After a moment, Brynn sighed and got to her feet. “I’ll go check on her,” she said.

Cori nodded. She’d been expecting that. Brynn disappeared through the door and Cori turned her attention back to Evan Stone. He’d rounded the table and was gathering his papers.

“You’re leaving?” she asked, pushing up from her chair.

He looked up. “I’m happy to answer any questions you have. I can review anything we covered before you got here.”

Cori thought about that. Then glanced at Rudy’s note again. “I think I’m clear on everything, actually.”

“You sure?”

Rudy’s three main objectives were crystal clear. “Yep, I’m good.”

“Okay, then.” Evan tucked a manila folder into the leather briefcase that looked like it had been taken out of the box that morning.

“They’re not planning to buy furs coats or build a vacation house in Vienna or anything, you know,” she said. For some reason, she felt compelled to make Evan Stone understand Ava’s and Brynn’s motivations. Provided Ava’s attorneys couldn’t undo the entire thing in the end. And the idea that they might actually get out of this sent a stupid twinge of disappointment pinging through her. She was definitely going to ignore that.

Evan gave her one of those half smiles. “Really? Rudy mentioned something about Brynn wanting a private jet.”

“Only because it would make it easier to travel with her research and teaching,” Cori said quickly. “And he probably also said that Ava has a limo, but that’s so she can work while she’s commuting. She never stops. Even on the way to the symphony or an art show, she’s on the phone or her computer.”

Evan’s smile went from half to full, and Cori cursed herself for loving it.

“I know all of that. I’m just pushing your buttons.”

Cori crossed her arms. She didn’t have many buttons, but her sisters—and anyone’s criticism of either of them—was definitely one of them. “Ava doesn’t want the money for limos and shoes. She thinks that heading up this company is the only way to ensure security and safety for us long-term. She wants me to be able to travel and Brynn to be able to continue her research and our mother to continue her charity work.”

“She thinks money can buy happiness?” Evan asked. He stood at the end of the conference table, his shiny had-to-be-new briefcase in one hand, the other tucked into the front pocket of the blue jeans that molded to his body in a way that said they definitely were not new.

Cori shook her head, pulling her thoughts away from the fact that she really liked a guy in blue jeans. “She knows that money can buy security and that the ability to pursue goals and dreams without limitation can lead to happiness.”

“Ah.”

Cori frowned. “This company’s money allows my mother to fundraise for nonprofit organizations.”

In fact, their father had provided their mother, Jennifer, with enough money to take care of Cori and her sisters and to continue her nonprofit work long before Ava had taken over at Carmichael Enterprises. Their mom and Rudy had never been married. They’d met at a fundraiser and he’d swept Jennifer, his junior by almost fifteen years, off her feet and into a love affair that had resulted in a pregnancy. With triplets. But he’d never been able to talk her into walking down the aisle. They’d always been friendly though, and Cori could admit that the way he’d respected and supported their mom had made it easier for Cori to like him. She’d often wondered if her mom was the one that got away for Rudy. He’d never had a serious relationship after her. At least that Cori knew of.

“It also lets Brynn to do life-saving research without politics and policies getting in the way of her funding,” Cori went on. “They are literally working to make the world a better place with Ava’s support.”

“Ah.”

What did that mean? “What they’re doing is important. And it’s important to Ava to know that we’re all taken care of. She’s very protective of all of us.”

“I see.”

Okay, this was getting annoying. Even with his sexy smiles and his well-fitted blue jeans, Evan Stone was beginning to irritate her.

“This company isn’t just about making money to have money,” Cori insisted. “It’s about the things that money can help accomplish.”

“And what about you?” Evan asked.

“What about me?” But she knew what he meant.

“What’s your role in this make-the-world-better machine?”

Well, Cori did give money away. By the tens of thousands. And she had a lot of causes that could benefit from her share of twelve-and-a-half billion dollars. But no one knew that. Not even Ava. And Cori loved her even more because she supported Cori even thinking that all Cori was doing was partying her way around the world. That was part of why she kept those details to herself. Was it a way of testing the people who said they loved her because she’d had a father that she could never please? Well, that’s what her shrink said.

But Ava passed with flying colors. Ava just wanted them to all be safe and secure and happy. And putting up with their father and working her ass off to be in position to lead his company was her way of making that happen.

Until now.

Until Rudy Carmichael once again decided he knew better than everyone else.

Cori lifted her chin and gave Evan one of her signature, mischievous smiles that she could, at this point in her life, conjure in a snap. “Oh, they don’t need me to make things happen,” she said. “I just show up once in a while to ensure they have some fun while they’re kicking ass.”

