Tammy laughed. “He’s so easy to shock. What a cutie.”
She took her cup and said her goodbyes before walking out the door. I patted Theo’s head before getting our own coffee from Kelsey.
“How long do you think he’ll be out of it?” Kelsey added with a laugh. “Is this a terrible time to mention I’ve decided to be a ten-foot clown on stilts?”
“Oh, I’ll join you.”
“What the fuck are you two even talking about?” Theo muttered, shaking his head. “Shit, I have a ton to do. Sourcing enough for both Tammy and Riley? Jesus, I’ll never be behind the counter again.”
“What a shame.” Kelsey rolled her eyes. “I happen to like this spot, and Paxton makes drinks just as good as you do.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Theo gave me a kiss on the cheek before walking to his office. I knew I wouldn’t see him until later.
“So,” Kelsey said, “do you have any writing to get done?”
I blew out a breath. “I have other stuff to work out first. Like the fact that my agent is also my friend and is intertwined with the man who tried to ruin Theo’s life.”
“Oh, him.” She smiled, but it wasn’t a kind one. “Can I get his number? For ... reasons.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got this.”
“You’re a badass.” She looked at my cup. “Want a free shot of espresso?”
“Oh my God,please. I’m gonna need it.”
Once I was armed with far too much caffeine, I went to my usual spot and sat. An email from Mitch waited for me, and the headline was him asking to talk.
I didn’t want to do this, but I did anyway.
Piper
Are you free now?
Mitch
Yes. Call when you’re ready.
I swapped to the phone app and hit call.
“Hey,” Mitch said. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Where are you?”
“The Reserved Bean.”
He nodded. “I thought I recognized that wall. Good for you being out of the house after . . .” He sighed and looked away. “Look, I ... I’m sorry about everything that happened.”
“Me too,” I said. “I should have told you two about Theo’spast, but I was afraid Joey would either never leave or try to get me to move back, which is exactly what he did.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“It’s a form of control, and I don’t want to live like that anymore.”
I wondered if Mitch would disagree since Joey was his fiancé. Instead, he sighed. “He’s like that with me too.”
“What?”
