“Well, that was a bust.” Cedar flopped onto the couch next to Teo. She rubbed Akoni’s back. The poor little guy had buried his face in Teo’s neck when the possible nanny snapped at him for throwing one of the plastic balls from the ball pit at Teo.

“She wasn’t all bad,” Teo offered lamely. Cedar waited. He wrinkled his nose. “Never mind—she was horrible.”

Cedar shook her head. “Did you love her speech about tough love for toddlers?”

“No. No one is strapping my kid in a chair for any other reason than safety. He already hates his car seat. Can you imagine what he’d do if he were forced in there for letting out one of his screams or smearing jam on his high chair?”

Cedar laid her head on Teo’s arm. “I take back every not-so-nice thought I had about you when you dropped Akoni in my arms on that first day. Hiring a nanny is exhausting.”

So far they’d interviewed a woman who barely glanced at Akoni but spent a lot of time staring at Teo—or parts of Teo, depending on the moment. Then there was a grandmother who spent twenty minutes telling them how dangerous football was and insisting Teo retire immediately.

They interviewed a man who eyed Teo’s football signed by last year’s Titans team. He expressed so much interest in the keepsake that Cedar was sure that if the house was on fire, he’d grab the football and leave Akoni behind.

And then there was Helga. Helga wasn’t her real name, but Cedar had taken to thinking of her as such halfway through the interminable interview.

“Nice to know I’ve been redeemed in your eyes.” Teo shifted so he could check the time. “Are you ready for our dinner date?”

Cedar’s stomach flipped. Meeting Elijah’s wife was kind of a big deal. Since moving to Texas, she’d made some friends, but they all ran in different circles. She’d barely kept up with where her fellow students ended up after graduation. Many of them were out of state and a few had gone out of the country.

She hadn’t missed them too much. Teo was quickly becoming her best friend. Strike that—he was her best friend. If she had to pick one person to be stranded with on a deserted island, she would pick him. Not just because his kisses melted her down to her toes, but because he was easy to be around, easy to work with, easy to talk to. Plus, he was strong enough to break trees, and that was essential for making a shelter to survive tropical hurricanes.

Still, it would be nice to have a girlfriend she could call on, and even though Teo and Elijah’s friendship was based around business, that didn’t mean she and Deja had to keep the same parameters.

She checked her tight heather-pink jeans and gray lace babydoll top for any signs of Akoni’s lunch. She was clear, but wanted to make sure her hair was in place and apply a fresh coat of lipstick. “I just need to freshen up.”

“You wanna get fresh with me?” Teo pumped his eyebrows. “I’m not opposed to that idea.”

Cedar laughed. “I know you’re not.” She pressed herself against him and kissed just below his ear. “Let’s rock this dinner meeting and then come back here for a fire on the beach—just you and me.”

“I’m all in on that plan.” Teo’s voice rumbled low and sexy.

“’Kay.” She kissed him again, enjoying the manly smell of his cologne. It was deep and kind of sweet—just like Teo.

Cedar grabbed her purse and headed to the guest bathroom. She flipped her head over and shook out the big curls. She liked the blond hair around her face, but it was starting to grow out. She’d either have to have it redone soon or color the whole thing dark.

Tipping her head from side to side, she wondered what Teo would think of her with dark hair. “You’re losing it, girl,” she told her reflection. Her mom would have told her to go ahead and do whatever she wanted and not let a man dictate what she wanted for hair color or in life. That wasn’t the point of her musings. Teo wouldn’t like her more or less because of her hair color. He wasn’t that shallow. Neither was she. So why did she feel like she’d done something wrong by considering his reaction to a change in hair color? Tossing her cosmetics back into her purse, she adjusted her top and shoved away the weirdness she’d felt.

As if summoned by her thoughts, her mom’s name and number lit up her phone. Cedar had it on silent for the interviews. Her heart rate picked up and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She answered, “Mom?”

“Hello, Cedar. I don’t have much time but I wanted you to know your father and I are selling the house and moving to Arizona.”

Cedar leaned against the counter. The house in question was her childhood home, the one constant in her life growing up. She’d like to go back, pack up a few things, say goodbye to the place. It was unfair of her to expect her parents to keep the house just so she had a place she called home. “When?”

