“I’m…” Whitney shook her head. “I’m not wearing it for him.”

“Yeah, that is not what his expression or tone of voice said,” Piper told her, still grinning.

“Well, he can think whatever he wants, but…” She took a deep breath. “It’s not a good idea.”

“Be that as it may,” Piper said. “It’s a Cam idea.”

“What’s that mean?” Whitney felt trepidation slip down her spine.

“It means it will happen. One way or another,” Piper said, lifting a shoulder.

“He always gets his way?”

“Pretty much. By the time Cam’s involved with an idea, he’s thought it all through, he’s looked at all the angles, he’s done the research. He knows all the possible outcomes and has a plan B, C, and D. And once he’s in on something, he’s all in. He’ll give it his all. He just…” Piper seemed to be thinking for a moment. “He doesn’t take on fights he isn’t sure he can win,” she finally finished.

Yeah, that shiver of trepidation was a full-on wave now.

Combined with a stupid mix of anticipation. How hard would he try to convince her that giving them another try was a great idea? How hard would he have to try before she gave in?

Hard. No question.

But she wasn’t stupid enough to think that she could resist him forever. He’d have to pull out the big guns but… that could be fun.

She swallowed hard.

Piper read her expression accurately. “Don’t be scared,” she said with a grin. “You know him, right? Nothing to worry about.”

“I do know him,” Whitney said. “Which makes me more worried. He might…”

Could she admit this to Piper? She didn’t know the other woman that well. But who could she admit this to? She didn’t really have girlfriends. She worked a lot and… she sighed. Her family members weren’t great at cultivating relationships that weren’t work related and she’d inherited that, she supposed. She didn’t relax and just sit around and talk about nothing. She felt like things should have a purpose and she was drawn to people who felt the same way. People who worked fourteen hour days, seven days a week.

Plus, she’d never really had nonwork friendships modeled for her. She’d seen her mother host teas with other executives’ wives. She’d seen her dad golf with men he had professional relationships with. She’d seen her parents and grandparents and their “friends” at dinner parties and holiday parties at their homes. But the social events always also functioned as business events.

She had never seen her father or grandfather drink more than a single glass of scotch. That made you lose control and Lancasters never lost control.

She’d never seen her mother in ponytail and sweatpants or her grandmother reclining on the couch watching a movie. That would indicate relaxation, and Lancasters also never relaxed. Not fully. Until recently. Didi had clearly relaxed since the rest of the family had moved to Dallas.

“You’re even more worried because Cam might what?” Piper prompted.

“He might want a little revenge.”

“Revenge?” Piper asked.

“I broke his heart. He might… I don’t know… want to mess with me a little. Make me fall for him and then be the one to walk away?” Whitney suggested.

Piper didn’t respond right away. She was clearly considering all of that. Finally, she nodded. “I see what you mean.”

Whitney felt her heart fall. She didn’t want it to be true. She could admit that to herself, anyway. She wanted him to really want her.

What she would do with that was another question, but she wanted to have that problem.

“But I know Cam too,” Piper said. “And I guess, maybe I’ve known him better over these past few years, right?”

Whitney nodded. That had to be true. Piper saw him every day. And she saw him with the guys. The five guys—Aiden, Dax, Grant, Ollie, and Cam—were so natural together. It was clear that they could fully be themselves when they were a group and they appreciated and loved each other and wanted the others to be who they were. It was so fun to watch them.

And it made her want the same thing. She wanted a group that she could belong to like that. But you couldn’t make things like that happen. They just did. Fate. Kismet. Karma. Magic. Whatever it was, it wasn’t something you could make happen.

“So I can tell you, for sure, that when he comes back to Chicago after being here visiting, and running into you, he’s a mess,” Piper said.

Whitney felt a little bad about it, but she perked up at that. Her heart thumped a little harder. “Really?”

“He gets super drunk the night after he sees you and then he’s a hungover mess the next day at the office,” Piper said with a nod. “I’ve gotten really good with the hangover cures.”

Whitney hadn’t known that. She knew she was always shook up after seeing him, but he’d always acted cool when they’d run into each other. He even seemed angry at times. Like seeing her was a huge, annoying inconvenience.

“So,” Piper said. “I don’t think that he’s wanting revenge. I think he’s still got feelings and now that he’s here, he’s probably thinking that he wants to see where things stand.”

That had been, essentially, what he’d said. But wow, hearing someone else say it made it feel really real.

“The question now is, what do you want?” Piper asked.

To not mess up this chance to make Hot Cakes great and to be a part of that. To earn the respect and trust of the men who had come in and saved the company, and her family’s reputation. To have a job because she was good at it and not just because her grandmother told her grandfather and father that they had to make a place for her in the company.

And Cam.

But she couldn’t have it all.

Thankfully, before she had to answer, Dax took the stage. He had been one of the partners in Hot Cakes, but then he’d met Jane. She had refused to date one of her bosses. She didn’t like how that looked. Whitney should talk to Jane. Jane would surely see her side with this whole Cam thing.

But Dax being, well, Dax and the master of the grand gesture, had simply sold his shares so Jane would say yes to a date. She had said yes. And they were now madly in love and planning to get married next summer.

Would Cam be willing to give Hot Cakes up to be with her? Maybe. Cam was known for bucking convention. But she didn’t want that either.

She was a businesswoman, whether her family saw it or not, and she understood the importance of having talent. Cam was not only a great attorney, but he cared about Hot Cakes more than any other attorney they’d ever be able to hire. He would protect the company from any threat because he was protecting Aiden, Grant, and Ollie too.

“Welcome everyone!” Dax said into the microphone with one of his incredibly charming grins. “We are so excited to have the town of Appleby, Hot Cakes’ home, as a part of this process,” Dax said.

Dax might not have a financial interest in Hot Cakes, but he had an emotional interest in it. Because of Jane and because of the four men who were like brothers to him. It made sense that he would use the term we. He’d weighed in with advice and ideas throughout the rebuilding of Hot Cakes.