Angel had debated whether or not to meet Maggie and their friends at Pete’s Pizza for dinner. Her breakup with Adam was fresh, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to get into it with the other girls. She found herself lying on the couch in her pajamas, staring at some infomercial on TV. Get it together, Angel. You’ve got to get out of the house.

After a shower and fresh clothes, she didn’t feel great, but she felt marginally better. They’d arranged to meet at the pizza place at six o’clock, but she must have walked faster than she realized because she was the first of the group to arrive.

“Would you like to be seated now, or when the rest of your party arrives?” the waitress asked.

She looked around the restaurant. There were a few tables left, and even fewer that would hold the five of them. “If there’s a table available now, I’ll take it. The rest of my group should be here soon.”

The waitress led her to a long booth in the corner of the restaurant and handed her a menu. Angel slid across the vinyl seat and quickly selected a glass of red wine from the menu. After giving the waitress her order, she sat back and scanned the room.

After doing so, she wished she hadn’t. Pete’s Pizza was full of happy couples out on dates, reminding her too much of her recent date with Adam. It was hard to believe that only a few days ago, she’d thought that they would have a future together.

Charlotte was the first to join her. “You don’t look so hot,” she said.

“Thanks.” Angel self-consciously combed through her hair.

“No, I mean you look exhausted.” She examined Angel more closely. “Are you okay?”

“No. I broke up with Adam.” Her eyes became blurry with unshed tears.

Charlotte climbed into the same side of the booth as Angel, and gave her a big hug. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought things were going well for you two.”

“I thought so too. But things weren’t exactly as I thought. I don’t really want to get into it tonight.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman kiss her date on the cheek, and then watched as he fed her a bite of pizza. If she managed to get through this night without becoming a bawling mess, it would be a miracle.

“Is there anything I can do?” Charlotte peered at her.

“No. I’ll be alright. This is probably the best thing for me to do. I was going crazy alone in my house.”

The waitress came over with Angel’s Merlot and she accepted it gratefully.

“Miss, can I order too please?” Charlotte asked. She gave the waitress her drink order just as Maggie and Gretchen came in the door at the same time. The waitress waited for them to get settled and then left with their drink orders as well.

“Dahlia can’t make it tonight. Something about inventory at the bookstore again.” Maggie flipped through the pizza menu.

“That’s too bad,” Angel said.

“Yeah, maybe we should bring her a slice of pizza after we’re done.” Charlotte said.

Maggie nodded. “I bet she’d love that. Inventorying all those books can’t be a fun job.”

They ordered a large pepperoni pizza and a medium Thai-flavored pizza topped with peanut sauce and chicken.

Angel felt Maggie’s eyes on her.

“Are you sick, Angel? I know you didn’t have to work today, but you don’t look so good.”

“She broke up with Adam,” Charlotte said.

Angel stared down at the table, biting her lower lip.

Maggie and Gretchen gave her incredulous looks.

“Oh honey, you broke up with Adam?” Maggie asked, her eyes full of sympathy.

A tear dripped down Angel’s face as she nodded yes. Maggie dug in her purse and handed her a tissue.

“Thanks.” Angel swiped at her face and did her best to convince herself that the breakup had been for the best.

“What happened?” Gretchen asked.

Angel felt odd telling Gretchen anything about her relationship with Adam, because she knew that they were lifelong friends. “We just weren’t right for each other. We’re too different.”

Gretchen narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at Angel, but said nothing. Maggie seemed to notice Angel’s distress and clapped her hands to change the subject.

“Well, I have some good news. The Sorensen Farm’s barn passed inspection, so we’re good to go on the Sweethearts’ Dance.”

“That’s awesome,” Charlotte said. “I can’t wait to see it.”

Maggie’s eyes took on a dreamy look. “Me neither. I have so many plans for it, but this will be the trial run. Fingers crossed it goes well.”

Gretchen patted her on the shoulder. “I’m sure it will. And I know we’ll all be there to cheer you on, right girls?”

Everyone nodded.

Maggie smiled. “Thanks.”

The waitress came by with their food and they were soon engrossed in eating.

“This Thai pizza is surprisingly good,” Angel said as she took another bite.

