Baxter knocked on the door to Tate's office. When she looked up from the screen, he looked blurry.

"What boss?" Her attempt to jest fell short because she had been driving herself even harder than her brother ever had.

"Are you coming over?"

She looked at him with a furrowed brow. "Over where?"

"To my house. You know our tradition of watching Kasper."

She looked at the calendar on her desk. Eleanor bought it for her for Christmas. It had a witty quote each day. She hadn't ripped off a day since August and it was October. She felt a pang hoping Eleanor hadn't noticed. The secretary had acted like her mother. Not exactly like Amelia Kane, but like a mother should: comforting, caring, almost loving. Occasionally, when she worked late, she heard Eleanor whispering with her father before he stopped in to see her. At least her father cared.

The truth was no one knew what they should be worried about. They all had their theories. Eleanor assumed it was Duncan. Although she didn't want to watch her ex on TV fighting with his wife (or ex-wife, the gossip sites were unclear), she did not miss him.

Her family might assume it had to do with her birthday she refused to celebrate. Indirectly, they weren't far off. She certainly couldn't celebrate with cake. It seemed in poor taste to celebrate the years she had been alive. Jimmy had called her, but she didn't answer. His message wished her a happy birthday and ended with a reminder about when she was ready to talk.

It just seemed easier to work than to come to terms with being alone. If she couldn't eat wedding cake with Jimmy, she never would.

Baxter took her silence as a signal to be more persistent. "Come on. You can throw popcorn at Dawson. It might be therapeutic."

"Mother would have a heart attack if a child of hers threw food."

"Please. We've all done worse. Even you."

Unease gripped her belly. "What did I do?"

"You attempted to marry the loser."

"Does he lose? Did Kasper say?"

"Kasper is a vault about his competitions. You know that. Come on. We can find out if he and Juniper are romantic."

Tate scoffed. "He's been back for months. Has he been running across the country?"

"No. That's Jimmy. He and his new friend are going to Seattle."

Her stomach tightened. "Who's his new friend?"

Baxter shrugged. "A lawyer who likes scotch. He's still trying to get his cousin to come home."

"Jimmy has the woman out there."

Baxter laughed. "Once Shaun completed the divorce the way Jimmy wanted, he let the business deal go through. It was his insurance to protect his cousin. Her usefulness has ended."

"Why's he doing business with Dickie Dawson?"

"Because I couldn't. With their expansion we are now." Baxter smiled like a cat who cornered a mouse. "Come on. Shut that laptop, we'll be late."

Fifteen minutes later, they stepped onto the curb in front of Baxter's house. The crispness of the air felt refreshing after being in her office for ten hours. The air smelled of freshly fallen leaves and smoke. She took a cleansing breath, before going inside again. The house had the aroma of baked apples.

As Ivy rushed to greet Baxter, Tate asked, "What did you make?"

"Apple crisp. How was your day?"

As the couple greeted each other, she turned her back and walked up a flight to the living room. The twins were both comfortable on the sofa. "I thought you were going to work all night."

"Yeah, and miss my debut."

"It's not yours I'm dreading."

"I promise it'll be fun."

"Baxter said I can throw food at his TV."

"He didn't." Ivy stood with her hands on her hips frowning.

"I did, because she wanted to stay at work."

"Couldn't you yell at him instead? We don't have a maid to clean up every crumb that gets dropped."

Tate nodded. "I would never throw food. Baxter, you had better pick up your own crumbs."

"He does. Don't worry."

"It's starting." Kasper sat forward excitedly.

"What is she wearing?" Tate couldn't imagine going out in public dressed like Juniper. She wore a shirt as short as a sports bra and short shorts.

"She looks hot, right?"

"Practically naked."

Doyle laughed. "Don't be a prude. I love those tops."

Tate was busy watching Duncan. He looked familiar, but in the time that passed she realized she hardly knew him. "He and his wife look cozy."

"That will change, but I want to listen."

