Page 75 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

"You leave it to us. We'll get things sorted. A community fundraiser; we can pull that off, no problem." Claire nodded decisively, then cocked her head and studied him for a long moment. "Are you upset at her for siding with her father over you?"

Alex shook his head. "Not even for an instant. She wanted to believe in him, to trust him. She was giving him another chance to be a better man." Alex held her gaze. "I'm glad folks who care about me have given me more than my fair share of second chances."

"And you're proving us right, Alex. I'm proud of you. You've come a long way, Daddy," she said with a teasing smile. Then she reached for her phone. "I'll call an emergency GVLC meeting and get the ball rolling as quickly as possible."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet." Claire's expression was serious. "Juno's going to be furious when she finds out what we're doing."

"I know." And he did. Juno would see it as interference, as a public acknowledgment of her failure. "But she'll know we have her back, even if it kills her to admit it."

"She'll get over it, Alex," Claire said, pushing to her feet. "I have faith in our girl. Besides, it's the right thing to do."

Alex nodded and stood, too, pushing his chair back in place. "I'm glad you agree. Anyway, I need to get going." He couldn't bite back his grin as he added, "I have a daughter to get home to."

"Look at you," Claire said, circling the table to give him a quick hug. "Local town hero. Knight in shining armor. Proud father. What a guy." She stepped back and patted his chest. "I'm glad I know you, Alex Frampton. You're my kind of people."

As Alex walked back to his truck, he felt the weight on his shoulders lighten fractionally. He couldn't fix the damage Leonard had done to Juno's heart, nor could he force Juno to trust him before she was ready. But he could rally the people who loved Juno, who would stand by her, no matter what.

It might cost him any chance of reconciliation with her. Juno might see his involvement as the final betrayal, the ultimate proof that he didn't respect her independence.

He prayed that wouldn't be the case.

He slid behind the wheel of The Beast and sat for a moment, gathering his thoughts. Tomorrow he had a custody meeting with Howard. For whatever reason, Melissa still hadn't demanded that he return Lena to her, for which he was thrilled. He was getting accustomed to thinking about someone besides himself around the clock, and he found it made him want to be a better man all the way around. Not just at home, but with his friends, his work, and even when he was alone. He shaved more often, took better care of his living space, got better sleep, and ate healthier. He wasn't ready to give up his milkshakes yet, but the last few days of skipping the afternoon treat had proved that he could do without just fine.

In fact, it wasn't the chocolate shakes he was missing so badly, but the person who made them for him.

It had been four days since he'd been inside Juno's Coffee Bar, but it felt like an eternity. He eyed her place across the street from The Cracked Spine, and more than anything, he wanted to go in and check on her. But he held back. She needed to come to him on her own terms, he reminded himself. If he pushed, she'd pull away.

His phone beeped and he glanced at the screen to see who had texted. Melissa.

I'm coming to pick Lena up next Friday. Have her things packed and ready when I get there.

A wave of dread washed over him at the sight of those words. What did she have planned? Did he have to just hand Lena over to her mother in ten days without explanation? She wouldn't dare take Lena out of the country, would she? Not with the court order in place. But what if they left the state? What if she disappeared without telling him where they were going? What could he do to prevent her from doing anything she wanted?

In a borderline panic, Alex put his truck in gear and headed for his parents' house. It was too late to call his own attorney, but maybe his dad would have some answers. He couldn't lose Lena again. He wouldn't.

As he passed the coffee shop, a new sense of determination reared up inside of him. He wouldn't lose Juno, either. Come hell or high water, he was going to fight for his girls, his precious ladies. He was going to protect and defend them, be a soft place for them to land, and a strong place for them to hold onto.

He had his work cut out for him, but he was ready to fight this battle, to be the kind of man that both Lena and Juno could count on.

30

Juno

Junotuggedatthehem of her cobalt blue blouse, smoothed down her black slacks, and took a deep breath. Her reflection in the rearview mirror looked presentable—professional even. The concealer she'd applied did a decent job hiding the dark circles under her eyes, and the mascara made her look more awake than she felt.

Ten days. Ten days since she'd discovered her father's betrayal, and she still hadn't managed a full night's sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the bank statement, the transactions that had emptied her account, the culmination of years of saving gone in an instant.

Yet here she was, driving to the Garden Gate B&B for the Garden Variety Lovers Club's monthly gathering. She'd nearly canceled. She'd composed and deleted at least three text messages to Claire with various excuses. In the end, she'd decided that staying home alone with her thoughts would be worse than putting on a brave face for a few hours.

Besides, she owed it to her friends to at least make an appearance. She'd already been dodging Claire's increasingly concerned texts, and Liz and Candy had stopped by the coffee shop twice this week with thinly-veiled attempts to check on her. Then yesterday, Addison had come in with an enormous bouquet of flowers for her. She'd said that someone ordered them, paid for them, then never picked them up, so she'd decided to give them to one of the hardest working women she knew. Addison had set the vase on the end of the counter, and then hugged Juno fiercely. "That's you, my friend!" she'd declared, then added, "I'll see you at the Garden Gate tomorrow, right?"

Even Penny had texted her to make sure she would be there.

They knew something was wrong. They just didn't know what, and Juno intended to keep it that way.

Juno pulled up to the Garden Gate, Mavis Staples's voice rolling like thunder out of her car stereo, singing about there being no time for crying, that there was work to do. She parked her car behind the B&B, noting with surprise the unusually full parking area. There were even cars parked across the gravel road at the St. James's place. What was going on? Was there an event here that she didn't know about? And if so, why hadn't Penny rescheduled their get-together? The six friends could meet any time and anywhere they wanted; there was nothing official about the group, just an excuse to take time out of the busyness of their lives and hang out.

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