"Good point!" Skye agreed.

He had practically begged Stella to keep an eye on Tegan. There was zero chance his feelings were strictly platonic.

Stella's logic was completely solid, and Skye fully bought into it.

Satisfied, Skye hung up.

Stella handed the phone back. "Did she buy it?" Yvonne asked.

"Yep, hook, line, and sinker."

"That psycho. She was ready to put a hit out on me just a second ago," Yvonne scoffed.

Thank God she hadn't turned her wrath on Stella.

If Skye had even raised her voice at her little sister, Yvonne would have declared all- out war.

Meanwhile, over with Tegan.

After dinner, they had retreated to their rooms. The piles of clothes Skye had bought earlier looked completely ridiculous on her own frame.

But the moment Tegan tried them on, they looked absolutely spectacular.

"These are all yours now," Skye declared. "As soon as you catch a break at the hospital, I'm taking you on a proper shopping spree."

"Oh, I really don't need all this," Tegan protested softly.

She did reluctantly accept the current haul, mostly because they had already popped the tags and the clothes physically wouldn't fit Skye anyway. "Nonsense. What's mine is yours. And what's my brother's is yours, too."

After her reassuring call with Star, Skye's mood had vastly improved.

As long as her matchmaking efforts weren't completely in vain, it was a win.

She thought back to the endless parade of women she had shoved in Finley's face over the years. He had turned down every single one of them.

The memory alone was enough to make her blood boil.

But thankfully, she didn't have to stress about it anymore.

"I really."

"Alright, get some sleep," Skye interrupted briskly. "Since things are dead and buried with Uriah, you might as well give my brother a shot."

"Sure, he's got a big mouth and zero tact, but he would never let another woman make you feel worthless."

"Don't believe me? Try slapping me across the face right now. I guarantee he won't lift a finger to defend me if it means upsetting you."

Tegan was utterly speechless.

Before she could even form a response, Skye had already breezed out of the room.

Exhaling a long, slow breath, Tegan picked up her phone and dialed Stella's number.

Stella picked up almost immediately. "Tegan! Hey, my wedding is in three days. I'm guessing you can't make it, right?"

Since Tegan had just barely settled down in Yoreland, Stella felt terrible demanding she fly right back out.

But they had been inseparable best friends for years.

Not having her there to celebrate would undeniably leave an ache in her chest.

"You're getting married? That's so soon," Tegan gasped softly.

"We've had the date locked in for a while, but we were just waiting to get back. Now

here, it's officially go tiet

here, it's officially go to .net

"I don't think I can get the time off," she murmured regretfully.

Her voice was laced with genuine disappointment.

The hospital was severely

understaffed right now. Being the newest addition to the team meant she was drowning in back-to-back shifts.

"It's okay, I completely understand. Focus on your new job."

"So, Star, about Skye."

"What about her?"

"She keeps aggressively trying to set me up with Prof. Yoder! I just."

"Oh, Finley? He's a great guy. You know, when he found out you were in Yoreland, he immediately pushed me to hire extra security for you because he knew Leslie wouldn't let things go."

Stella spoke fondly of Finley's protective nature, making her defense sound entirely organic.

"But I."

"Look, I know you and Uriah just ended things, but there is absolutely no shame in moving on right away. Don't let it stress you out."

Tegan choked on her breath.

"What? He was complete trash to you. Are you honestly trying to mourn a

relationship that was built on a foundation of misery?"

"The absolute best revenge against a toxic ex is finding a partner who genuinely treats you like gold."

"But Prof. Yoder isn't my."

"Then let him be your gorgeous rebound. Upgrading instantly is the ultimate power move!"

"I don't want revenge!"

All she wanted was to put an ocean of distance between herself and Uriah.

"Even better! Being with someone like Finley will crush any lingering delusions Uriah has about getting you back!"

Tegan fell silent.

The mere mention of Uriah brought back a chilling flashback to Finley's far more dangerous side.