She was sitting outside on a stool next to the live Christmas trees the nursery was selling, bundled up in the tan wool coat I’d given her for Christmas two years ago. The teen boy she’d hired to man the lot was nowhere to be found.

I got out of my truck, Muffy tagging along behind me, and walked toward her. I wondered which Violet I would face today. For the past three weeks I’d only seen my repentant sister, but I couldn’t help expecting the bossy version to resurface at any time.

“Vi, what are you doing out here in the cold?” I asked.

She hopped off the stool when she saw me. Her collar was turned up to partially cover her ears, and her hands were stuffed in her pockets. “Rose, I thought you were working on your new office.”

“I took a break to check on the store. And you didn’t answer my question. Why are you outside?”

“The kid I hired to sell the trees had to take the afternoon off. And since the store’s still closed, customers won’t realize the trees are for sale if we don’t have someone outside. You and I both know we need the money.”

“We don’t need it bad enough for you to get pneumonia.” I grabbed her arm and tugged. “Let’s go inside, and you can show me around.”

Violet resisted. “You can take a look on your own. There’s not much to see.”

“Vi, please,” I pleaded. “Come inside, and I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to with the landscaping office.”

Indecision flickered in her eyes, so I gave one more pull. Her shoulders sank. “Okay. But only for a few minutes.”

With Muffy in tow, we walked past a huge Dumpster overflowing with debris from the vandalism the Gardner Sisters Nursery had suffered right before Thanksgiving, nearly three weeks ago. Joe had hired a company to clean the place and repair it, but I’d refused to hire anyone to reassemble the shelves and handle the restock. We’d done it all ourselves last time, and I wasn’t about to let him pour even more money into the business. If we needed help, I knew Bruce Wayne and Mason would be more than willing. If there was ever a time it worked in our favor to shut down, December was it. Besides Christmas trees, there weren’t too many plants that had their heyday at this time of year.

I walked through the doors and gasped. The walls were freshly painted, and new shelves had been put together. The place was spotless. A few boxes were stacked in the corner, and Violet noticed when my gaze landed on them.

“We’re just starting to get new shipments,” Violet said. “Since everything was almost a total loss, we had to reorder almost everything. But I think it will all be here by the end of the week, and we’ll be ready to start putting the store back together.”

Muffy ran to the back room, probably checking to see if her bed was still there.

“I thought the repairs weren’t getting done for another few days.”

“Joe decided to do them himself instead.”

I wasn’t all that surprised. Joe had always loved doing repairs on my house when we were together, both because he enjoyed it, and it saved me money.

“Mike helped too.”

That one did surprise me. I whipped my head around to gape at her. “Mike?”

She shrugged. “He offered, plus he and Joe have been friends since you guys dated. I think he likes hanging out with him.”

I nodded, trying to decipher the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wasn’t sure it was jealousy, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant. Still, I was glad that Joe had someone, even if it was Violet’s estranged husband. “I suppose if Joe ever needed a friend, it’s now. Did you know Hilary has moved to Henryetta?”

Violet’s eyes darkened. “No, but I’m not surprised. Joe says she’s like a leech. She pestered him mercilessly to marry her next weekend, but she finally had to cancel it. He swears he’s done with her now.”

I narrowed my eyes. “He’s said that before. It’s gonna take more than a few weeks of holding firm to convince me otherwise.” I took several steps into the shop and walked around a display case. “Besides, it’s not technically my problem anymore.”

“Joe still needs you as a friend, Rose. He needs all of us.”

“And I plan to be one, but I have to consider Mason’s feelings.”

“Why?” She took a step toward me. “When you and Mason were hanging out as friends, you never really took Joe’s feelings into consideration.”

Anger filled my chest, but she held up her hands in surrender.

“I’m not trying to be belligerent, Rose, I promise. I’m just pointing out the truth, and you know it.”

I released a frustrated sigh. “That was different.”

“You didn’t worry about Joe because you knew he could handle your friendship with Mason, but you don’t think the opposite is true.”

My jaw clenched. “Violet—”

She rushed toward me and pulled me into a hug. “I’ll stop. I just want you to be happy. And safe.”

I broke loose, groaning. “Not that again.”

Violet grabbed my upper arms and stared into my eyes. “I’ve spent nearly twenty-five of my twenty-seven years worrying about you, Rose Anne Gardner. Don’t think I can just stop now. It’s not fair of you to ask.” Tears glistened in her eyes.

“Violet.” My voice softened, and I gave her a tiny smile. “I promise you that I’m completely safe with Mason. He would sooner die than hurt me. Look what he did to protect me from Daniel Crocker.” I wiped a tear from her cheek. “I know it’s not easy for you, but you’ve got to stop worryin’.”