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Cricket sent her another poor-thing smile. “I’m sure shedidhave to get back.If it weren’t for her job, she’d be here. With you.”

“Oh.” A pause. “I see. You think she just told me that, to what,get away from me without any drama? She wouldn’t have had to lie.” But it wasstarting to seem like she had. Elizabeth didn’t share that part.

“No,” Heather said, and then passed Cricket a look again. Sheeased her too-long blond hair behind her ear. “Of course not. We would neverassume.”

“There,” Elizabeth said. “You did it again. See? Why do peoplehave to do that?” She was off her own self-imposed leash now and could feelherself let go. “Can’t we just support one another without judgmental glances?I think that might be a nice thing.”

Cricket squinted and touched Elizabeth’s forearm. “I feel likeyou’re having a hard night.”

“Well, yeah. Objectively. But that’s not why you should be nice topeople. You just should, that’s why.”

“Everything okay over here?” She turned at the sound of a friendlyvoice and exhaled slowly at the sight of Jill moving toward them with her canein one hand and Charlie not far behind.

“We’re not sure,” Heather said in an overly delicate voice. “We’lllet you two talk. Seems like maybe there are some unresolved feelings at play.”

Elizabeth gasped audibly as Heather and Cricket turned and walkedaway in unison, almost the way the cheerleading squad would exit the field,walking in step.

“Hey, you all right?” Jill asked quietly.

Elizabeth nodded. “Just don’t understand why people have to bemean. It makes no sense to me.”

Jill gave a head shake and rolled eyes combo. “They used to stay thenight at our place growing up, and it was all I could do to stand them for onenight. Those girls would spend the whole time trying to one-up each other whilewearing green face masks and watchingAmerica’sNext Top Model. It was awful.”

That made Elizabeth smile, which helped. So did seeing Jill, whowas such a kind soul. “How have you been?”

“Started back at school this week. The first day took a lot out ofme, but I’m getting into the swing of things again. The kids have been sogentle and take such great care of me.”

“You have a good group. And everything else?”Do not ask. Do not ask. Do notask.

Jill softened. “You mean Devyn. Well, we talked last night. Soundslike she’s burning the midnight oil to make the sellout happen. They’re gettingclose.”

Elizabeth nodded enthusiastically. “Very cool. I’m so glad to hearthat.” She wasn’t glad to hear it. It crushed her. She’d not heard from Devyn.Not once, and she’d left a handful of hopeful, pathetic messages. Yet she wascalling her sister. The message was clear. Confirmed. Devyn was done with her,and she was not only heartbroken but horribly embarrassed for having believed…She couldn’t finish the thought. Everything inside her crumbled.

“She asked how you were,” Jill said gently. Elizabeth nodded again,not really finding her voice very strong in the moment but trying her best toappear upbeat. She wondered how that was going. “Look, Liz,” Jill stared off tothe side, as if to zero in on the right words, “I don’t know what she’s toldyou, but you made an impact on my little sister. Like no one has before.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not so sure about that myself,” she admitted. Itwas an understatement.

Jill squeezed her hand and caught her eye. “I’m sorry. But maybe,give her time? She’s new to this whole vulnerability thing.”

She nodded and heard the words but couldn’t hang on to them. Devynhad gone off the grid. As much as she had hoped for a different outcome to allof this, the writing was on the wall. They’d had their fun and now it was over.Elizabeth just had to figure out how to go back to being the person she wasbefore. It actually didn’t seem possible.

She looked down at her green off-the-shoulder gown, and at thepeople scurrying around the silent auction table. She’d keep herself busy, gothrough the motions, until eventually the pieces of her heart came togetheragain. She’d forget Devyn Winters had ever set foot in Dreamer’s Bay. Pickingup her skirt, she headed over to the auction table.

Life had to go on. She’d make sure of it.

* * *

Seven exhausted faces looked back at Devyn from around the conferenceroom table. She didn’t blame her team for their fatigue, but this was the homestretch. They had a huge event coming up that could take this thing home forthem and allow Devyn to walk away victorious, on to more projects with fewercomplicating factors. She’d been back for a little over three weeks now and wasbeginning to find her stride.

“Sixteen units remain,” she told them. “One of them is apenthouse.”

“Seventeen,” Donna said with a wince. “The funds from the all-cashoffer on 14F fell through. They just called.”

Devyn closed her eyes briefly but didn’t flinch. “Seventeen units.Doesn’t matter. We can handle this.”

Her team nodded. They were prepped for a lavish cocktail hour inthe very penthouse they needed to sell, and no detail could go unattended to.

“Ashley, you’ll be there at six to let the caterers in?”