“Tomorrow.”

Cedar choked on her own spit. She coughed and wheezed and finally stuck her face under the faucet for a drink of water. “How can you move states without giving me notice?”

“I am giving you notice.”

“Twenty-four hours is not notice.” Cedar cleared the remained cough from her throat.

Her mom waited.

“I have a lot of good memories of that house.”

“We all do, sweetheart, but it’s just a house and it’s getting old. We found a nice little place without a yard. No more weeding!”

Cedar pressed her hand to her chest. “I’d just always pictured you two in that house.” The place they always returned to.

“Don’t be selfish, Cedar. We’re going to be better off, and it’s not like you come home all that often.”

“What about the holidays?”

“Who knows?”

Cedar could picture her mom flicking away her concerns with a flap of her wrist.

“We’ll figure it all out when the time comes.”

“Sure.” Sure.

“Do you have news? A job?”

Cedar scraped her teeth across her bottom lip. She hadn’t told her parents about working as a nanny. They wouldn’t understand. “No, but I’ve met someone.”

“Sweetheart, you’ll find a job soon. Don’t let the job search bring you so low that you go looking for your confidence in the arms of a man. That never works out.”

“I can’t believe you just said that to me. Do you even know me at all?”

“I changed your diapers, I know you well enough.”

Cedar shook her head. She’d said it before and she’d say it again: Parents were exhausting. “Mom, I have to go. I have a meeting with…” What was one little lie? “… investors.”

“That’s right—you go get those dreams. But have fun—life is supposed to be fun.”

“Sure. Bye now.”

“Bu-bye.”

She stared at her phone for a full minute before dropping it into her purse. The loss of her childhood home was not so great that she couldn’t survive. What hurt, was the flippant way her mother disregarded her feelings on the matter.

With a quick tug at her shirt, she set her jaw and nodded once to herself in the mirror. She didn’t need a fawning mother to survive, and she wasn’t a sentimental fool, either. Life would go on much as it had before her parents relocated. For a brief moment, she wondered how long it would be until her mom sent her the new address. A week? A month? Thanksgiving?

The longer the better as far as she was concerned. She had played with the idea of introducing Teo and Akoni to her parents during the holidays. She wanted to show Teo where she grew up, the playground she frequented, the burger joint where she took her first job. Sharing those memories would bring them closer. They could still make the trip, but part of her had wanted to make a memory of Teo in her childhood home—to bring her two worlds together and swirl them like cinnamon twists, imprinting Teo into her life like no other man had ever been before.

With a shake of her head, she pushed thoughts of parents and homes and childhood out of her head.

“Ready?” Teo asked. He stood by the front door, Akoni in one arm and the diaper bag over his other shoulder. He wore a blue polo shirt and golf pants that accentuated his trim middle and broad shoulders. His eyes were inviting.

Inviting her into his evening—his heart even. Maybe she didn’t need to take him to her past to imprint him on her heart. Falling into his life had worked out pretty good so far. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she quipped.

The drive to Los Tios was uneventful, and they were soon seated with Elijah and Deja. Deja was adorable in her maternity top and tight skirt that accentuated her baby bump. She had short, crazy-curly black hair and a high forehead. Her eyes were bright and her smile was contagious.

“Have you found out what you’re having?” Teo asked. The busboy put a high chair between Cedar and Deja, and Cedar strapped Akoni in. He pounded the table with this palms until she sprinkled some vegetable puffs on the surface to keep him occupied.

“It’s a human,” replied Elijah, feigning intense interest in the menu.

“Stop teasing.” Deja smacked him in the arm. “It’s a girl, and he’s over the moon.”

Teo grinned. “Better you than me. I’d be a nervous wreck to have a girl.”

Elijah set down the menu. “Are you kidding? Boys are so hard on things—our house would never survive. My little princess is going to have all the stuffed bears and tea parties she wants.”

Deja turned to exchange a wide-eyed, can-you-believe-him look with Cedar. She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. If the man they were here to meet was anything like these people, they were going to have a great night. She already suspected she and he were kindred spirits. After all, he was already living her dream life, starting businesses and the like. She’d been looking forward to picking his brain tonight.

