Page 64 of Give Me a Reason

Anne cocked her head and raised her eyebrows at him, but he just shrugged with a playful grin that thoroughly distracted her from her curiosity. She didn’t realize she was staring at him, rooted to the spot, until he gently nudged her forward with a hand on her back.

“I won’t be long.” He pitched his voice low so only she could hear. With a dazed nod, she finally joined the rest of their group.

The bakery’s parking lot was full, so they’d street parked a couple of blocks away. No one seemed to mind as they strolled down the sidewalk, pausing frequently to peek into the eclectic shops that lined Main Street. Anne brought up the tail end, glancing over her shoulder every few minutes for signs of Frederick.

“Ooh, I see the perfect glass bottles for our moonstones,” Bethany exclaimed. “Come on, Tessa.”

“I’ll get you one, too,” Tessa shouted to Anne as Bethany dragged her into the shop.

“We’ll wait for you by the cars, girls.” Coraline affectionately rolled her eyes, then linked her arm through her fiancé’s. “Let’s go, Joe. Before we lose more of our rat pack to souvenir shops.”

Anne listened with half an ear, extending her neck to peer down the street toward the bakery.

“He won’t get lost,” Katie said wryly. She patted Pete’s back and motioned for him to walk ahead of them.

“I…” Anne blushed. “Am I that obvious?”

“Are you kidding?” Katie drew back, side-eyeing her. “You’rean amazing actress. I wouldn’t be able to notice a thing if I didn’t know your history. Frederick, on the other hand, isn’t as good at pining in secret.”

“Frederick isn’t pining for me.” Anne blushed harder.

“Okay… if you say so. Anyway, what’s this I hear about you two beingjust friends?” Katie curled her fingers into air quotes, quirking an eyebrow at Anne. “I mean, seriously?”

“Frederick told Pete about that?” Anne blurted, then bit her lip.

“Of course. They’re best friends. And those two have a healthy relationship where they talk about real stuff like their feelings.” Katie gave her a pointed look. “You should try it sometime.”

“I don’t have many people to… It’s just that I don’t like to burden anyone…” Anne sighed. “You’re right. I should try it sometime.”

“I know we didn’t have the best of starts. All my fault.” Katie held up a hand when Anne opened her mouth to object. “I’m a big girl, and I can own my mistakes. I overstepped, and I wasn’t fair to you. But the point is… I’m here for you now. If you need me, that is. You do know I’m your friend, right?”

“I…” Anne blindly reached for Katie’s hand, tears filling her eyes. “I do. I knew you were my friend the moment you entrusted me with Frederick’s address. And I’ve been trying to be worthy of your trust since then.”

“You don’t need to try. You alreadyare.” Her friend sniffed, squeezing Anne’s hand. “I still don’t want Frederick’s heart broken, and I don’t want yours broken either. I want zero broken hearts when it comes to the two of you. Okay? But you guys are so not over each other. Why aren’t you doing anything about it?”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure he’s over me.” Anne sounded more forlorn than she would’ve liked. “Why else would he ask me to be his friend?”

And she’d seen the way Bethany looked at Frederick. Even if he didn’t feel the same way yet, who was to say it wouldn’thappen in the future? Maybe he wanted their past tied neatly in a bow—a friendship bow—so he could pursue his budding feelings for Bethany. Anne should get out of their way… She loved her cousin… but a part of her balked at the thought of putting herself last again.

“Anne Lee.” Katie leveled her with a penetrating look. “I took you for a smart woman.”

“Iamsmart.” When her friend shook her head sadly, Anne glowered at her, jealousy over Bethany flaming her temper. “Well, I’m smart enough to know you’re pregnant.”

Katie squawked in alarm or outrage. Maybe a little bit of both.

“I’m so sorry,” Anne said, immediately contrite for taking her frustration out on her friend. “I won’t tell—”

“Shh.” A warm breath brushed the back of her neck, and a trill of awareness shot down her spine. “You can’t tell anyone yet. Katie doesn’t want to steal Coraline and Joe’s thunder.”

“Frederick.” Anne spun toward him.Oh God.Did he hear everything? “When… when did you get here?”

“Just now. To witness you drop that bombshell.” He grinned at her with something like admiration in his eyes. When Katie pointedly cleared her throat, he tore his gaze away and gave the smirking woman a sideways hug. Anne squinted in confusion when his zipped-up jacket made a crinkling noise. “Don’t worry. You can trust Anne. She won’t spill your secret to anyone. She’s too considerate to make a dick move like that.”

Anne’s cheeks flushed with pleasure at Frederick’s indirect compliment, but she rushed to reassure her friend. “It’s true, Katie. I won’t tell anyone. It’s not my news to share.”

“I appreciate that.” Katie resembled a ripe tomato, but she pointed a threatening finger at Frederick. “I should’ve known Pete told you. Well, you’d better not make a dick move either.”

He pantomimed zipping up his lips, but he couldn’t hold back his smile for long. “I’m happy for you guys.”

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