Evan looked at her for a long moment, and Cori’s mind started to spin with what Rudy had possibly told Evan about her. But Rudy didn’t know that she’d given almost her entire trust fund away already or that her travels had included volunteer work with a variety of organizations. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed by any of that. But she liked being unexpected. It had given her a freedom that she appreciated greatly. No one in her family had ever valued enjoyment quite to the extent that she did, but she knew it was important to work and play. And if she sometimes had to force her sisters to have a good time, she didn’t feel bad about it. Too much.

“You and I have a lot in common, Cori,” Evan finally said.

“You’re in charge of manicures and karaoke and chocolate Kahlua milkshakes when you and your sisters get together?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I prefer whiskey and both of my sisters are horrible singers, but yeah, something like that.”

Cori felt a jolt of…something. Something that felt like…like. For Evan Stone. “Are sex and dating the same thing?” she asked without thinking. Which was how she did most things.

Evan’s eyes widened, but he didn’t react otherwise. “I assume we’re talking about the no-dating provision in the trust?”

“Right.”

Evan took a breath and moved around the edge of the table. When he was on the same side of the mahogany monstrosity, he half sat, one ass cheek on the table, facing her.

“Your dad thought you were using partying and being the good-time girl as a way of being important to the people you care about without doing anything that’s actually serious or responsible…because you don’t want to mess up bigger things that really matter. You don’t want to help them make career decisions that might not turn out well. You don’t want to give them relationship advice in case you’re wrong. You want to stick with Kahlua milkshakes. Because they always love Kahlua milkshakes. You can’t screw that up.”

Damn her father and his stupid, too-late insight. She swallowed hard. “Why would he think that?” she asked, acting as if she couldn’t care less. Or trying to anyway.

“Because that’s what I do.”

Cori’s gaze zeroed in on Evan’s. “Oh.”

“Yeah, your dad figured out that we’re a lot alike early on. As he got to know me, he gained some insight into you.”

“Great,” she said dryly. “I really appreciate that.”

“Sorry.” He didn’t look sorry. He looked a little stunned actually. Like maybe he hadn’t been expecting to see all of this up close and personal.

“But that doesn’t really answer my question,” Cori said.

“Okay. Yes. I would say it’s safe to assume that he wanted you to focus on something other than casual sexual relationships while you’re in Bliss. Something bigger and more important. Like your sisters. The business. Yourself.”

She cleared her throat. “Myself?”

“When the relationships are short and mostly about sex, it’s easy to avoid really thinking about what you can—or can’t—bring to a relationship and what it means to be a real partner, in good and bad times.” He shrugged with another small smile, this one self-deprecating. “I’ve found that if all you’re promising is a good time, then you don’t have to feel bad about not delivering on what they need during the not-as-good times.”

Whoa. Cori stared at Evan. So they were a lot alike. “Okay,” she finally said with a nod. “Got it.”

There was a stretch of silence where it felt like Evan wanted to say something more. And where Cori kind of wanted him to. She hated it, but she was curious about what other things her father had figured out and said about her and her sisters.

“I should go,” Evan finally said, pushing to his feet.

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Okay.” He hesitated. Then said simply, “’Bye, Cori.”

Cori watched him leave the room with his briefcase in one hand and his—or rather her—caramel macchiato in the other. After a moment, she started after him, paused, went back for her bag and whipped cream gun, and then followed him to the elevator. She stepped on with him just as the doors were beginning to slide shut.

“You’re not staying to talk to your sisters?” Evan asked as he pushed the button for the lobby.

Hell no, she wasn’t staying. The building was beginning to feel claustrophobic. Even if it was sixty-four floors. Cori shrugged. “They don’t need me for what they’re doing.”

“What are they doing?”

“Ava is bossing people into figuring out how to fix this and Brynn is researching inheritances and trusts.”

“And you’re going to go home?”

“I’m going shopping.” She waited for a beat—the length of time it took for people to think “of course” when an heiress to billions of dollars said something like that—then added, “For vodka, tiramisu, bacon and Nutella.”

He looked mildly surprised. And interested. “Quite a combo.”

“The vodka is for Ava—for chocolate martinis—and the tiramisu is for Brynn. Things they love, but never buy for themselves. That whole thing about being there for them but not getting too serious about it, you know?” And she knew that he did know. Somehow. So what if Rudy had kind-of nailed that right on the head?

Evan just nodded. “And is the Nutella or the bacon for you?”

“Both.”

“Bacon and Nutella?”

“Bacon in Nutella,” she said. “And don’t think for a second my sisters will pass that up either.”

He looked a little amazed and Cori liked that. She liked being amazing. If it was for something simple like junk food. And temporary. Being amazing temporarily was so much easier than sustaining it.

“You put the bacon in the Nutella?” he asked.

She nodded. “I dip it. I mean, you can make sandwiches or brownies with bacon and Nutella in them. Or coat the bacon with it. But that’s all a lot more work than just dipping it.”

“The bacon would have to be pretty crisp, right?” he asked, acting like he was taking mental notes about all of this.

“Definitely. And you have to melt the Nutella some. Of course.”

