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“I’m fine.”

“Listen, Cristina, we don’t have to do this.”

But as soon as the words are out of my mouth, my chest tightens around my heart as if it’s mad at me.

Before either of us can blink, we’re mobbed—cousins, friends, half the town clapping. Cristina manages to look up at them and smile, respond.

Guess it’s just me who makes her unresponsive.

Shit.

She perks up, thanking her friends. Everything moves in slow motion as Pane and Stone pat me on the back, congratulating me.

For the next fifteen minutes, I chat with people in the bar, shake hands. Every now and then, I glance over at Cristina, who still looks a touch peaked.

And I know why.

I’m the last person she wants to be stuck with.

Perfect.

When things finally wind down, I make my way over to her with a glass of water. She looks up from where she’s sitting on a stool and stiffens.

My stomach drops, but I force myself to smile. “Thought you could use some water.”

“Thanks.” She takes the glass and sips some down, the small acceptance of my offering loosening my tight chest. “So.”

“So.”

She cocks her head. “Are you really not going to say anything?”

“About what?”

She scoffs. “You know what.”

I slide onto the stool beside her, keeping my gaze forward but catching a whiff of her scent. I drum my fingers on the counter to distract myself.

“The way I see it,” I start, “we have two choices—back out or enter this thing.”

“We can’t back out after all those people congratulated us. If we do that, we’ll let them down.”

Her brow pinches. Cristina’s serious—she’s putting her town first. Thinking of everyone but herself.

“You remind me of my grandmother,” I tell her.

“Thanks, soulmate,” she says sarcastically.

“You automatically assume that’s not a compliment.”

Her eyes narrow. “Isn’t it?”

“I’ll have you know, my grandmother was a great woman. She put others before herself every time. She was even the one person who didn’t—”

My words catch. The memory tastes like metal—sharp. I almost told her my grandmother was the only person who didn’t blame me for what happened, who didn’t look at me like it was my fault my family’s sun had been stolen.

“She was the one person who didn’t, what?”

I wave her off. “Never mind.”