The frame itself is made of old bicycle chains. Another of Rhett’s creations, no doubt.

I set the frame on my desk and smile at it. “Look how happy we were.” I sigh. “So long ago now.”

“Do you miss having that?”

“Honestly? I forget what it’s like . . . But both of my parents are happy with other people, so I guess I should be thankful for that, right?”

Kyle nods, his eyes on the picture but his gaze far off.

“Do you ever miss your family?”

“I miss certain moments with my mom, yeah,” he admits after a moment. “It took officially cutting them off to really feel it.” He smiles sadly. “Holidays are weird.”

I smooth a hand over his hip. “Well, you and Jeremy are welcome to come out to Martha’s Vineyard to watch my aunt Jackie get bombed and let me kick your ass at Monopoly.”

“Sounds like fun.” His fingers entwine with mine. “Just one kiss and then I’m gone?”

I tsk. “You’re still that same little boy stealing kisses, aren’t you?”

The crooked smirk he gives me sends my blood racing. “Do I look like that same little boy?”

“No. You do not.” And yet he’s still my Kyle.

I’m about to agree to a kiss when Renée breezes in, announcing, “Grande double macchiato!” in that impossibly charming Southern twang.

Kyle steps back, breaking our touch a split second before she looks up.

“Oh! I’m so sorry. The coatrack blocked you.” She cringes. “I should have knocked. That’s a bad habit of mine. Mark had to stop on the third floor, so he asked me to deliver.”

“It’s fine, Renée. Security just came to drop off a package for me.”

“And now I’d better keep doing my rounds.” He clears his throat. “Miss Calloway.” He strolls out, nodding once to Renée.

Her eyes trail him with interest as she watches him go. “So what’s his story?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, is he single? Is he a nice guy? ’Cause dang . . . He’s somethin’ to behold every morning on my way in.”

He’s mine.

Clearly she didn’t notice Kyle pulling away, and didn’t sense the tension crackling in my office. It’s not that my office isn’t electrified by it. But I’d bet money she would never assume that a woman in my position would be with a man in his.

I force a smile. “He has a girlfriend.”

“Is it serious? Like, how long have they been together? Weeks, months . . .”

“Years.” Thirteen years. With a lot of missed time to catch up on.

“Well, doesn’t that sound sweet.” Her words are in stark contrast with the way her shoulders sink with disappointment. “Guess I’d better get my nose away from that scent, then.”

I smile at her choice of words. I’m not surprised Mark is infatuated with her. Renée would be hard not to like. “How’s working with David going so far?”

“Oh.” She waves a manicured hand. “He’s a dream.” She laughs at my raised eyebrows.

“Between you and me, after what Mark told me, I was expecting a lot worse. Of course, he’s a giant man-baby, but he just wants to be taken care of. Lucky for him, I like taking care of needy people.”

“Well, then, you are a stronger woman than me, because I have no patience for that man,” I murmur, savoring the first sip of caffeine.

“I just have different aspirations, is all. Look at you! You’re gonna be runnin’ the world soon. You don’t have time for that sort of thing. But me . . . I’ve had my wedding dress design since I was seven. I’ve already got my three kids’ names picked out and the color of their nursery and I can’t wait to join the PTA. It’s my jam.” She shrugs. “This is just a job for me. A great job, don’t get me wrong! But the part I like most about it is taking care of someone and making his life easier.” She pauses and then her eyes widen. “Oh my Lord, it sounds like I’m trying to marry my boss and have his babies, doesn’t it?”

I burst out laughing. “It sounds like you know who you are and what will make you happy. I’m impressed.” Even if it doesn’t look anything like my life plan. To be honest, I don’t have names or nursery colors picked. I have “children” penciled in for my thirties—mid to late thirties, the way it’s looking now—but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. David and I had talked about starting a family, but it was always more in passing, like, “Sure, we’ll have one, eventually, when it works for us.” We were both more focused on the Calloway world—the only real thing we had in common.

I have no idea if Kyle wants children, I realize. The topic never came up at Wawa beyond talk of condoms and birth control to avoid having them. We were too young then.

But now, I’ve jumped off another cliff to be with him and I have no idea what I’ve landed in. I’m ready to hand him a key, but what kind of life does Kyle see for himself? He’s already making comments about how much I work. What if he wants a Renée?

I will never be a Renée.

“You okay, Piper?” She watches me carefully. “You literally just went from laughing to dead silent, like that.” She snaps her fingers.

“I’m fine.”

She hesitates. “Do you miss being with David?”

“No. Not at all. I was never meant to be with him.” I toy with the paper wrapping from the package. It’s foolish, but I can almost feel Kyle’s hands on it.

Speak of the devil . . . David pops his head into my office then. “Renée, I need you now.”

“And I need you now,” I demand.

“I don’t have time—”

“Two minutes.”

“She sounds like her father,” he mutters, handing Renée a folder. “Meet me in my office.”

Renée marches out, her calf muscles bulging from her high heels.

“What is it?” David asks, and he has the nerve to sound annoyed.

“What was that stunt earlier today in the lobby?” I ask calmly.

“What stunt?”

I glare at him.

“Oh, so he ran up here and cried to you? What kind of man are you with?”

“David!” I snap. “What were you trying to do?”

He begins pacing around my office, his hands on his hips. “I know I was joking around about it because it was funny at first. Shocking. It didn’t really hit me until after I got home and replayed what you said, and how you said it.” He stops in front of my desk. “You’re in love with this guy, aren’t you?”

I purse my lips.

That’s answer enough for him.

“Fuck . . .” David sighs heavily. “I guess, I don’t know. In the back of my mind I thought you’d be so focused on taking over for your dad that you wouldn’t have time to date, and then eventually you’d wake up and realize I’m the guy for you and we’d get back together. I did not see this coming. The last few days have been . . . weird for me.” He frowns as if replaying them in his head. “I almost told Kieran everything on the green today.”