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“Not to me?”

“I made a promise to Alice. I’ll find her and bring closure to her family. I’m staying.”

“Ava . . .”

A hand comes up. “Don’t. You can’t talk me out of it. I’m in too deep. They are coming to me without the aid of objects, and my leaving won’t make a difference.”

I don’t know how to respond. “I made a promise, too. To keep your name out of the investigation, and now that the press is interested and fishing for information, we have to be even more careful.”

“We will be.”

“Someone could recognize you.”

“I doubt it. I’m not known outside the museum circle.”

“They could easily find your name and start there. They have resources.”

“You have resources, too. And you have me.”

“Do I?” The question escapes before I have a chance to rein it in. I’m not asking about her staying to help me with the case. And the extended silence that follows my question shows that she knows it, too.

“You do.” Her response is almost a whisper.

My chest goes light and immediately heavy. This is wishful thinking. Ava has a richer and far more fulfilling life than anything I could ever offer her. “For how long?” It’s my turn to whisper.

“As long as you’ll have me.”

I close my eyes, drag in a breath, and open them again. “But you’re leaving.”

The screen shows her sad smile. “You can come with me.”

“Or you could stay.” Fuck! “I’m sorry. That’s not fair of me to ask you that.”

She sighs. “No more unfair than my asking you to come with me.”

“We are at a crossroads.”

“We are.”

I swallow the growing knot in my throat. “I won’t hold you back.”

“I know you won’t, but maybe I want you to.”

I could never do that. Hold Ava back. Watch her life grow small by being attached to this town and the promise I made to my sister. “What are we going to do, Ava?”

“I don’t know. But I’m not worried about it.”

“No?”

“No, the universe doesn’t give you a problem without also giving you a solution. We just need to get out of our own way and allow life to unfold.”

“You know, I don’t really believe in any of that stuff.” I did once but swore to never believe again. Yet I can’t deny I’m starting to.

“You didn’t believe in me, either, but here we are.”

“Indeed. Here we are. Complicating everything and hurting ourselves in the process.” The words taste bitter on my tongue. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t necessary. I’m tired and frustrated and . . .”

“It doesn’t have to be complicated, Jake.”