My hands curled into fists. I wanted to punch the freaking bear. “Who was in the library with her?”

“I found the room empty. Whoever was in there before, he left by the time I arrived back.”

“She never told you?”

“She wouldn’t even let me ask the question. We became friends. But every time I thought to ask, she knew, and the look on her face rendered me silent.”

“Thank you for being a good friend to Violet.”

“An honor.” He couldn’t say more, because his grandson was drumming down the stairs.

“You’ll be late for church.” The younger Bram held out a hand to his grandfather. “Let me help you up the steps.”

I followed them, raw emotions screaming in my head like banshees from an Ancient Greek myth. I wanted to scream with them. In a minute. When I was alone.

As we passed my new seating arrangement, I absently noted that the spilled coffee had been all mopped up. Bram had cleaned my mess.

He picked his envelope up from the chair. “I’ll take care of this.” He scanned my face. “Talk of the past upset you. I’m sorry.”

“I just miss my grandmother.”

He nodded and handed me Trey’s contract. “This looks pretty tight, but run it by Adele too. She’s the expert.”

“Thank you for all your help.”

I walked them to the door. Bram Sr. gave me another warm hug. The younger Bram simply said goodbye, but he had questions in his eyes.

I dropped my gaze. By sheer chance, it landed on his left hand. No platinum wedding band.

“Mind if I call you later?” he asked.

Oh hell no.

If I’d ever felt a modicum of attraction toward him, it was instantly dead. Dropped from the sky like a shot pigeon. Splat on the steps. I seriously couldn’t stand guys like that.

Bram had been nice and polite and funny, helpful, and I had thought he loved his wife. I liked the man I thought he was. I liked the idea that somewhere out there, a woman had a husband like him, a win for the sisterhood. And if she could have all that, maybe someday—when I was out of my current mess—so could I.

Except that now there Bram stood, ring probably in his pocket, asking if he could call me later.

“I’ll be busy packing all day.” Our business was concluded. “Goodbye.”

I closed the door. The world was shit and everyone in it.

I’d thought I’d been so good about not sending mixed signals, not flirting in any, even harmless, way. I’d thought we’d been on the same wavelength. I’d thought Bram was a friend, at a time when I needed a friend.