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“I know.” He sat on the couch with a thud. “It’s always been this way. He’s my dad, and I love him, but he can be an asshole when he wants to be. He’s got a vindictive streak. We got the same treatment as kids.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that.” She sat next to him and took his hand.

“When my baseball team lost the state championships my senior year of high school, he didn’t talk to me for two weeks because one of my errors led to the loss.”

Her heart had broken for him then, and it broke for her parents now, who’d worked so hard and thought they’d finally arrived at a little success. And then she’d gone and ruined it. Had it been selfish of her? She wasn’t unhappy with Brent. She just wasn’t sure that was the path for her, and with each day that passed, it seemed she’d been right. It didn’t make her guilt any easier. She didn’t have a chance to say much more because the door opened and Betsy and Dell arrived with shouted hellos, and everything shifted to the celebration.

“Glad you could make it,” Betsy said, eyeing Allison. She’d only exchanged brief messages with Betsy since their run-in outside Allison’s home, but to her credit, she flashed Ally a friendly smile.

Allison sent one back, hoping they could reconcile. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

Betsy looked around. “Feels a little strange without Brent here. Like we’re down one.”

And there they were again. “I know. Strange for me, too.” Brent would have immediately shaken Dell’s hand, and the two would have been off, talking loudly about business and sports and who knows what else. They’d always gotten along, happy to be future brothers-in-law. Though she stood strong on her choice, it felt a little empty there without him. She could admit that. She imagined that was normal when things were still new. While her parents made a big deal over Dell on his big day, she turned quietly to Betsy. “Did you know about the house?”

She nodded, her face solemn. “They searched for another way. Talked to the bank a hundred times, but they’re just too far behind to recover without selling.”

Allison nodded grimly. “I had no idea things were already to this point.”

Betsy raised a shoulder and said in her sweetest, most passive-aggressive voice, “All you have to do is ask. I do it all the time.”

More guilt.

She’d been a little caught up in her own life lately, and though she still pitched in at the store on weekends, she should have inquired more about how things were going. She felt awful. Midway through the gathering, when her mother slipped into the kitchen to take the potato casserole out of the oven, she followed her and pulled her into a tight hug in the moment they had alone.

“Well, what is this for?” her mother asked, returning the squeeze.

“I’m just so sorry things have been difficult lately. I should have done more to help. Been around. I don’t know.” She released her mom and met her eyes.

“No. That’s nonsense. You’ve got your own life. We’re going to be just fine. Like a couple of cats. We always land on our feet, your dad and I.” But there was a hollowness in the way she said it that let Allison know this time was different. Her mom was worried underneath the bravado, and now so was she. This was new ground.

She told Megan about it the next night while they snuggled on her couch. “I wish there was some way I could help. I can’t believe Dalton is doing this to them, all to get back at me. I mean, Ican, but still.”

Megan sighed. “I hate it, too.” But there was something else inher voice. She was distracted or closed off. Something. Allison turned in her arms. “Are you okay?” She touched her cheek. “You seem off.”

Megan pushed herself up into a sitting position, and Allison followed her. “I don’t want to add to your stress, but I’m afraid the plot thickens.”

Allison frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Soiree received notice that our services would no longer be needed for the BeLeaf fundraiser scheduled for late spring, or any future events, for that matter. They’re paying out the portion of the spring contract they’re obligated for, but our relationship is over beyond that.”

“You’re kidding.” Allison’s mouth fell open. “I’m so sorry. Is this a large loss?”

“They were our biggest corporate client, and with the number of events we handle for them annually, yeah, it’s going to hurt some.” She shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll just try to cover with more weddings. Smaller events. We have the demand.”

Allison stood, needing room, because her thoughts were blazing, leaving her unsure which of the many trajectories to follow. She dropped her head back as she paced. “What else?”

Megan watched Allison cautiously. “I was going to use await, there’s morevoice, but you beat me to it.”

“Fantastic.” Allison nodded as she stared up at her ceiling. “Lay it on me.”

Megan hesitated, clearly not wanting to add to her distress.

She made thegive it to megesture and nodded. “This is the time.”

“I sit on the board for the Women in Business Association.”

“I remember you mentioning that.”