“I don’t think it’s my style,” said Maggie, wrinkling her nose. “I’m sticking with pepperoni.”

“Have you tried that new pizza place in Haven Shores?” Gretchen asked. “Adam reviewed it in the paper a few weeks ago and I’ve been dying to try it out. Maybe we could meet there next time.”

“Sure,” Charlotte said. “I’m up for it.” She grabbed another slice of Thai pizza.

“Adam took me there while we were dating,” Angel said in a quiet voice. A sharp pain sliced through her gut at the memory of that perfect date.

The conversation stopped and Gretchen’s eyes bugged out. “I’m sorry, Angel, I didn’t know.”

Angel forced a smile. “Don’t worry about it. You should definitely try it. It was great.”

“You know, I heard there’s a new Thai restaurant in Haven Shores,” Charlotte said. “We could try that instead.”

“I don’t know. I’m not big on cilantro. It tastes so soapy to me.” Maggie frowned.

“I’m pretty sure they have dishes without cilantro,” Gretchen said dryly.

Angel tuned out the rest of their conversation, still thinking about her date with Adam. From her position at the booth, she had a clear view of the entrance to the restaurant. A man came in, who she instantly recognized as Adam. She stiffened. What was he doing here?

He stood in line, waiting for his turn to order. After examining the menu, he turned and their eyes locked. His face whitened and Angel dropped her gaze downward. In her peripheral vision, she saw him wheel around and dart out the door without ordering. She let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. Seeing him had been ten times worse than she’d expected.

“Angel?” Charlotte’s voice cut into her thoughts and she brought her attention back to her own table.

“Uh-huh?” She tilted her head up and gave a little laugh. “Sorry, I must have been daydreaming.”

She went back to talking with her friends, determined not to let things with Adam ruin this night out with them.

* * *

After seeing Angel and her friends in a booth at the pizzeria, Adam had left without even ordering the pepperoni pizza he’d been craving all day. Hungry and depressed, he’d slunk over to his sister Sarah’s house. He stood on the porch, waiting for her to answer the door. The temperature was hovering just above freezing. Why, oh why had the groundhog seen its shadow? He didn’t think he could take much more of the cold weather.

“Hey,” Sarah said, opening the door. “Are you okay? You look awful.”

“I feel awful.” He followed her out of the cold and into the warm house.

As soon as they were inside, she hammered him with questions. “What’s wrong? Are you sick? Does Mom know?”

“I’m not sick.” He looked around the house. “Do you have any junk food?”

She eyed him. “Uh, I think I’ve got some tortilla chips. What’s going on with you?”

“I messed up. There was this girl I was seeing and now she hates me.”

“Whoa. Girl trouble?” She grabbed his arm. “Sit down. I want to hear more.” She hurried out of the room and returned in a minute with a bag of tortilla chips and a bowl of salsa.

“So what happened? Why does she hate you? And how long were you dating? I don’t remember you saying anything about dating anyone recently.”

“Her name is Angel and she’s new in town. Actually, her mom is from Candle Beach and she came here to find out more about her family.”

“Okay, so what happened? Adam, get to the point!” She handed him a glass of wine.

Her eyes were popping out and her body seemed to be humming with impatience. Had it really been that long since he’d talked about dating anyone?

“She asked me to help her find her family and I agreed. Trouble is, I found her grandmother, Mary, and she didn’t want me to tell Angel about her. I finally got her to agree to tell Angel herself, but until she does, I promised her I wouldn’t say anything. Angel found out I’d been keeping a secret from her and now she wants nothing to do with me.”

“Ouch. You really care about this girl, don’t you?” Sarah eyed him from her perch on the arm of a chair. She stood to refill her wine glass, tipping the wine bottle toward him to ask if he would like more.

He nodded miserably. “Yes, and yes,” he said nodding to the bottle. He sighed. “I haven’t known her very long, but somehow I can imagine spending the rest of my life with her.” Misery coursed throughout his veins. “She’s beautiful and funny and smart and kind. A woman that I thought I’d never be able to find. And now I’ve lost her.”

Sarah curled up in the chair, sipping her wine and gazing at him thoughtfully. “Adam, you’re my brother, so don’t let this go to your head, but you’re actually quite a catch. Any woman would be lucky to have you.”

