“Wow.”

“No kidding.”

“Not at all what I expected.”

“Oh yeah, that’s totally what I expected.”

“Bullshit.”

“Seriously.”

“I mean wow.”

“What the hell did you put in their hash browns this morning?” Evan asked Parker as his friend topped off his coffee.

“Their hash browns?” Parker asked, leaning onto the counter across from where Evan sat in the diner.

Evan tipped his head toward the booth behind him where four of Bliss’s favorite residents sat having breakfast. Ben, Hank, Roger, and Walter had been diner regulars until Rudy had moved to town and opened the pie shop, where they could sit and gab for hours without anyone making not-so-subtle comments about how they should either keep eating—and buying—or move on. But now that the pie shop was closed, the men had been forced to relocate back to the diner if they wanted someone to make and serve them coffee. And no, their own kitchens were not an option. Apparently.

“Oh, they’re not talking about my hash browns,” Parker said.

“No?” Evan looked up to find Parker’s attention focused over Evan’s shoulder.

“Nope.” Parked pointed out the window.

Evan took a bite of toast and turned to look. And almost choked.

There was a long black limo parked across the street from the pie shop. And leaning against the side of it were three long-legged, gorgeous blonds. Who were identical other than what they were wearing.

Evan swallowed hard.

“Let me guess. Left to right—Brynn, Cori, and Ava,” Parker said.

He’d nailed it. Brynn was wearing a blue sundress and a pink sweater. She had her hair back in a ponytail, her black-rimmed glasses on her nose and she was clutching a book to her chest.

Cori was in the middle in a red-and-white striped dress, short black boots, and her red leather jacket. Her hair was loose and curly. And she was holding a champagne glass. Evan felt his body stir even from this far away. He wasn’t sure if it was the jacket or the boots, but he didn’t think he’d have her take either off in bed.

And because he was not supposed to be thinking about Cori and beds in the same thought, he tore his eyes away and looked at her sister. Ava’s hair was stick straight and she wore a black skirt, white blouse, and, sure enough, heels. And she was holding a briefcase.

Evan cleared his throat. “Good guess,” Evan said to Parker. He knew Rudy had told Parker as much about his daughters as he’d told Evan.

Parker chuckled. “We’re in trouble, huh?”

“What makes you think that?” Evan asked, knowing his eyes should be on his “girlfriend” but finding they were back on Cori. Crap. He was definitely in trouble.

“Those girls don’t know a damned thing about living in a town like Bliss.”

That was an understatement. “Could be fun.”

“Could be a pain in the ass.”

Well, he couldn’t argue with that.

“And I told you that you needed to get them into blue jeans,” Parker added.

“Yeah, well, I got them into the state of Kansas. One thing at a time,” Evan said. He stood from the stool, fished a ten out of his pocket and tossed it on the counter.

Parker swiped it up as he reached to return the coffeepot in his hand to the warmer. There was no such thing as a best friend discount in Parker’s diner and he fully expected Evan to tip.

“The scenery in town just improved. Times three,” Noah said as he slid onto the stool next to Evan’s and picked up the cup on the counter and held it up for Parker.

Parker sighed and grabbed the pot again. He was always annoyed filling coffee cups. He made crappy coffee on purpose and overcharged for it, and yet people still insisted on coming in to drink it. He filled the cup. “Don’t get all gaga over those girls,” he warned Noah. “They’re here with very specific instructions. And if they don’t do what they’re supposed to, we’re all screwed.”

Noah took a sip. “I’m just saying that this front row seat might not be all bad.”

Parker rolled his eyes.

Evan took a deep breath. “I’m going to go introduce the girls to their new business,” he said. “And get them out of sight.”

“Yeah, like that’s gonna matter,” Parker said.

Half the town had already seen them, and they’d be talking to the other half of the town—Evan glanced around and noticed a number of people on their phones—if they weren’t already.

“Damn.” This was going to be…interesting. Good thing Evan loved the unexpected.

As his hand hit the door, he heard “Hey, Evan, is that your new girl?”

He’d started the rumor about him and Ava immediately upon returning to Bliss two days ago. It had been easy enough. He’d simply told Parker while sitting on the very stool he’d just vacated. During the lunch rush. With Shelly Perkins sitting right next to him. Shelly owned the hair salon. It had only taken two hours for the news to spread. In fact, in that time the story had grown from Evan and Ava having a love-at-first-sight reaction when they’d met in New York to them having an online relationship for the past few months before actually meeting. For possibly the first time in his life, Evan appreciated the Bliss rumor mill and its absolute inability to keep any fact straight.

“Yep, that’s her,” he said.

“She’s out of your league,” Hank told him.

“No shit,” he muttered, pushing his way through the door.

But he couldn’t help but grin as he headed for the three newest residents of Bliss. They looked completely out of place, and Evan felt a stirring of anticipation. He loved his hometown, but he had to admit that things were pretty routine around here. Evan loved a good shake-up, and there was no question the Carmichael triplets would be providing that. Ava, Brynn, and Cori might not be ready for Bliss, but Bliss wasn’t ready for them either. At worst, this was going to be something new. At best, it was going to be a hell of a good time.

* * *

“Wow.”

“No kidding.”

“Not at all what I expected.”

Cori stood between her sisters, staring at the front of the pie shop that they now owned and were to operate over the next year.

