A draft rippled the papers on Adam’s desk. He looked up from his computer and his heart lifted. Angel. He hadn’t expected to see her here again.

“Hi.” He stood from his desk and walked around to the other side, afraid to get too close to her. She wore a turquoise shirt over blue jeans, nothing fancy, but she would be beautiful in anything.

“Hi,” she said tentatively.

“Donuts?” He leaned against the edge of his desk, and gestured to the white box she held in her hands.

She looked down at it, then met his eyes. “No. They’re ‘I’m sorry’ Danishes.”

A smile spread across his lips. “Cherry?”

She grinned back at him. “Yes.” She opened the box to reveal a dozen cherry Danishes.

He lifted his eyebrows. “You must have thought I was really hungry.”

“Aren’t you always?” she teased.

He glared at her. “Funny.”

Her mood turned serious. “I really am sorry. I know you were only keeping my grandmother a secret because she asked you to.”

He closed his eyes for a moment. “I felt horrible keeping it from you.”

“I know.” She put the pastries down on his desk and came closer to him. The scent of gardenias floated in the air, making his office reminiscent of a flower garden. His pulse increased with every step she took. When she was about a foot away, she halted.

He reached his fingers out to tentatively touch her hand. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Angel smiled and threaded her fingers through his. She peered into his eyes. “Don’t ever lie to me again though, okay?”

He pulled her closer. “I’ll never lie to you, but with my career, there may be things that I’m not able to tell you.”

She flinched and his heart stopped. Was that a deal breaker?

She took a deep breath. “I can live with that.”

“Good.” He ran his hand up the curve of her neck and cupped her head behind her ears, caressing her silky hair with his thumb and forefinger. It still amazed him how quickly she’d become such an integral part of his life.

She sighed and put her hands on his shoulders. Taking it as an invitation, he bent his head and kissed her softly on the lips. She closed her eyes and sank into him.

After a moment, he lowered his hands to her upper arms and gazed into her eyes. “I know we haven’t been in each other’s lives for long, but I feel like we’ve known each other forever. When you weren’t talking to me, it felt like a part of me was missing.” He searched her face, hoping she felt the same way.

She smiled at him, her eyes glistening with happy tears. “It was hard for me too. I’ve never had that with anyone else before, so I knew what we had was special.”

Adam’s heart swelled with joy and he pulled her close again, never wanting to let her go. Being here with her was worth everything they’d gone through to arrive at this moment and he couldn’t wait to see what the future would bring for the two of them.

* * *

Butterflies fluttered in Angel’s stomach as she stood outside Off the Vine. It had been two days since the Sweethearts’ Dance on Valentine’s Day and this was the first time she’d seen everyone since then. Gretchen would be there and she felt horrible about the way she’d treated her friend at the dance. She knew Gretchen had been caught in the middle between Adam and Angel as they worked through the secrecy over her grandmother. Would she be mad? She didn’t want to lose Gretchen’s friendship, and as her tenant, it would make things awkward if they weren’t on good speaking terms.

She took a deep breath and entered the dimly lit restaurant. The other women had managed to snag the prime corner booth, which was big enough to seat everyone in their growing crowd. Dahlia, Maggie, and Gretchen were already there.

Dahlia eyed Angel. “Well, you look a lot happier than the last time I saw you.” Maggie and Gretchen nodded.

“I am.” Angel looked around the wine bar. It was weird how everything seemed so much brighter now that she wasn’t carrying around so many heavy emotions. Gretchen didn’t look too mad—in fact, she’d never looked so happy.

“Did everything turn out okay between you and Adam?” Gretchen asked.

Angel smiled. “It did.” Her expression fell. “And I’m so sorry about how I treated you. I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you.”

Gretchen leaned over and gave her a quick hug. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it, and I felt bad not telling you too. Adam was miserable about not telling you, so I’m glad you forgave him. He deserves a second chance.”

Angel turned to Maggie. “And I ran out of the dance without complimenting you on how lovely everything was. I have to admit, I had my doubts, but the barn was gorgeous.”

“Thanks. I was pretty happy with it too. And it seems like other people in town liked what we’ve done with the place. We’ve already had several inquiries about booking events there in the coming months.”

“Did I miss anything else?” She glanced from friend to friend. They all wore mischievous grins.

“Oh, maybe just a little,” Charlotte said, coming up behind her with a huge grin on her face. She put her hand on Gretchen’s shoulder. “Gretchen? Do you have anything to show Angel?” She slid into the booth next to Angel, staring pointedly at Gretchen.

Gretchen blushed, but held up her left hand, revealing a beautiful sparking diamond.

Angel’s eyes widened. “Parker proposed?”

“Yes. On Valentine’s Day, at the dance. Cheesy, right?” Her cheeks glowed with the happiness that cosmetics manufacturers tried so hard to emulate.

“Maybe a little, but I’m so happy for you. Besides, that ring makes up for it.” She grabbed Gretchen’s hand to examine the ring closer.

“Yeah, my brother’s finally settling down.” Charlotte laughed when Gretchen glared at her. “And I couldn’t be more happy about it.” She grinned goofily at her future sister-in-law.

“Enough about me.” Gretchen waved her hand in the air.

“Well, I have some news.” Dahlia looked around at them. “Garrett and I are thinking about taking a several-month-long trip to Europe. I’ve never been and since we want to have kids soon, we figured now would be a good time.”

Maggie smiled and rubbed her hands together. “Ooh. It’ll be so nice to have a friend who has children too.”

“Hey, what are the rest of us, chopped liver?” Gretchen asked.

“No, but having kids changes you. You always have to consider their needs when making a decision. Even going out for drinks with friends can become a logistical nightmare.” Maggie made a face. “I’m glad Jake and Alex get along so well.”

“Yeah, when’s your wedding?” Angel grinned at her boss. If she was going to be part of this group, she wanted to join in on the good-natured teasing that seemed rampant among them.

“As soon as possible—my apartment lease is up soon and I can’t wait to move into the farmhouse. Oh, and Jake’s a pretty good reason too,” Maggie joked. “Seriously though, with the barn renovations, I haven’t had much time to think about it. Maybe we’ll have a double wedding with Gretchen and Parker.”

Gretchen’s eyebrows shot up. “Um…we haven’t really planned it out yet.”

“I’m kidding!” Maggie took a big sip of her Pinot Gris. “We want a quiet ceremony, with just family and a few friends. Of course, all of you will be invited.”

“What about you?” Angel asked Charlotte. “I heard you have a painting in an exhibition in Seattle.”

Charlotte’s eyes lit up. “I do. They took one of my ocean scenes. It starts in a few weeks.”

“That’s amazing,” Angel said.

“I know. I’ve been trying for years to get noticed. I’m hoping this is my big break.”

“I knew you could do it.” Maggie held up her glass. “Here’s a toast to all of us. May our success continue.”

They all toasted and cheered so loudly that more than a few of the other customers turned to stare at them. Angel cheekily tipped her glass at the onlookers. They smiled and went back to their own business.