seven and lay st

ing for the past two weeks. The first thought being Damian. The first feeling being loss. The first few

wai

id no

good knife on the counter. At the Christmas photo on the windowsill. At the jar of

as different

le meant when they said you would be fine. But she was awake and she was s

text she had

she had gone

thought and she had not had much thought to spare. She made it the way she liked it, stro

ough it when Cassidy

ding up a bag. "Real food. Not pasta. Actual b

ded to live,"

y. At her face. At the coffee in her hand. At whatever was sit

n and si

able with the focused energy of a woman who was not going to open the

both hands around her coffee. "I saw

nt very sti

oming out of a restaurant with so

walked

intended for things

s flat on the table. "

matter to me. That what she did told me everything I needed to know abo

s quiet for exa

d something she had never onc

cla

she had never seen her before and was decid

Cassidy said. "That

down C

ul way. She was perched on the edge of the chair with the contained energy o

r coffee. "Damian te

ssion shifted. "

miss

ble was

erday morning," Helena said. "And t

down with very deliberate care like she was making a decision about what

respond,

No

Go

n and told the apartment h

ot quite a smile and not quite tears but was somewhere in the comp

st felt angry. Not sad. Not hurt. Just angry and done and a little bit like I

," she said quietly. "That is

as not a discussion. They sat in the morning light of the neutral apartment that was starting to smell less like nobody and more like co

a job," Helena

kn

he Morrison account work

said again. "What

mething I am actually good at. Something where being honest matters. Something

en she reached into her bag and pulled out h

lled me this mor

at the phone.

alternate contact." Cassidy slid the phone across the table. "She wants to offer you the role officially.

sister's phone on th

s asking her to talk about a time somethin

had talked without stopping and not on

in her notes app. Figure out

e phone and calle

ang t

said. Like she had

ou called,"

hink." Jordan paused for a moment. "I think this might be the beginning of something for you if you let it be. I ha

en over at ten at night with nothing and sat on a bed and held her ha

aid into the pho

nded t

was alrea

," Hele

nything," Cassidy

e doing

ot have

ass

assidy said, "watching my s

the rosemary on the counter. At the apartment that was starting to f

ked up h

in a row she did not think

ke something

there when her phone

t it without

ot Damian

name that belonged to a chapter of her life she had c

overed over

body else knew. Things that went all the way back to the beginning. Things that could change e

ked up t

ad the

still for a lo