“I can’t believe you were here in the building and weren’t going to come say hello to me. Todd, baby, can you please get Ella some tea?” Erin looked back to Ella. “Just made a pot of some calming blend crap I have to drink instead of coffee.”

“We were just finishing up when you called. I figured you’d be resting or busy.”

“Pfft. All I do lately is rest. Sit, sit. How are you?”

Ella sat, and Todd put a mug of tea at her elbow, squeezing her shoulder before he moved back to Erin’s side. “Thanks. I’m good. Just had a workout with Cope. Started Christmas shopping yesterday. Thinking about a trip to see Mick this summer for a week. You?”

“Christmas shopping in mid-October? Show-off!” Erin winked. “It’s all good. I miss you at the café already, and you’re not even totally gone yet. Things are fine, so get that worried look off your face. You are meant for other things, and it’s not like we won’t see each other since you’ll be able to have a social life now that the balance is in favor of your other job.”

Ella worried about leaving the café as Erin’s pregnancy neared its end. But the guy taking over was good, had worked at the café nearly as long as Ella had and he cared about the place and their customers.

Erin was right. It was time. Even if taking that step did scare her. She smiled at Erin, noting how her friend’s face had rounded as she passed into her eighth month. Ella thought it looked good on her but also that she looked tired.

“Of course we’ll still see each other. My new office isn’t even three miles from here. It’s not like I’m going to disappear. You’re stuck with me.”

They chatted for several more minutes, Erin showing pictures from the most recent ultrasound, talking about the baby’s room and other gloriously mundane things.

“It feels like forever since we’ve just hung out like this. Only this time we get the hot guy to bring us tea and baked goods.” Erin smiled up at Todd, who kissed her quickly.

“We’ve all been so busy. It’ll be better soon. I hope. We just need to carve out the time.”

“Starting Friday.” Cope strolled into the room and sat at the table, sneaking a cookie from the plate. “Ella’s coming to pizza, pool and beer with me.”

Erin’s eyes lit, and a smile of a different type marked her lips. Ella wanted to laugh. Truth was, she still felt pretty giddy about it herself. Ella had to admit she loved the way he’d verbally underscored the with me part.

“Hey, Ben.” Ella knew something was up with him. He usually had a smile on, an easygoing walk. Just then she could see the stress around his eyes.

But he smiled at her, genuinely, dropping to kiss her cheek before settling on the nearby counter. “Hey, Ella. I was just telling Cope I was glad we’d get to see you more often outside the café.”

Not that she’d comment, but he was talking about her to his brother? Part of her way deep inside fluttered and warmed. Fuck that. It was already fluttery and hot from the way Cope had kissed her. Twice. He’d been all manly and in charge. The way he backed her up against stuff, god, it pushed all her buttons in the best kind of way. Still, she needed to focus on that moment with her friends instead of the way she would be totally giving her vibrator a workout when she got home.

Ben was bothered by something. She wanted to follow up and ask him about the sadness in his eyes but worried that it might upset Erin, so she kept it to herself. She’d ask Cope about it when they left.

They stayed another half hour or so until Cope pleaded having to get up early the next day. She hugged Erin tight, urging her to rest, and said she’d see them all at the end of the week if not before.

“You okay?” Cope asked as they walked to her car in the building’s garage.

“Just tired, I guess. Was Ben all right? He looked upset.”

Cope watched her carefully as she peeked into the backseat before unlocking.

“Good. I like seeing that.” He stood at his door until she got in and then followed.

“What?”

“You’re being safe. It’s second nature. You have no idea how many people I work with who don’t even lock their front door, much less check the backseat.”

She stared at him, wondering just when everything between them had deepened. She felt raw and exposed, but she wouldn’t turn back time to what they’d been before, either. This time in her life was dizzyingly confusing in a rather unexpectedly delicious way.

Ducking into the car and starting it gave her a chance to compose herself. “Thanks. I suppose there are things in life you learn the hard way. I’d have preferred to learn this lesson from the hot young stud teaching me self-defense.”

“Hot young stud, huh? Hope we’re both talking about me, or I’ll be all embarrassed.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I’ll wait for that moment.”

“Ha. I wish you could have skipped that hard lesson too. To answer your question, it’s the usual stuff. My dad called. Ben’s upset.” He shrugged.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He paused, and she didn’t push. God knew she understood what it meant to have to stay silent on things. But that came at a price, and she hated to think about Cope having to pay it.

“I do. But I can’t. Not now.”

Her heart ached at the sadness in his tone.

“All right. But if you change your mind, you know where I am.”