“I know,” she said, the words muted. “But I’m something. I’m something, and it feels like that should matter.”

“You can’t help me with it,” he said.

She was tempted to shut her mouth then. Tempted to let it go. Because that was what she’d always done, when she’d been a kid. She’d shut her mouth, and let it go. She’d picked herself up and told no one she was in pain.

She let the anniversary of her mother’s death go by without saying anything. Had dealt with getting her period. And not told a soul.

Had watched her brother grieve his wife for eight years, without pushing into that pain.

Had let Wyatt carry the burden of the rift between him and their father, and let him stay quiet about it.

Had never pushed into Bennett’s facade of the perfect life to find out why control was so important to him.

Because that was how the Dodges had cared for each other.

Giving each other space.

And it hadn’t helped a single one of them work their shit out. In each and every case it had taken a person busting into their lives and pushing.

So Jamie was ready to push. Not just to be right.

Some things in the world couldn’t be fixed.

But some things could. And she had a feeling that wisdom was all about knowing when to push on what could be healed.

She could only hope that in this moment she had some wisdom, and not just stubbornness.

“Your mom lied to you. None of that’s fine. None of this is okay. And if you’re not okay with it, that’s to be expected. Why would you ever just accept this?”

“There’s not another choice.”

“Let me help you. I might not be family, but I’m here now.”

“How are you going to help me?”

“I don’t know. I could always just be with you.”

As offers went, offering herself was a damn scary thing. Because there was every chance that he would just laugh at that.

“Whatever you need to do,” he said, shrugging. “Coffee’s on.”

She had won the argument, more or less, but she didn’t particularly feel like she had, seeing as his acquiescence wasn’t in any way cheerful.

“We gotta have that coffee,” he said. “So we can get going.”

Jamie nodded slowly. “Okay.”

If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was clinging to something with tenacity.

She didn’t always feel like she had the best set of skills when it came to dealing with this man. But she sure knew how to hold on. And right now holding on might be the best thing she could do.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

IT TOOK TWO days for him to find an address for Leonora Caldwell. She lived two hours down the five, to Cottage Grove.

Close enough that Gabe thought it might be the thing to do to pay her a visit.

He knew that when Jamie found out about the whole thing she would want to go with him, but he was struggling with the point of including her. She wanted to, but there was no reason.