“I don’t want to turn this into another promise,” I said.
“Good.”
“Promises made by frightened people can become cages.”
“Then let’s make no promises.”
“What do we do?”
“We show up.”
I looked at him.
“For how long?”
“For as long as we can.”
The simplicity of it moved me more than any grand declaration could have.
We stayed at the cottage until the afternoon. Lucas brought out sandwiches, and we ate at the kitchen table while rain began tapping against the roof again.
Before we left, I went upstairs alone.
The warning had been meant to keep me from entering the room alone before I knew the truth. Now there was nothing left there to frighten me.
I stood beside the desk and looked out at the lake.
On the wall, beneath a row of family photographs, I found one empty frame.
Lucas had not noticed it.