“Of course.”

Okay, she hadn’t bonded with a guy over Nutella before. That was probably a good thing. She liked to keep things light and casual and that would be very difficult to do if there was Nutella involved.

The elevator arrived on the first floor and the doors swished open. Evan held a hand against one side and let her step off first. She walked to the middle of the marble floor of the lobby and turned to face him, not quite ready to say goodbye for some reason. It was probably the tennis shoes. She liked surprises, and somehow she sensed that this guy had a few more he could pull out.

“I better go,” she said, stupidly wishing there was a good reason to stay.

This was the guy her father had hired to make sure she and her sisters behaved and did exactly what he wanted them to do even when he wasn’t around to ensure it himself.

For a second, she felt like something had jabbed her right in the sternum. Again. Dammit. That sadness kept sneaking up on her. Yes, she’d lost her father. But she didn’t think she’d ever really had him.

Maybe that was what was so damned sad about this whole thing.

“Oh, before you go…” She reached to take the lid off of Evan’s cup and tipped the whipped cream canister over the half-full coffee drink, adding a new swirl. She replaced the lid and looked up at him with a smile. “Another reason to have my own whipped cream gun. I like to add more halfway through.”

Evan nodded, watching her eyes. “Never too much sweetness with you, huh?”

Oh boy, that sounded like flirting. And she loved flirting. And she had never been good about not doing something she loved just because it was a bad idea. She grinned at him. “You got it.”

Something flickered in his eyes. Something that made deep-down-feel-good muscles clench.

Evan gave her a long look. Then he said, “We have Nutella in Bliss.”

Huh. That was good to know. “How about shoe stores? That’s a biggie for Ava.”

He chuckled softly. “No. No shoe stores.” He reached out and flicked the diamond bracelet on her wrist. “No jewelry stores either.”

It was the only expensive jewelry Cori wore on a regular basis, because her mother had given it to her, but she knew most people assumed she had an endless supply of precious gems. Cori tipped her head. “What do you have a lot of?”

“Wheat, corn, and hay fields,” he said with a grin. “Pickup trucks. And dirt roads.”

Something fluttered in her chest at his words. She looked down at her bracelet, then back up at Evan. “Do you know anything about diamond mining?” she asked. Because she did.

He shook his head. “Can’t say that I do.”

“Well,” she said, giving him a big smile. “You can’t get to diamonds without dirt roads.”

He just stood looking at her for a long moment, a little bit of that amazement still there. Then he said, “When you end up in Bliss, you’re going to have to introduce me to bacon and Nutella.”

She laughed. “Don’t you mean if I end up in Bliss?”

“No,” he said slowly. “I think I mean when.”

“Ava and her attorneys are really good. I wouldn’t get too cocky, Mr. Stone.”

“Yeah, well, you’re about thirty years too late with that advice,” he said.

Then he gave her another panty-warming grin and walked out of Carmichael Enterprises.

* * *

Evan threw his leather bag—the one that he’d gotten for his graduation from law school and had used exactly one other time—onto the bed and shoved a hand through his hair. Noah had tried to convince him to run the bag over with his truck at least once, or rub some dirt on it at the very least. He said the shiny leather and the gold adornments were irritating.

But no, Evan had decided to carry the stupid thing into the meeting with the Carmichael triplets. Even as he was dressed in jeans and tennis shoes. At Rudy’s request. Yes, that was what Evan typically wore to work. In Bliss. But even he knew that a meeting at Carmichael Enterprises headquarters required a tie. Still, Rudy had insisted Evan show up as Evan. And Evan would have done anything for Rudy, even before his friend was sick. Then, like an ass, had carried a nearly-new leather briefcase along with him.

He slumped back onto the mattress next to his are-you-fucking-kidding-me briefcase and sighed. The hard part was over. He’d told the girls about the stipulations on their inheritance. And they’d reacted exactly the way Rudy had predicted.

Except for Cori.

That thought floated through his mind and he found himself thinking about the three sisters and what he’d expected. Ava was every bit the cool, ballbuster that Rudy had described. He’d said that his oldest would be pissed off and would do whatever she could to get control of the situation. Brynn, the middle triplet, was quiet and thoughtful, if a little distracted. The three words Rudy had used when talking about his scientist daughter had been right on. Rudy had said Brynn would try to calm the situation and look at it more analytically.

But then there was Cori.

Rudy had made it sound like Cori was hell-bent on rejecting everything he tried to give her and rebelling against every bit of decorum. Evan had expected her to take one look at Rudy’s note and say “no fucking way.” But that wasn’t what had happened. She’d said she could be ready to go in the morning. And she’d showed up with a whipped cream gun.

Evan ran a hand over his face. He had been prepared to feel a sort of kinship with the world-trotting party girl, but damn. There was a connection there, and he had the feeling he’d do anything to see that little mischievous smile of hers a few thousand more times.

