“I shouldn’t have let things . . .” Jake began, pausing a moment before adding, “I should have respected the boundaries better, Cass, and I—”

Charlie interrupted him, desperately wanting to move past this gut-wrenching moment because she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep up this facade. “Again, you have nothing to be sorry for.” If anyone should be apologizing, it was Charlie. “How about we agree to just forget all about it, and move on?”

Jake looked surprised, and not in a good way, and Charlie immediately wanted to take back what she had said.

“Oh right. Sure thing,” he said, his face set in a frown.

“I’m sorry.” Charlie was flustered, hating that she had just hurt Jake and now wondering what he had been about to say before she interrupted him. “I just thought you meant—”

Jake took a small but meaningful step away from her then. “No worries. I completely understand. And probably for the best.”

“Probably for the best,” Charlie repeated. She offered Jake the warmest smile she could, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. “I hope we can be friends?”

“We already are friends, Cass,” Jake replied, his voice soft. “That won’t change.”

She nodded, tears welling up and taking her by surprise. To avoid Jake seeing how emotional she was, she bent down to retie one of her boot’s laces, glad for the temporary distraction.

“So, hey. It was nice running into you,” Jake said, now at the driver’s side door of his truck.

Charlie stamped her boots gently to rid the treads of snow, raising an eyebrow as she looked pointedly at Bonnie. The dog had her furry face pressed against the glass of the truck’s window, whining as she watched Charlie and Jake outside. “Quite literally.”

Jake laughed, but it was short and didn’t carry much joy. Charlie knew exactly how he felt.

• • •

“Walter, I’m back. Give me ten minutes and I’m all yours.” Charlie poked her head into the bakery, having come through the back entrance so she could take off her snow-damp coat and boots in the mudroom.

“Uh, Cass, I—” Walter had a look on his face that Charlie wasn’t sure how to read.

“Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s okay, but . . .” Walter glanced behind him, to the other side of the counter and Charlie wondered what the hell was going on. She was about to step into the bakery to see for herself, when someone stood up from behind Walter, now in view from where Charlie stood. “Someone’s here to see you.”

“Hi, Cass.” Brett.

“Brett, what are you doing here?” Charlie asked.

“We need to talk.” Brett crossed his arms. “Walter can finish up.”

“How about you don’t tell me how to run my bakery?” Charlie’s voice was tense with frustration, and the knee-jerk reaction to being told what to do by her sister’s ex-boyfriend.

“That’s not what I’m doing, Cass. Why are you always looking for a fight these days?”