Here's the last chapter. I hope you enjoy it. I've had a blast writing this and reading the reviews.

Title from the song by the Drifters.


Jo woke up to a loud humming in her ear. She rolled over to find Raja happily purring next to her. She reached over and stroked side, smiling when he rolled onto his back and yawned.

Jo sighed and sat up. It was Valentine's Day. She had been dreading this day all week, but after a relaxing day at the spa, she felt like she could handle it. Petting Raja one last time, Jo slid out of bed and headed to the shower. She just had to get through today, and then it would all be over.


"Here, have a cupcake," Vincent said to Jo. "You look like you could use it."

"Thanks," Jo sighed, plucking one of the heart-shaped cupcakes off the tray. Her newfound Valentine's Day optimism had quickly transformed into the strong urge to shoot something as soon as she got to work. Fargo had modified the holographic Christmas carolers to sing love songs whenever anyone walked entered a room. She had fled to Café Diem hoping to escape the nonstop singing, only to find that Vincent had them too.

If anything, Café Diem was even worse than GD. In addition to the holograms, Vincent had upped his decorations to include cherubim hanging from streamers and roses on all the tables. Glowing hearts floated all over the room. The combined effect made Jo feel nearly as sick as it had a week ago.

Jo's phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and read the message. "I hope you're up for some dancing tonight. See you at Vincent's party. Love, Your Not-So-Secret-Admirer."

She scrolled back up and had to fight the urge to throw her phone at the nearest cupid when she realized that it was sent from another blocked number. "I hate Valentine's Day," she spat.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Jo rolled her eyes and spun her stool around to glare at Carter, who was grinning down at her.

"What?" He protested, sitting down next to her. "I thought you'd be a little…less highly strung after your spa day with Zoe. "

"Well, I'm not," Jo snapped.

"Okay," Carter replied. He put an elbow down on the bar and turned to face Jo. "What happened? I thought you were doing better."

Jo glanced down at her still-intact phone and then back up at Carter. "I was. When I woke up this morning I was actually okay with today. But then I went to work and the…festiveness got to me. Being here isn't much better."

Carter looked around and realized that there were so many decoration in the Café that when he squinted, the entire room became a pink haze. "That's understandable. It is a little over-the-top."

"Are you two talking about my decorations?" Vincent asked, beaming at both of them. "Aren't the carolers a great touch? I'm so glad Fargo agreed to lend them out for the day."

"Yeah, it's great," Carter replied. "You did say that the best was yet to come."

"Oh, but it still is," Vincent said with a twinkle in his eyes. "I have more decorating to do before the party tonight. I just don't know how I'm going to pull it off if I can't get my mini confetti blasters to work, though."

"That would be a shame," Carter said, trying to look sad.

"I'm sure I'll have them fixed by then," Vincent replied reassuringly. "What can I get for you, Sheriff?"

"I'll have two coffees, a burger, and a Caesar salad," Carter said.

"Coming right up," Vincent said happily.

Jo cocked her head to one side and turned to face Carter. "Who're you eating with?"

"Allison," Carter replied. "Her sitter is busy tonight, so we're having a Valentine's Day lunch instead of dinner. We might still stop by the party though for a little while though. Just for long enough to make Vincent happy."

"Have fun," Jo said bitterly.

Carter frowned at her. "Do you want to tell me why you look like you want to punch something every time someone mentions the party?"

"Not really," Jo sighed. She bit her lip and sighed again. "He just invited me to the party."

"Isn't that good news?"

"I don't know," Jo said, resting her head in her palms. "I really don't. This week has been stressful and weird, and I really think that avoiding the party is for the best."

"Don't you want to meet him?" Carter asked, puzzled.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that," Jo said truthfully, twisting her fingers together. "I just want to go to sleep and wake up tomorrow and not have to think about any of this until next year."

"You should go," Carter said firmly.

"Why? So I can watch all the happy couples and eat more heart-shaped food?" Jo asked disgustedly.

Carter reached over and turned her shoulders so that she was facing him again. He reached over and took both of her hands. "You should go," he repeated.

Jo's eyebrows knit together in confusion. This was very unlike Carter. "Why?" She whispered, tears in her eyes.

"Do you trust me?" Carter asked in a serious tone.

Jo nodded yes.

"Then trust me with this. Go."

"Okay," Jo mumbled softly. "I'll go."

"Good," Carter replied, squeezing her hands and releasing her. "You'll see; it'll be worth it."


Six hours later, Jo stood nervously outside Café Diem. After she had left the Café in the afternoon, Zoe had showed up at her house to make sure that she was still going. At Zoe's insistence, Jo was wearing her new dress and had her hair down instead of in her usual ponytail.

