he was leaving? Had he known he was leaving this morning? Was that why he wouldn't tell me what the phone call had been about?

I’d told him I'd trust him. I wanted to trust him.

He wasn't making it easy.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight, fighting back tears. When I opened them, Maggie was in front of me, holding a wet kitchen towel.

I reached for it, but she pulled it back, saying, "Hold on, she got your ponytail."

Gently, Maggie cleaned the peas from my hair. Obedient as a child, I closed my eyes and tilted my face up as she swiped the cloth over my cheeks and forehead.

"Are you and Noah trying to work things out?" she asked quietly.

"I thought we were," I admitted.

"He didn't say anything about having to leave?" she asked.

"No, but I was with him last night, and the phone was ringing like crazy this morning, and then he wouldn't tell me what it was about."

I didn't want to say too much, though, in truth, I didn't know anything. But, as much as I loved Vance and Maggie, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something I said messed up Noah's chances with them.

Maggie folded the pea-encrusted towel and set it down on the table beside Rosie's lunch. "Why don't you go talk to him? I'll finish feeding Rosie. This afternoon is flexible until around two-thirty when I have an appointment, and Vance has to go to the gallery."

"You don't mind? I'll be back by two, probably before."

"No, Ella, it's no big deal. Better to talk to him and find out what's going on. Otherwise, you’ll drive yourself crazy worrying and waiting for him to tell you."

I stood, brushing off my jeans and sweater. "Am I good?" I asked.

Maggie gave me a quick head to toe scan, searching for errant globs of baby food. I'd learned—we'd all learned—that feeding Rosie was a contact sport. It was almost impossible to escape without the evidence somewhere on our clothes or in our hair. Usually, in the last place I'd think to look until I was out in public and someone politely commented that I had mashed pears smeared on my shoulder.

"All clear," Maggie promised. "Good luck."

I had the sinking feeling that I would need it.

I tried to call Noah on the way to his hotel but didn't get an answer. When my phone rang in my hand, my heart jumped, sure it was him. Instead, I saw the same number I'd answered two nights before.

Philip Martin.

Why wouldn't he just go away? Irritated and exasperated, I answered and said "Hello?"

"Ella, it's Philip."

"Philip, is something wrong? Why are you calling?"

"I wanted to make sure everything was all right, Ella. And let you know that you won't have to worry about Noah for much longer. He'll be leaving Atlanta shortly, and there won't be any reason for him to go back."

"Philip, what did you do?"

"Nothing that you need to worry about, Ella. I just wanted to make sure you knew that you could relax. Noah isn't going to bother you anymore."

"Philip, I don't need your help with Noah. He's not bothering me."

"You've always been too nice where Noah was concerned," Philip said, a bite in his voice. Something in his tone reminded me of the way he was in college. I didn't know him well, but he was a friend of friends, and we ran into each other here and there.

Philip was always one of those people who lacked the capacity to pick up on social cues. I'd been surprised when he'd gone to work for a social media company since I always thought of them as being about communication.

Communication was not Philip’s strong suit.

Neither was reading between the lines. It was against my nature to be rude, but I was tired of Philip thinking that somehow, we were on the same side.

"Philip, Noah isn't bothering me. Actually, we're back together, not that it's any of your business. Why are you going after him like this? First, the lawsuit—which we both know was completely unfounded—and then all those tweets the other night? Why would you do this? Why do you have it in for Noah?"

Heavy silence hung in the air before Philip shot back, "How can you even ask me that, Ella? Don't you remember what it was like in school? Every grant I applied for, Noah got. Every time we shared a project, he was voted lead. He had you before I even had a chance to ask you out. He always got everything I wanted. Now I'm stopping him from getting what he wants."

"Do you even hear yourself?" I asked, incredulous. "This stuff is ancient history, Philip. You've been out of college for three years. You have a great job. And you're not just going after Noah. He has employees, people who need their jobs. You're punishing all of them over some stupid grudge you should've let go of years ago."

