But Angi had been desperate for a way out of this final event after her mother’s reaction. Another thing Bianca had been right about. She had no business getting on her high horse about being treated like a grown-up when she’d been sneaking around like a child.

Heck, even Andrew was brave enough to face his troubles. It was simple, if not easy, to blame her family—and her mother, in particular—for what was going on in her life and the things she’d missed out on. What if that wasn’t true? What if Angi’s fear of failure or unwillingness to risk herself again had caused her to blame her mom? A simple excuse for a complicated tumble of emotions.

Good thing the new year was coming, because Angi was piling up resolutions like snow on a sledding hill.

There were cars parked along the street and in the inn’s lot. Emma had done an amazing job of transforming the old mansion to a gorgeous boutique hotel, and Angi had no doubt its business would continue to grow and thrive, as well. There was no question that she’d always miss being a part of it.

She quickly walked around the house to the kitchen entrance. The ceremony was scheduled for just before sunset, when the golden light of the setting sun would infuse the whole backyard in a warm glow. The benefit of being in a temperate climate in North Carolina was that if the weather cooperated, Emma could hold outdoor events all year-round. She’d also invested in a large tent to use for those times when it was too cold to be outside.

The whole setup was perfect—exactly what Angi saw for her future, and also not an option when her mother needed her.

Emma and Mariella faced Sarah Beth across the kitchen island as Angi entered the space.

“You can’t be here,” Emma said, pointing at Angi.

“We need her,” Mariella jabbed an elbow into Emma’s rib cage.

“It’s fine,” Emma said tightly. She gave Angi a smile that looked slightly feral around the edges. “We’re fine.”

“It’s a disaster.” Sarah Beth threw up her hands. “You were the one who just called it a disaster.”

“Not Angi’s disaster.” Emma’s eyes narrowed. “What are you even doing here?”

“Sarah Beth called me. I’m here to help.”

Mariella nodded. “We need all the help we can get. At least she realized it had gone bad before we served it. Bad reviews are one thing. Headlines for giving the entire event food poisoning are quite another.”

“We’re going to fix this,” Angi promised.

“You quit,” Emma reminded her.

Angi turned. “I thought you said we were still friends.”

“Of course we’re still friends.” Emma sniffed. “This has nothing to do with friendship. It’s the fact that serving a wedding reception whatever food we can pull together from the grocery freezer section might not help our reviews.”

The tightness around Angi’s chest loosened ever so slightly. It had been so long since she’d had friends like Emma and Mariella—women who mattered to her. Growing up, her insecurity had caused her to put more emphasis on superficial relationships, and she’d picked friends who weren’t kind. Who made her unkind.