Page 10 of Breathless With Her

“So you say,” Amelia said with a grin. “But we’ll help. I promise.”

We all walked down the hall just as Erin was folding the blanket on top of the couch. Her face reddened as she looked over at us. “Oh, there’s a lot of you here. Hi.”

“Hi, Erin,”

“Amelia, right? I think we’ve worked together on a couple of projects in the past.”

“Yeah, with my friend Zoey. But, anyway, give me your keys. Caleb and I will go get your car.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I was just going to use a ride share service to get there.”

“Nope, we’ve got you,” Caleb said, reaching for Erin’s purse. Amelia slapped his arm, and Erin reached for the bag at the same time. I just watched the three of them, not knowing exactly what to say. I hadn’t expected the whole family to be here the morning after a woman slept at my house—when there was actually sleeping going on. Hell, what a weird night.

“We’ve got it. Really. You just sit here and make sure that my big brother makes you some breakfast, and then you can do what you need to do. And you can talk with us if you want. But he didn’t tell us anything. I promise.” Amelia was talking quickly, and Erin’s eyes just kept widening. But, somehow, maybe through the magic of Amelia’s smile, Erin handed over the keys and mentioned what type of car she drove. My siblings were out the door quickly afterward.

I had no idea how it had happened, but once again, I was alone with Erin. Still, there was no heat. Yeah, there was a weird connection, but it was probably just who we had been in the past and the fact that I had been there when she was at her lowest. At least I hoped that was her lowest. She just smiled up at me and shrugged.

“Really, I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Neither do I.”

“He didn’t call,” she whispered. “He hasn’t called all night. Not even to wonder why I wasn’t home. Maybe he didn’t go home.”

I didn’t say anything, just slid my hands into the pockets of my sweats.

“Maybe I could use some breakfast. And then I’ll figure out what to do next. That’s what I’m good at. Figuring out the next.”

“Breakfast I can do. I’m sorry, Erin. Really damn sorry.”

“Me, too.” When she looked at me with those light green eyes, I wished there was something I could do to make her feel better. But I knew there was nothing Icoulddo. Not just from my own experience, but from everything I had learned over the years. I walked past her and went to the kitchen. I’d make her breakfast, and then she’d walk out of my life—probably forever.

But that was good. Because she had her own problems. And I didn’t need to be one of them.

Chapter 3

Erin

* * *

In the sixmonths since walking in on my husband banging the former head cheerleader, I was pretty sure I’d been living an out of body experience.

Okay, maybe not an out of body experience because I was bone-deep tired, even though I was still a little invigorated at the same time. I could feel every single scrape, every sore joint, and each broken piece of my heart.

And that was because, though it seemed as if I hadn’t actually been a part of it, as if I had been looking on from a distance, I had also been there.

I had gone through a divorce. Made it through splitting up everything we’d shared for so many years, and, somehow, I made it out on top.

Ifon topmeant that I was exhausted, working too many hours, and felt a little lost, then…yes, totally on top.

But it could have been worse.Way worse.

And that was what I kept telling myself, over and over again. I didn’t know what that exactly said about me, but since itwasn’tworse, I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“So, what are you doing today?” Zoey asked as she walked into the back of my kitchen, her hair pulled back from her face as she looked around. Zoey usually kept her hair flowing freely when she wasn’t working—or standing in my kitchen.

I grinned and just shook my head. “Cake.” I winked. “But I’m pretty sure you figured that out.”

I had started Lace & Cakes soon after college. My dream had always been to become a cake decorator, even if Nicholas hadn’t thought it would lead to anything.

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