Of course he was fascinated with Cori. Because he shouldn’t be. But it was all the stuff Rudy had told him about how Evan had given Rudy insight into his youngest. The way she used partying and wild weekends to stay important to her sisters and make them happy without having to be too responsible. And she definitely had an air of trouble—and fun—about her. But she was also more self-deprecating that Rudy had let on. She had a sense of humor and was very quick to defend her sisters too.

And she had a thing for Nutella.

Evan ran his hand up into his hair. Okay, the Nutella didn’t matter. The whipped cream and sprinkles didn’t matter. Her red leather jacket and fitted black jeans and hot leather boots didn’t matter. Nor did the fact that she’d written some little note to Brynn that had made her sister giggle at one point. Or the fact that the one thing that had made Ava’s shoulders unwind even slightly was the latte Cori had handed her. And Cori’s comment about diamonds and dirt roads didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to think about how that could be an analogy for what Rudy had found in Bliss—diamonds at the end of dirt roads. Figurative diamonds, of course. But literal dirt roads.

With an exasperated grunt, Evan sat up. He’d been in his head far too much lately. He supposed a friend’s death would do that to a guy, but he wasn’t going to sit around and think a bunch of deep, meaningful thoughts right now. He was going to get room service. And maybe a drink. And he was going to think thoughts about how to ensure the Carmichael triplets got their butts to Bliss. No, he didn’t want to be in charge of making the girls bake pies. He definitely didn’t want to oversee their love lives. But he would do anything for Rudy, and Rudy had been adamant about wanting his girls to live in Bliss.

Ava cannot end up with a man like me. She needs someone who can help her see beyond her office. And Brynn’s never dated. God knows how men could take advantage of her. And Cori…Cori needs more. She needs to realize that she can be more than just a good time for someone.

He and Rudy had been over this. Multiple times. Evan was supposed to be like a big brother to the girls. Sort of. In a way. He was supposed to make sure Cori stayed home and that Brynn only dated nice guys who would treat her well and that Ava gave a regular guy a chance.

Evan’s phone rang and he reached for it without looking at the number, grateful for the distraction.

“Stone.”

“When will they be here?”

“Well, hey, Parker. Yes, my trip was great. Nice hotel. And I appreciated the pep talk text you sent me this morning before the meeting. You’re a good friend.”

“I didn’t send you any texts this morning.”

“I know.”

Evan heard Parker sigh on the other end of the phone. “Just tell me the girls will be here in a couple of days and I will send you a dancing bear thingy or something.”

Evan laughed. “Do you even know how to send a thingy, also known as a GIF, by the way?”

“I’ll figure it out. Just tell me again how everything is going to be fine and they’ve already agreed to Rudy’s crazy-assed plan,” Parker said.

‘They will agree to it,” Evan said carefully.

“Which means they haven’t yet,” Parker said flatly.

“They’re…looking things over.”

“Dammit, Evan.”

“We expected them to challenge it,” Evan reminded him. “We knew they wouldn’t just roll over.”

“Make those Gucci girls get their pretty, spray-tanned asses to Bliss now,” Parker said.

Evan rolled his eyes. Talk about a rock and a hard place. He had Ava Carmichael on one side and Parker Blake on the other. He wasn’t sure which was a bigger hard-ass, frankly.

“There’s no way out of the trust,” Evan said.

“There’s one way,” Parker said. “And I promise you, if that’s how this goes down, I will make your life a living hell.”

Evan grimaced. Considering that Parker made about two-thirds of Evan’s meals and that he, Parker, and Noah all intended to spend all of their lives in Bliss and die very old men, that wasn’t a completely empty threat.

What Evan hadn’t told Ava, Brynn, and Cori yet was that if they decided to not follow Rudy’s mandates, then the town of Bliss would become the owner of Carmichael Enterprises. Rudy had already established the Bliss Foundation, given a ten million dollar trust to that foundation, and put Evan in charge of it. But if even one of Rudy’s girls didn’t follow through on her part of this trust, whether it be the provisions regarding the pie shop or their relationship statuses, then the company and all of its assets went to the town of Bliss with Parker as CEO, Evan as the CFO, and Noah as Vice President of something or other. It didn’t matter what they called it. It meant the three men were in charge. And none of them had any desire to run a company based in New York City that did…hell, they weren’t even entirely sure what Rudy’s company did besides make tons and tons of money. It might sound crazy, but they didn’t want to have billions of dollars under their control. They liked their lives in Bliss and part of that was the simplicity and straight-forwardness of it. Exactly the things Rudy had loved. So no, they did not want to take over Carmichael Enterprises. Which meant, they were even more invested in making sure Rudy’s triplets did what they were supposed to do.

“It’s going to be fine,” Evan told his friend. “The trust is airtight and they want the money.”

