“Then I definitely won’t ask you to vacuum. I’ll stick to asking you to scrub tables and wash dirty dishes.”

They’d reached the foyer when all the lights suddenly dimmed. Since the sky outside on this Sunday evening was rapidly darkening, the effect emphasized the votive candles flickering on every surface. The atmosphere instantly turned romantic.

“Ten minutes before showtime,” CeCe hollered.

“I can no longer see the dust,” Ben said.

“Neither can I. How come we just swept if they planned all along to make the dust invisible with mood lighting?”

His smile threatened to obliterate her defenses. “A word to the wise—that kind of logic won’t serve you well with my mother.”

She snorted.

The front doorknob turned. A handsome dark-haired man and a blond woman entered.

“Once again you’ve managed to arrive after all the work is done,” Ben said teasingly to the man.

“CeCe didn’t give birth to me. She’ll harass me a little, but she won’t take my head off.” He extended his fist to Ben.

Ben bumped it with the hand not holding a broom, then glanced at her. “Akira, this is Dr. Sebastian Grant and Leah Montgomery.”

Oh! These were the two people CeCe had just been talking about. Ben’s best friend and the woman Ben had been in love with. How uncomfortable! How fascinating. “Hi.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Leah said.

“You too.”

“I’ve been volunteering with the after-school program at Furry Tails Animal Rescue Center,” Ben told them. “Akira’s the director of the program, and she’s great at what she does.”

Ben had said encouraging things to her about her work before, but this particular compliment was as welcome as sunshine in winter. She worked hard and strove for excellence with the kids. But she did so in obscurity, receiving job satisfaction through the kids’ well-being and accomplishments. That a teacher of Ben’s caliber thought well of her efforts meant more to her than any box of chocolates could have on this Valentine’s Day. “Thank you, Ben.”

Sebastian and Leah both asked her follow-up questions and Akira observed the dynamic between them and Ben as she answered.

Leah had styled her long bob in loose waves. Observant gray-blue eyes were the centerpiece of her lovely face. She’d combined her 1930s-inspired high heels with a simple off-the-shoulder dress made of a pink fabric so vibrant it verged on neon. She had the demeanor of a woman comfortable with herself.

Akira noted an underlying carefulness in the way Ben, Leah, and Sebastian interacted. They were all likely trying to navigate the territory they found themselves in now that Sebastian had ended up with Ben’s heartthrob. No doubt Sebastian and Leah would be thrilled when Ben found a girlfriend. That would assuage any lingering guilt they might be feeling.