Page 40 of The Fiance Dilemma

The Sharkie I’d been drinking almost left me through my nose.

“Josie?” Gabriel asked from the other side of the counter. “You good, honey?”

I patted my chest, then appeased both my friend and the concerned glances from my customers with a wave. “Yes,” I rushed. “Sure. I just got a text from Adalyn.”

“Oh, nice.” Gabriel smiled. “What did she say?”

I glanced down at the notification.

ADALYN:Did you know Dad is coming?

“She…” I trailed off. “Just some random stuff. About the club.”

Gabriel’s brows arched. “That’s exactly what I mean. You were never this guarded and… secretive, Josie. And I’m starting to get a little worried. Not about having to read—or hear—all the details about your life on some gossip page, but about whether this whole thing is starting to get to you.”

I nodded my head slowly, my brain still hung up on that text. “Can you give me a sec?”

My friend huffed out a “Sure,” and I tapped on Adalyn’s message.

JOSIE:What do you mean Andrew’s coming?

ADALYN:He’s on his way to NC. His assistant just emailed.

My knees buckled under my weight for a second, making me stumble against the counter of Josie’s Joint.

“Whoa,” Gabriel called. “Are you okay? What was that? Josie—”

I stopped him with a big, bright smile. “I’m perfect. Just tripped over a milk carton. You know I get clumsy when I’m hungry, and it’s almost lunchtime. Do you want something to eat? I think I’m going to switch on the jumbo sandwich grill. Get us two nice, big sandwiches.”

Gabriel stared at me for a long moment. “Okay?”

“Awesome!” I chirped. “Now just give me a sec.”

His lips popped open, but I was already turning around, phone in hand.

JOSIE:On his way now? As in today? Or on his way as in, maybe soon/eventually?

ADALYN:He’s already boarded the flight and will land at some point this afternoon in Charlotte.

A strange sound escaped me. Or maybe it didn’t. I was almost sure I had stopped breathing. I… Shit. Shoot. Crap. I brought my hand to my forehead, feeling a little faint. Andrew was on his way. To North Carolina. To Green Oak. And I—

I switched chats, purely on automatic. Matthew’s opened.There weren’t any texts. My fingers moved over the keyboard. I didn’t know why or how Matthew could help, but a very specific part of my brain was in charge and it was the one typing away. I hit send.

A new notification popped up. My sister. I switched back to her chat.

ADALYN:Are you okay? Do you want me to call you?

ADALYN:Do you want me to drive up to Green Oak? I can be there in an hour. I’ll stay with you.

JOSIE:No.

Shoot. I’d hit send too fast. It sounded so harsh. I took a deep breath and told myself to chill. This was just Andrew. My father. Coming to my state and my town. I didn’t need to make a big deal out of it.

JOSIE:I’m good, I promise.

JOSIE:It just caught me off guard. I had no idea he was coming.

Just as I typed that, I realized the reason why I probably didn’t. Bobbi’s text. I’d never answered or called her back. Not last night after Matthew walked me home, or this morning. I’d been meaning to, I’d just… put it off a little longer. Last time there’d been an emergency, I’d found out I was a chess piece in some new internet series two strangers were recounting to the country.

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