Evan really hoped Parker couldn’t hear the note of hesitation in his voice. Parker had agreed to the provision of taking over as CEO to placate Rudy. But he’d pulled Evan aside and basically said he’d kill Evan if the triplets didn’t come to Bliss.

Evan definitely needed to be sure the girls came to Bliss. There just wasn’t another option. “I’ve got it under control,” he finally told his friend. “I’m not leaving until tomorrow. I fully expect to talk to them again before then.”

Even if he had to go hunt Ava down and convince her that Bliss was exactly where she needed to be for the next year.

“Do that,” Parker said firmly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Evan said.

“Don’t make me pull the jalapeño burger off the menu,” Parker warned.

“You wouldn’t.”

“You don’t want to find out.”

He definitely would. Evan scowled at the ceiling. “Cool your jets, Blake,” he said. “No need to plan revenge for something that’s not even going to happen.”

“I’ll believe it when I see those billionaires walking down Main Street in blue jeans.”

“Goodbye, Parker.” Evan disconnected before Parker could give him any more shit. Or give him anything more to worry about. He really liked that jalapeño burger.

But all he had to do was get the Carmichael triplets into blue jeans and to Bliss. How hard could that be? Hell, one-third of them had been wearing jeans today. And looking damned good in them.

Evan scowled at the ceiling. Of course, he was attracted to Cori. She was the fun one. The can’t-be-tied-down one. There wasn’t anything about her that he didn’t like. Evan dug the heels of his hands into his eyes. But she was off-limits. And even if she wasn’t, Cori wouldn’t do a damned thing to make him more disciplined. The travel-the-world, party-in-every-country triplet would only feed Evan’s own what-the-hell-you-only-live-once tendencies and he was trying to be a better man. Someone worthy of Rudy’s trust in him. Someone who knew when and how to take things seriously and be responsible.

The girls weren’t the only “kids” Rudy had worried about. He worried that Noah didn’t trust himself to take care of the people he loved. Which he didn’t. Rudy worried that Parker was a little too independent. And crotchety. Which he was. And Rudy worried that Evan didn’t take things—or himself—seriously enough. Which he didn’t.

Most of Bliss trusted Evan to always show up with a cooler and a great idea about how to make any event even more fun.

Rudy, on the other hand, had trusted Evan to manage the Bliss Foundation, make decisions about how to spend ten million dollars, and his daughters’ happiness.

Evan rolled his neck as the tension, that was becoming far too familiar, crept up the muscles on either side of his spine. He really wanted to do this. He really wanted to be deserving of Rudy’s belief in him. But the last time someone had trusted him to do something other than throw a kick-ass Super Bowl party or hand out multiple orgasms, he’d spent four panic-stricken hours searching for a friend in Vegas and had to write a five thousand dollar bail check once he’d found him.

His phone dinged with a new text message and he grabbed it. He really didn’t want any more of Parker’s shit about how he had to get this thing done. He knew that. He just wasn’t sure how.

But it wasn’t Parker.

BBQ wienies or pigs in a blanket?

It was Jill Morris. A very good friend of Evan’s. A Bliss girl, born and bred. And the woman he’d slept with three nights ago. And hadn’t talked to since.

Evan winced and texted back. Yes. Both. Always. Or pigs in a blanket and BBQ meatballs.

Ah, meatballs. Good call.

Evan smiled. He and Jill had been friends since kindergarten. She was a great girl. For your going away party?

Jill had been offered her dream job in Omaha and was scheduled to leave in a couple of weeks. She deserved a big bash on her way out of Bliss.

Wedding reception.

Evan frowned. He couldn’t think of any upcoming weddings. Whose?

Ours.

Evan looked at those four letters far longer than he should have needed to. But that answer made no sense.

You have the wrong number, he finally sent back. She was messing with him. He was sure. Ninety-eight percent.

Evan Michael Stone. Birthdate, August second. Great taste in action movies. Horrible taste in comedies. Will do just about anything for lasagna.

Well, that was him. Except that Will Farrell was always funny. But yeah, Jill’s lasagna was exactly why they’d ended up naked together the other night in spite of a number of good reasons not to. Reasons that had kept them fully dressed when together for…forever.

It wasn’t a lack of attraction or opportunity over the years. But their families were very close and even a hint of something beyond friendship between them would have stirred up a bunch of expectations for an ongoing relationship when all Evan and Jill would have wanted was a friends-with-benefits situation. Jill had always had her sights set on places far from Bliss and, frankly, they got along great, liked each other a lot, and yes, had some chemistry. But they didn’t want to get married. A fact that their families, particularly their grandfathers, would never understand. Staying out of bed had been a solid plan.

Until the other night.

But there had been lasagna. And whiskey prior to the lasagna. And a funeral service for a very good friend prior to the whiskey.

