Sabrina sighed and dropped her arms to her sides. “I guess I understand that. This was yourEat, Pray, Loveperiod.”
“Mywhat?”
She shook her head. “Never mind. It was your sabbatical. A break from the ordinary that helped get you out of your head. I get itnow.”
I took the coffee off the burner and poured it into mugs without saying anything. I’d called this a sabbatical before, but that didn’t feel right anymore. Sabbaticals were temporary—a short stop before you resumed your regularly scheduled life or moved on to something new. This was more like a tectonicshift.
“Well, lots of people are going to be glad to see you back, anyway. Rick Marules asked me just the other day what you were up to. Anna. Heather. Little Carly, the redhead at my office.” She ticked off the names on her fingers, counting out a handful of the dozens of people I’d once considered friends. “They all heard I was coming here to get you and they werethrilled. And your father. God. You know, the man actually came by my office this week?My office.” She snorted. “After being Mr. Butter-wouldn’t-melt all fucking summer, telling me to never contact you again, like the villain in some opera, and now he wantsmeto be the missionary who brings you the good news.” She rolled her eyes. “But whatever. I guess we all start rethinking our priorities oncewe—”
“Sabrina, I’m not going back toManhattan.”
I held out her coffee mug, but she didn’t take it, so I set it on the counter by herelbow.
“What are you talking about? Of course you are. Now that I’ve found you and told youabout—”
I took a sip of my coffee and shrugged. “I haven’t been stranded on a desert island. I have a truck and I know where Manhattan is. I always have. And don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad to see you, but you’re acting like I’ve been a face on a milk carton. I chose to come here. Now I’m choosing tostay.”
“But Daniel, you can’t just duck out on your life! You have people back in the city who care about you. You have opportunities there you’ll never get here. That?” She motioned toward the living room. “That stuff you just let me read is your best work in ages. In fact, I’m stealing your laptop so I canfinish.”
I grinned. “Or I could email it to you.” I didn’twantto care whether she liked it or not, but apparently it was impossible for me not to. Even now, I still wanted to know someone else was moved or entertained by what Iwrote.
“Or you could bring it to me when you come back home, where youbelong.”
“Home,” I repeated. “You know, you and my father are the only people who’ve attempted to contact me since the day I left. Him, because he feels like I owe him something. You, because you’re hoping I’ll sign on the dotted line.” I tempered the words with asmile.
“Hey!” Sabrina pushed herself off the counter. “That’s not fair! I care about you. I wouldn’t go traipsing into the fucking Forbidden Forest here for justanyone.”
“I know.” I grinned. “And I hope you’ll come back to visit. Becausethisis my home now. I’m happier here than I ever was backthere.”
She hesitated. “Daniel, there’s something you should know before you make any decisions eitherway.”
Out in the living room, Honoria started barking like she’d spotted a squirrel encroaching on herterritory.
“Chill out!” I yelled to the dog. “You’re safe!” To Sabrina, I said, “Is it about the offer? Because if me moving back is a requirement, that’s gonna be a dealbreaker.”
“Not that,” she said. “It’s yourfather.”
Honoria barked again, but I ignoredher.
“What abouthim?”
“Your father hasn’t been the same since what happened in August.” She sighed. “I’m sure he told you he was fully recovered, but he’snot.”
I frowned. “Recovered fromwhat?”
Sabrina blinked. “From his collapse.” When I stared at her blankly, she added, “At the Sun Party in East Hampton? To benefit the children’s hospital?” She shook her head in despair when I remained clueless. “Anyway. It was this big to-do because your dad fainted. They thought it was heat stroke, but they did some tests after the fact and found he’d had an undiagnosed heart attack sometime before and… How the hell do you not know all this, Daniel? It was all over the internet. Well, I mean, if you read the social pages. He ended up giving a huge donation to the hospital where he wastaken.”
I stared at the hardwood floor, not quite sure how to feel. My father pissed me off like no one else, but he was myfather. His constant, annoying presence was a given in mylife.
“So you’re saying he’s… what? Sick?Dying?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I mean, not that I know of, Daniel, but jeez. I have no clue! He doesn’t exactly report his checkups on Snapchat. But he doesn’t look…” She broke off and screwed up her mouth. “He doesn’t lookright, I guess. Not like he used to. He looksold.”
There was a noise in the doorway to the living room and I looked up to find Julian there. His mouth was slack and his eyes were troubled. I didn’t have to ask if he’d heard what we’d been talkingabout.
“Hey,” he said. “Sorry, I didn’t even think toknock.”
“Of course not. Why would you?” I motioned for him to come to me and after a quick glance at Sabrina, he did. He wrapped his arms around my waist and tucked himself into my side. I took a deep breath, feeling my body relax now that he was beside me. “Everything okay with Theo andSam?”