Besides the fact that it was a pie shop and none of them knew a thing about running a pie shop, there were a few more details demanding their attention. Like the fact that the storefront was, well, green and pink. A not-quite-neon green. A not-exactly-lime green. It was more…

“Avocado,” Cori decided. “That color is the color of the inside of an avocado.”

Ava and Brynn nodded.

“And the pink is kind of…”

“Bubble gum,” Brynn said.

“Or Pepto Bismol,” Ava said.

Cori nodded. “Yep. Definitely.”

The siding was painted in the inside-an-avocado green, while the front door and the shutters on the windows were pink, with a green-and-pink-striped awning over the door.

Even more surprising, the colors didn’t stand out on the main street of Bliss, Kansas. All of the buildings were painted in bright colors. There was pink and yellow and a light blue and even lavender. They didn’t all have awnings, but most had huge picture windows, and a couple had benches or chairs in front. The sidewalk that ran in front of the stores was so white it almost required sunglasses to look at it directly. There were lampposts with old-fashioned-looking lanterns at the top, a median in the middle of the street that held grass and flowers that were just as bright as the siding on the shops, and right in the center was a tall post that hoisted an enormous clock high above the street. Directly across the street from the storefronts was a huge park with lots of trees, beautifully kept grass, and flowers everywhere.

“And that name?” Ava asked. “Seriously?”

Cori focused on the sign above the awning in front of them. The loopy green script read Blissfully Baked.

“It sounds like a pot shop,” Ava said.

It did. “Maybe it was a marketing strategy,” Cori said. “Nothing like pie when you’ve got the munchies, right?”

Ava sighed. “I wouldn’t know.”

Yeah, well, she could take Cori’s word for it.

“Do we go in?” Brynn asked.

Considering they didn’t know where anything else was, like the house they were going to be living in, that made the most sense. The GPS had gotten them to the pie shop, but they didn’t have an address for the house. “Did you call Evan?” Cori asked Ava.

“No, why?”

“Well, someone should probably tell someone that we’re here. And we don’t know anyone else. And it should probably be you since you’re his girlfriend.” Cori grimaced slightly as she said it. That was going to take some getting used to.

Ava sighed. “Fine.”

She pulled her phone out, but just then Brynn said, “No need.”

Cori looked over to see Evan coming toward them. And she was shocked by how happy she suddenly felt.

He’s your sister’s boyfriend. Keep it in your pants, girl. But she couldn’t help her smile when she saw that his gaze was on her. Pretend boyfriend. He’s Ava’s pretend boyfriend, she couldn’t help but think.

“Don’t you just hate when the car rental company is out of practical cars and puts you in a limo instead?” he asked, coming to a stop in front of them.

“Actually, no,” Ava said.

“Let me guess,” Cori said. “The last limo to roll through Bliss was on prom night?”

He grinned. “Jaci and Seth Marshall’s wedding last September, actually.”

And of course, he knew the people’s names and the exact date. Because Jaci and Seth were two of only fourteen hundred and sixty-three people living in this town, according to the sign they’d passed on their way in. A lot of things about this situation were going to take some getting used to.

“A limo can be practical, actually,” Ava told him.

“Because it color coordinates with your outfit?” he asked, moving closer to her.

“Because I was able to plug in my laptop and Cori had champagne,” Ava said.

Cori held up her glass. “The champagne on the plane was better, but I’m not complaining.”

The champagne was definitely taking the edge off of traveling all day with Ava, who literally had a spreadsheet to keep her other spreadsheets organized. She had one for work, one for packing, one for items she’d need in the new house, one for things to check on with the pie shop, and God knew what else. Cori had tuned her out after hearing that she’d been in contact with some chef she knew in New York who knew some other chef who did something with pies.

Cori would love to give the pies a shot, honestly. She loved being the kitchen. There was something about creating recipes that would give someone else pleasure. But, after a brief session with Karen yesterday, she’d realized that maybe finding some of that same satisfaction would be good for Ava too.

Evan looked like he wanted to comment on the champagne thing, and Cori waited for it, knowing that it would be flirtatious. But Evan swallowed and looked at Brynn instead. “And was the limo practical for you too?” he asked.

Cori felt a stupid sense of disappointment.

Brynn nodded. “Plenty of space. To keep those two apart,” she said, pointing at her sisters.

Evan laughed at that and Cori sighed. She liked when he laughed. This was going to be the longest year of her life. He only has to date Ava for six months, she reminded herself. There were six more months in the year after that. Then he leaned in and kissed Ava’s cheek, and Cori felt her eyes widen. Yeah, all she had to do was leave him alone for six months. And not hate her sister for getting even the pretend Evan kisses.

Ava looked similarly stunned when he leaned back.

“We’re being watched,” he said quietly. “Look over my right shoulder.”

Ava did and Cori almost did.

“But not all of you at once,” Evan said, just as Cori was turning.

Instead, Cori watched Ava’s eyes go round. “There are about thirty people looking out the window of the—” She squinted and finished, “—the diner.”

“Probably more like fifty,” Evan said. Then he looped an arm around Ava’s waist and started toward the pie shop. “How about we get inside where we can talk more freely?”

Cori scowled at the sight of him touching Ava. And then told herself to chill out and consciously relaxed her expression. She couldn’t go around glowering at Evan for the next six months. And a big part of this trip was about Cori reconnecting with her sisters. Karen had talked her through that too. So she couldn’t hate Ava for going along with this plan that was for all of their goods. This pretend plan.

“They can hear us from here?” Brynn asked, following Evan and Ava across the street.