And then after the lasagna, there’s been a very sweet, beautiful, willing woman who had kissed him and then taken her clothes off and distracted him from how fucking miserable he’d been, and he’d gratefully taken her up on everything she’d offered. From pasta to…another P word he was very fond of.

Evan sighed. Yeah, he probably needed to work on the Being A Better Guy thing.

What’s going on? he finally asked. But he knew. Someone had found out about their night together. Shit.

I’m on my mother’s couch, covered in Calamine lotion, and bridal magazines. Oh, and two generations of hopes, dreams, and expectations for me.

Yeah, shit. Definitely. Calamine? He, unfortunately, understood all the rest of that.

Hives. From the strawberries.

Evan groaned and ran a hand over his face. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. You’re ALLERGIC?

Duh.

Good God. The way they’d used those strawberries…the places they’d used those strawberries…she had to miserable. You didn’t know?

Of course I knew!

What?! Kind of important information when someone is rubbing something you’re allergic to on your bare…skin. There, he’d used a more gentlemanly word than he could have.

I was blindfolded, remember? she replied, followed by an emoji that looked like it was rolling its eyes. Then it was too late. YOU should have known!

Evan frowned at the message. How???

Strawberry patch. Fourth grade class trip. They called an ambulance for me!

Evan winced. Holy shit, how could he have forgotten that? Oh, yeah, he wasn’t really that good guy. But… You didn’t tell me to stop.

I got…distracted.

Evan couldn’t help his grin. He’d distracted her from the fact that she was going to be covered in head-to-toe hives. Or more specifically, breasts-to-knees hives. That was something. And then it occurred to him that thoughts like that probably didn’t fall under the Good Guy column either.

I’m really sorry he told her sincerely.

I know.

But you’re messing with me, right? No one knows?

My mother would notice hives. And me taking Benadryl like candy.

Right. Of course. Jill couldn’t sneeze without her mom rushing to the pharmacy. Maybe because her daughter had been horribly allergic to strawberries and had ended up in an ER in fourth grade. You told her about me?? You couldn’t just say you’d eaten some?

His thumbs were getting sore from all the back and forth, but he and Jill had always been pretty wordy texters, and now didn’t seem the time to skimp on explanations.

Why would I eat something that I’m ALLERGIC TO? she asked. And you shouldn’t have used strawberries with MB! She told everyone! Mom knew I was bringing you lasagna that night and that I didn’t come home...she’s not stupid.

Evan shook his head. Fuck. He and Marcie Brown had eaten strawberries together at the strawberry festival last June. And yeah, he’d taken some home. He’d also taken Marcie home. But it hadn’t been nearly as…inventive…as it had been with Jill. Damn, small towns sometimes. And damn his inability to just say no to things that were a bad idea…

So… Mom knows. Jill sent. So her sister knows. So my grandma knows. So my grandpa knows. So…

So Evan’s grandfather knew. Fabulous.

Ring size? He knew that Jill wouldn’t take that seriously. She was as adamant about them being only friends as he was. And she was the one with the dream job out of state. She would never give that up for him. For one, she wasn’t in love with him. For another, she knew him. Very well. She knew that he took fantasy football more seriously than he did anything else in his life, that he thought five-day work weeks were the worst invention ever, and that he was the state’s best mediator—because he was a lawyer who didn’t like paperwork or judges or going to court or, really, the law. And she knew that he was not good long-term boyfriend material. Because he’d been a short-term boyfriend, and an even shorter-term fling, to most of her friends at one time or another over the years.

Ha ha, she answered a few seconds later.

We just deal with it until you go to Omaha?

Well…

Evan felt his heart thud at that vague answer. No. She had to go to Omaha. Not to save him from a shotgun wedding, but because he could not be responsible for someone giving up a dream. It wouldn’t take long for the regret to sink in and he couldn’t live with that. He was the good-time guy. The guy everyone liked. The guy everyone invited everywhere. He wasn’t a guy people gave up important things for, or trusted with huge life-altering decisions. And he couldn’t be a guy someone regretted being involved with.

You are going, he told her. It’s an amazing opportunity. You can’t pass it up.

Of course not, she responded a moment later.

Evan breathed a sigh of relief.

But I don’t want to deal with all of this, she added.

What’s that mean?

We pretend to date. Them=happy, off our backs. Then big fight=I leave.

I can do that, he told her. He didn’t love that plan, but he owed her. Putting Calamine lotion in some of the places she needed; it couldn’t be pleasant.

OR, she sent a second later. I explain I’m a grownup=sex with whoever I want. NOT wedding.

Evan nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. Very adult.

Yeah.

He started to respond with I’ve got your back, but he saw the three dots jumping, indicating she was typing.

But, that’s a lot more energy and time than I really want to give.

He nodded again. He understood that.

She sent another message a moment later. I don’t really want to pretend. Or have you over for family dinners. Or have you along with me and my friends.

