Nick’s arm fell away and Libby stood to avoid falling off his lap. On one level his words made complete sense. On another, something felt off. She was still trying to work it out when her phone rang.

“Please don’t answer it.” Nick said wearily.

But he’d unsettled her and she needed a distraction—time to marshal her thoughts. “Hi, Jess. How’d the interview go?”

Nick grunted, spun on his heel and stalked outside.

“Who knows. It was over so fast my head spun. How’s Nick?”

Acting weird. “Much better,” Libby said too brightly.

“Great. I thought he sounded more like himself.”

A whoosh of prickling goosebumps rose on Libby’s skin and she closed the deck door against the cool breeze. “You’ve spoken to him?”

Jess laughed. “Of course I have. He phoned me with your amazing offer for Sulli’s place. I’m still pinching myself that I’m a homeowner.”

“Me too …” Libby managed faintly. Disconnected pieces of information floated into her mind. It was like treading water amid flotsam and jetsam and trying to grab onto something—anything—that linked it all together to keep her afloat.

“Now I know why there’s a bottle of Veuve in your fridge!” Jess squealed “I can’t wait to crack it the moment we sign the papers next week.”

Libby’s heart kicked into overdrive and she suddenly wanted to end the call. “I’ve got another call.”

“No worries. Call me back. Love you.”

Jess hung up and Libby stared at the phone as if the device would make sense of the conversation. Nick walked back inside, cautiously holding a deep maroon rose. Its rich color and delicate fragrance belied the viciousness of its large and protruding thorns. It was a Mister Lincoln, her favorite rose, but right now she didn’t care that Nick knew that or that he’d picked it for her.

Her arm shot out and her forefinger pointed accusingly. “You told Jess your idea about buying Sulli’s place with her before you told me?”

He flinched at her shrewish tone. “Libby, I can explain.”

“Good! Because right now I don’t understand how you could have committed our money without discussing it with me.”

He set the rose down on the table. “If you don’t want to be financially involved, you don’t have to be. I’ll use my money.”

“Your money?” What the hell was happening? “When we buy houses, we don’t have your money and my money. We have our money.”

“Yeah, okay.” He ran his hand through his hair and his curls spiked. “The thing is, I’m looking for investments. If you don’t want to be part of this one, then you have the equivalent amount to invest in something else. That’s fair.”