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“Did you see?”

Robin looked up from her computer screen to find Lauren’s big eyes staring expectantly at her. Robin had come in early to handle things at the store in case she needed to sit with Kelsey or swing by to bring her anything during the day. But it was almost lunchtime, and so far she’d only done a whole lot of staring at the screen.

“See what?”

Lauren pulled her phone from her back pocket, then tapped and scrolled with her index finger until she found what she as looking for. With a gigantic smile plastered on her face, she held the screen out. Robin squinted at the Facebook post containing a photo of her on stage along with contest details and instructions.

“Looks nice,” she said. Matt had somehow picked her favorite photo, even though she’d never told him she loved that one.

Lauren pointed excitedly at the bottom of the post. “Look how many shares it has already!”

“But I don’t have festival passes to give away.”

Lauren waved a hand in the air. “Details. We’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Even if she had to pay for those passes, it would still be cheaper than outright paying for advertising, she guessed. All of this might as well be astrophysics to her. All the years she’d been running this store, she’d never gotten a handle on marketing. Yet another reason she was head over heels for her amazing staff.

“How’s Kelsey doing?” Lauren’s excitement washed away. “Heard from her this morning?”

Robin shook her head. She’d called Lauren last night to let her know the situation so she wasn’t surprised by anything later. Just because she was the newest member of the band didn’t mean she should be left out of the loop. “Eric texted last night that everything was fine, and that he’d rescheduled today’s lessons to stay home with her. No news is good news so far.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Lauren said. “Doctor’s probably just being extra cautious.”

“Probably.” Robin tried to mimic Lauren’s optimism on the matter, but it sounded hollow.

“So?”

“So…what?”

“Sooooo how was Saturday?”

“Saturday.”

Right. Her afternoon with Matt and his family and…that kiss. Saturday felt like a month ago. She’d been so distracted and overwhelmed with worry that she’d completely forgotten about their date for a few hours. Until he called. Then she couldn’t get that kiss out of her mind.

“It was fine.”

“Just fine?”

“It was…better than expected?”

Lauren made a pout, clearly disappointed with the lack of details Robin was willing to dish out. “Did you expect outright hostility at a child’s birthday party?”

“Eh, maybe less passive, more aggressive.”

“They can’t be that bad.”

“You’ve clearly never met the full Blanchard clan.” Robin loved most of them, but they tended to bring out the worst in each other. Especially when fueled by booze or cake.

“Well, I’m glad it went better than you expected.” She gave a sly smile. “Any alone time with Captain America?”

Robin narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you have customers or something?”

“You’re no fun.” Lauren waved a dismissive hand, but had a playful smirk as she left the office.

“Fun’s not my job,” Robin called out after her.

Fun’s not my job? Ugh, she was the worst today. The best thing she could do for everyone would be to take her foul mood out of the store, but she couldn’t think of anything more productive to do with her day. Nothing that would be helpful for Kelsey, at least. She could bring them some dinner later, but that was still a long time away.

Great. Several hours of replaying her fears from this weekend. Fears and doubt.

Because she’d settled on one solid fact when her brain wouldn’t shut down and let her sleep last night: she was right to think she and Matt didn’t have a chance. And it was all Eric’s fault.

She’d seen the relief and joy plastered on Eric’s face when he explained that the baby would be fine. It reminded her of that bliss blanketing Matt’s face when a gaggle of kids clung to his legs and arms. She couldn’t believe he would ever be fully okay with her decision to remain childless. Or at least she couldn’t believe that he wouldn’t regret it later down the line.

One of them would have to end this before it went too far. Of course, that responsibility was hers. It always fell on her with the Blanchards.

But she was too emotionally wiped to deal with that today, and she still owed him thanks for all he’d done for the band. The truth bomb could wait another day or two.

She picked up her phone to call him.

“Hey, Matt. Lauren just showed me the contest post. It’s great. Thanks so much.”

“No problem, glad you like it,” he said. “Do you like the photo I picked for it?”

“I do. Actually, it’s one of my favorites.”

“Mine, too.” He paused for a moment. “Hey, I’m not far from you. Can you meet me outside in like two minutes? I have something I want to show you.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.”

