Mike didn’t answer. He was reading an exchange between Hazel and a young girl who was telling her that she wished a man would come along that could make her mom laugh again after her divorce. Hazel had responded with a heart emoji and the letters IKR? It stood for I know, right? Hazel wasn’t acting as traumatized as Zoey had described the last time they spoke, which was the same day Hazel had walked in on them. That’s when Zoey officially put them on Pause.

“My focus has to be Hazel,” she’d said on the phone. “I can’t do us right now. I want my friend, but we’ve gone way past that point, and I don’t think we can go back.”

He’d pleaded with her to let him come over to the shop, as a friend-friend, with a bottle of wine and a supply of bad jokes. But she’d told him no.

“I told Hazel we were cooling things,” Zoey said. “I need her to trust me again. It’s killing me that she doesn’t.” Her voice had cracked. “We knew what we were risking. And now we’ll have to pay the price. You have to stay away, Mike. At least for now.”

He’d asked how long she wanted them to avoid each other, and she hadn’t answered. But he had a feeling that in her mind, this was more than a temporary break. She was ending things. Ending the best thing he’d ever had.

That’s why Mike had been at the Shamrock most evenings, sitting on his usual barstool, nursing a Guinness for an hour or so before downing a shot of whiskey and going home. He missed both Zoey’s sharp wit and her silky skin. He’d had two of his favorite people torn away—his best friend and the woman he loved. Losing Becca had nearly broken him. Losing Zoey on top of that would be unbearable.

Kelly took her phone back, then looked over Mike’s shoulder and went pale. “Oh, shit. Speaking of viral moments, here comes the ex-husband to confront the boytoy.”

Mike ground his teeth together, then stood and turned to face Chris Bennett. He’d known Chris ever since the guy started dating Zoey. They’d gotten along well through the years, talking football and drinking beer together. Chris had always been decent enough. Until he cheated on Zoey and left her. Mike hadn’t had anything to say to the guy since then.

Chris stopped right in front of Mike. Tall and sandy haired, Chris was usually the life of a party, but not today. His eyes were narrow and hard, and a muscle ticked in his cheek. Oh, great.

“We need to talk,” Chris said. His voice was flat.

“Sure.” Mike stood, gesturing to the booths lining the wall by the windows. “Drink? On me.”

“Beer sounds good.”