Elijah’s attention shifted to the front door. “There’s the golden boy now.” He stood and waved. Cedar went to stand to greet the final addition to their little dinner party. Akoni screamed, lifting his hands towards her as if he wanted to be included. He’d developed some fantastic lungs lately, and rather than have him disturb the whole dining room, she bent down to lift him out of his chair. While she was busy with the latch, she heard Elijah introduce everyone. “… and this is Cedar, and Teo’s son Akoni.” With a big smile, Cedar turned to meet the man with the brilliant ideas.

Cedar’s happy feelings evaporated like a puddle in the Texas sun as she stared at the man she’d hoped to never see again. “Darrin?”

Darrin placed his hand on his stomach and let out a hearty, completely fake laugh. “Cedar. What a coincidence. It’s so good to see you.” He leaned over and gave her a lingering peck on the cheek. Cedar smelled his expensive cologne, the one his mom bought him every year for Christmas. He only used it on special occasions. Their first date. Their one-month anniversary. That scent triggered a half-dozen memories—none of them bad.

Cedar realized she was staring at Darrin. To say she was stunned would be an understatement. Darrin was the man Elijah had taken to calling golden boy?

“And—the best offensive tackle in the NFL.” Darrin clapped Teo on the shoulder as if they were long-lost teammates. “It’s good to see you again, man.”

Teo cocked his head. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

Cedar clamped her lips together to hold back the Ha! that threatened to escape. She may not have put Darrin in his place, but Teo had no trouble keeping the smooth talker at arm’s length.

Teo put his hand on the back of her chair, and Cedar fell into it with as much grace as a baby horse on shaky legs. She should have shoved Darrin away or not let him get close enough to kiss her in front of her boyfriend. She’d done Teo a disservice. In her defense, she’d been blindsided. Surely a football player would understand how that felt. If she’d known they were meeting her ex-boyfriend for lunch, she could have prepared herself for the onslaught of memories and emotions—especially the ones that had risen so easily to the surface at his kiss.

“Do you want me to put him back in his chair?” Teo asked, reaching for Akoni.

Cedar settled him better on her lap. She wanted the baby close, needed his serenity. She didn’t have to worry about Darrin snatching a baby. He wanted nothing to do with anyone under the age of eighteen she reminded herself. Maybe, if she kept Akoni close, Darrin wouldn’t be tempted to touch her again. “I’ll hold him for a bit.” She smiled up at Teo.

“How do you two know each other?” asked Deja.

Darrin ended up in the seat across from Cedar. She’d been ravenous when they walked in, the smell of melted cheese and spicy meats tantalizing her senses. Now, she wasn’t sure she could force herself to take even one bite.

“We were in the same master’s program,” Cedar supplied before Darrin could bring up their short but meaningful relationship. She needed to tell Teo that she’d dated Darrin, but this wasn’t the time nor the place to bring up a personal attachment. Besides, she didn’t want Teo to look down on her for dating Darrin. His dislike for the man was as easy to read as his name on a jersey.

“And we interned for the Tiny Titans Camp.” Darrin was all toothy smiles and self-congratulations.

“Like you did any work,” Cedar mumbled into Akoni’s hair. She prayed Darrin would keep it professional tonight despite her mutterings. She’d been the injured one, the breakee not the breaker. Now there was a term completely appropriate for what Darrin had done to them. He’d broken… them. And, in the process, caused collateral damage to her. He didn’t seem to be any worse for wear and yet she fumbled with her silverware and nearly tipped over her empty cup.

Their server came by with chips, salsa, and waters for the table. “Hey, Teo. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

Teo smiled easily. “Hi, Anna. I’ve been a homebody.” He waved his hand around the table. “Everybody, this is Ace Sanchez’s cousin, Anna. Anna, this is everybody.”

“Hi.” She waved to the group and then placed a hand on Teo’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Cedar closed her eyes. Teo didn’t act like a man whose wife had passed away not long ago. Sometimes, she forgot. They were so wrapped up in each other and what was going on at the moment that the past just didn’t come up or even seem to matter. Teo was working through some things, and every once in a while she’d find him deep in thought with a stony face, but he was generally content if not happy. Likewise, she’d kept her past relationships under her hat. How she wished she’d told Teo something, anything about Darrin. Then he’d understand why she would bow out of the meeting. But, since there wasn’t much she could do—short of pinching Akoni so he’d throw a fit, which she would never do—she was stuck.