“I swear to God, even the trees here have ears,” Evan said.

Cori was the last to start for the pie shop and she made a point of not looking in the direction of the diner. Or watching Evan’s hand on Ava’s lower back as he reached to pull the door open for her. He also held the door for Brynn and Cori, and as Cori passed him, he said softly, “Needed something stronger than Nutella today?”

She paused in the doorway and smiled up at him, unable to help it. “Nutella is for when we’re hanging out for a few hours and Ava has vodka and I have pajamas on. When I’m stuck in airborne tin cans with her and I’m wearing a push-up bra and she’s organizing everything from what time we get to the airport to what carry-on bag I can use, it’s definitely champagne. Or whiskey.”

She didn’t miss how his eyes dropped to her breasts at the mention of her push-up bra, and she felt a twist of heat in her stomach. But almost immediately, his eyes were back on hers. He gave a soft chuckle and Cori actually sucked in a quick breath at the deep, rumbly sound that seemed to vibrate through her chest. And they weren’t even touching. They were just standing a lot closer than a guy and his girlfriend’s sister should be.

“Well, I included Nutella and bacon on the list of things they stocked the house with,” Evan told her.

Evan’s hand was still on the door and there wasn’t much space between them, and for that moment, she let herself just enjoy the close proximity, turning to face him fully. “Someone stocked the house for us?”

“And cleaned it, made the beds, all of that,” he said. “I’m sure there are a few casseroles in the fridge too so you don’t have to cook for a while.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am.”

“Why would they do that?”

“They loved Rudy and you’re his daughters. And they’re glad the pie shop is opening again. Well—” he grinned, “—Parker is, anyway, and his mom was one of the women getting the house ready. And—” He broke off and looked past her.

But Cori understood. “And they love you and think your girlfriend is living in that house,” she said.

He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. Everyone in Bliss already knew that he and Ava were supposedly a couple. Awesome. Which meant Cori should really move away from him.

Don’t you dare ruin Nutella for me, she thought as she stepped through the doorway. Don’t be sweet and flirtatious and make me think dirty thoughts about my favorite snack when you’re out of reach.

But she already liked him, so him being out of reach was a good thing, she reminded herself. She wasn’t supposed to be dating. Which was also good, because she was not in a position to leave or avoid him after she called it quits. Karen had also brought that up when she’d pointed out that Cori was committed to being in this one place for a year now. Her shrink loved that there would be no moving on after a few weeks or months when Cori started to feel like she’d used up her welcome. She had to stay now, and she knew Karen was hoping that she’d see she was able to contribute to a relationship long-term. But Cori was going to concentrate on that relationship being with her sisters. Because they had to keep loving her anyway.

Shaking all of that off, Cori concentrated on looking around the little shop that now belonged to her, Ava, and Brynn.

The lights weren’t on, but two of the four walls were made up of windows and the sunlight poured in onto the white linoleum, the six tables with mismatched chairs, and the long Formica counter that stretched along the top of an empty glass case. There was an opening that gave access to the area behind the counter where, presumably, the pie shop staff would be positioned, ready to help the customers. And behind that was a white swinging door that had to lead to the kitchen.

The place was dusty and drab and, frankly, a little sad. Especially after seeing the bright and cheery outside.

“This is…” Ava started.

“Dull,” Cori supplied.

Ava sighed. “Not what I expected.” She turned to Evan. “I thought you said that he’d had it renovated.”

“It used to be a soda fountain,” Evan said. “But the building had been empty for a long time. Rudy hired a guy from Kansas City who specializes in rehabilitating old buildings in small towns. He came in and helped with things like removing the soda fountain and fortifying the interior walls and updating the plumbing and electricity. But Rudy liked that it was…rustic.”

Cori snorted. “I don’t think that word means what he thought it meant.”

Evan smiled. “He wanted it to be basic. He wanted the bare minimum. Said he wanted people to come for the pies and the company. He thought that doing a lot of fancy upgrading might change that.”

“Yeah, heaven forbid people come in because the place looks nice,” Ava said. She turned a full circle. “Well, we’re going to have to do…something.”

“We can easily paint, get some new furniture, put in a photo booth,” Cori said, also turning a circle and taking it all in. When she’d turned all the way around she stopped. And realized that they were all looking at her. “What?”

“A photo booth?” Ava asked.

“Sure. That would be fun,” Cori said. She looked at Evan. “Is there already a photo booth in town?”

He shook his head slowly. “No.”

“Then it would be something unique,” she told them. She frowned as they continued to just stare at her, looking confused. “A photo booth,” she repeated. “One of those things where you get in with a bunch of friends or a date and it snaps a strip of photos and you pose differently for each of them.”

“Yeah, we know what a photo booth is,” Ava said. “What does it have to do with the pie shop?”

“It would be something that could pull kids in,” Cori said. “And people on dates. We could call it something about Sweetie Pie. Oh!” she said as another idea occurred. “We could do pies shaped like hearts and serve one with two forks. This could become the new it spot for date night. And we could have a photo wall. If people want to hang their photos up here, it would show all the fun people have when they come in.” She turned to Evan again. “Is there a jukebox anywhere in town. At the diner or anything?”

He shook his head. “No. Definitely not at the diner. But no.”

“A jukebox would be fun too,” she said, scanning the room and mentally putting the photo booth into the corner by the glass case. “We might have to take part of the case out though. But that thing is huge. We don’t need that much display space.”

