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“Explain why he can’t be with me. I know.” Indie loved her cousin for trying to spare her feelings. She put on a brave face and tried to infuse some energy into her voice. “It’s okay. I’m going to be okay, no matter what happens with Lee. I really believe that.”

“You’ve come a long way.” Penny reached for Indie’s hand. “In case I haven’t said it lately, I’m crazy proud of you.”

Indie leaned in to kiss her cousin’s cheek. “You have, but thank you. I really needed to hear it again.”

After wandering around town looking for Donato all morning, Lee was tired and hungry, so he went to Jimmy’s for a burger. He’d decided that he couldn’t go back to working for his brother, and he wanted J.T. to be the first to know. It was a hell of a risk, but Lee didn’t want to spend the rest of his life wondering what could have been.

“Your boss in today?” Lee asked the bartender.

“He just went to the bank,” the young man—whose nametag read Randy—said. “He should be back in a few. Can I get you anything while you wait?”

“Yeah, a burger and fries with a water would be great. Thanks.”

“You got it.”

Lee watched the kid and thought about the possibility of having dozens of people on his payroll. He’d been a one-man show before he went to work for Drake, and before that, he’d always been an employee. If J.T.’s offer stood, he would be taking on the role of employer for the first time in his life. The thought of being responsible for other people’s livelihoods was scary and exhilarating at the same time.

Before the bartender returned with Lee’s water, J.T. walked in and headed straight for Lee. “Hey buddy,” J.T. said, slapping him on the back. “This is a nice surprise. What brings you by?”

“I just came in to grab a burger…” Lee was second-guessing himself, wondering if he really had the courage to follow through with his plan. “And talk to you. If you have a minute?”

“For you? Always.” J.T. smiled. “You ordered already?”

“Yeah. Randy just went to the kitchen to place the order.”

“Let’s move to a table then.” J.T. pointed to a booth away from the lunch crowd. “I wouldn’t mind joining you for a bite. It’s been kind of a crazy morning, getting caught up on paperwork and dealing with suppliers.” Chuckling, J.T. said, “Man, I’m getting too old for this. Have you come to put me out of my misery?”

“As a matter of fact,” Lee said, sliding into the booth, “I did come to talk to you about your offer, assuming it still stands?”

“Sure, it does,” J.T. said. “Things not working out with your brother?”

“Uh, it’s not that exactly. Things just got kind of complicated.”

“Does this have anything to do with that girl you introduced me to?” J.T. asked. “What was her name, Indie?”

“How’d you know?” Lee smirked. He wasn’t surprised his friend read him so easily. J.T. had always had his number.

“I could tell there was somethin’ between y’all. Knowin’ what a tight-ass your brother can be I can see how that would get kind of dicey.”

Lee laughed. “You can say that again.” His smile slipped. “None of this is Drake’s fault, though. I messed up. I got involved with Indie when I shouldn’t have.”

“Huh.” When Lee didn’t elaborate, J.T. said, “In my experience, things usually happen for a reason. If y’all got involved, it could have been because she’s exactly what you need.”

“I don’t know about that.” The thought of how great it would be to have Indie in his life had crossed Lee’s mind, but the Donato issue hung over his head like a storm cloud. “What I do know is that I’m ready to start a new chapter in my life.”

“I’m listenin’.”

“I’ve thought a lot about your offer, and I think I’d like to take you up on it.”

“If this thing with Indie is the only reason—”

“It’s not just that.”

“Good, because you can’t make a decision like this on impulse, my friend. If you decide to buy Jimmy’s, you have to be all in. I made a commitment when I bought this bar to give it all I had, and I refuse to sell it to anyone who isn’t willing to make the same promise to me.”

Lee understood that. J.T. had given the better part of his life to the place, and the last thing Lee wanted was to let him down. “If you think I’ve got what it takes…”

“I wouldn’t have approached you with the idea if I didn’t.”

“Okay then,” Lee said, extending his hand. “Let’s make this happen.”

***

Indie poked her head in to Jocelyn’s office. “Can I come in? The girls said you were alone.”

