“Thanks, Fisher.” He heads back outside, resuming his review of the property. Through the glass front door, I watch as he circles the ancient Subaru parked near the fountain.

“Hi.” The softspoken greeting brings my focus back into the room. Black eyeliner and thick eyelashes augment unusually large eyes.

She glances nervously between me and Jack. Jack appears frozen. My guess is he’s seriously questioning his uncle’s recommendation. She’s got a Goth vibe, and I can see how my conservative friend might be disconcerted.

“Hi,” I say, because Jack’s silence is awkward. “I’m Ryan Wolfgang. A friend in town for the weekend.”

“Wolfgang.” She pushes some hair behind one ear, revealing a shit ton of earrings. “Do you have a sister, by chance?”

“I do.” I glance to Jack. I haven’t mentioned my sister to Jack. If this therapist specializes in addiction, I have an idea how she knows Indigo.

“Indie?” she asks.

“Yeah. That’s her.”

“She may be coming to stay with us.”

“Us?” My sister is doing better, but to my knowledge she’s not ready to transition. I haven’t authorized any other treatment facility.

“Well, I met with her yesterday,” she says with a soft smile. “She mentioned she needed to talk to her family.” She tilts her head up to look me in the eye. “You. Her brother.”

Right. Because there’s no one else.

“Do you have apartments?” Jack remains frozen, so I might as well learn what I can.

“We have a small community of apartments and townhomes. Mark Sullivan,” she looks to Jack, “your uncle has been incredible. We wouldn’t have been able to build our center without his help.”

“Nueva Vida,” Jack says. I give him a once-over, looking for signs he’s had too much to drink. His pupils are abnormally large, but I suppose we did just come inside after staring at the sun.

“Right. He’s our number one donor.”

“What’s Nueva Vida?” I ask.

“Well, it’s designed to be a secure and safe place for recovering addicts to adjust to real life. We help with job-training skills and placement. We strive to provide a clean, safe environment because transitioning back to life is hard enough without worrying about your next meal or living in a dangerous place.” Alex and I planned to visit Indie tomorrow. I wonder if she plans to tell us then. “We subsidize rent payments until each person can afford the full rent. We let them live with us until they’re ready, financially and emotionally, to fully re-enter the world. Rushing to return to normal can be a trigger for relapse.”

“How do you know my uncle?” Jack’s squinted eyes lend him a vicious expression that has me doing another double take.

“He’s…Patrick,” she begins. Jack’s eyebrows practically join in the middle, and he crosses his arms in a bouncer pose. “Patrick is an incredibly close friend. He’s like family to me.”

“And Patrick is…?” Jacks asks her.

Her eyelashes flutter and surprise registers, but she pulls it together. She mirrors Jack by crossing her arms over her stomach. “He’s a close friend of Mark’s…your uncle. I’ve known your uncle for a long time.”