“You carry it,” he repeated.

She realized he was surprised. Maybe even stunned. “Yes,” she said while mentally battening down her inner emotional hatches. She’d been waiting all damn year for him to see her as something more than just one of the gang. She’d finally lost her shit and kissed him on that mountain. And afterward when he’d withdrawn, she’d remembered something important. She was stronger than this. She didn’t want a man who didn’t want her back, dammit. Maybe she’d had a very momentary lapse of good judgment, but she could recover from that.

Was recovering from that.

To prove it to herself, she slid out from between him and the wall and headed to the door because she was out. All the way out.

And he let her go.

 

 

Chapter 9

 

 

#TakesALickingAndKeepsOnTicking

 

The next morning, Elle had just finished her online accounting class and was making the transition from school to work, putting away her books, getting a refill of tea, and . . . shoring up her inner resolve to kick ass and forget about a certain six-foot-plus man who brought out both the best and absolute worst in her.

Mostly the absolute worst.

When the knock on her outer office door sounded, she frowned. It was eight in the morning. She had no appointments this early. Nothing until ten when she had to meet a potential tenant for one of the two available retails units downstairs.

She stood, gulping down the last of her tea for a caffeine rush before moving to the door. She figured it was Trudy or her janitor husband, Luis, with a tenant question. Or maybe Spence, who often ran in the mornings and then came to steal whatever breakfast leftovers she had.

It wasn’t Trudy or Luis.

It wasn’t Spence.

It was a blast from her past, and an unwelcome one at that.

“Surprise!” her visitor said.

Surprise indeed. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought it was about time we caught up.” Morgan flashed a charming smile. “Sis.”

Elle’s sister had made herself scarce for years even though they both lived in the same city and followed each other on Instagram. Elle had tried to keep in touch until she was blue in the face, making sure that Morgan always knew how to find her, but Morgan tended to show up in Elle’s world when she needed something. Twice for bail money and once to pay off the guy Morgan could never seem to shake—her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Lars. She’d “borrowed” money from him and even the fact that Lars and Morgan went back years hadn’t stopped him from threatening to bash in her kneecaps if she didn’t pay up.

That had been two years ago. The guy scared the hell out of Elle—and she didn’t scare easily. Dealing with him was all too reminiscent of her entire childhood with her mom, and she’d promised herself never again. She wouldn’t let herself be dragged into that life she’d run so hard from. “Not buying the ‘catch up’ line,” she said. “You want something.”

Morgan sighed. “Is it so hard to believe that I just wanted to see you?”

“Actually, yes.” Elle had learned a long time ago to listen to her instincts because they were almost always right. “I’m sorry,” she said. And she really was. It’d been a long time since she’d yearned for something, anything, from Morgan. Such as a real sisterly relationship. But fact was fact. If Morgan was here, it was because she needed something. Something that would be costly to Elle, and she’d paid enough. “But I really can’t do this with you right now.”

Morgan’s smile slipped. “Can’t? Or won’t?” She shook her head. “No, you know what? Don’t answer that, I already know.” And with that, she turned and slammed the door behind her.

Elle paced her office for a few minutes, her mind whirling as emotions pummeled her. Regret. Guilt. An overwhelming sense of sadness because Morgan was the only family she had, dammit. She was a crappy sister but without that tenuous connection, she felt . . . alone. Hating herself for it, she yanked the door open again but Morgan was already gone.

She went downstairs to be sure, but when there was no sight of Morgan anywhere, she headed into Tina’s coffee shop and bought an entire bag of muffins, which she took to Willa’s shop.

Pru was in there with Willa, and at the sight of Elle and the bag in her hands, they actually jumped up and down in excitement. Willa had Vinnie, probably babysitting him for Kylie, and the little guy got in on the action, barking so hard his back legs lifted off the ground. Willa came in for a hug and held on tight, and after a brief hesitation, Elle held on right back.

“You’re the best,” Willa said, pulling back with a smile. “You always know what I need.” Her smile faded a little bit. “Hey. What a minute. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Sure,” Willa said. “We could go with that and talk about other stuff, like how hot Chris Evans is or the fact that it’s going to rain later for the millionth time this week. Or better yet, we could discuss those amazing shoes you’ve got on today. But you should know that as soon as you leave, we’re gonna switch the topic to you.”

“Me?” Elle asked.

“Yes. We’ll worry about what’s wrong, if maybe you need help and you’re just being too stubborn to ask. Or . . . you could just spare us the gray hair and tell us.”

“Gray hair? Really?”

“Hey, family worries about family,” Pru said. “And family gives family gray hair.”

They loved her. They really did, and at that realization, it all spilled right out of her. “My sister’s in town,” she heard herself say. “And that means bad shit is coming along right behind her as always, like category five hurricane bad shit. Also, I’m never going gray, not even for you two—at least not that anyone will ever know.”

Pru smiled and took her hand. “You do know that when this category five storm hits, your real sisters will be at your back, right?”

Willa took her other hand and squeezed, nodding her agreement with Pru’s words, her eyes solemn. “Always,” she said. “Through sickness, gray hair, and health, babe.”

Elle’s throat went tight, too tight to talk. Because really, she wasn’t alone at all. She’d wanted family and she had it. Her friends were her family, more so than any blood relation had ever been.