“We could…” Ava trailed off. “I don’t even know where to start with all of that.”

“Well, and obviously we wouldn’t just focus on sweetie pie stuff,” Cori said. “There’s a lot of other types of customers too, but that just came to mind.”

While her sisters were looking at her like they had no idea what language she was speaking, Evan was looking at her with a mix of amusement and wonder. She kind of liked that mixture.

“You walk into this shop and immediately things like photo booths and sweetie pie specials come to mind?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I guess so.”

“It’s a basic, boring shop,” Ava said. “Of course, she immediately starts thinking up ways to make it more fun and…unique.” Ava gave her a smile. “It’s how she’s wired. She can’t help it.”

Cori decided to take that as a compliment. “It’s okay if you use the word crazy instead of unique,” she told her sister.

Ava laughed. “Well, I think we have a ways to go before we can start adding photo booths and things, but yes, we need to do something here.”

“But shaped pies would be cool,” Cori said. “And that’s gotta be easy. I mean, all the pie stuff stays the same, we just need different pans.”

“Do they make different shaped pie pans?” Ava asked.

“If they don’t, they should,” Cori said. “We’ll commission something. It could be a side business.”

“Oh, I could talk to Brent Gerwin. He’s into restaurant supplies, I think,” Ava said.

“Great. Email him tonight.”

“Wow.”

They both stopped talking and looked over at Evan. He was standing next to Brynn and they were watching Ava and Cori with wide eyes.

“You haven’t even seen the pie pans that you already have,” Evan said.

Cori crossed her arms. “Are there heart-shaped ones?”

“Definitely not.”

“Well, then.”

Brynn looked at Ava. “You’ve never even made a round pie. You sure you’re ready to get into different shapes?”

Ava looked pained. “I’m not ready to even go into the kitchen.”

“Right. Maybe one step at a time,” Brynn said.

Okay, she had a point. But Ava was right. Cori couldn’t help that her mind started spinning with new ideas that seemed like fun. It was a problem, actually. Her ideas were often a little wild, and she loved to just jump in. Doing this with Ava and Brynn was a good thing. They could keep her craziness reined in and tell her when her ideas were too much. Which was probably about eighty percent of the time.

“Okay,” Cori agreed. “We’ll just start with paint and some new tables and chairs.” She looked the current furniture over. Honestly, it looked like Rudy had picked up the various pieces from different yard sales or something. But that made her wonder… “Evan, do you know where Rudy got this stuff?” she asked.

He looked the room over. “Around town. Yard sales and stuff,” he said.

So she’d nailed that.

“Like I said, he didn’t want this to be fancy,” Evan said. “Just the basics. Just a place where people could come and sit and chat. Like a friend’s house.”

The tables and chairs were mismatched and clearly not new, but there was something nice about them being from people in town. “Maybe we could just give them a makeover,” she said to Brynn. “Paint them or refinish them, add some cushions to the chairs, some tablecloths, little centerpieces.” She pulled her phone out and quickly did a search. Then she held her phone up to Brynn. “We could do something with little tartlet pans like these for centerpieces so it’s sort of pie themed.”

Evan stepped forward and wrapped a big hand around her wrist, lowering her hand and phone. “The front of the shop is Brynn’s. The pies, of all shapes, are Ava’s. Come here.” He started behind the counter, pulling her along with him.

Cori wasn’t sure she’d ever felt tingles from a guy holding onto her wrist, but she did with Evan Stone. That was how complicated this was, of course, going to be.

He took her through the swinging door into the kitchen at the back of the shop. It was…a kitchen. Which she’d guessed. But this looked like the kitchen in a house, not a restaurant. There was a stove and oven—one, basic, white stove and oven—a refrigerator, which was yellow, a sink, and countertop that was a gray granite, and some oak-colored cupboards. Nothing matched in here either. And there was no stainless steel, no restaurant quality appliances, no enormous center island, no racks hanging overhead displaying copper pots and pans. Yes, she’d imagined copper pots and pans. She wasn’t sure why. But she realized as Ava came through the door behind her that she’d actually envisioned the kitchen in the pie shop. And it was nothing like this.

“Let me guess, the appliances and stuff came from yard sales too?” she asked.

“He bought the stove from a woman who was remodeling and was getting new stuff. He bought the fridge from a guy whose mother had passed away and was cleaning out her house. He got the countertop from a guy who does remodels and had extra. And he took the cabinets and cupboards out of a house they were tearing down.”

“Wow,” was all Ava said to that.

Evan chuckled. “The pie shop was more like a clubhouse for him and his friends and he set it up with odds and ends. He made pie and coffee and hoped people would come by and sit for a while and talk. It wasn’t about looks, but about function,” he said. “This is why no one had any idea how much money he had. Everything was really basic with him. He didn’t mind secondhand and he lived pretty simply.” Evan shrugged. “I can’t explain it better than that. This pie shop totally fit your dad.”

Cori felt that getting-familiar stab of sadness. She shook her head. “Not the guy we knew.”

Evan’s expression softened and the fingers around her wrist tightened briefly. Those tingles zipped up her arm, effectively distracting her from thoughts of how she would have really liked to get to know the Rudy Carmichael who collected stray furniture and rescued unwanted appliances so that he could make pie for his friends in his version of a clubhouse. She supposed if little boys had the ability to put ovens into their tree houses, they’d do it. For the frozen pizzas, if nothing else. And she supposed that her father hadn’t had a clubhouse or a tree house growing up. And maybe he hadn’t had that many friends either. Cori hadn’t known her grandparents on her father’s side, but Rudy had been raised with money and had grown up in a Manhattan penthouse and had gone to private schools.