“Of course,” Jocelyn said, her face lighting up. “I’m a little surprised to see you in the middle of the day. Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

Indie sat down across from her. “I took the day off. I figured they owed me a day.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Jocelyn asked. “You hate taking time off work.”

“Am I feeling okay?” Indie looked down at her hands. “Not really.”

“What’s wrong, honey?”

“I got a call from my sister today. I told you about what that bastard did to her, right?”

“Yes.” Jocelyn closed her computer. “But you said she’s going to be okay, right?”

“Not unless they put him away for a long time.” With a shuddering sigh, Indie said, “They have a kid. He’s always going to be a part of her life unless they can put him behind bars where he belongs.”

“Indie, are you saying what I think you’re saying? You want to help them do that?”

Indie had already told Jocelyn about how her visit back home went, so she shouldn’t be surprised that Jocelyn was thinking about payback. “That’s what my sister asked me to do. She wanted to know if I would consider testifying against him. If they can make the jury see how violent he is, the prosecution thinks they have a good chance of getting the maximum.”

“Wow, that’s a big step,” Jocelyn said. “You think you’re ready?”

“I think so.” Indie’s cell phone buzzed. Lee had already left a message apologizing for last night. She didn’t want to hear those words again. “I was planning on getting out of town for a few days, anyway. This isn’t what I had in mind, but closing the chapter on this part of my life might be the only way I can move forward.”

“I tend to agree,” Jocelyn said. “You’re being given an opportunity few women ever get. So many women have to live with the knowledge that the faceless monster who raped them is still out there hurting other women, but you have the chance to end this man’s reign of terror. Do I think you should do it? Absolutely.”

“You really think I’m strong enough to face him again?”

Jocelyn smiled. “Without a doubt. But I get the feeling there’s more going on with you. You want to talk about it?”

“The craziest thing happened.” Indie swallowed the lump in her throat as she forced herself to look at her former therapist. “I went and fell for my boss’s brother.”

“The man you were telling me about?” Jocelyn looked stunned. “Last I heard, you were livid Drake was hiring him because you felt he’d taken advantage of your friend, Cassidy. What changed your mind?”

“I got to know him.” Indie’s heart ached when she realized how wrong she’d been when she rushed to judge Lee. She had almost missed out on the opportunity to share an amazing experience with him because her past still colored her opinions about men. “I realized I was wrong about him.”

“I see.”

“I fell in love with him, Jocelyn.” Indie lifted her head. “Problem is, he doesn’t feel the same way about me.”

“How do you know that?”

“We made love. Afterward, he told me it was a mistake.” Indie didn’t feel the need to go into detail about what had happened with Donato. He was probably just a convenient excuse, a reason for Lee to hide from what was happening between them.

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks, but I’m not. Even though it didn’t work out, I’m not sorry it happened. I think it made me stronger.”

“How so?”

“It made me realize I’m ready for an intimate relationship with a man, that I’m ready to fall in love. I wanted it to be with Lee, but if not, it’ll be with someone else. Right?”

“You bet it will,” Jocelyn said with a smile. “Women like you don’t come along every day, my dear. Mark my words, it won’t be long before some smart man realizes that.”

“Thanks. I couldn’t have gotten here without you.”

“Yes, you could have,” Jocelyn said, her eyes shining with tears. “It just may have taken a little while longer.”

***

By the time Lee tracked Donato down, he was dog-tired. He’d parked out front of Donato’s apartment, waiting for him to come home. Lee caught himself dozing off a few times and was afraid Donato had snuck past him.

“Hey,” Lee said, jumping out of his truck before Donato could get away. If he made it to his apartment and locked the door, Lee couldn’t force him to talk about what happened. “Wait up, Donato.” Lee had to sprint to reach him before he got to the top of the stairs, but he made it just in time. “I’m not gonna let you shut me out.”

“You’re pretty fast for an old guy,” Donato muttered, reaching into his pocket for his keys.

“I guess all those miles on the track paid off.” At least Donato wasn’t giving him the silent treatment. Lee supposed that was progress.

“I got nothin’ to say to you, man.” Donato cursed the stiff lock before it finally gave way. “Damn slumlord never does anything around here.”

“If you got a job that paid more money, you could afford a better place.” Lee had a plan, one he hoped would help get him and Donato back on the solid ground.