Jo took a step closer and peered inside. Vincent's party was in full swing. Everyone was laughing and dancing, and there was even more heart-shaped food than she thought was possible. Judging from the state of the floors, Jo could tell that Vincent had gotten his confetti cannons to work again.

She took a step back. She wasn't ready to go in yet. She had already paced up and down the street in indecisiveness, and she was beginning to get cold. Jo backtracked to her car and slid into the driver's seat.

"Hi."

Jo jumped and nearly hit her head on the roof of the car. She turned to the direction of the voice and sighed. "Zane. What the hell are you doing in my car?"

Zane shrugged. "Well, it didn't look like you were going to come meet me inside, so I came to you."

Jo blinked. Had she heard him correctly? "You were waiting for me? So you're my secret admirer?" She held her breath and hoped that he wouldn't laugh at her the way he had on Founder's Day.

"I am."

Jo squinted at him in disbelief. She had to be sure. "But what about the blonde who works at the spa?"

"Amanda," Zane corrected, "is just a friend. She was more than willing to help a friend with the woman he loves."

"You two looked pretty cozy at lunch a few days ago."

Zane shrugged again. "We're friends. I helped her set up some spa equipment a few months back and we found out that we have a lot in common. Turns out that she has a deep passion for Springsteen."

Jo nodded. Thinking back, Zane and Amanda hadn't been sitting that closely together, and the friendly touches were always just on the shoulder. "But how did you do it?"

"Breaking and entering has been a long-time hobby of mine," Zane said, reclining in his seat. "I am a felon, after all."

Jo shook her head. "Not what I meant. How did you know that I didn't eat the chocolates? And how did you know about Raja? I've only ever told Cart- of course," Jo paused, shaking her head. Everything was clicking. "How long were Carter and Zoe in on it?"

"Since the beginning," Zane confessed. "It was kind of Carter's idea to start with."

"How so?" Jo asked curiously.

"After we kissed last summer, you wouldn't talk about what happened," Zane began. "Not that you really needed to, since I had most of it figured out by then anyway. I asked Carter for advice, and he suggested that I do something to help you trust me."

"So you broke into my house, office, car, and the postal system?" Jo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like I said – felon. Anyway, Zoe agreed to help because she noticed how down her big sister was. She let me know that you didn't eat the chocolates, and helped me smuggle a kitten into town. Carter told me about Raja. Then yesterday, Amanda realized that you recognized her, so she called me and I texted you."

Jo began to laugh and let her head drop onto the headrest.

"What's so funny?"

Jo took a series of deep breaths and tried to calm herself down. "That's an amazingly convoluted master plan. I can't believe that it worked."

"Then why are you crying?" Zane asked, reaching over and wiping a tear off of Jo's cheek.

"Am I?" Jo raised a hand to her face and realized that Zane was right. She let out a small sob and shook her head. "This has been a hell of a week. I honestly don't know what I'm feeling right now."

"What do you feel when I do this?" Zane asked, placing one hand on her cheek and the other on her back. He leaned across the open space and kissed her gently.

Jo closed her eyes. She hadn't felt this in far too long – Zane's soft lips on hers, his warm breath, how content she felt when she was in her arms.

She broke away from him and smiled softly. "I feel sparks."

Zane brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "Me too," he replied quietly. "I know that I'm not him, but I honestly do love you."

Jo wrapped her arms around him and smiled into his neck. After months of pain and the confusion of the last week, this felt right. Almost like it was meant to be all along. "I love you too."

"Good," Zane said, pulling away from her. He reached into his pocket and fished out two small pieces of paper. "Because I have two tickets for Swan Lake tomorrow. Carter said that it's your favorite ballet."

"It is," Jo confirmed, smiling.

"So, JoJo, will you see it with me tomorrow?" Zane asked, holding her hands.

"I'd like that," Jo replied, her smile growing even wider. "It's getting a little cold in here. Do you want to go to the party?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Zane grinned, jumping out of the car and meeting Jo on her side. "By the way, have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

"No, you haven't," Jo smiled, winding her fingers between his. "Thank you."

She paused at the entrance to Café Diem, pulling Zane back.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "It's okay, JoJo."

Jo nodded and leaned against him. "I know," she said truthfully. It was the first time she had really meant it in months. She tightened her hold on his hand and pulled him inside. "I know. Now let's go in."

Jo took a deep breath and stepped inside Café Diem and smiled. She could see Carter and Zoe in the back, smiling at her encouragingly. Jo tugged Zane toward them. She had to thank them for making Valentine's Day her favorite holiday.


Thanks for all of your amazing reviews over the last week. Happy Valentine's Day!