Jonathan Meyer stepped out of his car, a paper bag in one hand, his movements crisp, deliberate. The second his feet hit the ground, his gaze snapped to Liam and then to JD.
Liam nodded first. "Looking good, Mr. Meyer."
Jonathan hesitated before offering a polite smile. It was small. Measured.
JD felt something in his chest tighten. This was a man who carried himself differently.
Jonathan wasn't wearing a suit, but he didn't need one. The air of wealth and refinement clung to him—the sharpness of his freshly dyed hair, the precision of his clean shave, the quiet dominance of his cologne that drifted in the morning breeze.
A man used to command.
Jonathan turned back to Liam, masking his surprise. "Good day to you, Mr. Sullivan."
Then, his eyes landed on JD.
JD had seen enough businessmen to know when someone was assessing him. Calculating. But Jonathan's expression gave away nothing.
On the porch, Joanne froze. Her heart kicked up a notch.
Liam. JD. Jonathan.
All three of them. Here.
She set the coffee mug on the porch table and rushed down. If she had her way, these three would never be in the same place at the same time.
But here they were.
She forced a polite smile. "Good morning, Mr. Meyer. Welcome." She gestured toward the house, her voice deliberately smooth, as if nothing about this moment rattled her.
Jonathan met her eyes. His polite smile returned. "Good morning, Ms. Smith." He walked past her and into the house.
Joanne exhaled. Frantically, she waved Patrick over. He jogged up, sensing her urgency.
"Drop JD at the office. Now." Patrick barely hesitated before nodding. "Got it." With JD's exit handled, she turned back to Liam.
For a second, she hesitated. What was there to say?
"Good to see you, Liam," she said finally, but the words came out wrong. Too forced. Too light for the storm in her chest.
Liam only raised an eyebrow.
Before she could fumble for anything else, her phone chimed. Joanne glanced down. Her stomach dropped.
Her cameras had picked something up.
She clicked the notification, walking toward the house absently. At first, nothing. Just the bushes shifting slightly.
Then—
A hare. Just a hare.
Joanne let out a breath. She was being paranoid.
And then—
BARK.
Loud. Thunderous.
Fluffy.
Her head jerked up. "Aw, shit." She spun just in time to see Fluffy barreling toward Jonathan. Fluffy didn't know Jonathan.
She bolted up the steps, catching the dog before he could launch himself at the unsuspecting businessman.
Jonathan took a precisely measured step back.
Joanne forced a tired smile. "Sorry about that."
She set Fluffy down outside, shut the door behind her, and finally—finally—turned to Jonathan with a smile and led him to the couch.
Crisis averted. Another one of them.
Outside, Liam and JD stood in silence, watching everything unfold. Neither blinked.
Liam was the first to speak. "What was that about?" He turned to Patrick, eyes narrowing. "And did I see him with his hair dyed?"
Jonathan had always rocked the salt-and-pepper look, never one to fuss over appearances. Why the sudden change? Why the neat shave, the expensive cologne? And more importantly—
Why was he in Joanne's house first thing in the morning?
Patrick let out a chuckle. "He looks younger now, doesn't he?"
He, too, had been caught off guard. But what really stuck with him was Joanne's reaction. The way she had flustered—Joanne, who was rarely rattled—before ushering Jonathan inside like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Something was going on.
Patrick's old heart fluttered with excitement.
Liam scoffed, shaking his head. "Maybe it's about the Junior League match." He bent back down to continue working on the car, but his mind wasn't on the engine anymore.
Patrick scratched his chin. "She doesn't want to sponsor this year…"
A long-standing tradition. The Smith family had always helped fund the county's annual junior league softball tournament. But last year, they humiliated Joanne. She had paid for nearly everything, only to be denied the stage when it was time to award the trophy.
Instead, they handed the honor to Liam's brother, Tom. All because Tom's wife had connections—a congressman in the family.
"Good for her," Liam muttered, voice sharp. "She shouldn't donate. Not after the stunt they pulled last year."
Patrick blinked. He had expected Liam to take his brother's side. Instead, he stood firmly with Joanne.
But then again, maybe he shouldn't be surprised.
Liam had always put Joanne first. That was how he lived.
It was a pity those childhood sweethearts had fallen apart.
JD, meanwhile, had barely been listening. His gaze was fixed on Fluffy, wagging his tail in front of the door.
Joanne had left Fluffy outside. To be alone with Jonathan. He knew exactly what was happening.
Jonathan was going to ask her out. And Joanne was going to say yes. Happily.
Frustration surged through him. He had just begun to realize his feelings for her, and yet—someone else was already in line.
Not just one. Two.
Two tough rivals!
He shot a glance at Liam.
Liam had to be the ex, right? The way he watched Joanne. The way he reacted to her name. The way he always, always put her first.
JD sighed, shaking his head. She had terrible taste in men.
He was about to turn away when something caught his eye. Something on Liam's left hand.
A ring.
Not just any ring—a wedding band. A cheap, $20 silicone one. But still…
JD raised an eyebrow, teasing, "Is that a silicone wedding band?"
Liam didn't even look up. "Why? Never been around working men your whole life?" he shot back.
JD let out a humorless chuckle. Whatever. He could strike one off the list.
He had no interest in standing here any longer. He climbed into the car with Patrick, leaving Liam behind.
Liam exhaled, shaking his head, then bent back down. But he barely touched the wrench in his hand.
-----
Inside, Joanne placed a plate of toast and eggs in front of Jonathan. His face lit up with an easy smile. Joanne sat across from him, fingers curled around her coffee mug.
And just like that, they were alone.