“Thanks.” He dropped his head into his hands and then glanced up at her. “Was I wrong to keep my promise to Mary?”

“I don’t know.”

“When I was talking with Mary, I could tell that she wanted to have a relationship with Angel, and I knew Angel wanted that more than anything. It seemed like the best thing to do was to honor Mary’s wishes and not let Angel know about her until she was ready to do so herself.” He leaned back against the cushions of the couch. “And now it’s such a mess.”

“I think it will all work out. She’ll come to her senses and realize you didn’t hurt her on purpose. Besides, at least you’ve been lucky enough to find the girl of your dreams. I don’t think I’ll ever find the right man for me, not here in Candle Beach.”

He sat up. “Are you thinking about leaving? I feel like you just came back here.”

“It’s been a few years. For some reason I thought coming back to Candle Beach would feel like coming home, and it has been in some ways. I love being close by to see Mom and Dad and you and Jenny and her kids. I feel like I missed out on seeing Charlie when he was a baby.” She stood and paced the room. “But it’s not the same as when I left. All my friends have moved away. They’re all getting married and having kids, and here I am stuck in this small town, with not much chance of finding Mr. Right.”

He stared at his sister, seeing her in a new light. He had no idea that she felt that way. Had he been so caught up in the newspaper and then lately with Angel that he’d ignored her?

“I’m sure you’ll find someone. I mean, I thought the same thing until the day that Angel dropped my cherry Danish on the floor at the café.” His voice caught, thinking about Angel.

A glimmer of a smile appeared on Sarah’s face. “Is that how you met?”

“I haven’t told you about that, have I?”

“No, I didn’t even know about her until you showed up on my doorstep this evening, telling me that she’s breaking up with you.” She feigned a glare at her brother. “How is it that we have dinner with you every Sunday night and yet this is the first that I’ve heard about the mysterious Angel?”

He sighed. “I guess I have a lot on my mind.” He grabbed a chip from the bowl that she had sat on the coffee table and dipped it into the ultra-hot salsa. Sarah was well known in the family for having a cast-iron stomach.

“Okay.” She stared at him expectantly. “Are you going to tell me about how you met?”

“Oh yeah,” he said sheepishly. He finished the chip that was covered in a generous amount of salsa, causing the roof of his mouth to burn. He slugged down some wine. “So, you know how I love getting some sort of donut or pastry in the mornings for breakfast?”

“Or for lunch or for a snack, or really any time of the day,” she interjected.

He glared at her. “I’m not that bad. Anyway, Angel is the baker for the Bluebonnet Café, but she was filling in for the person at the cash register when I met her. There was one cherry Danish left, and I was so excited to get it because they were always out by the time I got in there. Somehow, the bag with the Danish fell to the floor when she was handing it to me, and there went my breakfast.”

“I bet she felt bad.”

He smiled, remembering how cute she’d been in her embarrassment.

“She did. She made extra for me the next morning, and said that she’d someday make me a full dozen.” He slumped against the back of the couch. “So you’re a woman, what do I do now?”

“Uh, you beg for forgiveness.” She leaned forward, looking directly at him.

“But what if she won’t talk to me again?”

“I’m willing to bet she’ll talk to you, but if not, you’re going to have to make some kind of grand gesture.”

“Like in the movies?” He wrinkled his nose. “I don’t think I have a boom box to blast love songs at her window.”

“Adam, seriously?” Sarah shook her head. “How are men so dumb sometimes?”

Channeling his inner child, he stuck his tongue out at her. “That’s what they do in the movies, right?” Then he sobered. “Seriously though, I don’t know what I can do to make her forgive me.”

“Well, you’d better figure it out. She’s not going to wait forever.”

He stood from the couch and stretched before putting his coat on. “I’d better get home. Otis is probably wondering where I am. Thanks for everything.”

“No problem, big brother.” She followed him to the door and reached up to give him a hug. “It will work out, I promise.”

“I hope so.” He walked back out into the cold, shivering as he jammed his bare hands into his coat pockets. He hoped Sarah knew what she was talking about and that he could think of something to make Angel forgive him. At the moment, he didn’t know what that would be.