Page 35 of The Fiance Dilemma

“It doesn’t. I’m just a little overwhelmed, you’re right. And no, ifanything, I just hope the timing of the news has the opposite effect and it makes everything a little less bad.” Or makes them go away. “Like Bobbi said.”

“I don’t like that she’s putting that pressure on you. And I could take Bobbi Shark,” Adalyn offered. Her expression was serious. Very bodyguard-ish, just like I’d feared. “If she gives you trouble. You know I could. I can take Dad, too. I know he’s talking about being part of the wedding, but if you—”

“It’s okay,” I interjected. “I swear. You already have so much on your plate.” And I really didn’t want to discuss Andrew. Or Bobbi. Or any of this. “Are you still struggling with the development programs?”

Adalyn pursed her lips. “We are. It’s hard to cater to so many different age brackets with the workforce we currently have. We had a big influx of sign-ups from out of state since Dad’sTimepiece. Dad gave us a shout-out we didn’t expect to get, and it’s a blessing and a little bit of a curse. We’re trying to accommodate as many—” She tapped on her phone screen. “One sec. It’s Cam.”

“Go,” I told her. “I’m sure it’s important. And I need to take these.” I lifted the basket I’d placed on the copilot seat. “Muffins. To Robbie, as an apology. And tomorrow, I’ll give another basket to Bobbi. Also as an apology.” Adalyn arched her brows in question, dark eyes filled with curiosity. “There was an incident with a matcha latte. I’ll tell you some other day. I’m running a goat yoga class in ten minutes anyway.”

“Okay,” she said with a small smile. “I would press for that story, but I really do need to go. Cam only texts when it’s important.” I nodded my head, already throwing the driver’s door open, when Adalyn said, “Hey Josie?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really happy about the two of you. And I get it. Why you hid it from me. It hurts a little, but this whole sister thing is new for metoo. I’ve never had a sibling before, and some days I don’t know how to have one. I would have definitely freaked out at the possibility of ruining things with you.”

A weight seemed to lift off my shoulders, though for the wrong reasons. Adalyn didn’t mean it the way I wished. But I chose to believe that when the time came, she’d remember her words. “I love you. Give Cam a hug. Good luck!”

“You didn’t have to,” Robbie said, taking the basket off my hands.

I learned early in life that a basket of freshly baked mini muffins would always smooth out the sharpest of edges. Liz Moore’s had been known across all the county, and mine weren’t that far from Mom’s. Or at the very least, they’d never failed me. “I think I really do.”

“I should be the one apologizing. I lost it for a second there.” He shook his head. “I swear I didn’t do anything to the latte. I did consider it, though, which is just as bad. That woman… She’s something else. And María has been picking up on everything lately. She’s no longer my baby girl, I’m afraid.”

She really wasn’t. The kid had always been sharp and mature for her age in her own way. Which Iknewwas a product of losing her mom so early in life. The weight of which I could see right now in Robbie’s gaze.

“You know María is her own person,” I countered with an easy smile. “Even if she is eleven years old. There’s nothing you could have done to stop her if she thought Bobbi deserved a matcha latte with a pinch of tabasco. We all but invaded your property. So the muffins are the least I could do. Bobbi’s my responsibility.”

He sighed. “You’re not responsible for her actions. Don’t put that on yourself, Josie.” He stole a glance at the group of people behindme. “Anyway. How was the class? Did any of the goats give you a hard time? The new kids have been a complete nightmare, and I was hesitant to have them out today.”

“No hardships to report,” I said with a little salute. “I love those furry monsters rolling around the mats.” I threw him a wink. “And the baby goats, too.”

Robbie laughed in response, and I felt an ease, a sense of normalcy I’d been missing these past few days. This was one of the things I loved about my life in Green Oak. The apparent simplicity I was always working on spicing up. I ran activities like goat yoga—or Green Oak’s Goat Happy Hour, as it was advertised in our pamphlet—pottery night; pre- and postgame get-togethers, no matter if the Warriors won or lost; and seasonal fun events like the haunted pumpkin patch, the star of our Fall Fest. Mayor or not, I adored doing all of that. It was my way to show up for my community. Just like I had today with the muffins for the Vasquezes after Bobbi hijacked their farm. Change, as I loved to think, challenged you in a way not much else would. But I’d had enough of that this week. A girl still needed something to hold on to when the road bent and turned a little too much. Yoga, muffins, baby goats.

“All right.” I tugged at the towel around my neck. “I should probably let you get back to it and throw a hoodie on before I cool off. I’m so swea—”

Lips brushed against my cheek, just as a warm and solid body gently eased against my back.

My spine stiffened with surprise.

“Hi,babycakes,”was murmured in my ear.

Matthew,my mind screamed. Fiancé. Engagement. Ring.

“Hi,” I croaked. “Mattsie-Boo?”

Matthew laughed easily, and before I could grimace at myself, his arm snaked around my front, palm slipping under the towel andsetting up camp over my collarbone. I felt myself flush. Toes to the roots of my hair.

“Robbie,” Matthew said in acknowledgment before switching his voice back to… his fiancé voice? “Did I miss the class? Damn, I was hoping to make at least the last few minutes. Mmh, I would have loved to watch.”

My lips twitched a few times, dazed by everything, really. That mmh. That voice. The feel of… Matthew, suddenly there. Everywhere. Much like during the photoshoot, when we’d been against a fence, and he’d been—I stopped myself.

“Boy,” I said with an awkward-sounding chuckle. “You missed nothing. Just me, sweating like a glassblower’sarse,like Cameron would say.”

I really did grimace then. Cameron had never said that.

“Cute,” Matthew said, and I swore I could hear the smile on that word. “And sweaty. Just how I like.”

A laugh seemed to be strangled out of me before I blurted out a “Yummy.”

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