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“So,” Cleo said, leaning in conspiratorially. “What’s really going on with you two?”

I nearly choked on my wine. “What do you mean?”

“Come on. I saw you at the masquerade ball. That was not fake dating energy.”

Victoria nodded in agreement. “I saw some videos from that night. You two looked like you were about to devour each other on the dance floor.”

I shrugged. “We were just dancing.”

“Sure.” Cleo grinned. “I’m just interested in whether my brother is finally falling for someone.”

I refused to blush. Nope. Blushing implied I was guilty. “We like each other. I think. I mean, I know I like him. And he seems to like me. But it’s complicated.”

“Complicated how?” Kensey asked, joining the conversation.

I set down my fork, trying to find the right words. “I just have so much going on right now. Work is insane. The CEO transition is coming up. There are a million things demanding my attention, and I’m worried I can’t give him what he deserves.”

The women exchanged glances.

“What he deserves is someone who makes him happy,” Victoria said. “Which, from what I can tell, you do.”

“But I barely have time for myself. How am I supposed to have time for a relationship?”

Cleo shrugged. “You make time for the things that matter. That’s what everyone does.”

“Easy to say.”

“Hard to do,” she agreed. “But worth it. Trust me, I’ve watched my brothers try to balance work and relationships for years. The ones who figure it out are the ones who stop treating love like something that fits into a calendar slot.”

I thought about all the times I’d tried to schedule my life down to the minute. And honestly, it had been exhausting.

“I don’t know how to not plan everything,” I admitted quietly.

Kensey reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “That’s okay. Beau’s pretty good at going with the flow. Maybe he can teach you.”

I looked down the table at him. He caught my eye and smiled. Then he looked at my mouth. He was thinking about a kiss. He raised his glass slightly in my direction in a silent toast.

Maybe they were right. I was overthinking this. The answer wasn’t to figure out how to fit a relationship into my life, but to let my life become a little less structured.

That sounded terrifying, though.

I shook my head. “Now isn’t a great time, but maybe in a couple of months.”

Juno smirked. “It’s never a convenient time to fall in love.”

“Love will wreck all your plans, but in a good way,” Kensey said.

“I sure wasn’t ready for it,” Grace said. “Not even a little.”

“No one ever is,” Victoria said.

“Well, I’m fucking ready,” Cleo muttered.

They all laughed.

“Poor Cleo,” Kensey said. “You’ll find someone soon. Or he’ll find you.”

“The Blackwell kids are dropping like flies,” Victoria said. “You won’t be far behind them.”