The only thing that was even close to a light at the end of the dark tunnel she was in—and it was just a match strike, not a bonfire or anything—was that she’d followed through on the vacation idea. Next week she was going to get on a plane and go to—

Grier froze, a tickle on her neck cutting into the woe-is-me routine. “Daniel?”

When there was no answer, she cursed. In addition to looking for Isaac’s nonexistent note, she’d been hoping to see her brother’s ghost, but it was as if the two of them had both left her high and dry with no good-bye.

Turning around, she—

“Daniel!” She grabbed her chest. “Christ! And where the hell have you been?”

For once, her brother was not dressed in Ralph Lauren. He was in a long white robe, looking like he was about to graduate from college or something.

His smile was warm, but sad. “Hey, sis.”

“I thought you’d left me.” She was about to run forward to hug him when she realized that wasn’t going to work—as usual he was mostly air. “Why haven’t you—”

“I’ve come to say good-bye.”

“Oh.” Her eyes closed of their own volition and she took a deep breath. “I was kind of waiting for this, I guess.”

When she reopened her lids, he was right in front of her, and all she could think of was that he looked so healthy. So relaxed. So . . . curiously wise.

“You’re ready for this now,” he told her. “You’re ready to move on.”

“Am I.” She wasn’t so sure. The idea of not seeing him again threw her into a panic.

“Yeah, you are. Besides, it’s not a permanent kind of thing. You’ll see me again . . . Mom, too. It won’t be for a good long while, but you have something to live for now.”

“Myself, right. No offense, but I’ve been doing that for thirty years and it’s kind of empty.”

Now he grinned and his glowing hand went to hover over her belly. “Not exactly.”

As she looked down at herself, she wondered what the good goddamn he was talking about.

“I love you,” her brother said. “And you’re going to be just fine. I also wanted to tell you that I think I was wrong.”

“About what?”

“I thought I was stuck in the in-between because you wouldn’t let me go. But that wasn’t it. I was the one who couldn’t let you go. You’re going to be in great hands, though, and everything is going to be all right.”

“Daniel, what are you talking about—”