He stepped outside into a summer night mist and found Lily in the parking lot on her bare knees fighting with the lug nuts on her back left tire, which was flat. When she couldn’t get them loose, she smacked the tire with the wrench.

“Yeah, that’s not exactly how to fix it,” he said.

Her back to him, she went still and tipped her head back to stare up at the misting sky. “Seriously?” she asked it. “What have I ever done to you?”

“Who are you talking to?” he asked.

“Karma. Fate. God.” Getting to her feet, she swiped the rain from her face with a forearm and turned to face him. “Whoever’s listening.”

Walk away, he told himself. Just walk away.

But he couldn’t. One, because he was an idiot. Two, because she had muddy knees and that, combined with the killer dress, did him in. He loved a woman who could get down and dirty.

And three, because there was something in her voice he hadn’t heard earlier. A sadness that gripped him by the throat. He hated this for her. She was carrying way too big of a burden, one she didn’t deserve.

Christ, Kincaid, don’t do it.

But he did. He stepped closer. “Lily—”

“No. Stay back,” she said, pointing a finger at him.

He went still. “Why?”

“Because when you come close I do stupid things.”

“Like?”

“Like let you kiss me.”

“Let me?” He laughed ruefully. “Lily, you just about crawled up my body to get at these lips.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Like I said. Stupid.” Turning away, she hugged herself tight.

And he felt like a first-class asshole. “What’s wrong?” he asked her quietly.

“Other than my tire’s flat and not one person has responded to any of my resumes and I’ve gained five pounds in a few days?” she asked on a mirthless laugh. “Nothing at all is wrong.”

“I’m going to fix your tire,” he said. “And you’ll find the right job soon, you will. And you look …”

She glanced up when he trailed off.

“Amazing,” he said.

She blushed and then remained quiet so long he was sure she had no intention of speaking to him again. Then, so softly he had to move closer to hear her, she said, “Today’s her birthday.”

Aw, hell. He didn’t need to ask whose. Ashley’s, of course.

Chapter 11

Lily didn’t fall apart often. She’d made it through the public humiliation of being fired and having to come back to her hometown a big failure without losing her collective shit.

Well, mostly.

But after seeing everyone at The Slippery Slope tonight, so close and comfortable with each other, she realized that their lives had gone on without her, almost like she didn’t even exist.