“Yeah? Where the hell am I gonna get a job where they’ll work around my school schedule?”

“I know a place.” Lee had been to Donato’s apartment before, but it still made him cringe. Lee had slept in his fair share of dives over the years, but he’d been too high to know the difference. He could only imagine how hard it must be for Donato to wake up in that dump every morning and still believe that a better life was possible.

“I’m not interested in having you call in any favors for me. You’ve done enough already.”

Lee looked at him long and hard, looking for the tell-tale signs he’d been using again.

Donato glared at him. “I know what you’re thinking, and I’m not that stupid. I wanna get my life back on track for me.” He slapped his chest. “It’s got nothin’ to do with you. Just ‘cause you screwed me over doesn’t mean—”

“I didn’t screw you over.”

“No, but you sure as hell screwed Indie first chance you got, didn’t you?”

The two men stared each other down. Lee wanted to lash out, to tell Donato to watch his mouth, but getting angry wouldn’t help. “We didn’t intend for it to happen.”

“Whatever.” Donato took off his jacket and tossed it on a worn chair he’d picked up from a thrift store when he got his first paycheck.

“I get that you’re angry. You think I deceived you, but I didn’t. There was nothing between me and Indie when you told me you were interested in her. We were just friends, I swear to you.”

“Why should I believe anything you say?” Donato asked, crossing his arms.

Donato was trying to look tough, but Lee knew him well enough to know that he was just a scared kid who wanted someone to love him. “Because you know me. You know that I’ve always had your back and I always will.”

“But she comes first now, is that it?”

“No, my daughter comes first. Always has, always will. But you’re pretty damn close to the top of that list, and I think I’ve proven that. Haven’t I?” Lee saw the crack in Donato’s veneer when his eyes shifted to the ground. “I’m the guy who’s always listened, who’s slipped you a few bucks to tide you over ‘til payday, helped you get into college, get a job, find an apartment. Most importantly, I’m the guy who helps you stay clean. You need me.”

“I don’t need anybody,” he said.

Lee knew it may be hard for Donato to admit, but Donato needed Lee the same way he’d needed his sponsor’s support in the early days of his recovery. “Really? ‘Cause everybody needs somebody, kid.”

Donato walked toward the tiny kitchen in the corner of his bachelor apartment. “Yeah, well I don’t need you. Go back to your girl and—”

“Indie’s not my girl,” Lee said, following him. Donato wanted space to sulk, but Lee wasn’t about to let him get away that easily. Lee intended to prove to him that he wouldn’t just throw up his hands and walk away when Donato pushed him away. “Even if she were, that’s none of your business. I know you like her, I don’t blame you. But I’m gonna give it to you straight, kid. She’s just not into you. Period. So you need to get over your little crush on her and start focusing on the things that are important, like school.”

“How do you know she’s not into me?” Donato asked. “Did she tell you that?”

Lee noticed the fridge was nearly empty. It must be tough for Donato to meet his expenses while only working part-time. “Let’s just say what happened between us last night wouldn’t have happened if she’d been into anyone else.”

“I guess you’re right.” Looking dejected, Donato leaned against the counter opposite Lee. “I’ve just never met anyone like her. She’s sweet and smart, sexy as hell, and tough as nails. She’s funny too. That night at your brother’s place, she had me laughin’ my ass off. I think that’s when I knew she was something special. I can’t remember the last time a girl made me laugh like that. She’s real, ya know?”

“Yeah, I know.” Everything Donato said about Indie was true, and hearing it out loud made Lee want her all the more.

“So she told you she’s done with you, huh? That sucks—for you, I mean.” Donato grinned. “For me, not so much.”

Lee chuckled, relieved they were back to teasing each other. “She didn’t tell me anything. I told her what happened between us was a mistake.”

“A mistake?” Donato coughed on his water as he set the bottle on the counter. “You get a girl like that into bed and tell her it was a mistake? Man, are you crazy or what?”

Lee shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I am. I was just thinking about you, about what it would do to you seeing us together. Besides, Indie deserves better than me.”

Donato raised his hand. “Let me get this straight. You brushed her off because of me?”

“Yeah, why is that so hard to believe?”