“Yes. From my NA group.” He met her gaze. “I’m taking this seriously, Piper. I need for you to be able to trust me on that.” He glanced at the tablet and plans for the B&B. “On everything, just like I trust you.”

“But how can you trust me when I didn’t even see that you were struggling with drugs?”

“I told you that wasn’t your fault. Let it go. I mean it, Piper. For this to work, for any of it to work . . .” He gestured to the table. “Like me running the B and B for us while you’re away at school, for example, you’ve got to be able to trust me.”

The door shut behind him and she said to it, “But we can’t do both the B and B and school . . .”

“We’ll find a way,” he said through the wood.

Shaking her head, she went in search of caffeine. If she was going to give up her dreams for Gavin’s and Winnie’s yet again, she was going to need a lot of it.

Chapter 25

“I’m going to take that as a hard yes.”

Piper spent the next week working either at the station or on the property. She didn’t enter anything new in her journal, which was rare for her. Instead, she worked at checking some things off her various lists. Like not taking extra overtime, buying something frivolous—sexy lingerie, thank you, Victoria’s Secret—and . . . actually wearing the sexy lingerie.

And though she’d agreed to think about Gavin and Winnie’s plan to turn the place into a B&B, she also still was exploring the option to sell.

At least, that was how she’d spent her days. Her nights, other than the three days Cam had flown back East to train with his unit, she’d spent in his arms exploring their attraction for each other.

But tonight was Emmitt Hayes’s fifty-sixth birthday, and they’d planned a surprise party. Piper had tried to warn everyone that he’d hate it, but Winnie was determined. She’d been in charge of figuring out who to invite, with Gavin being the resident caterer. He cooked while Cam got Emmitt out of the house by taking him fishing. Meanwhile, Piper set everything up, and when Cam texted that they’d docked, she made everyone hide.

A few minutes later, Emmitt and Cam entered the house and everyone jumped out of their hiding spots to yell “Surprise!” and “Happy birthday!”

Emmitt seemed thrilled, and the party got started. Piper was relieved, but not five minutes later, Cam turned to her. “He’s gone.”

“Who?”

“The birthday boy.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Do you see him?”