She chanced a glance at Deja to see if her thoughts were spelled out on her face. Her lower lip was slightly out, and she had a sympathetic tilt to her head. Cedar wondered if Deja thought she and Teo were moving too quickly or that Cedar was a “rebound.” Did people have those after their spouse passed away? Not used to all this insecurity and ticked that she let Darrin get to her so easily, she fussed over Akoni’s shirt, making sure it lay just right on his back.

“Thanks.” Teo pointed to his menu. “I hope you don’t get a cramp carrying all this food—I’m in training.” He grinned at Anna.

Anna laughed. “You’re just like Ace. He could eat one of everything on the menu in one night.” She held her pen over her pad. “Shoot, Tex. I’m ready.”

They ordered, Darrin going last so he had a chance to look at the menu that the rest of them had already looked over.

After Anna left to put their order in the kitchen, Elijah turned to Darrin. “How are things going with the salon?”

“Just for Curls will open its doors in three weeks. Everything is right on schedule.”

Cedar’s blood ran cold. Just for Curls was the name she’d planned for her business. Darin not only stole the idea, he wasn’t creative enough to come up with a different name. She narrowed her eyes at Darrin. “What’s that name again?”

Darrin coughed. “Just for Curls.” He sipped his water. When she didn’t look away, he took a longer drink.

Good. She hoped she was making him feel hot under the collar for practicing corporate espionage. Okay, so the term didn’t exactly fit since she wasn’t in business, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t stolen information from her that would have made her business a success.

A moment after the air grew thick with Darrin’s discomfort, she turned away, studying a red, yellow, and green sombrero on the wall. “That’s a cute name. How did you come up with it? I mean, you have straight hair, so why not do a salon for straight-haired people?”

Teo’s hand came to rest on her leg under the table. He asked her what was the matter with a look. “I thought you liked the idea.”

“I think it’s brilliant,” she gushed. “I’m just wondering how a guy—without a curl in sight—would find this specific hole in the market.” She applied a tight-lipped smile to her face. “What sparked that creative genius inside of you, Darrin?”

Darrin leaned back in his seat and hooked his arm over the back of his chair. “It came to me while I was working for the Tiny Titans Camp.”

Cedar barely held back her snort.

“I met Allissa, one of the Titan cheerleaders. I’m sure Teo here knows her pretty well. She’s the blonde with the big, curly hair and big—” He cut off when Deja cleared her throat.

Teo’s hand tightened on Cedar’s leg. Cedar chewed the inside of her cheek. She had been practically living at Teo’s house during the day and not once had he gotten a phone call—that wasn’t from the team or Elijah or his family—that he left the room to take. Most often, he talked while right next to her, making it impossible not to overhear his conversation. As transparent as Teo was, she wasn’t with him all the time. He left for meetings, photo shoots, to film commercials, she couldn’t account for his whereabouts twenty-four hours a day. An icy chill trickled between her shoulder blades.

If he knew his words were ice cubes down Cedar’s back, Darrin didn’t slow down to give her time to recover. “Allissa has this amazing hair—big curls every woman dreams about.” He winked at Deja.

Deja jerked. Cedar could see her trying to work out if she’d just been insulted. Her hand went to her own tight spirals. At least Cedar wasn’t the only one thrown off by Darrin.

His lies continued. “She was always complaining about how hard it was to find someone to cut it and cut it right. And, well, there it is.” He layered on the cheesy grin like he was making an I’m-a-big-fat-jerk quesadilla.

Cedar held back from telling him just what he could do with that smile. The trouble was, even if he did steal her idea, there was nothing she should do about it. Darrin had the money and he had the jump on her. Three weeks from opening! Grrrr. One look at his smug little face and she knew he knew it too. No wonder he was so confident in his bold-faced lies.

“You should have brought Allissa with you tonight. We could have squeezed one more chair around the table.” Deja glanced around the room as if Allissa would appear at any moment. “I’d love to meet the inspiration behind the man.”

