She pulls back, gripping my arms like I might vanish if she lets go. Her smile stretched wide across her face, bright and warm, her hair pinned back perfectly, not a strand out of place. She’s the picture of small-town grace. Perfect makeup. Perfect clothes. Perfect lie.

“Aubrey,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “Good to see you.”

“Good to see me?” She laughs, patting my arm like I just told her the funniest joke in the world. “You’re too sweet. No, it’s good to see you. I swear, I’ve been so out of the loop lately. Things have been so…well, you know how it is.”

Do I? Or does she?

She doesn’t let go of my arm as she gestures toward the counter. “Come on, this one is on me. You must be freezing, walking around in this weather, I know you like them cold but humor me.”

I open my mouth to refuse, but she’s already pulling me toward her booth, already walking behind the counter like she owns the place.

Valkyrie nudges my leg, huffing in protest. I shoot her an apologetic glance. Trust me, I don’t want to be here either.

Once we have our drinks, she leads me to a small table near the window. She’s all smiles, all polished perfection as if we’re old friends catching up after years apart.

“So,” she starts, stirring her latte, “tell me everything. How’s life treating you? Are there any handsome men in the picture? Like my Teddy? Or is it just you and that sweet dog of yours?”

My Teddy.

The words are a dagger slipped between my ribs.

I take a sip of the too-bitter coffee and force another smile. “It’s been good. Quiet. I’ve been helping Theo with some things, and spending time with my siblings. You know, the usual.”

“Oh, Teddy,” she says with a knowing grin. “That boy’s always been such a sweetheart. I can’t believe he hasn’t swept you off your feet yet.”

She pauses as if she’s trying to decide what to say next. “You know, I’ve been thinking about Teddy a lot lately. Poor thing, losing Gabriel like that. It’s been hard on all of us, of course, me especially, but I think Teddy has it almost just as hard. Gabriel loved him like he was his own.”

She says it so easily, so genuinely, that for a split second, I almost forget.

Almost.

But I see it. A flicker in her eyes. Sadness? Nostalgia? Or something else entirely?

She doesn’t let it linger. Her mask snaps back into place like elastic, her smile warm and perfectly rehearsed.

“Speaking of Gabriel,” she continues, “did you know tomorrow would’ve been our wedding anniversary? It’ll be my first one without him”

Her voice wobbles, just enough to make it believable.

God, she’s good.