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First, she’d messed up with Gavin, and she wanted to make it right.

Second, she was really going to miss Agnes.

And third, she was going to be okay.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Kids thrive when their feelings are acknowledged.”

—Alyson, Ohio, United States

Molly

Molly really screwed up.

Truly, she’d moved beyond really-screwed-up and well into totally-screwed-up territory.

Gavin didn’t answer his door for her. Which was okay, because maybe he wasn’t home? But he also didn’t answer his phone, either.

She called his office but got sent to his voicemail.

She thought about going down there, but she didn’t want to cross that line between the let-me-apologize ex-girlfriend and the let’s-call-the-cops-on-her version.

Since he wasn’t answering, she texted him saying that she’d very much like him to come to the finalists dinner.

They were announcing the overall winner here tonight.

The winner was picked by most popular final vote. Everything Molly had heard since she arrived was that Agnes and Charlie were very much still the frontrunners.Shewas very much the frontrunner.

But it didn’t feel as good as it should’ve. Didn’t feel like a win. Not really.

Gavin should be here.

She wanted him here.

“Molly?” Oh, yay, it was Cassidy.

Molly glanced over her shoulder to…yup. Cassidy.

“Hi.” Molly pulled her purse up on her shoulder. Cassidy had gone with a blue dress with cute little white flowers stitched up the side.

“It’s like I see you everywhere.” Cassidy pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I always think there’s a reason for that, you know? Like maybe we should have coffee sometime. I’m still new here and I’m trying to make friends.”

Coffee? Molly wasn’t sure she could do that.

“I like going for coffee,” Molly said. “And, you know, I know you and Gavin have a history.”

Cassidy nodded. “Ancient history. Right?”

One of the DJs from the radio station swooped in and pressed a kiss to Cassidy’s neck.

“Cass. Who’s this?” he asked.

Uh. That was not a friendly kiss. That was a kiss of someone who knew Cassidy intimately, if Molly was correct. And Molly was correct here, there wasn’t a lot of question.

“This is Molly,” Cassidy said, holding the DJ’s hand and looking up at him like he was her everything. “I told you about her. She’s seeing that guy I used to know.”

That guy she used to know?