“We, uh.” Darrin picked up the straw wrapper and began twisting it. “We are no longer seeing each other.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Deja managed an appropriate level of sympathy. Or maybe she was really sympathetic. She had no idea what was going on under the surface. None of them did. Well, they would. But Cedar wasn’t going to make a scene. Not in front of all these people. The cameras and whispers that had surrounded Teo the last time they went out were still fresh in her memory. She didn’t want to cause him bad press. Cedar was trapped in this box made up of all the angles and consequences she could foresee.

Anna came back with a large tray full of steaming dishes. Cedar tucked her anger away and put Akoni in his high chair. She didn’t want him grabbing one of the hot plates and getting burned.

The table was quiet as everyone took their first few bites. Cedar’s chicken enchiladas were full of seasoned meat, chilies, beans, rice, and cheese.

“I have passed through the pearly gates and am eating in heaven.” Deja dropped her chin as she chewed.

Darrin began asking Elijah questions about being an agent, the ins and outs, and what cut he got of a player’s income. The last question had Elijah choking on his beef taquitos.

Cedar enjoyed her food so much more when she tuned him out. Once Elijah stopped coughing, Cedar asked Deja questions about baby names, and they were off on a discussion topic that left the men on their own.

Partway through their debate over girl names that sounded like boy names but were spelled differently, Cedar heard the words “cookie bar.”

Her head turned so fast the room blurred. “I’m sorry,” she interrupted Elijah. “Did you say cookie bar?”

Elijah wiped his chin with a napkin. The melted cheese was stringy and kept getting stuck in his beard. “That’s exactly the kind of reaction we’re hoping for.” He slapped Darrin on the shoulder. “This guy is a real go-getter. He’s already looking at opening his second business called the Cookie Bar.”

The room blurred again, only this time Cedar hadn’t moved a muscle. Her brain connected all the dots and drew very clear pictures—Darrin was an even worse ex-boyfriend than he had been a boyfriend. She could let one idea go. Call it a stupid tax for discussing her future with a nincompoop. But there was no way in this big old state of Texas she was going to let him get away with harvesting the best parts of her. A raging fury built inside, churning over and over itself until she was unable to silence the good sense that told her not to make a scene. “I have to hand it to you, Darrin—you’ve got more guts than I gave you credit for.”

“Thanks.” He lifted his cup her direction.

“Yep. It takes a lot of courage to sit at the same table with someone you stole business ideas from and then try to sell them right back.” Cedar couldn’t sit any longer. She pushed her chair back, the legs scraping against the floor.

“Your ideas?” Elijah asked in disbelief.

She glanced around. A few people looked her way. She hated that they scowled at her as if she were the problem just because she was standing up and talking a little loudly while Darrin—the real culprit—blinked up at her from his seat. He froze, his cup hallway to his lips. He watched her for a moment before setting his cup down. “She’s right.”

The air squeezed out of her and Cedar sank back into her seat. “Did you just admit you stole my idea?”

Darrin wiped his lips before answering. “Cedar and I discussed many business ideas. We worked in the same groups and attended the same classes. She’s…” he took a deep breath and turned his eyes to meet her gaze. His look said he missed her. That he believed what he was saying. “…pretty amazing.”

Cedar pressed her palms into the top of the table.

“I made a big mistake letting this one get away.”

Teo stiffened.

If Darrin noticed the hardening of Teo’s muscles, he didn’t react to it. “In a manner of speaking. I would love nothing more than the opportunity to work with you on the Cookie Bar, Cedar. We’re a great team, and we could take this to the franchise level in eighteen months; I’m sure of it.”

Cedar stared at him. “Are you offering me a job?” Because that was a kick in the gut. Working for someone else to develop her company would be torturous.

“No. I want us to be partners.” He tipped his head, implying there was more to this partnership than just a business.

Cedar groped for her glass of ice water. Partners? That was…insane and… flattering—in a weird way. Darrin had done all the work to get investors; thus proving that he could succeed and thrive in the business world. His charm had taken him further than Cedar’s dreams in the sky had taken her. But, if they worked together… She glanced at Teo. If they worked together, Teo needed to know everything. Otherwise, she’d feel like she was sneaking around behind his back.

Facing Teo, she smoothed her top and spoke as evenly as she could. “Darrin and I used to date.” There. It was out there now like some ugly snail in the garden of conversation. “I told him I wanted to start companies—we even talked about doing it together before we broke up.”

