Jared sat next to me, and we began passing around the different dishes, filling our plates. As stressful and dark as the situation seemed, the banter was jovial, and Jared’s mood was nearly cheerful. The weight of an answer had finally been lifted, and he felt hopeful again.

Cynthia barely finished her meal when she looked at her watch. “Jared. Bex. Thank you so much for dinner. I do apologize. I have an engagement.”

Jared nodded. “Of course, Cynthia. Thank you for joining us.”

She paused behind my chair and cupped my shoulders, kissing my cheek. “It was good to see you, Nina dear.”

I nodded, and her heels clicked to the front door.

Ryan’s brows jumped. “She’s not one for family functions, huh?”

“Not really, no,” I said.

“Cynthia shows her humanity by way of charities. She’s very busy, but she’s helped so many people.” Lillian said.

“That she has,” I said. “Is there pie?”

Jared laughed, and Bex popped up. “No, but there is cake.”

“Angel food?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said, leaving for the kitchen.

Ryan pulled his fork from his mouth, clearly ready for dessert. “So what’s the real occasion?”

Bex returned with the cake, setting it right in front of me. “Trying to keep the pregnant woman fed. It takes a village, ya know.”

“Very funny,” I said, but I couldn’t help from cutting a huge piece. Pregnancy was the perfect excuse for gluttony.

“Ryan has a good point,” Lillian smiled. “You’re in a very good mood for a change.”

Jared smiled. “I took the book to Father Francis.”

“Again?” Claire said, surprised.

I swallowed the delicious, spongy bite in my mouth. “We were there all night.”

Ryan cut his own piece of cake, but handed it to Claire. “So you found something?”

“Not a damn thing,” Jared said, smiling.

Ryan cut another piece for himself, causing a wider smile from Lillian. Claire just rolled her eyes.

“I don’t get it,” Claire said.

Jared used his fork to attempt to cut a piece of cake from my slice, but I stuck out my elbow to defend my plate. Everyone laughed, including Jared.

Jared finally gave in and cut his own slice. “Nina and I were distracted. All we could think about was getting Shax’s book back to Jerusalem for Kim.”

Ryan pointed at me with his fork. “She called me today. She’s past impatient. She was yelling. I’ve never heard her yell.”

“It’s her lucky day, then,” I said.

“Oh yeah, why’s that?” Ryan said, chewing.

Jared put his elbows on the table and folded his arms. “Because we’re leaving for Jerusalem next week.”

Claire shrugged. “Well, that’s smart. Ryan and I are both starting Brown in the fall, and it’s Nina’s senior year. It’s good to get it out of the way.”

Lillian paused. “You’re going to Brown?”