“Probably because she barely pulled to a complete stop before pushing me out the door.” Angi was in her normal uniform from the restaurant—a crisp white button-down and slim black skirt. He imagined she’d left the green apron that completed the ensemble back at Il Rigatone. “Trust me, I’m not complaining. I loved summers here with my grandma and dreaded the day my mom would return to collect me. Sometimes I wished she’d just kept traveling. Why do you look like a waitress today?”

She sniffed. “Because I am one today. Annie took the day off to take her daughter shopping up in Raleigh.”

“Is there anything you can’t handle?” he asked, feeling his mood lighten ever so slightly.

“This list is long,” she answered. “Can you fight your mom for ownership of the shop?”

Cue the return of the black emotions. “I don’t know that I want to. The whole purpose of me taking care of things was to make them better when Gran returned. I’m still hoping she can, but the problems with her memory since the accident concern me. Some days it’s good, but others are a struggle.”

“I saw you here in the summer, Gabe. You were having fun with the shop and that didn’t have anything to do with your grandma. What changed other than your mom’s interest in the store?”

“That’s plenty.”

“You promised your grandmother that you’d bring her here for the holiday shopping event.”

“I know.”

“So...” She gestured around the shop’s drab interior. “You have to decorate. That’s why I’m here.” She glanced at the oversize watch that encircled her wrist. “Only for a minute, actually. I wanted to tell you I’ll come by after the lunch shift ends. Well, after lunch and after I check on Andrew.”

He lifted a brow. “Is he with your mom for the suspension?”

She gave a tight nod. “He wanted to come to the restaurant, most likely so that he could sneak over to hang out here. There’s nothing that feels more like a punishment to a ten-year-old boy than being stuck at home with his grandma with the job to clean the baseboards.”

“I’d argue the grandma part, but the baseboards are a nice touch.”

“Thanks.”

A charged silence fell between them, and Gabe’s heart suddenly felt like a flock of birds were fluttering against his rib cage. It was stupid to be so aware of Angi, but he couldn’t stop it.

He tried to remember that she didn’t belong to him. He didn’t want her to be his. He just wanted her help with the store, but no part of him was buying it. Still, he forced himself to remain where he was. “You could have texted me about the decorating date.”

Color bloomed in her cheeks, and an answering heat pooled low in his belly. “It’s not a date. It’s an appointment.”

“Still.”

She glanced past his shoulder like she couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact. “I also wanted to apologize for how I acted yesterday. I know Andrew’s suspension isn’t your fault.”