Page 52 of At the Heart of It (The Can’t Have Hearts Club #4)

But he was watching his ex-wife with something that looked like pride. Viv looked back at him, then reached out and took Jonah’s hand. As she squeezed it in hers, Kate felt her heart clench, too.

Jonah met Kate’s eyes again. “I already know.”

Kate stared at him. “Know what?”

“Know Viv’s plan to win me back,” he said. “To rekindle our marriage.”

Kate looked at him, uncomprehending. She turned to Viv. “I never said a word. I swear to you.”

“I know you didn’t,” Viv said. “I did.”

“What?”

“I told him everything,” Viv said.

“I—so—wow.” Kate swallowed. “So you’re getting back together.”

“Jesus, no.” Jonah frowned, then looked at Viv. “No offense.”

“None taken.” Viv smiled, bigger this time, more certain. “I had a moment of clarity when I was telling Jonah about my feelings. I realized I only wanted to resume our relationship because I was scared of the alternative. Of spreading my wings and learning to swim on my own.”

“That’s a God-awful metaphor,” Jonah said, but gave her a fond smile anyway. “But I’m proud of you. For figuring it out. For owning your shit.”

“Beautifully put,” Viv said. “I feel like I finally have closure.”

“I don’t fucking care!” Chase whirled around to face Kate. He pointed one meaty finger at her, sputtering with fury. “You’re still fucking liable. I want you off this set right now before I call the police.”

Kate nodded once and turned to go. She held her head high, buoyed by the look of encouragement Amy flashed her. By Pete’s supportive nod.

“And I expect you to turn in all your equipment,” Chase said. “Everything that doesn’t belong to you?—”

“My pride belongs to me,” Kate snapped, whirling back to face him. “And I’m damn sure taking that with me.”

Then she turned and marched out of the room, shooting a mental apology to Amy for having to deal with the aftermath.

Behind her, she heard the confused voices of Roger and Abby.

“Is this some kind of weird therapy?” Roger mumbled.

“I don’t know,” Abby answered. “Like maybe we’re supposed to recognize how destructive it is to shout all the time?”

Kate pulled the door shut behind her, heels clicking on Viv’s cobblestone walkway. She’d made it halfway to her car when she heard footsteps behind her.

“Kate, wait up.”

She froze in her tracks at the sound of Jonah’s voice. Still, she waited a moment before turning. She took a few deep breaths, wanting to be ready for whatever he had to say. Wanting to be the one to speak first.

She turned and met his eyes. “I’m sorry, Jonah.”

It was his turn to freeze. “For what?”

She gave a hollow little laugh, not sure where to begin. “For betraying your confidence. For fucking up the show. For embarrassing you just now.”

“It’s not your fault, Kate.” He took a few steps closer, and the warmth in those amber-green eyes was almost more than Kate could bear. “I saw what you were up against in there. And I saw what you tried to do anyway.”

“For all the good it did.” She shook her head and looked back at the rental car.

Crap, she was going to have to turn that in.

And check out of her hotel. And book a flight back, which she knew the network wouldn’t pay for.

Maybe she’d get lucky and be spared the fines and the legal fight, since Viv had revealed her own secret.

Maybe Kate could find another job, or go back to producing the documentaries she loved.

She’d always wanted to produce a cooking show, or maybe?—

“Kate, I’m sorry, too.”

She blinked. “For what?”

He shook his head, remorse heavy in his expression. “For losing my temper. For not listening to you. For failing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

She nodded, grateful they’d cleared the slate. At least they’d have that. “I enjoyed working with you, Jonah,” she said. “Everything else, too. Not just the work, but the friendship. And the rest. That was real, no matter what you believe.”

“I know it was.” He was standing close, so close she felt the heat from his body. God, she’d give anything to touch him one more time.

“Good luck with the show,” she said. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing meaningful work.”

He shook his head. “It’ll be more meaningful with you running it.”

Kate gave a brittle little laugh. “No chance of that happening. Chase made sure of that.”

“Wanna bet?”

Kate stopped laughing as Jonah nodded back toward the house. “Right now, Viv’s in there laying it all out for him. She’ll start by pointing out that they have no legal recourse against you since she’s the one who spilled her own secret. That’s why she did it, you know.”

She frowned, not sure she was following. “For me?”

He nodded. “We went over it together this morning. Right after we finished the divorce paperwork. For real this time.”

Kate frowned. “But Viv should be furious with me.”

“She should?” Jonah shook his head. “No one tells Viv how she should feel. And no one manipulates her feelings either. That’s what she’s angry about. At Chase, not you. He’s the one who tried to screw her over.”

Kate shook her head, struggling to process it all. “Okay, but even if he doesn’t impose the fine, Chase will never keep me on the show.”

“Sure he will,” Jonah said. “Once he learns both Viv and I plan to walk if he doesn’t agree.” He smiled and reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind Kate’s ear. “Turns out the one thing my ex-wife and I agree on is that this show isn’t worth a damn if you’re not in charge.”

She stared at him. “You’re not serious.”

“I am, actually.”

“Wow.” She knew she should come up with something more intelligent than that, but her head was spinning too fast to generate more than one syllable.

“Kate, it’s your passion that makes this show work,” he said. “Viv knows that, and I know that. Deep down, Chase knows that.”

She ached to believe it. Wanted desperately for it to be true. “I don’t think so.”

“Chase isn’t stupid,” Jonah said. “He knows it can’t work without the three of us together. The network will never find another world-renowned self-help guru with a surly ex-husband and the award-winning producer he’s in love with.”

“But he can’t—wait, what?” Kate blinked, pretty sure she’d heard him wrong. That she’d mixed up the pronouns or something.

Jonah moved closer and lifted a hand to cup her elbow. “I love you, Kate,” he said. “I’m sorry I was too wrapped up in my own bullshit to say it before. I love you and I miss you and I can’t imagine my life without you.”

“Holy shit.”

He laughed and held out his arms. “Please say you’ll forgive me.”

“I forgive you.” She hesitated, wondering if this was all a dream. If it was some sort of TV stunt or a cruel prank.

“Hug me, Kate. I’m getting old here.”

She smiled and stepped into his embrace. As she looked up at him, his lips found hers. She kissed him back, soft and deep and exactly the way she remembered.

When she broke the kiss, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

“I love you, too, Jonah. So much.”

“Damn right you do.”

Then he was kissing her again, and Kate slid her hands up his arms, gripping his shoulders and clutching him like her life depended on it.

When they finally came up for air, Kate saw a flicker of movement. She peered over Jonah’s shoulder to see Pete at the edge of the house, his camera perched on one shoulder.

A bubble of anger swelled in her chest. “Pete,” she warned. “I need you to stop filming right now?—”

“It’s okay,” Jonah said. “I asked him to.”

“But—why?”

He grinned and slid his arms around her, pressing the heels of his hands into the small of her back. His eyes locked with hers, and he leaned close so only she could hear the words.

“Because,” he said. “When we’re old and gray and sitting in our nursing home together, I want to watch this moment again. I want to tell everyone—the nurses, the orderlies, the guy who shows up to change my diaper—that this is where it all started.”