Just like Cori, Ava, and Brynn had.

Hell, they hadn’t had clubhouses or tree houses either. And suddenly she felt like she’d missed out. And like maybe this pie shop could be something similar for them too.

“You okay?”

She focused on Evan, finding him watching her with a look of concern. He was also stroking his thumb across her wrist, over her pulse point. And it had a strange combination effect of increasing the tingles, but also making her feel calmer. She nodded. “Yeah. Probably.” Especially if you keep touching me.

He looked like he wanted to say more, but Ava pushed past them and further into the kitchen.

“This is not what I expected,” she said. Then she sighed. “I wonder when I’m going to quit saying that in regards to this whole thing.” She started opening cupboards and drawers. Then she turned toward Evan. “There’s nothing here.”

“Well, there are measuring cups and stuff,” he said.

Ava held up some plastic measuring spoons. “There are these.” She held up a wooden spoon. “Two spoons.” And she stepped out of the way of the cupboard she’d opened. “And one set of bowls. I don’t even see measuring cups.”

Evan shrugged. “Simple. Basic.”

Ava tossed the spoons back into the drawer and rubbed her forehead. “Not what I expected.”

Evan started across the kitchen, tugging Cori along with him again. He stopped in front of a door. “Ava’s in charge of the kitchen, Brynn has the front, and this—” He turned the knob and pushed it open, “—is your domain.”

He dropped his hold on her now, and Cori felt the instant loss of comforting tingles. If there was such a thing. Though it really seemed that there was.

Evan flipped on a light switch just inside the door and Cori peered around him, with admitted trepidation. Trepidation that was absolutely warranted as she took in the room. Or rather the closet. That had a card table, a folding chair, and a file cabinet in it.

“This is the office,” Evan said. His voice held a hint of humor.

“Wow. The whole room and everything in it is mine?” she asked.

“Yep.” Evan grinned at her. “But don’t get your hopes up for that file cabinet. The top drawer has about every fifth receipt and invoice in it that it should and maybe some pens, and the bottom drawer has a broken phone in it and a stapler.”

Cori lifted her hand to rub her forehead, but stopped just short of exactly mimicking Ava. “I probably need to make a trip to the bank.”

Evan nodded. “I have all of his account information and the paperwork you need to access it.”

“Great.” She glanced back at the closet. She stepped to the file cabinet and opened the top drawer. “Well, the stapler is in here.” She pulled it out, along with a box of paperclips and two folders. Yes, just two folders. She bent to open the bottom drawer. “You’re right about the phone. And—” She reached in and pulled out the only other thing in the drawer. “Measuring cups. No pens in here though.”

“I’ll check the oven for them,” Ava said dryly.

“I assume I can take this stuff home?” Cori asked Evan. “I can’t work in here.”

“Sure. As long as you’re the one taking care of it,” Evan said agreeably.

“Uh, guys?” Brynn came into the kitchen, holding a piece of paper. A plain white sheet of paper with words printed on it in black marker. In Rudy’s handwriting. Cori recognized that immediately.

“Is this the menu?” Brynn held it up to Evan.

He nodded without even looking at it. “Yep.”

Brynn lifted an eyebrow. “There are four things on it. And one is coffee.”

“Simple. Basic,” Evan said.

Cori gritted her teeth. He was hot and funny, but that was getting damned annoying.

Brynn turned the page to look at it and read, “Cherry pie. Apple pie. Peach pie, parentheses sometimes. Coffee.” She looked up again. “Seriously? This was all he served?”

Ava grabbed the page from Brynn. “Three kinds of pie?”

“Sometimes only two,” Evan said.

Ava looked at him. “How is this a pie shop?”

“He served pie,” Evan said with a shrug. “Look, I get it. It was—”

“I swear to God, if you say ‘simple’ or ‘basic’ again, I will smack you,” Cori told him.

He cleared his throat. “Rudy wasn’t in the pie business to make a lot of money. He liked pie and he felt that there were things about business that he wanted to learn up close and personal. He wanted to do things with his own two hands. He wanted a place that was all his own.” Evan looked at all three of them. “All of the things he wants you all to learn and experience now. So, he kept it…” Evan trailed off and glanced at Cori. “Easy,” he finally said. “Straightforward.”

She rolled her eyes at him to let him know that the synonyms weren’t much better. But then she focused on her sisters. “Well, I guess there’s less for you to learn to make this way,” she told Ava.

“It’s ridiculous to build a business on three products, one of which is only available sometimes,” Ava said. “I suppose that could create some kind of demand for the peach since it’s not available all the time. But having only two other kinds of pie? I don’t even like pie, and I can name off at least five others that are so commonly known that it should be assumed that a pie shop would have them.”

Cori almost laughed. Almost. But seeing Ava riled up about pies was funny. Her sister was officially in CEO mode one hundred percent of the time. Which meant that Cori was going to have to split her time between the books for Blissfully Baked and making sure Ava remembered how to not think in terms of profit margins and investment strategies twenty-four-seven. Which meant keeping Ava away from those books and in this kitchen.

