After her tears dried, Donna noticed the boat had been put back in the boathouse. She’d definitely ruined her chance to get to know Blackwell better. Everything was a mess because she’d allowed herself to wallow in the past. She fished her cell phone out of her back pocket and decided the cost of a call to the states didn’t matter. A few rings later, she heard the hello of the only person who would understand. She sniffled and said, “Beth.”

“Donna! It’s good to hear from you.” Her friend sounded happy and Donna imagined that she’d probably just finished in her garden outside. “I spoke to a Martina Oberlin and she told me you were with her son.”

Good--Beth knew some of her situation then. Tears started, but she sniffed them back. She clutched the phone. “Beth, I messed everything up. Blackwell said he loved me, but all I can do is think about how unlovable I am and I don’t want to fall in love because love sucks. I wish you were here because I don’t know what to do now.”

Beth sighed and asked in a low voice, “How do you feel about Blackwell?”

Her heart whispered one thing but she couldn’t imagine it was true. No one falls in love that fast. She rubbed her eyes that had stopped leaking tears. “I don’t know. He’s the most amazing man I’ve ever met, but I just don’t know how to trust him. He has to marry in a few months. I thought we’d have time to get to know one another but now I think I’ve ruined everything.”

The mmhmm sound Beth made calmed Donna. Beth said, “You never dealt with Harry’s betrayal. This is all related to that jerk of an ex.”

She’d hated giving Harry that power and she’d been proud about not crying over his hurtful actions. She’d simply gone to work without the ring and told Beth over coffee that morning that he was gone. Now she hugged her waist and felt her heart speeding up. “We saw Harry in Venice. He asked me if we could meet once I returned to Miami.”

Beth asked in an incredulous voice, “And you slapped him?”

His apology had been nice but she’d realized right then that she hadn’t loved Harry. She liked the security he’d offered but it wasn’t love. She swallowed. “No. I walked away with Blackwell.”

Beth made a pfft sound like she would have handled everything different. “He only said that because it was obvious you’d moved on. You should have smacked that stupid boy.”

A slap wouldn’t have changed anything. Her stomach clenched from all her crying earlier but the tears threatened to return. She’d made a huge mistake with Blackwell and didn’t see how she could fix it. She took a deep breath. “Beth, Blackwell asked me to marry him and I told him I needed to think about it.”

“Oh, well that sounds promising.” Donna heard her opening and closing something in the background and wondered what time it was in Miami—she hadn’t thought, just called, in need of a friend.

“I know nothing about being a duchess, so he brought me to Woodbridge Hall. I wanted to see if I could fit, you know? And I just met this other woman who thinks she’s to be his bride. She was so beautiful.” Classy, perfect, exactly what a duchess should be.

Beth stopped whatever she was doing and said, “So are you. Your parents loved each other and you, sweetie. What happened to them was a tragic accident, but not the norm. Look, I’m Googling flights to Avce now. I can be there in the morning.”

Goodness. Beth sounded like her therapist. “No!” She was supposed to remember the good in her life and stop putting negatives out there but today she’d fallen backwards on her ten-plus years of progress. She wiped her eyes. Part of this trip was to find herself and be stronger about going after what she wanted, but she’d failed that too. “Don’t. I am coming home.”

Beth quickly said, “Don’t you dare. I’m buying a ticket now and I’ll get a room. We can discuss our next move when I get there.”

Donna couldn’t continue on a vacation, not like this. She needed to get a job with benefits so she could see her therapist again, not sit and feel sorry for herself while Blackwell asked another woman to marry him. The thought left her numb. “I’ll be better at home.”

Beth typed and clicked something on her computer. “Be honest—how do you feel about Blackwell?”

Blackwell was perfect and deserved to find someone who could fit into his life. She was a complete mess. “He’s wonderful but I ruined my shot.”

Beth took a deep breath. “You could lose your chance at true love, sweetie. If you come home now, you could regret it for the rest of your life.”

Hadn’t she already? She rubbed her arms and wished she had the hope she heard in her friend’s voice. “There is nothing I can do.”

“We’ll talk about when I get there. I bought my ticket.”

Now she had to stay.... Beth was her only real friend, her only ally that understood. She let out a sigh. “Okay. I’ll get us a room then. I can’t stay here. I need to get my bag.”

Beth repeated like she was her mother. “Wait for me.”

Her heart raced. If she had to wait for long she’d drive herself crazy. But it would be good to have someone she trusted close. She nodded. “Thanks, Beth. I’ll text you the address for the inn.”

Beth sounded as if she was walking around her condo. “My flight gets in at six in the morning. I’ll meet you for breakfast.”

The phone was warm on her right ear but she closed her eyes and tried to breathe normally. If she could figure out what to do, what she wanted to do, then she had a start on beginning again. “And what should I do now?”

“Find a way to sort out how you feel,” Beth said. “If you love Blackwell, can you admit it to yourself? Don’t let Harry’s idiocy destroy your future. Sometimes you have to take a chance.”

“She was really pretty.” Donna thought about Chelsea’s blonde updo. She was perfect, right down to her peach leather flats.

Beth suddenly asked, “Why did he ask two women to marry him?”

Right. Blackwell had told her that he’d had to get married and that he had a plan in place. That plan must have been Chelsea. In a robotic tone she explained, “There is a law here that nobility has to marry before thirty. Blackwell claims he wants to marry me, but he’d already made a different proposal. If he doesn’t marry, then he and his mother lose Woodbridge Hall.”

“His mother hoped you and her son were going to end up together. She was funny on the phone actually. She sounded like she wanted you in her family, so I was open with her.”

Yes, Martina was wonderful. Donna hadn’t met someone so vibrant in a long time. “She’s funny in person too.”

“Donna, I wish you saw in yourself what everyone else sees in you. Promise me you’ll meet me at the inn.”

“I will.” Now she had to go inside, get her bag and escape without seeing Blackwell. She couldn’t imagine any apology she’d say being good enough to fix this mess. She wasn’t sure she could do this, but she stood from the bench and walked toward the house. “I’ll go now.”

Beth said, “Okay. Get some dinner and just relax. Don’t move until I get there. We’ll sort everything out soon.”

Calm eased through her. She stopped on the path and closed her eyes. “You’re the closest thing I have to family.”

“I know dear. It’s why I’m coming.”

She opened her eyes and began to walk forward again. “What if Blackwell doesn’t let me get my stuff?”

“Don’t be negative or stupid. If you love him, listen to your heart and do the hard thing for you. Believe.”

Life wasn’t a romantic movie. Her shoulder slumped, but at the same time, she let her heart lead her feet. Did she love Blackwell? She’d never met anyone like him though not seeing him again left her feeling empty and unable to think clearly. “I don’t know.”

“Look, why don’t you give your old therapist a call?”

Wise. Beth knew her, but maybe she could figure this out on her own without paying that bill. She nodded as she continued along the path. “Maybe I will, but not until I get the room. I don’t want anyone to overhear that conversation.”

“Okay, see you soon.” Beth hung up the phone.

Donna stared at the white house that was bigger than the White House itself. Blackwell’s life was larger than life. He deserved love and happiness, but so did she. She needed to decide fast if she could move past her own self-sabotage. Going to her dark place emotionally wasn’t good.

She must look a mess, but she walked up to the front door and slipped inside. If she saw Blackwell, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. There was no way “I’m sorry” was going to fix what she’d broken.