“What do you see in him that we aren’t seeing?” China asked.

“A couple of things,” Carlton said. He glanced uneasily at Azelie. “I don’t want you hurt, honey. None of us do. You aren’t exactly experienced when it comes to men. Andrii is the kind of man women fall all over. He looks like he plays hard and then walks away. He’s probably got a hundred broken hearts in his past.”

Doug nodded, concurring. “Anything dangerous he’s done in his past aside—and it’s clear he’s done dangerous things—just having women falling all over you and then dumping them breeds enemies. Excuse me, ladies, but you know very well women can hold a mean grudge.”

He rolled his eyes toward the merry widows to indicate they all held a mean grudge. It was all Azelie could do not to laugh again. The women had to have seen his little gesture toward them, but it was clear he was trying to make Azelie laugh with his silent antics, and they didn’t take offense.

“Do you really think one of his past women might harm Azelie out of jealousy?” Penny asked, speculation and anxiety in her voice. “He is a heartbreaker. I didn’t think of that.”

“He isn’t a heartbreaker,” Azelie corrected. “You have a false impression of him, when you haven’t ever talked to him to get to know him.”

“Women always think they can change a man,” Carlton said carefully. “But leopards don’t change their spots. He’s a man women fall all over. They come easily to him, and he looks like he might know what he’s doing in the bedroom.”

Azelie felt color rising beneath her skin. Andrii certainly knew what he was doing when it came to sex. “Please don’t worry. I don’t rush into things with my eyes closed.” She had her own concerns about the relationship, but not the ones they had, and she wasn’t about to share. “I’m always cautious.”

She fiddled with her drink and then decided to take the plunge. “I’m aware all of you have to know about my past. My brother-in-law, Quentin, murdered my sister, niece and nephew and shot me three times before he turned the gun on himself. I lived with my sister and her husband for a number of years. I can’t say I thought Quentin was a great guy or a good man, but I did think he loved his children.”

Her fingers inadvertently tightened around the latte cup, nearly crushing it. She wasn’t as disconnected as she’d like to be. She thought of Andrii and what he’d gone through. He hadn’t told her about the scars on his body, but she could imagine how he’d gotten them. Or maybe she couldn’t. She didn’t have that kind of imagination. How could adults be so brutally cruel to a child?

“Don’t look so sad,” Doug implored. “We did know about your past, Azelie. We just never brought it up. It’s for you to decide you’re going to share with your friends and what you don’t feel comfortable sharing. Maybe we’ve gotten overprotective of you, but all of us feel you’re important in our lives.”

That was the nicest thing Doug could have said to her. Azelie felt the burn of tears behind her eyes. She had no idea he felt that way about her.

“You bring us joy,” China said. “If you’re in the room, it feels like you bring rays of sunshine with you, even on the stormiest days.”

Azelie blinked rapidly to keep tears at bay. She wasn’t a crier, but the sincere emotion China gave to her was overwhelming.

Blanc agreed, nodding solemnly. She placed her hand over Azelie’s briefly. “I sometimes get very depressed when we’re fogged in. You know San Francisco gets a great deal of fog. I always know if I come to the coffee shop and you’re here, I’m going to feel so much better.”

Azelie had seen Blanc depressed several times in the past. She would go very quiet and sit without speaking for long periods of time. Azelie would worry, and she often spent time telling funny stories about the antics of the children she babysat to make Blanc laugh. She had no idea Blanc deliberately sought her out to lighten her mood. That made her feel good.

“It’s true,” Penny said. “You have this way about you. I’ve seen everyone respond to it. Children especially.”

Azelie considered that. Children did respond to her. She could easily stop a baby from crying when sometimes the parent couldn’t. In the park, she got the children playing and laughing if they’d been fighting or arguing. Luke and Teddy Tudor, Bradley’s five-year-old twins, had been considered little hooligans by most of the other parents who frequented the park. The moment Azelie arrived, they changed their behavior. Betsy, Abigail Humphrey’s three-year-old toddler, would instantly stop fussing the moment she caught sight of Azelie.

“And seniors, older women and men,” Carlton added. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to be around you. You have an uplifting personality. Shaila and David have spoken of it many times with me.”