Maybe Rudy had gotten this right. The thought occurred to her and it didn’t make her flinch. Maybe giving his girls a simple and basic business to work on together would teach them all something. Maybe it wasn’t about the business at all. Maybe it was about letting go of their ideas about how they wanted their world to work. Ava was used to running everything and making money. Now she would be making pies. And that’s all she’d be doing. Brynn was used to being able to hole herself up and not interact with anyone for days at a time. Now she had to make sure that the shop was inviting to the public. And Cori didn’t like to be tied down, not by a job or a relationship or even a lease. Now she co-owned a business and had to stay in this town for a year. Yeah, this had to be about more than the actual business of pies. Besides, the trust said simply that the business had to be profitable after the year. That meant, as long as they had one dollar in the bank after expenses, they’d made it.

Piece of cake. Or pie, as the case may be.

“Are there recipes in here somewhere?” Brynn asked, looking around the kitchen.

“There’s hardly anything in here,” Ava groused. “I need to get on the computer and start ordering supplies.”

“How do you know what to order without a recipe?” Brynn wanted to know.

Ava frowned at her, as if bringing up that point was irritating. “Well, I’m guessing I need flour. And sugar. And…”

Now Cori did laugh. “Good guesses,” she said, as Ava trailed off. “I can help you come up with a list. And we can look around the house too. Maybe some of the stuff, like recipes, is there.”

“I don’t think he had recipes,” Evan said. “He was trying to make pies that tasted like the pie his grandmother made when he was a kid. He was never able to track down a recipe and he tried over and over to replicate it. I think he threw all recipes out after they disappointed him.”

“There has to be a starting point at least,” Ava said. “And how am I going to know if they taste like his grandmother’s pies?”

“You won’t,” Evan agreed. “You’ll have to make them your own. Customize your recipes for Blissfully Baked.”

Ava tipped her head back and groaned. “I have no idea how to do that.” She looked at Evan again. “And can we change the shop name? Does it say in the trust that it has to stay the same?”

“It doesn’t,” Evan said. “But I wouldn’t do that.”

“No?”

“At least not right away,” he said. “Everyone in town is happy to have you here, but also…hesitant.”

“Hesitant?” Ava repeated.

“You’re new. You’re from New York. In the five years your father lived here, you never came to visit. People are just not sure how you’ll fit in and how this will all go. I wouldn’t come in and start changing a lot of things up, if I were you,” Evan said with a shrug. “It is your shop now, but you’ll be dependent on these people to support you and come spend money here.”

Ava nodded. “Okay, fair enough.”

“And you shouldn’t order the groceries. Go to the store here and spend your money in town.”

Ava sighed, but she didn’t argue that. She did tip her head to the side, regarding Evan. “Though I am dating one of the town’s favorite sons. That has to help me some.”

He flashed her a grin, and Cori felt her gut clench at the sight.

“You are, at that,” he said. “And it will help them give you the benefit of the doubt, bring them in the door at first. But if they don’t like the pie, you might be in trouble. And I’ll hear all about it. So, you probably need to learn more about pie than the fact that it requires flour.”

Ugh. That wasn’t even flirtatious and yet, hearing Evan and Ava talk about dating—even pretend dating—and seeing them grinning at each other was officially Cori’s least favorite part of this day. She should have brought the bottle of champagne in with her.

And then it got worse because Ava laughed lightly and said, “Well, I know there’s sugar involved too.”

That actually was a little flirtatious. For Ava, anyway.

“I can help,” Cori interjected, wanting to say anything that would keep Evan from making any kind of comment about sugar and Ava. “I can name all of the ingredients that go into a cherry and an apple pie.”

That succeeded in getting Ava’s eyes off of Evan. “I was hoping you’d say that,” she told Cori.

“But the baking is supposed to be your thing,” Evan said. “The trust is very specific. Don’t forget that.”

“Of course,” Ava said. “But it also doesn’t say anything about me not getting help.”

“It doesn’t?” Cori asked.

“No. As long as I’m in charge of the pie, that doesn’t mean that someone else can’t help,” Ava said. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Stone?”

Cori had no doubt Ava had scoured the trust for every detail…and loophole. And she was back to calling him Mr. Stone. The kind-of flirting was over. Thank God.

“That is correct,” Evan said carefully. “You can get help. As long as you’re still the primary baker. But we, you, need to be careful not to interpret things too loosely. It does say that Cori isn’t supposed to be baking. Your father had a very specific intent behind his provisions. In your case, it was for you to be hands-on with your product.”

“Of course,” Ava said, soothingly. “I’m perfectly fine staying inside the legal boundaries of the trust.”

Evan frowned and Cori had to admit that it didn’t sound like Ava was overly concerned with their father’s intentions. But as long as she abided by the trust, everything would be fine. Supposedly.

“You’re not going to be here with us every day, are you, Mr. Stone?” Ava asked. “I assume that you have other clients and obligations?”

Evan’s eyes narrowed but he nodded. “I do have other obligations. And no, I didn’t intend to be here every day. Though,” he added, as an afterthought, “since we are dating, you should probably plan to see a lot of me.”

Ava gave him a smile that seemed less than sincere. “Wonderful.”

“And if you’re thinking about having Cori baking the pies because no one is going to know anyway, you need to be careful,” he said. “I am dedicated to fulfilling all the terms of the trust as your father intended them to be fulfilled. And I’m not the only one aware of the provisions.”

Cori really did like when he got firm like that. She had the impression that Evan was easygoing and fun-loving a lot of the time. But when it came to her father, his friend, and this stupid trust, he was resolute.

