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“That sounds accurate. Maybe that’s why I’ve always avoided it and focused on my career.”
“Killing it professionally has guaranteed rewards. Gambling on love doesn’t. And nobody understood that better than Mama. She always reminded me that every relationship has to finesse, straddling freedom and commitment, togetherness and separateness. And the way to maintain a balance of both is sovereignty and intimacy. If we accept that there’s always a dance, we’ll eventually learn to navigate the moments when we crave more connection or independence.”
“Damn. Babs may need to start a podcast.”
“Let’s not encourage her fame-loving side,” Faith said with a laugh.
“Oh my gosh, we haven’t talked about your mobster yet.”
“I don’t remember taking possession of a mobster.” She tapped her finger to her head. “Did I leave him somewhere and forget?”
She grabbed butter and eggs out of the fridge. “Just tell me how many times he’s tried to get in contact.”
“Several.” Faith bit back a small smile. “He sent the most outrageous flower arrangement to my hotel in Miami.”
“That must be his home base because Nathan flew down yesterday to meet with him. They’re going to work together on his gambling operations.”
“How mad are you?”
“Probably not as much as I should be.” She leaned against the counter. “Believe it or not, I prefer the Moretti crime empire to the world of black ops.”
“Pick your poison and all of that.” Faith shook her head. “I wish there was some kind of pill that I could take so I would be immune to Alex’s loose-limbed grace and charming manners.”
“Does that mean you’ve spent more time with him?”
“We had a drink in the hotel bar. The encounter lasted forty-five minutes, and I have yet to make sense of it.”
“If I forbid you to ever speak to him again, will it make a difference?”
“Probably not.”
“Then all you can do is enjoy the ride.”
The doorbell echoed, and she patted Faith’s shoulder before walking toward the door. Maybe it was time she took her own advice and enjoyed whatever time she and Teague had together.
An hour later, Tancy watched Scott roll out pie crust dough and decided he wouldn’t be a total disaster on the show. “You may have some natural talent.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Baking is more about science than anything else, and I think your engineer brain will work in your favor.”
“It doesn’t help in my personal life, so I guess it’s good to know that it will be useful for more than throwing a ball.”
“Are you ready to be in the public eye again and have people pestering you about the…”
Scott looked over and smirked. “You can say it. It was a shutdown. A very public refusal of an ill-advised marriage proposal.”
“Have you made peace with it?”
“For the most part.” He grabbed a towel and wiped his hands. “And truth be told, I dodged a bullet. Whenever I get too down about it, I remind myself that whatever is supposed to be mine won’t pass me by. And that it’s literally impossible to screw up anything that is truly meant for me.”
“Did you see those inspirational quotes on Instagram?” She watched a devilish smile break across his handsome face.
“Nah, it was TikTok.”
“The University of TikTok strikes again.” She picked up the sponge and wiped some sugar off the counter. “Was there a specific incident that told you that you were better off without the woman, or was it a collection of bad experiences?”
“I’ll answer the question with a story.”
