"I meant it," Ethan said quietly. "What I said to him."
"I know."
"He's not going to hear it."
"Maybe not." She looked at him. "But you said it anyway, and you meant it. That counts for something."
He nodded.
"I don't know if I can do the wedding," he said. "Stand up there and smile while he marries her."
"You don't have to decide yet." Lori kept her voice steady.
"He wants an answer."
"He can wait."
Ethan's shoulders loosened.
"Thanks for not being there," he said.
"What?"
"When he showed up. I'm glad you weren't there at first. I needed to say it without worrying about—" He stopped. "I don't know. You." He paused. "Tom helped. He didn't take over, but he was just... there. Like Kevin couldn't get past him."
Lori swallowed. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."
"Don't be. It worked out better this way."
She wanted to argue, but she stopped herself. He was telling her something important: he could handle more than she thought. He needed space to fight his own battles.
He might actually be okay.
Sophie didn't know anything was wrong until she got home.
At The Crabby Catch, it had been a normal shift. Busy enough to keep her moving, slow enough to catch her breath between rushes. Jake was working the patio again, and they'd started reading each other over the past week. He'd catch her eye when a difficult table finally left. She'd mouth good luck when a party of eight walked in without a reservation. Small things. Nothing that meant anything.
Except they did. She was starting to notice.
The trouble started at seven-thirty.
"We can't sit here." The woman gestured at the table Sophie had led them to. "It's right under the vent. I'll freeze."
Sophie smiled, apologized, found them another table.
"This one's too cramped. We'll be bumping elbows with the people next to us."
Another table. Another apology.
"This chair wobbles."
Sophie checked the floor. "I'm sorry, we're full right now, but I can grab a?—"
"Forget it." The woman sat down hard. "Just get us some bread. We've been waiting."
They'd been seated for two minutes.
Sophie escaped back to the host stand, but she could feel the woman watching her.