“I can promise you that I will touch every single pie that this pie shop makes,” Ava said.

Evan shook his head. “I understand that your reputation as a tough negotiator is well-earned, Miss Carmichael.”

Yeah, Cori liked when he called Ava Miss Carmichael way more than when he talked about her being his girlfriend.

“But,” Evan went on, “this isn’t something to negotiate. This is your father’s trust. And your future. Your sisters’ future.”

“I’m aware,” Ava said coolly. “And I also assure you that if anyone but me bakes these pies…” She lifted a brow. “…you will never know it.”

“But I will.”

They all swung to look at the owner of the new male voice.

There was a tall guy with dark hair and a deep scowl standing by the back door of the shop. In spite of the scowl and the way he had his arms folded, which made his biceps look big and firm, he was definitely good-looking.

“And that’s not happening,” he said.

“And who are you?” Ava asked, her chin going up and her chilly CEO voice firmly in place.

“Parker Blake.”

Ava just lifted a brow. “I’m sorry, Mr. Blake, but I’m not sure how this is any of your concern.”

“Oh, it’s my concern all right, sweetheart. You are not fucking this up. Read a cookbook, look at a few online videos, take a cooking class. But you’re making those pies and if I have to come over here every day to babysit you while you do it, I will.”

Whoa. Cori turned wide eyes to Brynn. Nobody talked to Ava like that. Or if they did, they had their balls in her pocket when they left her office.

“Wha—you must be—there is no way—” Ava spluttered.

“Okay, Parker,” Evan said, holding a hand up. “Take it easy.”

“I’m just saying,” Parker told Evan.

“I know.”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Ava demanded.

“I’m the guy who’s taking this place over after you go back to New York,” he said. “I’m also the guy who owns the diner right next door, so I can pop over and check on you any time I want. And I am the guy who does not want to have anything to do with Carmichael Enterprises. So, you will figure this pie thing out, sweetheart, and you’re going to have me watching every move you make while you do it.”

Ava seemed to have finally regained her composure, at least slightly, because she said, “What the hell would you have to do with Carmichael Enterprises?”

Huh, that was a good question. Whereas Cori was thinking that there were worse things in the world than having Parker Blake watching every move she made.

Parker glanced at Evan. Evan shook his head. Parker rolled his eyes. And suddenly Cori really wanted to know what that was all about.

“If you girls don’t fulfill the provisions of the trust, or if you fuck it up,” Parker said, “we take over Carmichael Enterprises.”

Ava’s eyebrows were nearly to her hairline. “Excuse me? Who is ‘we’?”

“Me, Evan, and Noah.”

“Hey.” Another guy stepped into the room from behind Parker. “Am I late?”

“Noah Bradley,” Evan said, “Meet Ava, Brynn, and Cori Carmichael. Ladies, Noah Bradley. And you now know the jackass, Parker Blake.”

Noah lifted a hand in greeting, though he looked chagrined. His gaze lingered on Brynn, and Cori caught her sister’s shy smile before she averted her eyes. Okay, Noah was going on the list of guys Brynn needed to date.

“You all take over the business if we don’t fulfill the trust?” Ava asked.

“That’s right. I’m going to be on your ass the whole time you’re here,” Parker said.

Ava gave him a very unimpressed look and Cori was impressed by that. How did she not have a few stray dirty thoughts going through her head when a guy that looked like Parker and had that firm, dominant air about him, said something about being on her ass?

“You are going to get your hands dirty,” Parker told Ava. “So, you might want to cut your nails and take off the polish.”

“I will handle my nails, my hands, and my pie business all on my own, thank you very much, Mr. Blake,” Ava said.

Parker shook his head. “No. You won’t. Because your sisters are supposed to help.”

Ava blew out a frustrated breath. “Yes, of course. I meant without you. And if you ever set foot in my kitchen again, I’ll have you…arrested for trespassing.”

Cori choked on a laugh. That was so over-the-top that it was clear that Parker was rattling Ava.

Parker got a sly smile on his face and unfolded his arms, tucking his hands into his front pockets. “You want to tell her or should I?” he asked, his eyes on Ava.

Who was he talking to?

But then Evan sighed. “Actually,” Evan said, looking almost like he already regretted what he was about to say. “Parker is the official manager for Blissfully Baked. It’s allowed him to continue paying the bills and for the business to go to him when the year is over. He actually has the right to be here. Whenever he wants to, really.”

It didn’t take long for Ava to process that. And what it meant. “You’re my employee then,” Ava said to Parker.

His smug smile faded slightly. “I wouldn’t really call it that.”

Ava glanced at Evan. “Would you call it that?”

“He works for you and Cori and Brynn,” Evan confirmed, looking amused suddenly as he glanced at his friend.

“So I can fire him,” Ava said.

“Actually, no,” Evan answered. “It’s also in the trust that Parker stay in his position. He can’t be fired. The only way for him to be removed would be if he was in prison. Or died.”

“I see.” Ava’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll keep those options in mind.”

And to Cori’s shock, Parker gave Ava a slow grin. “How about you just use all the brilliant brain power and determination that your dad never shut up about and learn the pretty basic skill of making a pie?”

And it seemed that Parker Blake had already figured Ava out. He’d just issued a challenge to her intelligence and drive. There was no way she was backing down from that.

“How about you get out of my kitchen and I won’t make you do all the dishes that I’m going to be getting dirty.”

Parker gave a small smile at that. “Sure thing, Boss.”

The word boss had never sounded more sarcastic.