Azelie was uncomfortable with so much praise. She wasn’t used to compliments. Andrii gave them to her right and left. He did so casually, as if he were throwing out facts and she should just accept everything he said as gospel. Maybe compliments were catching, like a virus. Someone put them out in the air, and everyone around became infected and needed to hand them out.

In any case, she knew the things the merry widows and Doug and Carlton said were heartfelt. That brightened her world. She hadn’t known others viewed her in such a positive way. It was clear they cared a great deal about her.

“Thank you,” she murmured, not certain what else she could say. “What I was trying to say in a roundabout fashion is that I’m not a complete pushover. Andrii is a strong personality.”

“Dominant,” Doug said.

“Aggressive,” Carlton agreed. “A fighter. He wouldn’t hesitate to take someone out. I was in the service for a number of years, Azelie, and I’ve seen a few men like him.”

“Were they protective of the men in their unit?” Azelie asked the question without challenge. She was genuinely curious.

Carlton sat back in his chair, folded his arms, and nodded slowly. “Actually, yes, they were, now that I think about it. They saved our butts a few times when the enemy swarmed us.”

“That’s right,” Doug said. “Those kinds of men might be extremely dangerous in the right circumstances, but they do have a code and they protect their own.”

“Aha!” China said. “So, we women are right.”

“I didn’t say that,” Doug protested. “I didn’t even imply it. He’s still a Casanova.”

“You don’t know that,” Blanc said. “You just want to justify your opinion because even you can see Andrii is hot.”

Doug opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. He exchanged a long look with Carlton.

“The man has a sensual appeal,” Carlton conceded. “But that’s the problem. He’s a woman magnet. Our Azelie doesn’t need that kind of hurt.”

“You’re so certain that he’ll cheat on me.” Azelie made it a statement. Truthfully, she didn’t have a lot of confidence in herself as a sexy woman. Andrii told her over and over that he found her sexy, but she didn’t know the first thing about sex. She hadn’t even kissed another man. That was how truly pathetic she was when it came to sex.

“Don’t you dare undermine her confidence,” China said.

“You don’t get to make Azelie feel like she won’t have the ability to hold a man,” Penny added. “I know something about how that feels, and it sucks.”

Doug and Carlton exchanged a horrified look. “Did I make you feel that way, Azelie?” Carlton asked. “I certainly didn’t mean you couldn’t keep a man.”

“Men are going to fight over you,” Doug assured her.

Azelie found herself smiling despite the insecurity she felt. “I very much doubt that.”

“Why?” Blanc asked, expressing the curiosity reflected on the faces surrounding Azelie.

She could see they were genuinely puzzled. “I’m just me. I know you’re my friends and you only see good in me, but there isn’t anything special about me.”

“You have to know you’re beautiful,” Doug said.

“Well, actually, no. I think I look okay, but I wouldn’t call myself beautiful.”

“How could you not know?” Carlton demanded. “You look in the mirror, don’t you?”

“It isn’t like I think I’m not pretty, just not the turning-heads kind of pretty,” she clarified.

Doug threw his hands into the air. “What is wrong with women?” he asked Carlton.

“I don’t know. I’ve never figured it out,” Carlton replied, sounding every bit as exasperated as Doug. “We have four gorgeous women sitting right here at this table, and every last one of them believes the others are much more beautiful. Good God, girl.” He glared at Azelie. “You have to be blind not to see what any male would see in you. Your skin and that hair. Doug and I considered hiring a bodyguard just to ensure men like Andrii didn’t come around. We knew the minute he came into the shop with his friend he’d see right through your disguise and make his play for you.”

“Disguise? I was wearing a disguise?” She was feeling a little faint. The two men were just on the edge of anger, and she didn’t understand why.

“Sure you were. Your oversized sweatshirt that covers you up so no one can see you,” Penny said helpfully. “We told you about your silly dress code.”

The merry widows had spoken to her numerous times about the oversized sweaters and hoodies she wore. They had no idea she was hiding her body from Billows. Okay, maybe from everyone. She hadn’t been ready to face the world. Bradley Tudor had freaked her out when he kept insisting they would be so good together. She had no intention of dating him and she despised hurting him. She didn’t want to repeat that experience with anyone else. So maybe she had been wearing those clothes so no one would look twice at her.

“Maybe I have done that,” she conceded. “But I’m not wearing the sweatshirt today. I still don’t see men beating down the coffee shop door to date me.”