Her shoulders heaved, she covered her face with both hands again, and after holding her breath without my urging this time, she managed, “He only proposed because my father made him. It was just a business deal.”

I sucked in my breath, shocked, which was ridiculous, because look at my own marriage. However, that had been my choice.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

She let out a bitter semi-hysterical chuckle. “Nothing left to question. My dad’s company can only be run by family members, either by blood or marriage. Since I have no interest in it, that leaves whoever marries me.”

“And Rick wanted the job,” I guessed.

“And my dad wanted Rick. As far as I’m concerned, they can marry each other.”

“Why can it only be run by family?”

“My grandfather set it up that way. It’s in the bylaws.” Her tone told me what she thought of the bylaws, and I couldn’t disagree.

“Did your grandfather do that to protect you? So you would inherit it?”

Another caustic laugh amid gasps. “No.” She shook her head and didn’t say more.

“Did you love Rick?”

She shook her head.

“It sounds like you’re better off losing this guy then,” I said, trying to imagine a father who would try to force a marriage that was doomed from the start on his only child.

Her breath hitched. “If I don’t marry him, my father disowns me and cuts me off from everything.”

My eyes got huge as I let that sink in. Her father must be a piece of work. “Maybe it was a bluff?”

“He doesn’t bluff.”

“Wow. But you dumped him anyway?”

“He’s a cheating bastard,” she said, her voice stronger, ringing with anger instead of despair now. “I caught him texting some ho tonight while he was here with me.”

“You’re sure it wasn’t just a friend?”

“He was texting about her nipples,” Magnolia bit out.

I never, ever thought I would have sympathy for Magnolia James or be on her side in anything, but that was pretty shitty of him. And her dad… Yeah. Try as I might, I just couldn’t fathom—

“I bet you love this,” she said quietly, weakly.

“Love what?”

“All of this. My stupid, pathetic life.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Why are you even being nice to me?”

“You looked like you needed help.”

She nodded somberly. “I’ve never had that happen before.” We were both quiet for a long stretch before she said, “Once you got me breathing right, you didn’t have to stay and talk.”

I shrugged. “I know what it’s like to be all alone, I guess.”

“Things seem to have worked out okay for you.”

“I’m in a pretty good place right now,” I acknowledged, not letting myself think about where I’d be in, oh, say a year from now.