Tate silently rooted for anyone except her ex. When Duncan got lost, she laughed. His wife nagged at him, andTate held her stomach laughing until he threw a map at her. "You 'bleep' figure it out." She said that she would ask for directions. Tate couldn't quite hate her.

At the end of the episode, Kasper made it to the checkpoint in second place and Duncan arrived tenth which was enough to avoid elimination.

Tate stood. "Well, that was fun."

Ivy looked up with a down-turned mouth. "You aren't leaving. I made an apple crisp."

Tate sighed. "How did you have time to bake? You're supposed to work eighty hours a week."

Ivy smirked. "Not eighty." A frown quickly returned. "I met with a new pro Bono client today. Unfortunately, I can't take the case."

"What case?" Doyle asked.

"It's a wrongful termination."

"But that's right up your alley." Tate reminded her.

"I know, but I have a conflict of interest."

Doyle pounced on Baxter. "Who the hell did you fire?"

He put his hands up. "Not me."

Tate frowned. "I bet it's Sinclair."

"No, not Jimmy. My conflict is that the executive in question once grabbed my butt." Ivy looked at Kasper.

"The son of a bitch." Kasper quickly smiled. "I enjoyed our dance. I never had a chance, did I."

Ivy shook her head as Baxter looked unamused. Doyle pointed to her twin. "The sad thing is if Kasper brought Ivy home, mother would love her."

"Doyle's right. She will never give Kasper the cross for fear he would fall for a cocktail server."

"You guys have me all wrong. I thought you were here to cheer me on." Kasper pouted.

"Sorry." Tate kissed one of his cheeks and pinched the other. "You did great, kid. I'll stay for dessert." Since it's not cake.

Ivy jumped up. "Good. I'll serve."

She left, and Tate looked at Baxter. "Bates?"

"Yeah. She had been excited about this case. The others were minor issues she settled by writing a few letters. This had potential."

"What will happen to the client? I'll pay for her to have the best lawyer in town." Doyle put her hand on her hip.

"Good luck finding one not in Bates's back pocket."

Tate's jaw dropped. "Bax, you're right. Partners from every firm were at their party. Does Jimmy know about this?"

"We're not supposed to know. Ivy never mentioned a name. We do not know." Baxter's voice could freeze a glass of water across the room.

They all nodded. "He better not get away with it."

Ivy appeared. "Stop talking about it. I have to have faith in the people at legal advocates. When I told the director, there was another lawyer there. He said he would take care of it even if he had to study up on employment law and take it himself."

"What firm is he with?"

"None. He's family law, but he knew of the reputation in question. I felt better because his suit was as nice as Baxter's."

Doyle laughed. "Never judge a man by the quality of his suit."

"Not, true. If he can buy custom-tailored suits, he must be a successful lawyer."

Tate frowned. "If Duncan had gone through with it, I would probably know his name."

"But you didn't, and that's what matters." Kasper squeezed her with a one-arm hug.

"I came to see who wants whipped cream or ice cream."

Baxter smiled. "Or both."

Ivy nodded. "Or both, like my sweet tooth here." She lovingly pushed Baxter's shoulder.

As they moved towards the kitchen two flights below, Tate's phone rang. She should have let it go to voicemail, but answered like a fool.

"Tate, did you watch?"

"Yeah. I saw your tantrum."

"All fake. The producers loved it."

Kasper said the opposite. "So the gossip is wrong. You are happily married."

"Well, not exactly. I really think I made a mistake. Your family was a lot. I knew they didn't love me, but now it's different."

"Why what's different?"

"I'm an entrepreneur. I've started a company. Virtual reality. We're going to offer adventures from around the globe right in your own home."

"What do you know about virtual reality?"

"Nothing. I'm hiring guys who do."

"Wow! That's a lot to bite off."

"I know, but the best part is your brother's friend is giving me the capital."

"Sinclair! What are the terms?"

"That's the best, best part. Just my share in Dawson Sports, but I'll be too busy to work for my father. He's busy expanding. I never see him anyway."

