“I get what you’re saying.” Piper squeezed Hannah’s shoulders. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Good. If one of us gets the sense they’re trying to divide and conquer, we’ll split. Okay? If both of us aren’t having a good time, it’s not worth it.”

Hannah nodded, gave a small smile. “Deal.”

“Sealed.” Piper wet her lips. “Hey, before they get here, I have something to ask you.” She blew out a slow breath. “How do you feel about having the grand opening of the new-and-improved bar on Labor Day?”

Her sister’s lips moved, counting silently. “That’s eight days from now! A week!”

Piper laughed prettily. “Doable, though?”

“You volunteered to throw a party, didn’t you?”

Piper groaned, dropping her hands away from her sister’s shoulders. “How did you know that?”

“I know you. Planning parties is what you do.”

“I can’t help it.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “They’re so fun.”

Hannah fought a smile and won. “Pipes, we haven’t even invited Daniel yet.” She studied Piper. “Are you even planning on inviting him anymore? Or do you want to stay the full three months?”

“Of course I plan on inviting him!” Piper said automatically. Something sharp twisted in her middle the moment she said those words. But she couldn’t take them back.

It didn’t hurt to have a fail-safe, though, right? Daniel could always agree to let Piper come home early, and she could turn down the offer. Even if their stepfather was lenient, she didn’t have to get on a plane the same day. Her options just needed to stay open.

The more time she spent with Brendan, though, the less inclined she was going to be to give herself an out. And she was not even close to ready to make the decision to stay in Westport. How could she be? She might have made friends at Blow the Man Down. Might have started forging connections with people like Abe and Opal and the girls at the Red Buoy. And the hardware store owners and some of the locals who milled around all day at the harbor. So what if she liked stopping to chat with them? So what if she didn’t feel as out of place now as she had upon arriving? That didn’t spell forever.

She thought of Brendan stroking her hair while they napped in his bunk on the Della Ray. Thought of the gentle rocking of the water and the sound of his even breathing. And she had to force out her next words.

“I’ll call and invite Daniel right now.”

Just to be safe.

Hannah arched a brow. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Piper reached for her phone, ignoring the weird stab of foreboding in her tummy, and dialed. Her stepfather answered on the second ring. “Hey, Daniel!”

“Piper.” He sounded nervous. “Everything okay?”

She giggled, trying to dispel the coldness in her chest. “Why does everyone answer my calls this way? Am I that much of a disaster?”

“No.” Liar. “No, it’s just that you haven’t called in a while. I expected you to be begging to come back to LA long before now.”

Yeah, well. Who could have predicted a big bruiser of a sea captain who gave vaginal orgasms and made her forget how to breathe?

“Uh . . .” She tucked some hair behind her ear and gave Hannah a reassuring look. “We’ve been a little distracted, actually. That’s what I’m calling to talk to you about. Me and Hannah decided to give the bar a little face-lift.”

Silence. “Really.”

She couldn’t tell if he was impressed or skeptical. “Really. And we’re having the grand opening on Labor Day. Do you think . . . ? Would you come? Please?”

After a moment, Daniel sighed. “Piper, I’m busy as hell with this new project.”

Was that relief she was feeling? God, if so, it was unnerving. “Oh. Well . . .”

“Labor Day, you said?” She heard him clicking a few buttons on his computer. Probably opening up his calendar. “I have to admit I’m a little curious to see what you call a face-lift.” He sounded a little dry, but she tried not to get offended. She hadn’t exactly given him a reason to suspect she would be DIY-gifted, unless she counted that bong she’d made out of an eggplant during her senior year of high school. “I could probably swing it. How far away is Seattle?”

A weight sunk low in her stomach. He was coming.

Piper forced a smile. This was a good thing. This was what she and Hannah needed.

Options. Just in case.

“Two hours, give or take. I’m sure I can find you a hotel near Westport—”

Daniel snorted. “No, thanks. I’ll have my assistant find me something in Seattle.” He sighed. “Well, it’s on the calendar. I guess I’ll see you girls soon.”

“Great!” Piper’s smile faltered. “What about Mom?”

He started to say something and changed track. “She isn’t interested in going back. But I’ll represent us both. Sound good?” More key punching. “I have to go now. Good talking to you. Hugs to you and Hannah.”

“Okay, bye, Daniel.” Piper hung up and fused her features with optimism, staunchly ignoring the bonfire taking place in her stomach. God, why did she feel so guilty? Having her stepfather come to Westport in the hopes of cutting their sabbatical short had been the plan all along. “All set!”

Hannah nodded slowly. “Okay.”

“Okay! And he said to give you a hug.” Piper crushed her sister to her chest, rocking her maniacally. “There you go.” She picked up her bag. “Shall we?”

When the sisters walked outside, Brendan and Fox were leaning against the running truck wearing identical scowls, as if they’d been arguing. Upon seeing Piper, Brendan’s face cleared, heat flaring in his eyes. “Good morning, Piper,” he greeted her gruffly.

“Good morning, Brendan.”

Piper couldn’t help but notice that Fox looked almost . . . nervous when he saw Hannah, his rangy frame pushing off the truck to reach for her backpack.

“Morning,” he said. “Take that for you?”

“No, thanks,” Hannah said, skirting past him and throwing it through the open window of the truck’s backseat. “I’ll hang on to it.”

Piper laughed. “My sister doesn’t part with her headphones.” She let Brendan take her bag and caught the lapel of his flannel, tugging him down for a kiss. He came eagerly, slanting their lips together and giving her the faint taste of his morning coffee. And in a move she found old school and endearing, he tugged off his beanie and used it to shield their faces from view. “Missed you,” she whispered, pulling away and giving him a meaningful look.

Brendan’s chest rumbled in response, and he damn near ripped the passenger-side door off the hinges, stepping back to help her inside. Fox and Hannah climbed into the rear cab, sitting as far apart as possible. Hannah’s backpack rested on the seat between them, making Piper wonder if there was some tension there her sister hadn’t told her about. Had she been so wrapped up in her own love life that she’d missed something important happening with Hannah? She vowed to remedy that at the earliest opportunity.