“I know. I thought I’d start with something manageable.”
“Like a short book?”
“Like saying hello to someone I’ve missed.”
Her smile faded.
For several seconds, the sounds of the bookstore seemed to grow distant.
Then she looked toward the counter.
“Come with me.”
She led me into the little reading corner at the back. Two comfortable chairs stood beside a small round table, just as she had planned them months earlier.
She sat down.
I remained standing until she gestured toward the other chair. “Sit, Alex.”
I obeyed.
She folded her hands in her lap.
“Daniel called me last night.”
“I thought he might.”
“He said he spoke to you.”
“He did.”
“And?”
I took a breath.
“He said he doesn’t know how he’ll feel about us in the future, but he doesn’t want his fear to decide our lives.”
Karen looked down.
A tear slipped onto her hand.
I immediately leaned forward.
“Hey. I’m sorry. I didn’t come here to upset you.”
