“How about this? I’m sorry I treated you the way I did, back in the day. I was a kid, but that’s no excuse. It was wrong, and I regret it.”

For a few long moments, Brynne couldn’t speak. When she did, all she managed was a lame, “It’s okay.”

Eli filled the carafe with water, filled the plastic tank on the coffee machine, and set it on the burner beneath to catch the fragrant brew.

“It wasn’t, though,” he replied quietly. “It isn’t. You were way out of Reba’s league, and you deserved a lot better than the treatment you got from me.”

“Eli.” Brynne spoke softly. “I’m over all that. It was all so long ago, and besides, Reba was a force of nature. She was way more experienced than I was—more outgoing, more everything. And you weren’t the only guy to fall for her, remember?”

He sighed, approached the table, pulled back a chair for Brynne and waited until she sat down. With a rueful sigh, he answered, “Oh, yeah. I remember. She’d gotten to my best friends, too. Made fools of the three of us.” He grinned, a little sadly. “Not that we didn’t deserve exactly what we got.”

Eli drew back a chair of his own, sat across from Brynne.

He seemed to be keeping his distance, and though he was probably just exhibiting good manners, Brynne would have liked to sit closer to him, risky as that might be.

“What do you want me to say?” Brynne asked, not unkindly, but out of genuine concern.

The coffee began to bubble and steam, filling the room with the corresponding aromas. Festus sat beside Brynne’s chair, resting his muzzle on her knee and watching her with unconditional adoration.

She smiled, relaxing a little, and ruffled the dog’s ears.

“I want you to say you accept my apology,” Eli said.

“I think I already did, when we had this discussion yesterday, in the café.”

“You were pretty busy making it clear that you don’t date cops.”

Brynne drew a deep breath, released it slowly. “It might be more accurate to say I don’t want to get serious about one.”

“Been there, done that. Right?”

“Right.”

“It was that bad?”

Brynne sighed. “Not always. There were good parts—like his children, Davey and Maddie. I miss them every day of my life.”

Eli merely nodded, pushed back his chair and went to the counter to fill two mugs with coffee. “Do you use sugar or cream?”

“Artificial sweetener, if you have it.”

“I don’t.”

Brynne smiled again. “Of course you don’t.”

He frowned, pretending to be offended, as he set the mugs on the table. “What is that supposed to mean?”