Matt’s voice rose with excitement as he explained that he’d meet her in the parking lot shortly and hung up. Robin had no idea what he wanted to show her. More posts or plans or schedules, probably. More things her brain couldn’t handle right now.

She made a quick trip to the restroom before heading up front, then stepped outside into the gorgeous sunshine and crisp spring breeze just as Matt’s car pulled into one of the front parking spots. He waved her over to the passenger side, where she entered and sat in the seat beside him. The car was still running, and the windows were rolled halfway down, allowing that delicious fresh air to flow right through the car.

“So what did you want me to see?” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, a hot tongue slobbered along her cheek, and she nearly jumped straight through the roof of the car.

“Someone didn’t get a chance to say hi Saturday.”

Robin laughed and turned to scratch the sides of the giant lab’s happy face. “Hey, Linus. I missed you too, buddy.”

The last time she’d seen Heidi’s dog, it was coated in mud and kids and joy. Over the years she’d been part of that family, she had grown to love Heidi’s dog almost as much as her kids. Maybe more. She’d even helped Heidi name him when she’d brought him home from the shelter. Linus, because he always carried one blanket or another everywhere he went. She peered at the back seat and spied the purple, princess-crown-patterned, hole-filled scrap of fleece he favored these days.

“Heidi dropped him off at the groomer this morning, then she had to pick up one of the kids sick from school. Since Doug left to go offshore yesterday, I offered to pick this guy up for her.” He shifted to scratch Linus’s shoulder. “I know this week is stressful, and I remember how much you used to like hanging with Linus, so I thought maybe you could use a little canine therapy on my way to drop him off.”

Robin’s heart swelled as she stared into those gray eyes of Matt’s. She had never in her life met a kinder, more considerate human being. “Thank you. He’s exactly what I needed.”

But while Linus might be what she needed, this was even more proof that Matt was someone she didn’t deserve. Or, at the very least, proof that Matt deserved someone better. Someone who could give him everything he ever wanted.

“Hey, what are you doing tonight?” he asked.

No matter how much she wanted to, she really could not go out with him again. Not knowing she needed to end this. “Work.”

“What time does the store close?”

“It’s festival week. We’re running a big sale to make room for inventory. Got new stuff in I need to check on before we put it out. Tons of traffic in here even before it kicks off later this week.”

“Well, what about drinks after work tomorrow? Or Wednesday night?”

Hope propelled every word. The same hope she’d heard from men before, waiting for her to choose them over her business. Wasn’t gonna happen. Men came and went, this store was hers. She’d raised it and nurtured it, and she wasn’t about to bail on it now. For anyone.

“I’m gonna be exhausted, and I’ll have a long day Wednesday, too.”

“Thursday evening? We could catch the opening ceremony.” Frustration was edging into his tone now, even though his expression was still light and open.

“Rehearsal.” She didn’t want to get into the whole thing with Kelsey right now. Didn’t want to give a voice to the idea that she might not be able to make the gig. Kel had called up a friend to be on standby in case the doctor didn’t clear her, and they were paying the guy to sit in on rehearsal Thursday as a backup plan. But it wouldn’t be the same without her, and Robin couldn’t bear speaking those words. Didn’t want to tempt the universe. “It’s just a bad week.”

“Yeah, I get it. I’ll check in with you later this week to see if anything’s changed. Maybe you can squeeze in lunch or drinks.”

“Maybe,” she lied. She turned to let Linus kiss her goodbye, then she gave Matt a sincere smile, trying to hide the sadness burning a hole in her stomach. Not regret, but some equally ill-fated cousin of an emotion. “Thanks for the canine therapy. You’re the best.”

“Hope the rest of your day goes well,” he said as she closed the car door and waved goodbye.

His voice was light and positive, but she could see the disappointment and confusion at her reluctance to commit to more time together. He didn’t really get it. Not yet.

Matt wanted a partner. A family. Someone to kick back with after work. Someone who wouldn’t be distracted all the time. Someone less driven. Less…Robin.

He’d realize that soon enough and get bored and move on. They all did.