There was no doubt that was exactly what Mom had done. The only question now was how bad the fallout was. The shop lights were on when she drove up the hill, so that was where she parked. She knocked on the door, then walked inside when there was no answer. She could hear machinery running.

Zayne was standing at the band saw, head down, shoulders hunched over whatever he was working on. He was concentrating on the piece of wood in his hands, turning it carefully. He had his safety glasses on, but not his earplugs that she could see. She called his name. Instead of looking up, he just stopped, pulling the carved wood back slowly before reaching down to hit the switch that made the machine wind slowly down to silence. Even then, he didn’t look up right away. This was not a good sign.

“Look at me, Zayne.” He wouldn’t. “I know what happened with my mother.” That got his attention. His blue eyes hit her like an iceberg. “I don’t know all of it, but I know she did her Marissa Wentworth thing all over you.”

He gave a brief nod. “She did.”

Andrea started toward him. “Why did you cancel our plans?”

“I just think we need to...” He looked away. “I’m no good for you, Andrea.” She stopped next to the table but didn’t touch him. She had a feeling that would be a mistake.

“What the hell did she say to you?” She held back the panic pushing at her heart. “I don’t want us to end.”

“She said she bribed you to turn on me back in school.”

She sucked in a breath. “Yes. But we were seventeen, Zayne. She told me I’d never go to college if I didn’t do what she said. I’ve already told you how sorry I am. Why are we still talking about this?”

He stared at her, and she stood there, hoping he could see straight to her soul to know how sincere she was. But something he saw must have bothered him, because he blinked and looked away.

“She said she’d do it again, to keep us apart now.”

Andrea barked out a laugh. “She said she’d bribe me again? With what? She has nothing more to take from me. It failed with Hudson and it will fail with you.”

His head snapped back. “What do you mean, it failed with Hudson?”

She swallowed hard, emotion choking her again. Her mouth opened, but she held back the words, ashamed.

“Andrea?” Zayne took her hand, his voice suddenly tender. “What do you mean?”