He recalled Craig’s recent visit to the store. Aiden had thought the man was taking an interest in Sophie’s new business. But that hadn’t been the case at all. Aiden’s blood pressure shot up, his chest going tight.

It took great effort to speak in a measured tone. “That’s why he came here? To borrow money from you?”

She lifted a shoulder. “He was going to lose his house.”

“You’re going to lose your store.” His voice was too loud in the quiet.

Her face took on a stricken look that made him wish he’d kept his big mouth shut.

“No, no,” he said quickly. “You’re not going to lose your place. We’re going to take care of this.”

She lifted her gaze to the ceiling, a shadow shifting in the brown depths before a strange expression came over her face. Her shoulders started shaking a moment before laughter escaped, erupting like it was busting loose from prison. It was too high-pitched for humor, nothing like the usual melodic sound of her laughter.

Aiden blinked, wordless, at a loss for how to respond. He rubbed his forehead. He’d never seen this side of her. “Sophie.”

“A tree!” she squeezed out between guffaws, staring at the monstrosity in the room. “I have . . . a tree . . . in my shop.”

His chest ached at the anguish hiding behind her laughter. “Sophie. Come on.”

Her eyes swung to him, lit maniacally as she pointed at him. “Look at you! You think . . . You think I’ve gone stark raving mad.”

“Settle down now. It’s going to be all right.”

Something shifted in her eyes as she took in the mess again. Her laughter petered out, dying one chortle at a time. Her breaths came hard. Her smile gradually fell away, and her eyes took on a distant look as tears filled them.

*  *  *

Even as the disaster in front of her blurred, Sophie couldn’t take her eyes off the tree. Its sprawling branches reached the farthest corners of the room. Rafters and sheeting and drywall littered the floor. It didn’t seem real.

The ceiling was on the floor. The thought brought another bubble of laughter, but it escaped as a choking sound. She was officially losing it.

Aiden stroked her arm, and the touch grounded her somehow.

“It’s going to be okay, Sophie. We’re going to get through this. You’ll see.”

She swallowed audibly. “I have a tree in my shop, Aiden. A tree. In my shop.”

He wrapped his arms around her, gathering her close.

She sank into his chest, trying to slow the thoughts spinning through her head. But no matter how fast they spun she couldn’t see a way to fix this. Not with her deadline.