“Excuse me?” Teo got…bigger.

The place went quiet—so quiet the soft music coming through the speakers in the ceiling could be heard. Up until that point, Cedar had no idea music was even playing, because the din of conversation had been loud enough to drown it out.

Cedar put her hand on his arm, hoping to calm him down and avoid a scene. She wanted to tell him that she was over Darrin, that Teo was the only man for her—ever. But there was this draw to Darrin and his offer she couldn’t ignore. They had so much in common, including their career paths. Life would be so much easier if the guy she was with worked right alongside her. She and Teo had something special—something she’d never had before. They felt like a family. And, while that was nice and all, there were other parts of her than needed to be fed. Darrin may not be family material, but he made her feel important and smart—like she was capable of more than entertaining a one-year-old for the afternoon. Not that Teo made her feel stupid or treated her like she was incapable of a masterful thought—he just didn’t need that side of her. Confused and irritated at herself, Cedar pulled her hand away.

Elijah cleared his throat. “We should take this conversation somewhere more private.”

Deja placed her hand over her belly, her nose wrinkling. “I know I was craving Mexican tonight, but I shouldn’t have had the fried peppers. Would anyone mind if we called it a night?”

Cedar’s heart sank. She’d caused everyone to feel uncomfortable, and now Deja was looking for a way out of the evening. She’d blown it big time.

Darrin pointed right at Deja’s face, his finger invading her personal bubble. “You and that baby are what’s most important.” He quickly got to his feet. “I’m going to wash my hands. I’ll meet you all up front to say goodbye.”

Heads nodded, but no one really looked at him as they got to their feet and collected purses and diaper bags. Darrin was so calm about having just upset the balance of their lives.

Deja linked her elbow around Cedar’s ramrod-straight arm. It took Cedar a moment to realize she was showing support, showing that she believed her side of the story without coming right out and saying so. She relaxed her limbs and bent her elbow so they were linked together.

“Will you walk out with me?” Deja asked. “I’m feeling warm, and I don’t want to wait for Teo to make it out of the crowd.”

Cedar glanced over her shoulder and saw several people watching them. Just like before, they waited until Teo was done with his meal before showing obvious interest. Thank goodness. The idea that they’d been eating in a fishbowl made her squirm. Life with Teo was definitely different than regular old Cedar’s life had been.

“I’ll take Akoni,” Elijah offered. “Keep him away from the cameras and all.”

“Thanks.” Cedar relaxed a little more.

Instead of dropping her for the embarrassment she’d caused them by blurting about her and Darrin’s past relationship, Elijah and Deja rallied around her and helped her out. They’d gone above and beyond what was expected from a brand-new friend. And they were her friends. After tonight, they’d solidified her loyalty to them.

She and Deja wound through the tables, making better time than Teo, who was stopped every few feet for a selfie and a handshake. They reached the front doors and spun around to wait for the guys. Teo was laughing with a man and his date, already stepping away to signal his need to move on. Elijah was a few feet behind him, holding Akoni. Darrin had come back from the men’s room and was smiling and talking with Elijah. His hands were moving, but they were controlled, calm. She could only imagine what story he was making up.

A sick feeling began to overtake her. One that was like poison moving from her center then slowly through her veins, and a pounding in her pulse points returned with a vengeance. Suddenly, she was a vulnerable young teen with an overbite and stringy hair. Her mom said everyone went through an awkward stage, but Cedar returned there every time she faced a high-pressure situation she didn’t know how to handle. It haunted her.

“Don’t look at him,” Deja instructed. “Not until you can be calmer than he is.”

Cedar huffed, turning her back to the room and folding her arms. “I don’t know what to do. I mean, I want the job, but I can’t say if I want to work with him again or not.”

Deja rubbed her back. “And part of you still loves him?”

Cedar snorted a laugh. “I’m not sure I know what love is supposed to look like. I thought we were in love, but then he broke up with me so easily that I question my love-o-meter.”

Deja smiled. “Ah, see. Now, with me and Elijah, there was no doubt. It’s said that when you find the one and the time is right, you’ll know.”

Cedar nodded. “I can’t help but wonder where I would be if Darrin hadn’t broken up with me. Would we be opening Just for Curls together?” She shook her head.