Evan felt a prick of annoyance. He was a great guy. People loved having him around. He made sure of it. She didn’t need to be quite so adamant about not wanting him around.

Yeah, yeah, he told her.

Sorry. She sent a big, grinning emoji. I adore you. And…the other night…totally worth a few hives. After the words, she added a flame, a heart, a firework, and a smiley face with its tongue hanging out.

He grinned. She had to say that. But Evan appreciated it anyway. He sent her an eggplant emoji to which she replied with a honeypot.

He snorted. Yeah, their friendship was fine.

Just need to pack and spend time with my friends—and even my crazy family—before I leave. Nothing personal.

Of course not. He knew she was a little nervous about the big move, and he didn’t want to do anything to make the days leading up to it more stressful.

But I also don’t want to have this big talk with them.

What do you want? What can I do? There, that was a good-guy thing to say. Evan was proud of himself as he pressed send.

Glad you asked.

Evan felt a niggle of trepidation, but he waited for her answer. The woman had hives because of him. He’d do whatever she wanted him to do.

You need to break my heart. She sent a broken heart emoji and a grinning devil.

Evan blinked at the words. What? He had typed the w and the h when Jill’s dots started dancing again. For a long time. This was going to be a long one.

Or they need to think you did anyway. Then I’m not disappointing anyone. And me getting out of town will make sense.

As soon as she sent that, he saw the dots again.

Plus, if I cry, my grandfather won’t want to talk about it at all. Can’t deal with tears. He’ll avoid the whole topic completely.

Evan read Jill’s explanation twice. And had to admit, it was pretty good.

I’ll do it, he told her. But this makes ME the bad guy.

Right.

And I’m stuck here with them all hating me.

Good point. Will only have to put on the act for a few days! Whoo hoo! I could leave early. Since it’ll be so painful to be around you.

Evan sighed. But I WILL STILL HAVE TO BE HERE.

Yeah. But you owe me. Lasagna. Hives.

Dammit. Fine. He sent her the broken-hearted emoji back. How?

There was a long stretch where there were no dancing dots. Then a message popped up that said simply, Just be you, I guess.

Evan frowned at that. What?

Don’t be so sensitive. Do your usual. Don’t call. Don’t ask me out. Go fishing for the weekend instead. Take another girl home and do the strawberry thing with her. Without the risk of anaphylaxis of course.

Evan’s frown turned into a scowl. That makes me seem like an ass.

There was no response to that for nearly a minute after that. Finally, Jill sent Sorry. What part of that is NOT your usual?

He scowled even harder as he typed. You liked my USUAL. Twice.

Yes, he had casual relationships. But they were mutually casual. None of the women in Bliss expected him to make any commitments beyond breakfast the next morning. And he’d given Jill coffee and English muffins. And orgasms. He’d held up his end of this bargain. But he didn’t love the idea that people—okay, his mother and Jill’s mom and their grandmothers—would think he’d treated Jill like all the other girls. Even if she was completely fine with it. They wouldn’t know she was fine with it. They would think she was brokenhearted over it.

Yes. YES! she responded. I did. Of course. There was a pause and then she sent, The coffee was delicious.

Brat.

She sent a big grinning emoji again. Then, These hives are REALLY itchy.

At least he was a good enough guy to feel guilty about that. Exactly as she’d intended.

He was stuck. He had to do this Jill’s way. It was his fault she was itching in very unpleasant places and that their families knew about it. And she was right, any attempt to rationally explain this to their families would take a lot of time and energy.

But Jill was Jill. He couldn’t treat her like she was just some girl he’d spent the night with. Of course, he also didn’t want to marry her. How could he break her heart without coming across as…his usual self?

He blew out a breath. Rudy had thought he was capable of being more than his usual self. And this seemed as good a time as any to start really trying. And a thought hit him.

He typed in I have an idea.

She sent a broken heart emoji with a question mark after it.

Yes. He typed as the idea formed fully. I was really sad about you leaving. Figured I should take a shot…find out if there could be anything between us. And we had a great night. And we both thought that MAYBE it could get more serious. But then—

He stopped typing as a message from her popped up. They know it was after the funeral.

Great. You being there for me then showed me I love having you in my life—true, btw—and I realized I should have taken a chance on you a long time ago.

Go on…

But then I had to come to New York for Rudy’s trust. And I met someone.

So what if it was Cori Carmichael that popped into his head? She had definitely made him take notice. He’d always known that attraction between two people could be instantaneous, and now she’d proven that he could become fascinated within only a few minutes over caramel macchiatos and talk of Nutella.

There was a long pause before Jill’s dot danced and then the dots bounced for several seconds.

Pretend girlfriend in NYC? Brilliant! They won’t have to actually see you with anyone. Long distance=mostly texts and phone calls. Let it go for a while and then fake breakup. Nice!

Evan read her response and realized that would work. And would be a hell of a lot easier than what he was thinking about.

