She shook her head.
“I’m not upset.”
She wiped her cheek.
“I’m relieved.”
I sat back.
She looked around the little reading corner.
“Do you know what I learned while you were gone?”
“That you can run a bookstore better than Michael could run a marriage?”
She laughed softly.
“Possibly.”
Then her expression grew serious.
“I learned that I can be alone without being abandoned. I can make decisions without asking someone else whether they’re sensible. I can have a bad day without pretending everything is fine.” She looked directly at me.
“And I learned that missing someone doesn’t automatically mean you need them to survive.”
I nodded slowly.
“That sounds healthy.”
“It was terribly inconvenient.”
“I imagine.”
She smiled.
“But I missed you, Alex.”
The words landed somewhere deep in my chest.
“I missed you too.”
She looked at me for a long moment.
“Are you still afraid?”
“Yes.”
“Of Daniel?”
“Of hurting him. Of hurting you. Of becoming another person who makes your life more difficult.”
