“It’s large enough to add one,” Indira said, glancing around. “And you wouldn’t even have to knock down any walls.”

Tessa looked out some sliding glass doors onto a brick patio and a cute garden that surrounded it.

“My friend Ginny from Realty Plus showed the house this morning to another couple who are considering it,” Indira said. “It was the second showing for them. So if you two like it, you have to act fast.”

“You have to love it, Leo,” Tessa said. “Try not to feel the pressure.”

“You actually know the couple, Tessa,” Indira added, stopping to whisper something in Tessa’s ear.

It took a minute to sink in. “Oh,” she said, going quiet.

“I’m missing something here,” Leo said.

“Sam and Marcy,” Tessa said quietly.

“I’m sorry, Tessa,” Indira said. “I didn’t want to—”

“No, it’s all right.” She forced a smile. “No worries.”

Leo was eyeing her with concern, which made her feel even worse. She liked it better when he tormented her. Anything was better than being looked at like poor Tessa.

Why did everyone treat her like she was fragile? She wasn’t.

Sam hadn’t been the right person for her. She knew that. But what he’d done still hurt.

And now he and his girlfriend wanted this house.

Suddenly, Tessa needed air. She mumbled something about wanting to see the little backyard and walked through the sliding door. It was just as adorable as the rest of the house, the brick patio lined with flowers bursting in a state of borderline disorder. The patio overlooked rolling green fields. In the distance, she could make out the buildings of their sweet downtown. It was a bright, beautiful sanctuary. A place to make sun tea and sit with Cosette and a good book and unwind at the end of a long day.

The longing for a life of her own resurfaced with a vengeance. A home, kids, pets.

But, she knew now, that had been a bad reason for hanging on to Sam.

Suddenly, Tessa realized that she didn’t want Sam and Marcy to have a house that looked like a little dollhouse and would be perfect for a newlywed couple. Not because she somehow wanted to spite them. But because she wanted it.

“Hey, are you okay?” a voice behind her said. The devil, back again.

She took a big breath and steeled her shoulders. Used to hiding her struggles from her mother, her sisters, even the whole town, she barely flinched. She even managed a smile.

She was standing in front of an unruly patch of lilies of the valley, their white little blooms tipping over like tiny teacups, the air filled with their sweet, old-fashioned scent.

Leo walked up and stood beside her. “There you are.”