“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.”
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.”
