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awkward little pat on the shoulder. “You mustn’t be too upset, y’know…”
    She gaped at him. Brian was a man’s man. He toiled all day, played rugby on the weekends, and the only cooking he did was on a barbecue. Now, he was sounding like a Dear Abby columnist because he thought she was too fragile to cope with the news of Seth’s wedding. Because she knew he didn’t— really didn’t—want to see her break into tears, especially with Jess not around.
    “Oh, Brian, I’m not upset about the wedding! It’s not like I’ve been pining for Seth all these years. It was a shock hearing about it, yes, but…” But she would have handled it if it hadn’t been for Nate sauntering into her shop, looking at her in that derisive way, calling her a…a prissy Goody Two-shoes. Is that how he really saw her? How everyone saw her? A stitched-up prude with no sense of humor and all the attraction of plain low-fat yogurt? Without warning, a lump rose in her throat, her chin started to quiver, and—oh, no—hot moisture dammed up behind her eyes.
    “Oh! Ah…ah…” Brian shuffled about, his brow contorted, big hands flapping uselessly. He dove for a box of tissues and thrust it under her nose with a mute plea.
    Sniffing, Ally waved away the tissues and swiped her fingers across her eyes. She couldn’t do this to poor Brian. Especially when he thought her tears were for Seth. They weren’t. They were for herself, for the way Nate had made her feel.
    The back door creaked, and two toddlers burst into the room, followed by Ally’s sister.
    “Jess! You’re back!” Brian’s voice throbbed with relief. He dropped the box of tissues and hurried toward his wife and twin boys. “Why don’t I give the boys their bath tonight?” Wedging a toddler under each arm, he dashed off without waiting for a reply.
    Jess hefted two shopping bags onto the kitchen counter and frowned after her husband. “What’s up with him? He hardly ever volunteers for bath time.” Then she glanced at Ally. “Oh, no. What did he say to you?”
    “Nothing.” Ally dashed the back of her hand across her eyes one last time.
    “Oh, honey, it’s not so bad.” Jess darted across the room to fold Ally into a hug before sinking them both onto a squishy, toy-strewn couch. “Don’t let him get you down. That scumbag isn’t worth crying over.”
    Why did everyone think she still had a thing for Seth? Ally eased out the piece of Lego digging into her butt and threw it across the floor. “I know that. I’ve known that for years.”
    “Of course you have,” Jess cooed, as if humoring a fractious kid.
    “No, really, I’m not upset over Seth. I’m upset because Mr. Cummings sold the building today. Guess who’s my new landlord?” She paused a couple of seconds before announcing, “Nate Hardy.”
    “Nate Hardy?” Her sister pulled back, her brows drawing together.
    “Incredible, right? He came into the shop this afternoon, swaggering like a pirate, not the least bit embarrassed that his feckless cousin is planning to get married right here, again . That’s what really got me—he’s so damned arrogant. Gah!” Grabbing the stuffed monkey lying next to her, she twisted its ear. “Nate’s never liked me. He turned Seth against me, broke us up, and now he’s going to be my frigging landlord! Of all the people Mr. Cummings could have sold to, why on earth did he have to pick Nate?”
    “I’m sure it’s just a business investment for Nate.” But Jess was still frowning, and she didn’t look too convinced. “You won’t have much to do with him, as long as you pay him on time.”
    Ally groaned and hugged the monkey to her. “That’s another problem. I’m behind on my rent.”
    “Oh, no. How much?”
    She bit her lip. “Two months. Mr. Cummings has been very understanding about it.”
    “That’s a lot of rent to owe.”
    Guilt coursed through Ally as she saw how worried her sister was. She shouldn’t dump her problems on her. Jess