“Maya,” he whispers. “I never meant to hurt you,” he says as a tear rolls down my cheek.

“Please, I’m begging you, don’t cry. I promise you have no reason to cry.”

“Don’t make promises, Ethan.”

“I want to explain everything. First, what happened tonight at the restaurant. But for that, you will have to come with me to Café Azure.”

“Some things are better left alone. And anyway, I have a plane to catch,” I say, feeling my arguments are weak and my defenses are going down. Again.

“What time?”

“Ten tomorrow morning.” It sounds ridiculous, I know. That’s twelve hours away.

“Plenty of time,” he says and grabs my luggage.

Eighty-Five

When we walk into Café Azure, nobody’s more surprised to see me than Celine.

“You got her back? You got her to change her mind?” she asks, in tears again.

“Not yet,” he says and winks.

Celine goes into the kitchen and I don’t even notice Melissa until Ethan shows me to a table by the window.

She gets up and reaches out across the table to hug me. My body is limp in her embrace.

“Ethan told me you weren’t feeling well. Are you a bit better now?”

I look over and Ethan, who nods, so I go with it.

“I am,” I say unconvincingly.

“I won’t keep you long. We can talk more tomorrow, after Ethan’s book launch.”

“Talk about what?”

She looks at Ethan and then at me. “Your manuscript,” she says. “I read it, and it’s absolutely brilliant. It’s beautiful and heartwarming and heartbreaking. And considering I have already read Ethan’s ten times and edited it before sending it to publishers, it still kept my attention all the way through. It is the same story, in a way, but in so many other ways, it is so different. They’re like the perfect halves of a perfect story,” she says and sounds excited.

I am nothing if not confused. “Sorry, I don’t understand.”

“Ethan?” she says, an eyebrow raised. “You didn’t tell her?”

“No, I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“That explains your reaction,” she says and laughs. “OK. I’m sure he’ll tell you more about it, but Ethan sent me your manuscript as soon as he finished reading it, about ten days ago. He said he stayed up all night after you gave it to him, and he couldn’t put it down. And I know why. I did the absolute same thing. He asked me if I would represent you and if I had editors in mind I could send this to and a plan for how to market it.”

“You read it that first night?” I ask him. Of all the things she’s telling me, that’s the one thing that stuck to me.

He nods. “I told you it was fabulous.”

“You also told me you’re a slow reader,” I say.

“Not this time,” he says with a smile.

“Not only do I have a list of editors, but I already pitched it, and both editors and scouts are dying to read it. I couldn’t send it without your approval, though, so I had to wait until we met. I also have the best plan for it. Think Eamon and Frankee. Justin and Selena. Taylor and Harry. Same story, two sides. This is going to be huge! And they’re both going to feed off each other, and Ethan’s book is already doing so incredibly well,” she says, turning to him. “Not that I had any doubts, of course.”