"Ella, I always thought you were so smart. Why are women so fucking dumb when it comes to Noah Endicott? I don't get it. You're willing to forgive him anything. Don't you remember what he was like after you two broke up? He fucked his way through California. He dumped you the second he got out here, and he never looked back. Now he's in Atlanta for three days, and you’re falling all over yourself to get back together with him? I wasted my time calling you."

"I think you did," I agreed. "You need to stop this, Philip. Leave Noah alone."

"Not going to happen. Have a nice life, Ella."

Philip disconnected the call. I dropped my phone in the center console of my car, staring blindly at the road ahead while I tried to make sense of my conversation with Philip.

I’d never thought of Philip Martin as a nice guy. He was too prickly and insensitive to fall into that category, but I never realized he was a raging lunatic. He hadn't even argued when I'd reminded him that his lawsuit against Noah had been groundless.

There was no point. He knew it, I knew it, and Noah knew it. Everyone knew it. He'd only had enough evidence to blacken Noah's name and drag it out long enough to get some money out of Endicott Technologies.

I racked my brain, trying to remember if I'd ever done anything to encourage Philip's interest. Noah had mentioned a time or two that he thought Philip had a crush on me, but I'd always blown him off. Philip never singled me out or behaved inappropriately, and I'd been too wrapped up in Noah and school to care.

I pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, my thoughts snagging on something Philip had said.

He'll be leaving Atlanta shortly, and there won't be any reason for him to go back.

What had Philip done? Was he the reason Noah was leaving town in a rush? I wouldn't have any answers until I spoke to Noah.

If Philip was set on going after Noah and Endicott Tech, Noah was going to need all of his attention to deal with it, especially with the company in such a vulnerable place.

I wanted Noah. I wanted this to work. But maybe, with everything going on, Noah would be better off if I just let him go.

I heard Noah's voice on the other side of his hotel room door as I raised my hand to knock. It got louder, then he swung the door open, and his eyes widened. He stepped back to invite me in, giving me a look of confusion before he turned his attention back to his call.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there. I don't know what he thinks he’s going to prove with this, but we'll figure it out, Dave. We’re not going to let that fucking weasel drag us down. Yeah, no, I know. I'll text you when I have a time. Okay. Yeah, okay."

He hung up and shoved his phone in his back pocket. It immediately started ringing again. With a look of annoyance, he took it out, checked the screen, and silenced the call.

"Ella, what's going on? Why are you here? I thought you had to work today."

His eyes jumped from mine to the couch opposite the desk. His suitcase sat there, half-open, neat stacks of clothing inside.

Stating the obvious, I said, "You're leaving?"

Noah ran a hand through his hair, looking exasperated and frustrated.

"Els, I have to. I know the timing sucks. I do. But I have to get back to California. Phillips is out there stirring up shit, trying to kill this deal with Winters. It's complete bullshit, but my team heard a rumor that he's planning a protest tomorrow. I can't leave them to deal with that on their own. It's my company. I can't look like I'm hiding."

"A protest? What the hell is there to protest about?" I asked, thoroughly confused. "Are you guys using child labor for your programmers? Doing animal testing?"

A ghost of a smile flitted across Noah's face before he let out a sigh. "No, that's what's so annoying about it. Philip has people spreading a rumor that the software we’re developing doesn't incapacitate drones but it enables the NSA to get into the encrypted content of any mobile device within range. He’s stirring people up who think we’re stealing their data and handing it over to the NSA."

I shook my head. That didn't make any sense. "But isn't that the opposite of what your software does? I thought your software was valuable because it was going to let people disable a drone without touching nearby devices."

"Well, if you're going to be accurate, then yes. Clearly, truth is not a requirement when it comes to getting people to go crazy on social media. Though Dave is pretty sure that Philip is manufacturing most of it by using bot accounts and hired protesters. There are people out there who know what's going on, and they're trying to stick up for us, but they're getting drowned out by Philip's minions. The whole thing is a fucking waste of time, but we can’t afford for him to tank Endicott Tech’s reputation. Not right now."