BUT then no dating anyone HERE for a while. No cheating on your long-distance girlfriend, Jill added.

Well, there was that. But something had been nagging at him ever since Rudy had showed him his “wish list” for his daughters. Cori wasn’t supposed to date because she used dating and sex and partying as a way of keeping things light. Just like Evan did. As he’d told her, if all you promised was a good time, then no one had expectations of you during the bad times. But she was going to be taking time off from all of that. To work on commitment. To focus on more important things. To maybe figure out that she had more to offer her relationships.

And he couldn’t shake the idea that maybe he should do that too.

He was really good at a few things—mediating conflicts, making people happy, and romancing women. Maybe he could use his talents for something actually…altruistic. Use what he was good at to help someone else. Like Jill. And Rudy. And the Carmichael triplets.

He’d admit that he wanted to date Cori Carmichael. Absolutely. But Cori didn’t need what Evan had to offer. No one needed to show Cori a good time. She handled that all on her own.

It was Ava that needed a guy like Evan. He’d been thinking about setting her up with Brian Callahan. Brian was a great guy who owned a contracting business and played slow-pitch softball and poker with Evan and his friends. Brian was from Bliss and was genuinely a nice guy who knew how to kick back.

But now…

Ava was every bit the uptight, driven, cool business woman Rudy had told him about. Getting her to let her hair down might be a bigger job than Brian could handle. It would take someone who was really dedicated to the project. Someone who knew the whole situation. And someone who had something to gain from it as well.

Evan wasn’t a complete fuckup, but he didn’t take himself very seriously either. He didn’t forget to pay his bills or anything, but he probably relied too heavily on verbal contracts versus written ones, considering he had a law degree and all. But if a guy couldn’t make a promise over a beer with a handshake and then stick to it, then he wasn’t someone who Evan wanted to do business with anyway. And maybe schedules were more like suggestions than hard and fast rules in Evan’s life. And maybe he preferred conducting business meetings while sitting on the river bank with a fishing pole in hand. And maybe he didn’t mind being paid in handyman services or with pot roast. That was all just fine with him.

And would make a woman like Ava crazy.

Evan frowned, irritated by those thoughts. He could be good for Ava. And helping others was part of being a better man after all. The girl was going to have an ulcer if she didn’t already.

And she could be good for him too. She would make him toe the line and show up on time and tell him when he was failing. It wouldn’t be all about partying and casual sex. It would be an actual relationship. Ish. There were bound to be some ups and downs with her relocating her life, taking on the pie shop, living with her sisters, and navigating the things Rudy wanted her to learn. Evan would have to be there for her through all of that. For six months. Exclusively. Monogamously.

That would be…new.

And maybe when that time was up, he would have changed too and would be ready to be more responsible and committed.

Or I could not pretend. Someone everyone would actually meet. And be wow-ed by.

Wait, Jill replied, there’s a real girl?

There could be. He paused. How much did he want to share with Jill? Well, he was breaking up with her, kind-of. It stood to reason that he’d tell her about the new woman in his life. Met her today. She’s…something. Once she moves to Bliss it might be hard to stay away from her.

Yes, he was thinking of Cori again. Dammit. But he would get his head on straight about the sisters. He was doing Ava a favor. And Jill a favor. And hell, himself a favor. It wasn’t about Cori at all. It couldn’t be.

Great!!!! A second message came almost immediately on the heels of that one. Wait, is it one of Rudy’s daughters?????

Everyone knew that he’d come to New York to meet with the Carmichael triplets. Yes. Ava.

You ALREADY have a crush on one of Rudy’s daughters???????

Evan read the question three times before replying with a completely truthful answer. After hearing everything about her from Rudy for so long, I might have had a crush on her before I even got here. And yeah, fuck, it was still Cori he was talking about.

But Bliss didn’t know that. Jill didn’t even need to know that.

I love this, Jill replied. Then it’s not lying when I tell everyone that you took one look at this woman you’ve been hearing about all these years and fell for her.

Not really lying. Yeah, right. But Evan still responded with, Spread that around, okay? While you’re blubbering into your carton of ice cream over losing me, be sure you drop Ava’s name.

Jill sent him an ice cream emoji, then, Will do. Happy for you! Though now I do wish I was sticking around…seeing you finally fall in love would be entertaining.

Evan felt a kick in his chest. He wasn’t falling in love. With any of Rudy’s daughters. Dammit. Get your ass to Omaha!

She sent him a heart emoji, a car emoji, and a penguin emoji. Evan chuckled and tossed his phone onto the bed beside him.

Then he ran his hand over his face again. That was taken care of. Now he just had to convince Ava that this was a great plan. But he could do that. Probably. Ava wasn’t the type of woman he’d be able to sweet-talk or charm, but she was a business woman. He’d just have to offer her something more appealing than sweet talk.

He’d make her a deal.