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The rings were all she had left of Sofia, of the life and love they’d shared. Just the whisper of Blanca’s touch against them was enough to unleash a torrent of memories and emotions Sam wasn’t prepared for.

She could see Sofia so clearly — her jet-black hair fluttering in the warm ocean breeze on their Hawaiian honeymoon. Crinkles forming at the corners of her eyes when she threw her head back and laughed. She could hear the teasing lilt of Sofia’s voice in her ear, feel the brush of her lips on her cheek. Her scent enveloped Sam for a fleeting moment, vanilla and coconut, forever intertwined with love in Sam’s mind.

Grief clamped down on Sam’s chest, so sudden and acute it stole her breath. She squeezed her eyes shut to stop any tears from forming. Eight years later, the loss was an open wound that still bled if prodded. She carried the weight of it with her always, hidden under armor and humor and feigned nonchalance.

“You deserve to be loved.” Blanca’s eyes were bright and glossy.

Sam laid her hand over Blanca’s, still pressed to her chest, and met her friend’s knowing eyes. “Trust me.” She squeezed her hand. “I was already loved more than most.”

“She wouldn’t want you to close yourself off to love,” Blanca said with unwavering conviction. “She wouldn’t want you to be alone.”

Sam cracked a smile out of her use-in-case-of-emergency kit. “And I’m not, am I?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I promise that I’m not keeping Natalia at bay because of Sofia. I’m having a little fun, but that’s only because that’s all that’s on offer, okay?”

“Is that really all there is? You know this because you’ve actually tried?” Everything in Blanca’s face said she didn’t believe her. “Love once opened your eyes to unimagined joy. It can happen again if you let it. In all these years you’ve never given anyone a chance?—“

“Maybe,” Sam agreed, cutting off the rest of Blanca’s sentence. They’d had this same conversation after any date that didn’t end in nuptials. “But it’s not going to be with Natalia. She’s unavailable.”

Blanca smirked. “The way she looked at you did not read unavailable.”

Laughing, Sam shook her head. “You’re reading too much into it.”

“Am I? Or are you reading too little?” Blanca wouldn’t let her squirm away from the topic. “How about you stop playing around and straight up ask her out? Then you’ll know for sure.”

Samantha replied with an exaggerated sigh. “You don’t understand how she is?—“

“It’s okay to make space for yourself, Sam.” Blanca’s hand was warm when she pressed it against the middle of Sam’s back. “She wouldn’t have?—”

“You’re acting like I haven’t dated in all these years.”

“And how many of those dates have turned into more than a good time?” Blanca quirked her brow. “Have they ever made you feel like you met your match?”

Ready for the conversation to be over, Sam shifted her weight backward. Her skin was too tight, and she was hot from the steaming water. “I never said Natalia made me feel that way.”

“You didn’t have to.” Blanca held her gaze. “I’ve known you a long time, Sammy. And it’s been forever since I saw you look at anyone like that. If you’re so sure that nothing can come of it, why don’t you try? Worst-case scenario, you can rub it in my face that you were right. I know how much you love that.”

Sam chuckled and bumped Blanca with her hip, relieved that the interrogation was over. “I do love that.”

“You promise you’ll try to see what’s actually there? You’ll try?” Her eyes shone with so much sincere hope that Sam couldn’t resist.

“I promise,” she replied, sure that it wasn’t her putting up any resistance.

CHAPTER 14

Natalia drummed her freshly manicured fingernails, painted bright white, against the side of her coffee mug. It was only when she annoyed herself with the rhythmic sound that she realized she was doing it.

Closing her hand into a fist, she snapped out of it and straightened. She gave the image on her computer screen a lingering look before closing it out. She’d almost missed the email from Samantha’s bookstore friend, expecting it to be junk from an unknown sender. When she opened it, she’d been met with an enormous picture of Samantha and her standing side by side in the small shop.

The unexpected sight of Samantha’s face, bright and smiling, had been a sucker-punch to the gut. It would have knocked the air out of a lesser woman, Natalia was sure. It was criminal how good they looked together.

Tall and dapper, Samantha exuded easy confidence. She moved through the world like she belonged. Like she’d never felt a moment of self-doubt.

Natalia felt the weight of Samantha’s arm around her body, holding her with just enough pressure to make her feel the warmth of her skin without also making her feel pinned down or trapped.

She glanced at the cellphone on her desk and debated picking it up. So she wanted to see her again. Talk to her again. That wasn’t so odd. They’d had sex. Good sex. Their chemistry was undeniable. And spending time together could only help Natalia earn her trust. For Zoe. For work.