Sophia’s chest tightened at both the words and the sincerity in which they were spoken. No one had ever said such a thing to her, at least not anyone who meant it, and the fact that Vic had infinitely more to lose in this situation only made the offer more meaningful. It was also why she couldn’t allow Vic to make any such promises. “Your chivalry is endlessly endearing, but I can take care of myself.”

Vic smiled brightly for the first time all morning. “I never doubted that you could. I only meant to let you know that this time you don’t have to do so alone.”

Then Vic kissed her again, quickly enough to forestall any argument, but not deeply enough to burn away the sense of gravity building around them now.

••••

“Good morning,” Vic called cheerfully as they reached the bottom of the stairway that led from their room to the bar area below. She needed only a cursory glance to see all the usual suspects had come to her aid. Brogan stood behind the bar with a pot of coffee in one hand and a tea kettle in the other. Emma sat with the rest of the Friday Club in their usual booth. Diane, Esther, Tom, and Will had all greeted her warmly, as if she’d casually dropped in. Despite the bright light of morning and the fear building in her core, she found their constancy comforting. “You all remember my friend, Sophia.”

“Aye,” a few voices said, and Diane patted the seat next to her. “Come join us, my dears. I brought scones.”

“Coffee or tea?” Brogan asked as they passed by.

“Coffee, please Jesus the strong kind, as black as my soul?” Sophia asked.

Brogan grinned as she poured.

“Tea for me, please.” The last thing she needed was something to make her jittery. She’d done an admirable job of remaining calm upstairs, but it hadn’t felt quite as real when they’d been barricaded in their little sanctuary. Now, in this place, with these people, she was faced with the reality of how none of this was just about her. If a scandal touched this town, it would touch every one of them. Already Emma’s relative anonymity had been shattered. Despite her success in the literary world, she’d never been one to do major tours or television interviews, which afforded her a certain ability to move about the area largely unrecognised. If she had her face splashed across tabloids and celebrity gossip shows, she’d no doubt see changes for the worse in her quietly introverted existence.