Page 34 of Make You Mine

“I didn’t expect to run into you this morning.” Richard’s tone was flat, foreboding. “How are you?”

“Um, I figured we needed to chat.” I tried and failed to keep my voice steady. “About Cody, the bakery, all of it.”

Richard patted the bench next to him. “Sure, have a seat.”

I slid in next to him, trying to ignore the weight of Dana’s gaze on me. “Look, I know things have been tense, but we need to sort this out for Cody’s sake.”

Dana nodded. “We should be on the same page.”

“Dana and I have been talking,” Richard began. “You really upset her the other day. She was inconsolable. I don’t know how I would have calmed her down if it wasn't for Cody. She had a panic attack, Piper, and you know what a sweet dog Cody is, he helped pull her out of it.”

I felt a pang of guilt. “I didn’t know it was that bad. I’m sorry, Dana.”

Tears filled her eyes. “It’s okay. I just—couldn’t believe you were willing to ruin our friendship over this.”

“This? You mean you and Richard?”

She nodded tearfully as ice flooded my veins.

“What are you talking about? Me?Ididn’t start this. I didn’t ruin anything?—”

She didn’t answer, save for a small hiccupping sob as she reached for a napkin to dab at her eyes.

What the heck was she playing at?

Richard took her hand across the table. “Baby, shh, it will be okay. I promised to take care of you, didn’t I?”

“Richard and I are in love,” she cried. “You two were never right for each other. You wouldn’t have lasted, and you know that. Why can’t you understand how I feel?”

“This is all moot,” Richard cut in. “The point is, Dana needs Cody. She’s fragile right now. I tried to get you to fix your friendship with her. But you couldn’t let things go. She’s really afraid of working with you, Piper.”

“Afraid? Of me? I don’t understand, I mean, what?—?”

My mind raced as I tried to understand what they were getting at. I had to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.

“Listen,” I began, my voice trembling. “Let’s not be hasty?—”

Richard cut me off. “Dana will be going to Cody’s check-up with me. When things settle down between the two of you, we can discuss whether you still want to be part of Cody’s life and how that will work. But for now, it’s best to keep our distance from each other. And about the bakery? We should discuss possibly buying you out. I don’t see how you two can work together with how things are going. We wouldn't be here right now if you had only listened to reason. I’m sorry.”

I stared at him in disbelief, every word like a blow to the chest. But now was not the time to argue with them. “I see. Um, I’ll just leave you to your coffee.”

“Thank you, Piper.” Dana smiled, sugary sweet. “I’ll email you about the shop.”

I needed time to think.

But more importantly, I needed to get away from them before I started crying.

Chapter10

Piper

With my head buzzing and my heart like a weight in my chest, I returned to my sisters’ table.

Paige took one look at me and herded us to the back of the Coffee Cabin, threw open the door, and pushed me inside.

Eliza turned toward me, concern etched across her face. I tried to summon a smile, but it felt too heavy to lift.

“What happened?” she asked. “You’ve gone pale.”

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