“I’m not used to this. I worked hard to climb my way up at the museum. For the last three years, I have done nothing but throw myself into work, into research. To lose all of that in seconds? I’m just not sure how to process it yet,” she admitted. “But at the same time, I never imagined things would escalate to this.”

I was happy to see the incident from the prior day hadn’t shaken her too badly. For all the trauma she’d been through, she was in better shape than most I had seen in the field.

“You haven’t lost it all,” I said. “Everything you have done is the reason the FBI is even here. Grey may be keeping you away from the case, but it’s only for your own safety. You got us closer than we ever were before to making an arrest. That is all because of you. This town may finally get closure because of you, Lenny,” I insisted.

“And you,” she breathed.

“Don’t give up on things yet,” I said. “Even removed from the case, there is still plenty to be done. This town is going to need someone when this case ends, someone who knows it inside and out to assure them we arrested the right person. Someone to make sure every last victim is remembered.”

She nodded along, and I saw the slight smile growing on her face.

“This town needs you, just as much as I needed you,” I finally said.

Just as much as I still need you. 

Her eyes searched mine before she stood from her seat. Her hands gripped either side of my chair as she leaned in.

“As much as I need you,” she whispered before she kissed me.

* * *

It wasn’t until later that day when I realized some of Len’s distance was anxiety about her parents coming to town. They’d be arriving soon for the upcoming clambake, which I promised to attend.

We still hadn’t heard from the FBI or Mags on how the warrant was going, or about combing through the footage from the warehouse area.

It would be a grueling process, which I knew could take days, weeks even.

The next few days passed, and Len only grew more anxious. There was little I could say to help, my own anxiety starting to take over, worried we’d find nothing tying Ethan to the warehouses.

Trust the process. 

I repeated the mantra over and over to myself. If I could control my own fears and nerves, I could help Len as well.

We spent time exploring town, grabbing lattes, and reading through the books in the rental. Len was already on her re-read of the book I gifted her, and I caught her adding little notes of her own to it.

My heart swelled at that.