It was hours before she heard from Cody. In that time, Louisa tried to work, but she mostly aggravated Ally with her distractedness.

“What is going on with you today?” Ally asked, refiling paperwork Louisa had filed incorrectly. “Trouble in paradise?”

“I’m fine.”

“You told Linda Paulson you’d run her errands next week.”

“So?”

“You swore to me last time you would never work with that woman again. I think it was around the time she asked you to take her dog’s stool sample to the vet?”

Louisa groaned. How had she let that one slip by? Linda was notoriously high-maintenance and about the last thing she needed right now.

“So spill it.” Ally refilled Louisa’s mug of coffee. “And I don’t mean the coffee.”

Louisa let out a heavy sigh. She missed Cody. She wanted to know what he said to his mom. She wanted the chance to win Marissa over—she just wasn’t prepared to do it yet. She’d been so content to keep her relationship with Cody to herself, she’d fooled herself into believing it could stay that way. How stupid! Of course it couldn’t. They had the party this weekend! What had she planned to do—ignore him the whole night?

Now, more than ever, she had to figure out a way to set his family and hers back on good terms. She had to. Their relationship depended on it.

She told Ally about Cody’s mom, careful to add in the appropriate amount of woe is me, but Alyssa still shrugged her off.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she said. “Nobody holds a grudge this many years. Besides, you guys are adults.”

But Ally hadn’t seen the death glare Marissa had given her on the street that morning.

“What if it’s not fine?” she lamented. “What if this second chance is really just another failed attempt?”

Ally went still. “You love him, right?”

Louisa rubbed her temples and let out a pathetic “Yes.”

“Then it’ll be fine.”

But Louisa knew better. Love didn’t always conquer all. If it did, Cody’s dad would still be alive.

“Let’s just get back to work,” Louisa said. “I’m tired of myself right now.”

Cody showed up late that night—she hadn’t heard from him all day—and she could tell things hadn’t gone well with his mom. Worse, she’d spent hours overthinking the situation, which had only left her conflicted and confused.

“Sorry for disappearing,” he said. “It’s been a long day.”

He stood on the porch, and while she couldn’t say for sure, it seemed like some of the distance that used to exist between them was back. She reached for him, and he stiffened at her touch.

Okay, now she could say for sure. The distance was definitely back.

“What did she say?”

“I told her not to come here.”