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I’m just sorry I wasted almost two years of my life with her.”
    “More than that, if you count the year you dated her in high school,” Liv muttered.
    “Yeah, thanks for reminding me. Point is, we’re over. I came home for the summer to see you and the kids and Mom.”
    “Okay,” she said, nodding slowly. “But if I find out you’ve spent one minute with that whore, I will kick your ass. I still can, and I won’t hesitate.”
    “Yeah, I’ve got it. So what about you? You doing okay? Seeing anyone?”
    Her laugh turned into a snort. “No. I’m not even officially divorced yet. I can’t find Joe’s ass to have the papers served.”
    “I’d like to find him. Maybe share my feelings on him ditching his wife and kids.”
    “We’ve both had a hell of a year,” Liv said, walking to the pantry and taking out a jar of peanut butter. She took two spoons from a drawer and handed me one.
    “Me getting cheated on by Amy and breaking up with her doesn’t compare to your husband leaving you to raise two kids alone, Liv. We weren’t even engaged.”
    Liv eyed the spoonful of peanut butter she’d just scooped from the jar. “Would you have? Did you ever think about proposing to Amy?”
    I shook my head. “Never even crossed my mind. I thought we had a good relationship, but I never felt the urge to get married. It’s really fucking hard to be married in my line of work.”
    “Yeah.” Liv sighed and stuck the spoon in her mouth.
    “Seriously, you doing okay?” I asked. “I worry about you.”
    She smiled. “I’m doing okay. Exhausted most of the time from school and work, but the kids keep me going.”
    “My offer stands. Let me give you some money so you can focus on school without working. I can more than afford it.”
    She offered the peanut butter jar and I took it. “Thanks. You paying for my school is a load off, really. And we need the insurance from my job. It’s only for a year. I want my kids to see me do this and be proud of me.”
    On cue, Drew bounded into the room and threw open the freezer, Chloe on his heels.
    “Can we have popsicles?” he asked.
    I found myself hoping for a second that Mom was out of popsicles so I could offer to run to the Supersaver. Though I knew she wasn’t anxious to see me again, I was still thinking about my run-in with Samara. She wasn’t like any other woman I knew. There was something about her not being impressed by my status as a pro athlete that made her all the more impressive to me.
    Drew pulled out a box of popsicles and sifted through it, looking for a purple one. I’d have to find another reason to stop by the Supersaver soon.

    Samara

    I ran barcodes across the scanner on my lane at a rapid clip. We were busy this morning. Hopefully we’d slow down soon so I could get back to the bakery. There were several cakes yet to be decorated today.
    The older woman in my lane rifled through her purse after I gave her the total, and I smiled politely when she glanced up at me.
    “I know my checkbook is in here somewhere,” she said. I forced myself to hide my exasperation, instead turning to the customer behind her to offer an appreciative smile for their wait.
    My smile was forgotten when my gaze landed on Orion Caldwell. He was scrolling through something on his phone, so he didn’t see me looking. Which was good, because I couldn’t help myself. His gray t-shirt with its sleeves torn off was soaked with sweat. It stuck to his chest, outlining the muscles there.
    I hadn’t noticed a man in a really long time, but I couldn’t help appreciating him. His arms were cut with perfect muscles—strong but not obnoxiously huge. He’d clearly been exercising, because his short brown hair was as wet as his shirt. And as soon as he glanced up and busted me staring, his best feature made my heart pound.
    I remembered his blue eyes from high school. I’d stolen glances at them during lunch and art class. They were the bright shade of a clear sky, and I’d