“I’m committed to looking after Leanne,” he replied. “That means home-cooked meals, back rubs, and cuddles…if she wants them.” He finished up with one last, gentle squeeze. “Take a hot shower and get changed, babe. You have time.”

Babe? They’d used it jokingly before, but she hated that endearment…but after him cooking dinner and giving her a back rub? I’ll let it go.

With Trev as a buffer, she didn’t even mind that Junie was still here. She practically floated to the bathroom, lost herself in a warm shower, and by the time she came out in yoga pants, he was checking their meal. He cut into a breast to make sure it was cooked properly then served up three plates with a proud flourish and added a little more sauce to the chicken.

“Dinner’s done.” He did a double take when he saw her, knuckling his eyes with exaggerated shock. “Okay, how do you look glamorous, even in that? It’s sorcery, I tell you. Every angle, every time of the day, you’re a knockout.”

Swapping a look with her mother, Leanne offered him a sly and teasing half smile. “Just one of my many charms.”

***

If Trev’s arms bent that way, he’d pat himself on the back.

Such a basic recipe, and it was a huge hit. There was no food left, and Junie hugged him once she cleared her plate. Now she had all her bags by the front door; Leanne wasn’t offering to see her off, but it felt wrong to do nothing. Especially when he was the reason she was leaving in the first place and his relationship with Leanne wasn’t the way they portrayed at all.

“I’ll help carry your stuff,” he said to Junie, hefting a shoulder bag and taking hold of her wheeled suitcase.

“That’s so sweet!” Junie beamed as she crossed to hug her daughter. “Come here, you.”

Trev went ahead to call the elevator, and Junie caught up with him as the doors dinged open. He kept them apart long enough for her to hurry past, then he joined her. Surprisingly, she didn’t chatter his ear off on the way down. Instead, she maintained a meditative silence, as if she had something heavy on her mind. As they stepped into the foyer, she tried for a smile, but it came out crooked.

“Everything all right?” he asked.

“Not exactly. I’m sure she’s told you we’re not close. And it’s my fault. I put my needs—and my social life—ahead of LeLe when she was growing up. It left scars on her heart, and I want us to be closer now. But…I don’t know how to make her forgive me.”

At least you know what you did wrong.

“You can’t,” he said bluntly.

“What?”

“You can’t make her forgive you. Have you apologized for your actions?”