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Already having dug into the food containers, Lily stops mid-chew to beg, giving him a face I know all too well. With her lower lip pushed out, her eyes grow wide and glassy. Classic puppy dog look. “Please stay, Viktor!”

Hook, line, and sinker, Viktor nods.

“Since you said ‘please.’” He winks at Lily, who seems to be the only one in the room immune to his charms. Grabbing some plates and silverware from the kitchen, Viktor joins us, and we settle in for what’s sure to be an awkward dinner.

T hanks to Lily, dinner is neither quiet nor awkward. In fact, it’s… nice .

Apart from our Sunday dinners with Cyrus and Antoinette, it’s usually just the two of us scarfing down a quick meal I manage to throw together in my perpetually exhausted state.

Not tonight.

Tonight, the table is filled with Lily’s chatter about all the things she found on their earlier nature hike.

Viktor coaxes her to really think, her little face scrunching up as she searches for each answer to his gentle questions.

It’s clear he has a knack for getting kids to fall in love with learning, something I can already see rubbing off on Lily.

As I wash our dishes in the sink, their conversation continues at the table. Viktor’s deep, rumbling laughter is a welcome addition to our household. “Very good, little one. Should we try to find some different insects tomorrow after camp?”

“Insects?” Lily asks, and I smile, shaking my head as I set a plate on the drying rack.

“Bugs, Lil. Insect is another word for bugs,” I call out from my place at the sink.

Her reply is drowned out by blood whirring in my ears when I spot an envelope with bright red lettering scrawled across it sitting on the counter. Another bill I’ve been dreading.

It’s Lily’s job to get the mail, so she probably dragged Viktor along today.

Snagging the envelope, I shove it behind the cookie jar near the fridge. The stack is getting thick. I really need to find a better place to keep all my overdue bills. The marks of my failure.

Hopefully, Viktor didn’t look too closely. I don’t need his pity or help. One of the contracts I landed today came with an advance that should keep us afloat for another month or so.

It won’t make a dent in the back payments I owe on the mortgage, but I can keep the lights on, keep us fed, and pay my workers.

“Can I do anything to help?” Hands braced on the countertop behind him, Viktor leans back, a larger-than-life presence in my suddenly small kitchen.

Don’t ogle the nanny, Mags .

Huffing a breath, I shut off the water and dry my hands on the dish towel, using the extra seconds to muster the courage to face Viktor. If this arrangement is going to work, I’ve got to get my raging hormones under control.

In the years since I lost Roman, I haven’t once found myself as infatuated with anyone like I am with Viktor. And it’s only been a little over a day.

What happens when he’s been here for a week? A month?

What happens when I get to know the man behind the pristine suits and sleek ponytail?

By now, Lily has lost interest in the conversation with Viktor and is playing on the family room floor with her dolls.

“That was the last of the dishes. I just have to fold some laundry and get Lily to bed, so you’re off duty for the night.” I flash him a smile.

One long finger points at a laundry basket tucked on one of the kitchen chairs. Neat piles of perfectly folded clothes fill the cracked plastic bin to the brim. I’ve been so distracted by Viktor’s presence and making sure Lily ate her dinner, I hadn’t even noticed. “That laundry?”

“Viktor!” I huff. Somehow, I refrain from stomping my foot in indignation. “You’re not here to be our maid!” Softening my voice—and my expression—I add, “You didn’t have to do our laundry.”

Like it’s no big deal, he shrugs. “I don’t mind. All my shirts were wrinkled from the trip here, so I had to iron them anyway. When I was looking for the iron in the laundry room, I saw your full dryer. Figured then you’d have one less thing to worry about later. ”

“Thank you.” My voice cracks… And, damnit, are these tears? I sniffle, not letting them fall.

“You’re welcome. More time to focus on Lily, right?”

I nod, unable to find my voice. This one act of kindness should not be turning me into a blubbering mess, but I’ve been doing life virtually on my own for years.

Suddenly, he’s in my space, one big hand engulfing my shoulder. He makes me feel so tiny, so fragile. For some reason, I don’t hate it.

It’s refreshing.

With a gentle squeeze to my shoulder, he draws my eyes to his. “I’m here to make your life easier, not harder—remember? If you know you’ll be late, send me a text, and I’d be happy to cook dinner.”

Swoon.

“Thank you, Viktor. I think having you here is going to be good for all of us.”

Leaning closer, his hand slides up to the side of my neck. His thumb rubs icy circles against the skin, sending my heart into a frenzy. My gaze flits to his lips before returning to his eyes.

He does the same, and when we lock eyes again, there’s a flame blooming in his that I want to bathe in, letting it warm my broken soul. “I sure hope so, country girl.” His voice drops an octave, deep and alluring.

F uck , that nickname has my thighs clenching and my brain conjuring images of him purring those two words while I ride him. In fact, my brain is so riddled with horny thoughts of Viktor, I don’t think I’d stop him if he closed the gap between us and kissed me .

Part of me actually hopes he does.

It’s been so long since anyone has touched me in an intimate manner, and Viktor has unlocked a craving deep inside me that’s been dormant for years.

Before either of us makes a move, Viktor’s eyes close and his nostrils flare wide. When his lids open again, the fire in his eyes is gone.

He steps back, a hand going to the front of his pants when he turns away from me.

“I’ll get out of your hair.” His words are choked, feet blurring to carry him to the back door in the blink of an eye.

With his hand braced on the handle, he turns to flash a smirk over his shoulder. “Goodnight, country girl.”

“Goodnight, city boy.”

In another blink, he’s gone, leaving me reeling.

Before I can replay whatever the fuck just happened, an all too familiar emotion swirls in my stomach. Guilt . It weighs me down like a block of cement. Unshakable, even after four years.

The guilt of surviving when Roman didn’t.

The guilt of letting myself move on, and potentially forgetting him.

The guilt of not being a good enough parent for Lily.

The guilt of being on the brink of losing the orchard and Roman’s dream.

The guilt of what letting Viktor into my heart will mean.

Sliding down to the kitchen floor, my butt hits the hardwood as the first tear falls. I can’t lose sight of what’s important: Lily and the orchard. There’s no room for anything—or anyone else right now.