“The boss calls,” Jo said and winked at Annie. She turned on her heels and joined Caitlin and Sheryl. Annie watched her go and while she was hardly one to judge another couple on their age difference, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Caitlin and Jo made an odd couple. She wondered what the glue was that held them together. Perhaps if she hadn’t gone and fallen for Kristin, she would have gotten to know them a lot better by this point and been able to figure it out.

Sheryl looked over at Annie for a brief second and gave her a weird stare. This was ridiculous. Annie wanted to enjoy this evening too, and the rest of her professional life with the Pink Bean inside her shop. She was going to have a chat with Kristin to clear the air.

“Hi,” Kristin said. “All set?”

“Yes.” Annie eyed the fridge that was normally filled with pie and cake and now held the stock of bubbly for the night. She could do with a sip or two before having this conversation. “I know you’re busy but can I have a few minutes of your time?”

“Of course.” Kristin angled her body more toward Annie.

Annie cleared her throat. “Is there any chance we can somehow rush past the awkwardness and act normal around each other? We’re going to be working together for a long time to come. Hopefully, anyway. And I know I asked you to stay away from your own coffee shop for my benefit, which was perhaps a bit too much of an ask, but I was hoping we could put all that behind us now.”

“I fully understood why you asked,” Kristin said. “Which doesn’t mean I didn’t miss coming around, but in a way it was good for me.” She drew her lips into a tight smile. “It allowed Mia to do her thing without me being too much of a control freak.”

Annie didn’t know how to respond to that. They stood half-looking at each other, but not daring to let their gazes meet for longer than a split second. This conversation wouldn’t erase the tension of the situation altogether, but it would be a start.

“I, er, just want you to know that I… have processed my feelings and—”

“Evening.” Annie recognized Sheryl’s voice behind her. After that impromptu visit the other night, Annie was almost more nervous to face Sheryl than Kristin.

“Hi, Sheryl,” Annie said.

Sheryl made a spectacle of kissing Annie on both cheeks, and she didn’t have an issue looking her straight in the eye when she was done.

“I hope that book lived up to your expectations,” Annie asked, to break the ice—and perhaps also to have a little dig at Sheryl.

“Are you kidding me? One of the great works in feminist literature with Jane Quinn remarks scribbled in the margins. It’s a real treat.”