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“There she is!” Peter’s handsome, close-up face filled her screen. “I’ve missed you! You look”—he hesitated for the slightest moment—“lovely. How are things?”

Arden glanced at her own image on the screen and wasn’t surprised to see that, underneath her messy bun, her cheeks were red and blotchy.

“Fine. Is something wrong, Peter?”

“No, nothing! Just wanted to check in. See how your vacation is going.”

“It’s fine.” Arden knew she was being much less forthcoming than she usually was with him. But she wasn’t going to let him get in her head. She was taking charge of their less-than-appropriate relationship. From now on, he was her boss and she was, first and foremost, a kindergarten teacher. She was not obligated to do anything outside her job description.

Which included late-night FaceTime chats. Why had she even answered?

“Arden…” He put on his trademark look of concern, the one that always got her to spill her thoughts, hopes, and dreams. “Is anything the matter?”

When she didn’t immediately respond, he added, “Is there a man there in Seattle that you’ve gone to visit?”

This was so unexpected, Arden was startled into a response. “A man? What? No. I mean, I didn’t come here to visit him.”

Peter narrowed his eyes.

“I mean”—Arden resisted the urge to smack her palm against her forehead—“there’s not a man, not really, not in the traditional sense.”

“So…” Peter put on a sympathetic look. “You met someone, and it’s not working out the way you’d hoped?”

Alarm bells started ringing in Arden’s head. This was none of his business. He was trying to get her to confide in him, and then he’d conveniently be there to help her pick up the pieces of her broken heart.

“Actually, Peter.” Arden sat up straighter. “Everything is fine. And if there’s nothing work related…?”

“No, no. Except don’t forget the staff meeting on January third.”

“I’ll be there. Happy holidays, Peter.”

Before she could chicken out, Arden pressed the red X and hung up on him.

There. She’d had a moment of weakness when she’d answered his call, but she’d rallied in the end. Just like it said on her list: No more Peter Blake.

Even if she’d gotten her heart in a mess with Sam, at least she was becoming a better person where Peter was involved. She would be able to go home confident that she wouldn’t fall back into her old patterns.

The next morning, as she was making her way through a slice of hazelnut coffee cake at her fifth coffee shop of the trip, her phone rang again. This time, it was Becca.

“How’s your trip?”

“It’s been pretty good—” Arden was weighing whether to spill the whole Sam story to Becca now or save it for later, when Becca cut her off.

“I met Phoebe last night!”

“Phoebe? Phoebe Keller? As in the Phoebe whose apartment I’m staying in?”

“Yes! She came to our post-Christmas hang with Jonathan Lee. I guess they went to college together. Actually, they looked pretty cozy. I wonder if—but that’s not why I called you.”

“She knows Jonathan Lee? What a small world.”

“Phoebe seemed very interested in your love life.”

Arden said nothing. It didn’t take a genius to put the puzzle pieces together. Phoebe was probably interested because Arden had been seeing Phoebe’s brother. Did that mean Sam had told Phoebe… everything?

“What did she ask?”

“She wanted to know if you were single. She seemed very surprised when I told her you aren’t a big dater. That you’re kind of a shy person.”