“But you wouldn’t have met Teo and Akoni,” Deja offered. “Nothing happens by chance, my dear. You need to embrace where you are now and then figure out where you want to be.”

Cedar agreed. “I can’t change the past.”

“But we don’t have to let it ruin our lives or kill our dreams. That’s giving ex-boyfriends far too much power.”

Cedar paused. “You think I’m being weak?”

“I think you are stronger than you believe.”

“Thank you for believing me.”

Deja patted her hair. “Between you and me, I could kick that guy to the curb. Looking at me like I don’t measure up to some cheerleader? Pft. Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean my brain turned off or my body isn’t beautiful.”

Cedar laughed. Darrin’s signature charm had failed him with Deja. For some reason, that made Cedar like her all the more. “You weren’t fishing for it, but I’m throwing this one in the boat: You are so beautiful that you put butterflies to shame.”

Deja lifted her chin. “That’s what I’m talking about.” She pulled her cell phone out of her purse. “Okay, give me your number, because I want to go out with you without the boys.”

It was Cedar’s turn to glow. “I’d like that.”

They exchanged numbers just as Teo and Elijah—and unfortunately Darrin— made it to the waiting area. Darrin stepped forward and offered his hand to Deja. She eyed it dubiously before taking his in a limp hold and removing it without actually shaking hands. He made his way through the men next and saved Cedar for last.

“It’s wonderful to see you again,” he said for all to hear before wrapping her up in a hug. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered in her ear. His special occasion cologne brushed against her memories, making Cedar forgive him a smidge. He pulled back and patted her arm. “Let me know about the partnership. You have my number.”

Cedar stared, unable to express the dozens of questions and comments that stampeded through her brain. Before she could gather a complete thought—Darrin clicked his key fob and strode away. She did have his number, and she felt like a slime ball for keeping it in her phone even though she had slid right from the internship to nanny.

The next thing Cedar knew, she was in the passenger seat of Teo’s SUV and they were pulling into traffic. She’d been so caught up in her head and yes, even part of her heart, that she didn’t remember saying goodbye to Deja and Elijah or clicking her seat belt in place.

Teo hadn’t said a word, or if he had, she hadn’t responded with anything more than a soft grunt. The sun had set while they were eating, and the streetlights made dark shadows across his square jaw and chiseled features. He gripped the wheel with both hands, his triceps bulging.

Cedar stared down at her hands in her lap. “That was weird.” She glanced his way and then out the window where she could watch Teo’s reflection in the glass. “Was that weird for you, too?”

“Yeah.” The light changed from yellow to red and Teo slammed on the breaks.

Cedar braced herself on the dash for the stop. Waves of angry heat rolled off Teo’s body and slammed into her. “If I had known we were meeting with Darrin, I would have told you about our past.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because there was no need. It’s in the past.”

“Is it—because you seemed kind of friendly back there.”

“He was friendly.”

“You weren’t stopping him.”

“I was taken by surprise.”

Teo harrumphed and leaned closer to his door. Even though it was just a few inches more between them, Cedar felt the space as surely as she would have felt a wall between them. She twisted her knees so they pointed forward and stared out the windshield.

A few minutes later, Teo asked. “Are you going to work with him?”

“I don’t know,” she said so quietly she wasn’t sure he heard her. “I need a job.”

“You’ve applied to dozens of companies.”

Cedar’s hackles went up. “I’ve applied to a half-dozen companies. None of the positions are my dream job.”

“And working with Darrin would be your dream.”

“No. Building The Cookie Bar would be. It was my idea in the first place. I’d like to see it come to fruition. But—” She cut off, not wanting to express the confusion Darrin had created in her heart. She didn’t love Darrin, he’d hurt her too deeply for her to go running back into his arms. His small arms. Now that she thought about his hug, he really was scrawny compared to Teo. When Teo wrapped her up, she was cocooned and protected and overwhelmed with hormones. When Darrin held her, even when they were together, she didn’t feel all that.

“But?” Teo prompted.

“But my situation has changed. I’ve changed.” She shifted, turning her knees towards Teo once again. “Darrin and I broke up because I wanted to have children and he didn’t.”

“You were talking about having kids? That’s serious.” His lips became a thin line.

