After the incident with Freya, I took a long, hard look at my own baggage. Rhett had asked me to be his girlfriend. I didn’t have to be a genius to know the correct answer. Of course, I’d said yes. We’d promised each other a fresh start, one free from ex-wives and angry sisters. If we were going to have a chance at happiness, I needed to straighten out my relationship with Jo. Rhett already had enough issues of his own; I didn’t want him to deal with mine, too.

I went to the coffee shop and was surprised to find Dad at the front counter. His blue eyes brightened at the sight of me. For the first time since Mom’s death, the dark circles from beneath his eyes had faded and a pleasant smile tilted his mouth.

“Pickle. Come here. Give your old man a hug.” He spread his arms wide, and I fell into them. No one gave a better hug than my dad, except maybe Rhett. He smelled of shampoo and aftershave, not a hint of beer on his breath.

“Hi, Daddy. What are you doing here?” We broke apart when a customer came to the counter. I waited while he took the order and rang it up.

“Your sister needed help.” I ignored the dig at my absence. “Business is booming.” His chest swelled with pride. “She’s done a great job of turning things around.”

“Yes. She’s amazing,” I said. He’d never shown this much excitement over any of my accomplishments, but if it got him out of the house, I was good with it. I didn’t need his approval to know I’d made a success of my life. The realization hit me like a fist to the gut. I was going to be okay. “Is she here?”

“Jo, get your ass out here.” Dad bellowed her name, his voice booming around the shop, causing the patrons to smile.

“What?” She pushed through the swinging doors, wiping her hands on her apron as she walked. Her gaze fell on me and a pucker appeared between her brows. “Oh, hi.”

“Hi,” I said, suddenly feeling nervous. Her happiness meant a lot to me, and I’d made her unhappy.

“What’s up?” She leaned a hip against the bakery display case. I should have known she wouldn’t make this easy.

“I came to apologize. I’m sorry for being shitty to you the other day.”

A glimmer of tears sparkled in her eyes. The line of tension across her forehead softened. “Oh, pickle, I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have stuck my nose into your personal life. You’re a grown-ass woman, and if you want to spend time with Rhett, it’s not my business. I know you’re responsible, and I’m proud of the woman you’ve become.”

“Thank you.” I threw my arms around her neck and squeezed until she protested. “And I’m sorry I called you an old maid. You’re not old or a maid.” She giggled and pushed me away. “But you are bossy.”

“I know.” She dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her apron. “I’m a mess, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, but you’re my mess, and I love you.” We smiled at each other. It was the best feeling, having her back in my life.

“So, what happened with Rhett? He sure gave me a piece of his mind the other day. I almost liked him,” Jo said.

“You talked to Rhett?”

“Yeah.” A blush of embarrassment tinted her cheeks, and she glanced away. “I went to his office after our fight and lit his ass up for treating you so badly after the Seaforth party. He didn’t tell you?”

“No.” I bit my bottom lip, contemplating the implications. She’d tried to protect me, as she always had, and Rhett had stood up for me. Warmth spread across my chest. Maybe he cared for me more than he’d let on. “He asked me to be his girlfriend.”

“No way. Shut the fuck up.” Jo shoved my shoulder, her mouth agape. Just like that, we were back to our old selves and everything was right with the world.

I filled her in on the events of the past few weeks, leaving out the sexy parts, because those were too personal to share with anyone. Jo listened, her dark eyes intent on my face, hanging on every word. And that was why I loved her—she listened, she cared, and she was my best friend.

“You deserve to be happy, Bronte. I’m excited for you.” The smile fell from her lips when the bell rang over the door. I followed her gaze across the room to the muscular, bearded guy approaching the counter. “Fuck. It’s him.” She ducked down, pretending to inspect the floor behind the cash register.

“What are you doing?” I asked. “Who’s him?”

“That guy. He’s Rhett’s friend, Carter. He was there when I was giving Rhett hell.” She heaved a heavy sigh. “He’s been in here every day this week.”

“And people say I’m crazy,” I said with a laugh, watching her cringe as Carter approached.

“Hey. You must be Bronte.” He jerked his chin at me. My eyes met the clearest, most ornery pair of brown eyes I’d ever seen. “I’m Carter. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Hi.” We shook hands. I waited for the shyness to overtake me, but it never came. Rhett had nothing but good things to say about Carter, and I trusted Rhett’s opinions. “Can I help you?”

“Well, yeah. For starters, I’d love to know what your sister is doing down there.” One of his thick eyebrows lifted.

“I have no idea.” Jo pinched my shin. I winced, smiling anyway. “She’s strange like that.”

Jo slowly rose to her full height, her cheeks crimson. She cleared her throat. “I dropped—something.”

“Think I could get some coffee?” he asked, staring straight into her eyes. Sexual tension stretched between them, so thick and so obvious that even I noticed it.

“Sure.” Her blush deepened to the color of a tomato.

Carter turned and sauntered to one of the small tables—Rhett’s table.

“Well, go on,” I said, shoving a menu into Jo’s hands and nudging her toward Carter. “Try to be nice.”

“He makes me nervous.” She tugged her lower lip between her teeth.

“It won’t kill you to make a little conversation with the customers.” I pushed her shoulder. “Now, get over there and pretend he’s ugly.”