"Did he kill the deal with Vance?" I asked cautiously. Noah threw his tall body onto the couch beside his suitcase and shrugged.

"It's hard to say. Officially, no. But he's not impressed. He's not interested in getting dragged into a media feeding frenzy. I don't blame him."

I leaned against the desk and looked at my feet. Everything was a mess. Noah was fighting for his company, for the people who trusted him with their futures.

I wanted to ask him to stay, but I wouldn't. I wouldn't be selfish like that. He was right; he needed to be back home. He needed to show his face if they were going to have any success in overcoming Phillip’s smear campaign.

I was just in the way.

"He called me," I said, still studying my feet. I spotted a green splotch of peas on the toe of my sneaker. At least it wasn't on my shirt.

"Philip? He called you again? When?"

"Just a few minutes ago. He said he was going to make sure you had to leave Atlanta and never had a reason to come back. Noah, Phillip is completely irrational. He thinks you one-upped him all the way through college, and he's determined to make you pay for it now."

"The whole thing is bullshit," Noah said. "It all started our sophomore year, when he went all out to get a grant—a grant he didn't even need—and I ended up getting it. He claimed I stole from him by using a presentation I'd been developing for something else when the grant required original material. But the material was original because I never submitted it for the other project. It was a technicality, but I was on the right side of it."

"Is that why he went after every grant you applied for?" I asked.

Noah nodded. "He was determined to beat me. It was so stupid because some of them took a lot of time, and he didn't need the money. It was all ego for him. I was just trying to cover tuition. It didn't help that you and I were together."

"I never even realized he had a thing for me," I said.

"He was quiet about it, but after you and I started dating your freshman year, he shot off his mouth about you, and we got into a fight."

"Which you won. Publicly," I remembered. "Still, he needs to just let it go."

"Yeah, well, he's not doing very well with that."

"I don't think he's going to back off, Noah."

"I don't like him calling you," Noah said.

"Noah, you don't need to worry about me. I made it clear that my loyalty was with you, and Philip didn't take it very well. I don't think he's going to call me again. But he didn't sound like he had any plans to forget about Endicott Tech and leave you alone."

"That's the problem. I need to get back home and talk to some people. This whole thing is unhinged, and part of the reason his accusations have any weight is because he's working for a major social media company. But I've heard some rumors, and so has Dave, that they're not very happy with his vendetta. Normally, I wouldn't go out of my way to get somebody fired but—"

"If that will help shut him down, I think you have to," I said. My stomach twisting and my chest tight, I went on, "I think you should go back to California. And I think we should table this thing with us until you get things settled with Endicott Tech."

Noah shot to his feet, his dark eyes blazing. "What? What does that mean? You're giving up already?"

"I'm not giving up. You're the one who's leaving. And I understand why. It's the right thing to do. But there's no room in your life right now for me. For us. And I can't do this. I can't watch you go, waiting and wondering when you're going to remember I'm here. You have no idea what that was like the first time. I can't do it again. I love you. I’ve always loved you. And I'm not saying never. I'm just saying not right now. You need to focus on your company. If I'm in the picture, you'll be distracted. I don't want to be a distraction."

The fight drained out of Noah's eyes, and his hands fell to his sides.

"You're not a distraction, Ella. I love you. I know it seems like I'm not focused on us but—"

"How can you be focused on us? Noah, I'm not blaming you. I'm not even mad at you. I just don't want you to string me along again."

"I'm not. I need you to trust me, not run away when things get hard."

"I'm not running away, Noah. I'm trying to protect myself."

"Same thing, Ella. You’re not willing to take a risk for us."

"And you are?" I asked. "Tell me you can put me first. Look me in the eyes and tell me that I'm your number one priority."

I waited an agonizing few seconds, but the guilt in his dark eyes was my answer. "You can't. I understand your reasons, but I need to look out for myself, and you need to look out for your company."

Noah looked away, and I headed for the door. I was seconds away from bursting into tears, and I was not doing it in front of Noah.

I was right. He knew I was right.

Leaving him still hurt like hell.