Jed, who hadn’t even realized he’d nodded off during the short drive from Eli’s neighborhood, followed the driver’s gaze. Sure enough, someone stood on the tiny landing of the front stoop. When he saw who it was, his heart skipped a beat.

“Roger that,” Jed said, pulling on the door handle. “Thanks for the lift.”

“Do you want me to wait? I can take her wherever she needs to go,” the driver said.

“That’s her car parked along the curb. Thanks, brother, but I think we got this.”

“Easy day, be safe.”

“You too,” Jed said and sprinted from the SUV to the front porch.

“Rachel, what in the world are you doing here?” he said, quickly unlocking the door and shepherding her inside. “Don’t you know about the new protocol? It’s not safe to be outside.”

“I was standing under the overhang,” she said with a defensive tinge to her voice. “I’m not a kid, Jed. I am capable of risk calculation decisions.”

He knew her well enough to know that nothing good would come from debating the topic with her, so he simply nodded and flipped on the wall switch to light up the foyer in his darkened brownstone.

“Please excuse the boxes everywhere. I haven’t had a chance to unpack yet,” he said.

“I know how that goes,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“So, um . . . ,” he began, facing her.

“Why am I here?” she said, finishing his sentence for him.

“Yeah.”

“We need to talk, Jed.”

“Oooookay,” he said, drawing out the O and gesturing to the living room. “Can I get you something to drink? Iced tea, water, beer . . . ?”

“No thank you,” she said, moving into the living room and taking a seat in one of two club chairs.

He nodded and took a seat on the love seat opposite her on the other side of the coffee table. This was the first time he’d been alone with Rachel—his once and only true love—in over fifteen years. It felt . . . weird.

“So . . . does David know you’re here?” he began, regretting the question instantly when he saw her expression sour.

“I’m not even going to justify that question with a response,” she said, her eyes drilling into him. “No matter how I unpack it, the subtext is offensive.”

“I don’t know why I said that,” he said, feeling his cheeks getting hot.

She nodded, but the look in her eyes signaled apology not accepted. After an awkward beat, she said, “You know what? I can’t let it drop. Do you think I would come here behind my husband’s back? David and I don’t keep things from each other. Or maybe you thought I would need his permission and he wouldn’t give it?”

“No, I swear, Rachel, it was just a stupid icebreaker. That’s all.”

“Heckuva way to break the ice, Jed,” she said.