Parker turned for the door. “But if you need any help figuring out how to actually do dishes, I’ll be right next door.” Then he was gone.

“I, uh, just wanted to say hi,” Noah said. “Guess I’ll be going too.” He grabbed the knob, but then turned back. “Oh, and Elvira’s right out front.” He tossed a set of keys in Cori’s direction and she caught them without thought.

“Elvira?” she asked.

“Your dad’s Caddy.” Noah’s smile was full of affection. “She’s clean and filled up and should run for at least a couple of months, but if you have any trouble, just bring her down.”

Her dad’s Caddy. That was named Elvira. That Noah had kept for them. “Just a couple of months?” Cori asked.

“She’s an old lady,” Noah said. “But she’s tough. Just needs a little loving nudge once in a while to keep going.”

Cori nodded and smiled at him. “Well, thanks.”

Then he disappeared through the door too.

“We have a Cadillac,” she said to her sisters.

“And an employee,” Brynn added.

Ava ignored the subject of Parker entirely. “Guess we can send the limo home then.” She seemed disappointed.

Cori laughed. “I’m guessing our commute from the house to here isn’t long enough for a conference call anyway.”

“Conference calls you’re not supposed to be having,” Brynn added.

“I can still have calls,” Ava said. She frowned at Evan. “I’m not CEO and I have to make pies, but the trust didn’t say anything about not working for Carmichael Enterprises at all.”

He nodded. “But don’t get too many things scheduled on your calendar,” he said.

“Why not?”

“Because your boyfriend is going to be taking you out and making sure you have some fun, remember?”

Ugh. Cori remembered. And hated it more every time she heard it.

“Right.” Ava, on the other hand, seemed exasperated. “Fine. But we need to put together a schedule for things so that I know when I can work and when I can’t.”

Evan shook his head. “That’s part of the deal. A little less planning, a little more spontaneity in your life.”

“Argh!” Ava ran a hand through her hair and looked around the kitchen again. “Let’s get out of here for now. I can’t start making anything without supplies.”

“There should be enough here to get started,” Evan said. “After all, Rudy was baking up until a couple of days before he…” Evan trailed off, cleared his throat, and finished, “…up until just a couple of weeks ago.”

For a moment Evan looked overcome. But Cori made herself stay put. It would not be a good idea to grab her sister’s boyfriend and hug him tightly. But damn, it was difficult. She wasn’t very good at squelching her urges.

“I’m just going to pretend that there’s a really good reason for me not to dive right in to baking today,” Ava said. “You know, other than the fact that I have no idea what I’m doing and will likely suck at it.”

And then Evan, being the nice, sweet guy that he was, stepped toward his girlfriend, put an arm around her shoulders, and said, “I’m guessing you’re not used to not knowing what you’re doing and sucking at things.”

Ugh. Yuck.

Ava smiled up at him. “No, not really.”

Gross.

Evan squeezed her and started for the door with his arm around her. “You’re going to be fine. It’s just pies. You can do this. And we’re all here for you.”

Ick.

Cori hung back, took a couple of deep breaths, gave herself a pep talk about only wanting Evan because Ava had him, and then started after them.

But when Evan kissed Ava goodbye on the lips, beside the limo, in full view of the diner, Cori actually said the ugh out loud. And then had to tell Brynn that it was nothing.

The limo had to go to the house since all of their bags were in it, but Cori volunteered to drive Elvira home. Evan gave the limo driver the address and directions—which were, “go a couple of blocks, take a left, it’s the fourth house on the right”, and then stepped back as they pulled away.

Cori was scrambling to get into Elvira before he came over and said something sweet and flirtatious to her. She wasn’t even sure he was aware of the fact that he was flirting with two sisters. Because ugh. Even if one was pretend. Though it didn’t seem entirely pretend with Ava. It seemed like Evan Stone just couldn’t shut it off.

“Need help?” he asked as she failed, again, to get the key to unlock the door.

She fumbled with the keys. “Nope, I’m good.” Then they dropped to the ground. Well, who the hell had old-fashioned car keys anymore? What happened to keyless entry and fobs and stuff?

She bent to retrieve them, but Evan got there first. He rose with the keys in hand. “You sure?”

“Absolutely sure,” she said, focusing on the car door instead of him as he inserted the key, turned it, and opened the lock.

He pulled the door open and stepped back to let her in. But before she slid into the seat, he moved in close. “Cori.”

Don’t look up. Seriously.

But she did. “You shouldn’t stand like that,” she told him.

“Why?”

“Because it looks like you’re going to kiss me. And you can’t.”

His gaze flickered to her mouth. Then he sighed. And didn’t deny that’s what he’d been thinking about. And stepped back.

Cori managed to shake her head and shut down the say to hell with it and kiss me anyway thought. “I’d better go or Brynn will claim the best bedroom without drawing a single straw.”

“You girls draw straws to make decisions?”

“Yeah, but we always make sure she wins anyway,” Cori said, sliding into the seat.

“You let Brynn win?” Evan asked. “Why?”

“Because she never asks for anything or makes any demands,” Cori said. “And she’s going to be stuck living with me and Ava in the same house for the next three hundred and sixty-five days. She deserves the best bedroom.” She started the car as Evan laughed.

“Well, look at it this way, today’s more than half over. It’s more like three hundred and sixty-four days.”

Right. But who was counting? Oh, just the girl who had to resist this guy for at least one hundred eighty-two days.