Free The Better Man (Chicago Sisters) by Amy Vastine

to say back then. Hearing those words now, from this man with her husband’s face, was too much. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling. Max seemed to pick up on her emotion and released her from his grasp. He apologized and dashed away.
    Kendall took off for the restroom and locked herself in the first stall. Fat, round tears rolled down her cheeks. Was it wrong to be this angry at someone who was dead? Was it worse to resent someone who was alive simply because he looked like that person? She just wanted Max to go away, to stay clear of the restaurant until the remodel was finished. It would make things so much easier on her, not only because he was annoying, but also because her heart couldn’t take much more abuse.
    “K, you all right?” Since Kendall was the only woman in the restaurant while it was under construction, Owen had no qualms about walking right into the women’s restroom.
    She wiped her cheeks and turned the lock. “I’m fine,” she lied, hoping Owen would at least pretend to believe her. She exited the stall and avoided eye contact until she could check her reflection in the mirror and be sure there was no sign of those tears.
    “Why do you insist on getting here before me? Let me deal with Mr. I-Have-A-Million-Issues Jordan,” Owen said, holding out a paper towel for her while she washed her hands.
    “My chairs are supposed to come in today and I wanted to see if they finished taping the new wall yesterday. I want to get started on the mural as soon as possible.”
    Owen’s expression was full of nothing but concern. He was more than a business partner; he had been her friend since they met at the Art Institute. They were design soul mates, but their dreams of starting their own firm had been dashed when Kendall met Trevor one Christmas break.
    Trevor had been a senior at the Naval Academy back then, and he’d swept her off her feet. When he asked her to move to Virginia after graduation to be close to him while he trained at Quantico, the decision had nearly torn her apart. Leaving her family and friends terrified her. In the end, she’d chosen Trevor. He had this way of making her question herself by being so sure they were meant to be together. His confidence had convinced her that the right thing to do was walk away from one dream and toward another.
    Owen considered going with her, but it wasn’t meant to be. He never lost touch, though. He knew the day would come when they would make KO Designs a reality. While she’d been off getting married and starting a family, Owen had spent the past eight years working hard to make a name for himself in the Chicago design world. When Trevor died, Owen had given her the courage to get back into a career she’d set aside.
    The only reason KO Designs had any clients when they first started a year ago was because of Owen. She owed him so much, and here she was thanking him by having a breakdown on the job.
    “He’s getting to you.”
    “It’s less about him and more about my issues with my husband.” Kendall checked herself in the mirror one more time. “Stop looking at his face,” she told her reflection, then turned to Owen. “Maybe if I stare at his shoes or the buttons on his fancy shirts when he makes ridiculous demands, I’ll get less rattled. Trevor never wore shoes like that.”
    “He does have impeccable fashion sense, doesn’t he?” It was a trait for which Owen had great respect. “Let me handle him, okay? You take care of the other details.”
    “Deal,” she said thankfully.
    Unfortunately, even without Max’s interference, nothing went smoothly. The chairs were delivered, but instead of sending her forty chairs, the vendor sent her a hundred and forty chairs. The delivery guys kept unloading them even though she told them she hadn’t ordered that many. The customer service representative from the furniture company put her on hold for fifteen minutes, then told her someone would have to call her back. To top it off,