“We talked about our futures—a lot. It’s what people do when they’re about to graduate. Anyway, he thought kids would be a chore—I thought they’d make life all the sweeter, and we parted ways.”

“He made that comment about Deja and the baby being a high priority.”

Cedar brushed invisible crumbs off her lap. “I don’t know if that was him trying to charm Deja or if he really feels differently now.”

“What if he does? Where does that leave us?”

Cedar reached out and laid her hand on Teo’s arm. “I—I don’t think I want to get back with Darrin.”

“You don’t think?”

She dropped her face into her hands. “Teo—this is all a big mess, and I haven’t had two minutes to process anything. I want to give you the answer you want to hear. I do. I want to make you happy and wipe those wrinkles off your forehead, but I need to think first.”

“Fair enough.” He pulled into his driveway and put the car in park. “Elijah says we are legally committed to back the salon. I can’t get out of the contract.”

“You’d lose so much.”

Teo waved away her concern. “There’s more important things than money.”

Cedar’s gut twisted at the thought of Darrin walking away with Teo’s money. She put her hand on the door handle. “I’ve got to go.” Her apartment would be quiet and was freshly stocked with cherry soda. She could drown her sorrows while she figured out her future. “I’ll see you in the morning.” At the last possible second, she burst across the console and kissed Teo’s warm cheek. Her heart did a little flip. He brushed her hair over her shoulder. They stared into one another eyes for a moment before Cedar tore herself away.

As she made her way to her car, she noted the difference between saying goodbye to Teo and saying goodbye to Darrin. Darrin left her edgy and discombobulated. Teo made her feel warm and wanted.

She climbed behind the wheel and started the car. The drive back to her place was filled with self-evaluation. Who was she; who did she want to be?

There was no denying the entrepreneurial spirit raging inside her being. Yet she’d enjoyed being a nanny—enjoyed it a lot. Even as she’d interviewed for other jobs, she’d known leaving Akoni was going to be so much harder than she ever thought possible. The chubby baby held a large portion of her heart in his hands. And then there was Teo. Playing house with him was real—so very real. She could easily fit into that life without having to change her shape. Darrin couldn’t offer her the same deal. He’d want to change who she was—harvest her ideas and abilities and leave behind her need for a family.

Cedar made it home and made herself a warm cup of cocoa. Even now, after leaving behind Camp Buckeye, a cocoa before bedtime ritual calmed her down and settled her thoughts. As the steam wafted from the mug, warming her nose and lips, she came to a realization.

The woman who had dreams and goals wasn’t lost the day Darrin broke her heart; she was right here, waiting for Cedar to give her the green light to make things happen.

She needed to be bold. She needed to pull her dreams out of the clouds and set them in motion. So what if Darrin had stolen two ideas? He had all of them, somewhere, so she had to get moving if she was going to beat him to the punch and get the others up and running.

Tonight wasn’t a great night, but it was a necessary experience, because it showed her that she was on the wrong path professionally. She wasn’t made to work for someone else—to be a cog in a giant machine. She was a machine maker. Teo would call that revelation a miracle. He’d say that the Lord was teaching her about her potential.

Cedar smiled. She loved Teo’s faith, his optimism. Even though he hadn’t looked so optimistic on the drive home. She hated leaving him waiting for an answer, but she wasn’t about to say something she couldn’t back up. He accepted her as she was and didn’t want to take anything away from her. He’d supported her as she graduated, changing his schedule if needed so she had the time to meet with counselors and turn in her internship evaluation or go to interviews. If she had to pick between the two men, she’d pick Teo. Not because of all the butterflies he could unleash with one look—although that was a bonus, as was his physique. No, what really mattered was that Teo was the type of guy she’d been hoping to find in Darrin. He may not meet all of her needs in every area of her life, but finding a fit like him was like looking for a unicorn.

She set aside her half-full mug and stretched. Tomorrow there would be a long conversation with Teo—one that needed to happen. There was so much to clear up, so much to explain. It was time to come clean about all of it. Time for both of them to shed their layers.

And if that went well, then they had something to build upon. If it didn’t? She shuddered. Life without Teo and Akoni wasn’t a life she wanted to plan. Hopefully, Teo was ready for this conversation. If they made it through, then she’d consider that a miracle.