Tate shut her eyes. She didn't need a business degree to know what was going to happen. Damn Jimmy! He was taking over the business. When they didn't have the profits, he would take it over. She shut her eyes. It was all her fault.

Instead of going to the kitchen for dessert, Tate walked out the door and turned left. Her anger propelled her forward and in less than three minutes she stood in front of the house on Chestnut Street. She rang the bell and heard footsteps before the door opened.

"Ms. Tate. This is a surprise. Was Mr. Sinclair expecting you?"

"No. Is he in?"

"I'll see if he's available."

When Charles went into the parlor, she followed him. If he had walked upstairs, she wouldn't have.

They stopped in front of a study that looked a lot like her father's. Charles cleared his throat.

Jimmy looked up and smiled. She felt the upward turn of his lips deep within. "Hello Tate." His voice was smooth as jazz at Sunday morning brunch. "Charles, it's fine. Ms. Kane can visit anytime." He turned to Tate. "You aren't celebrating Kasper's premier with your family?"

She shook her head. "Duncan called me. I'm onto you."

Jimmy's face gave nothing away. He stood, and she hadn't prepared herself for his faded jeans and bare feet. "Drink?" He poured a finger of scotch in a glass. As she shook her head, he raised the glass to his lips. She looked away as her mind conjured up memories of his lips. He chuckled. "I remember too."

She stopped an involuntary sigh and stood taller. "I told you not to mess with the Dawson's."

"It was too late."

"What about this VR scheme?"

Jimmy chuckled. "He came to me begging. How could I say no?"

"This is a game to you!"

"No, Tate, it's business. Your ex-lover thinks it's a game. He'll find out soon enough what actual reality is. He told me he's doing it to get you back."

"I don't want him back! Tell him he's wasting his money."

"Do you think I haven't tried? I have scruples. I'd hate for you to think so low of me. It hurts." He put his hand over his heart.

"Is your hand getting colder?"

He stepped towards her until he could lean over her. His warm breath tickled her ear. "You know the truth. My heart is full. You smell delicious. I've missed you."

His lips brushed behind her ear. She tried to step back, but his powerful arms pulled her against him. "You know I can put you on the ground."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. Remember how good the cake was?"

She pushed on his chest. "I'm on a diet."

He found her ear again. "We were both emotional the last time we were together. I wanted to go to you on your birthday, but I was afraid you would kick me out."

"Why because you wanted cake?"

He pulled back and looked at her face. "No, because it was a bad day for both of us. I went to see Mrs. Marsh."

"You did?" Her heart raced.

"I do from time to time. She doesn't blame us."

Tate shook her head. "She doesn't know the truth."

"She knows enough, but she knows you would never hurt her daughter. Tate, you need to forgive yourself. It won't undo what happened, but it was never your fault."

Her vision clouded. "It was your fault. You were dating her!"

"It was a series of events in which the three of us were involved. She had drunk too much."

She stamped her foot. "Because you kissed me."

"She was already drinking, and it was your birthday. If you want to blame someone, blame Baxter."

She pushed out of his arms and stepped away from him so he couldn't reach her. "Baxter! Baxter was at North Hills."

"Exactly and he made me promise to look out for you."

"So you asked my friend out to spy on me?"

He ran his hand through his thick hair. It didn't have the typical gel in it. "No, to be close to you."

She threw up her arms. "What you're telling me isn't helping your defense. I came to talk about your plan for Dawson."

"I told you Duncan is an idiot. He's made his own choice. Lawyers were involved."

"Not Tom Olson?"

"No. Not this time. I hear you're seeing him."

"I've been out a few times with him and Rose."

He nodded. "Tom is helping me with other deals."

"Are you still on the board of Bates Financial?" He nodded. "Ivy had to turn down a case because the accused had groped her."

Jimmy's eyes widened. "Junior?"

Tate shrugged. "She couldn't say anything."

"I'm doing some due diligence."

"They deserve it. Dawson doesn't."

"But he hurt you."

"It's not your job," she hissed as she stomped out the door.

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