Page 96 of Loss and Damages

I frown. “Kind of.”

“Everyone gave up looking, but you found that mutt in an alley, scared as all get out, covered in garbage. Mrs. Donahue was so thankful she gave you twenty dollars. Christ, you were what? Ten? Mom was in hysterics because you were running around the city by yourself. But you found that little dog, and he might still be lost if you had given up.”

“I remember now. I gave that twenty to a homeless man near the same alley.”

Jeremy rolls his eyes. “Of course you did. Or that time we were in Macy’s last year and Tara wanted a certain dress for Maya. You searched the entire store for that dress in her size. Asked every salesperson. No, couldn’t order it online, that was unacceptable. You found one, on a different floor. A customer had decided not to buy it.”

“Tara was mad at me, too,” I remember, poking my finger in the mountain of whipped cream.

“Yeah, she was. Maya was tired, and it was only a dress, easily found online.”

“What’s your point, Jeremy?”

He licks at his whipped cream and says, “You have to know when to give up and when to keep going. You didn’t give up on a dog, a living, breathing animal, because he was scared and going to starve. You didn’t give up on a dress, but it was only a dress, something Maya didn’t even need. Jemma, what does Dominicmean to you? Do you love him, or do you only think you do because you miss Leo?”

“I never loved Leo.”

“I know you didn’t, but he was your best friend for over a year. He took up all your free time, and then some. I can’t imagine what losing him must be like for you. And then not even a week later Dominic shows up to fill that void. Do you love him? Because if you truly do, the answer is clear.”

Leaning forward, I ask, “What?”

He squeezes my hand. “If you really do, then you wait him out. And if that doesn’t work, wait some more, and if that doesn’t work, wait somemore, because you wouldn’t give your heart to just anyone. Dominic, somehow, has earned it, now give him the time he needs to keep it.”

“What if he never figures out what I need him to figure out?”

Jeremy grins. “ThenI get to kick his ass.”

I squeeze his hand in return. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem. Can I ask you a favor, though?”

“Sure.”

“When you and Milano kiss and make up, can you keep Maya for a few days? Tara’s always wanted to see a Scottish castle.”

“Absolutely. It will be good practice.”

He narrows his eyes and sets his empty mug in the sink. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Goodnight, Jem.”

“Goodnight.”

Jeremy steps toward the living room but then turns around. “Hey, do you remember what Mom used to say?”

“She used to say a lot of things.”

“Yeah, she did. She said something about storms, remember? Always look for the rainbow after a storm.”

“I remember.”

“Get some sleep. I have a feeling you’re going to have some rainbows coming your way.”

Quietly, he walks out of the kitchen.

“I hope so,” I say to myself. “I hope so.”

The next morning, the rain has stopped, but as I drive home, I search for a rainbow, and there isn’t one to be had in the entire sky.

Chapter Twenty-Five